Poor Ninja

Taking the highest-rank mission a Chunin could accept as an example, a B-Rank Mission paid at most 200,000. At first glance, the medical fees Hoshino Maki demanded amounted to no more than five B-Rank Missions.

But that wasn't how it worked in practice.

First, B-Rank Missions were negligible in number compared to the huge population of Chunin. Whenever one came up, everyone fought to get it.

There were too many wolves and too little meat. Even during wartime, a Chunin would be lucky to get a few B-Rank Missions in a year.

And it wasn't just the number of missions. The average Chunin also struggled to handle their intensity.

B-Rank Missions supposedly only "might" involve combat, but what did they actually entail?

Taking part in wars between nations, assassinating shinobi, engaging in espionage, and protecting important people.

The odds of combat weren't 100%, but they were at least 99%. Anyone who took a mission had to be ready to risk their life.

If a shinobi could handle the intensity of five B-Rank Missions a year, why wouldn't they become a Jonin?

Besides, ordinary B-Rank Missions didn't pay 200,000. That was what the best Chunin in Konoha could expect. In the other Four Great Ninja Villages, they generally paid only around 120,000 to 180,000.

So most Chunin mainly took C-Rank Missions. Some didn't care about their pride and even competed with Genin for D-Rank Missions.

And the money didn't all go into the shinobi's pockets.

Once a mission was completed, the village took 50% off the top, then deducted various taxes. They were left with only about 30%.

And that wasn't the end of it. Hadn't their ninja tools taken a beating on the mission?

Didn't their Explosive Tags need replacing?

If they were injured, shouldn't they go to the hospital?

By the time they got home, a shinobi was doing well if they'd managed to keep 20% of the mission pay. That meant they were thrifty and good at managing a household.

If they had a family, their expenses went up even more.

After all, in this traditional society where men worked outside the home and women managed the household, most families had only one source of income: the husband. The whole family depended on him to earn a living.

So it would take a Chunin at least five or six years to save up one million.

It wasn't easy for a Jonin, either. That was the pay from five top-level A-Rank Missions.

Take Rasa's brother-in-law, Yashamaru, for example. In the original story, he had completed only fourteen A-Rank Missions by the time he died, and not a single S-Rank Mission.

The medical fee Hoshino Maki had set was a delicate amount. It hurt to pay, but it wasn't impossible to save up.

Kojima did a rough calculation. The medical fees alone could earn the village over 200 million!

He'd never imagined a human life could be worth so much.

The most disgusting part was that this was only the medical fee. How could they even discuss the ransom if the families didn't pay for the treatment?

Sunagakure was a small place with poor sanitation. If they didn't treat the wounds, they could fester and kill the prisoners. Then there'd be nothing they could do.

"So the money's really as good as in our hands?"

After hearing Hoshino Maki's analysis, Kojima could hardly believe it, but he couldn't argue with her, either.

Hoshino Maki shrugged. "Why not? Even if Kumogakure refuses, their families will agree."

Hoshino Maki had opened up a whole new world to Kojima.

So this was another way to make money!

"Exactly. If they don't have family, have them write to their friends. If that still doesn't work, sell everything they can. They'll find a way to scrape the money together."

Kojima's ability to draw conclusions on his own made Hoshino Maki feel like a loan shark—or someone who worked in credit management.

"By the way, get a few people to clean up the bodies."

"Don't worry. They've already been taken care of."

"No, I mean clean up the Cloud Ninja corpses and take them with us."

Having had her eyes opened to this new world, Kojima immediately guessed what Hoshino Maki had in mind. He hesitated before speaking.

"My lady, isn't that a little..."

Selling the bodies of fallen shinobi was more than a little unscrupulous. The last scraps of his conscience told him it was wrong.

Of course, the main reason was that in this era, when human life was worth next to nothing, corpses weren't worth anything, either!

Hoshino Maki glanced at him and immediately understood what he was thinking. She said irritably, "Do you think I'd take any way of making money? Once we get back, have someone who's served as a spy in Kumogakure identify them. Keep the bodies from the major clans. I have a use for them. Send the ones from ordinary families to the hospital, so the Medical Ninja can use them as cadavers."

"Cadavers?"

Kojima was baffled by the strange term. Hoshino Maki thought for a moment, then said, "Never mind. I'll write a scroll in a bit. Send it to Lady Moyuzi along with the prisoners."

Kojima nodded. He really couldn't keep up with Hoshino Maki's train of thought.

"Also, don't tell anyone about this yet."

Hoshino Maki's gaze suddenly sharpened. She looked him in the eyes and spoke each word distinctly.

Kojima froze for a moment and didn't answer right away.

By rights, he had to report everything that happened during a battle to the Elder Council. That was Sunagakure's tradition: they reported to the Elder Council, not the Kazekage.

Of course, the Kazekage attended the report meetings as one of the elders.

If an ordinary shinobi had said what Hoshino Maki just had, they could already be treated as a Rogue Ninja.

Hoshino Maki's expression remained unchanged. In the same casual tone one might use to chat about everyday matters, she said, "The First Hokage built Sunagakure in the Desert of Demons. The Second Hokage was peerless in his research into Puppet Techniques and Magnet Release, and even turned Shukaku into an important asset for the village. The Third Kazekage was even called the strongest Kazekage. Sunagakure seems to be flourishing, and yet... why are we still so poor?"

Hoshino Maki glanced at Kojima, who had fallen into thought, then turned toward the Sunagakure Shinobi celebrating their victory. She spoke softly. "I've never been to Konoha, but I've heard it has bustling streets, an endless supply of trees, and delicious food. Its children live carefree lives before becoming Genin. Is that true?"

"So... what are we in the Land of Wind lacking?"

Hoshino Maki's words pounded against Kojima's chest like a heavy hammer, leaving him unable to speak.

Before they started school, most children in Sunagakure went outside the village to scavenge.

Sometimes they found something useful. Sometimes they came back empty-handed.

Of course, most of the time it was the latter.

At best, the children could gather some red willow branches to take home for firewood. Electricity was something ordinary families couldn't afford.

Kojima was an Elite Jonin, so his children didn't have to suffer like that. But he knew that every year, children went missing from the village or were eaten by giant venomous insects in the desert.

There was no choice. The areas near the village had all been explored. To find anything useful, they had to venture farther away.

He remembered when he'd accompanied the Third Kazekage on a diplomatic visit to Konoha. He'd seen a child crying as he said that a wild boar had chased him all over the place. The boy's father had been so scared that he'd even said they should hire shinobi to deal with the dangerous beast.

Ridiculous. That would never happen in Sunagakure. If the villagers saw a wild boar, they'd hunt it themselves and enjoy a proper meal!

Kojima had never imagined Sunagakure could become like Konoha. But if he could see it reach even a third of Konoha's prosperity in his lifetime, he'd gladly give his life for it!

"Do you want to become Kazekage?"

"Why not?"

Hoshino Maki asked the question in reply, but her tone was certain.

"What about the Elder Council..."

"That's for me to worry about. Will you help me?"

Kojima took two deep breaths, then finally made up his mind. He dropped to one knee. "It would be my honor!"

Happy Lantern Festival!