"If we offered the Iwagakure ninja land as well, I'm sure they would never betray us. For Genin and Chunin, their demands had never been wealth and glory—only peace and safety."
"Even... if it meant becoming ordinary people."
Kitsuchi's voice was hoarse.
They had not lost.
Nor had Iwagakure lost. What had lost was its outdated system.
The land did not belong to the ninja. They had no right to cultivate it, no right to claim resources, and all their expenses and wages were issued by the Daimyo.
Under such circumstances, how could they possibly defeat the Land of God?
"Forget it..."
Ōnoki of Both Scales let out a sigh, his eyes filled with desolation, yet still holding firm to his resolve.
"Let them go. This old man will protect Iwagakure forever, even if I am the only one left in the end!"
To him,
Iwagakure was the dream of his entire life!
Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi followed close behind him, like two guards who would never leave.
Three months later.
Only around three thousand ninja remained in Iwagakure.
Of its fifteen thousand ninja, twelve thousand had joined the Land of God, along with nearly fifty thousand ordinary people. Iwagakure could no longer stir up any trouble.
"Akira, this is the current personnel report for Iwagakure. The remaining ninja are almost certainly unwilling to surrender. Should we use other methods?"
Uchiha Shisui frowned.
He had not expected Iwagakure to retain so many ninja.
Neither land nor money could tempt these ninja into joining the Land of God.
"There's no need. Time is on our side. As the Land of God grows stronger, they will join it sooner or later. This is the irresistible trend of the times."
Uchiha Akira said calmly,
"The Land of God has too many people, and there