Development Policy

Hashirama looked at Ruri and frowned. Perhaps it was unrealistic, but he truly desired peace in the ninja world without a shred of selfishness. The negotiations had been nearly concluded, yet Ruri's words had cast everything into uncertainty once more.

Tobirama, however, was indifferent. The peace treaty had already been signed, so there would be no major wars for at least the next few years. Even if the other nations looked upon the Land of Fire with disdain, that was a matter for the future. He was a radical; in a few years, the Land of Fire would have already developed, and he would be more than happy to fight a multi-front war. His long-held philosophy was that peace must be brought about by overwhelming military might—how could one negotiate peace if they couldn't beat their opponents into submission?

"However, if you establish trade with the Land of Waterfalls, we have ways to bridge this gap, placing all major nations on the same starting line. Even if we develop in peace for years or decades, the disparity in national strength between us will not be too great." Ruri's words were filled with confidence. When it came to construction and development, how could these ninjas, who only knew how to kill, compare to a modern transmigrator? This was the confidence he had gained after acquiring his system; after all, what was developing a ninja village to him?

"This..." Retto wore a thoughtful expression. He might not believe others, but Ruri's words were worth deep consideration. The initial application of Hero Water, the excavation of river channels, and the selection of regions—all of these had been taught to him by Ruri. If he hadn't used the methods Ruri provided, that small amount of Hero Water might not have yielded such excellent results.

The other four Kage also began to think seriously, including Hashirama. They were not blind; they had seen the development of the Land of Waterfalls over the years, which was nearly on par with their own great nations. Since Ruri was saying this now, he must have a way to accelerate national development!

"Tell us your ideas. If they are feasible, the Land of Wind agrees to establish trade with the Land of Waterfalls." Retto spoke up. In truth, even if Ruri was determined not to use Hero Water as a trade commodity, he intended to stay on good terms with him. After all, one shouldn't burn bridges; since the peace treaty was signed today, there would always be opportunities for trade in the future.

"Take the Land of Wind, for example. It is located in a desert and lacks water, but the neighboring Land of Rain experiences constant rainfall. If the Tsuchikage were willing to dispatch ninjas to use Earth Style to excavate a channel passing through the Land of Rain and into the Land of Wind, wouldn't this problem be slightly alleviated?"

"And the Land of Water, isolated overseas with inconvenient transportation—but you can build bridges! Ordinary bridges naturally wouldn't suffice, but what about the Hokage's Wood Style? Building a massive bridge leading to the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"The Land of Lightning is located on a plateau surrounded by mountains, and most of the Land of Earth consists of desolate rock walls. Both nations have terrain that is easy to defend and hard to attack. While this may offer an advantage in wartime, it greatly hinders external communication during peacetime. The Land of Snow is currently researching railways; once railways are laid across rock walls and plateaus, the disadvantage of poor transportation will soon be improved."

A and Ishikawa nodded repeatedly. They had heard rumors of the railways and electric trains being researched by the Land of Snow. If they were truly developed, they would indeed be powerful tools for improving transportation. Before establishing their villages, they were indeed ninjas who only knew how to kill, but after establishing their villages, they forced themselves to consider the construction and development of their nations and villages. They were not stupid; the policies Ruri mentioned were entirely capable of improving their national economies.

Retto, who had been running around for his village's resources, had a deeper consideration. Excavating a river channel between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind was indeed a good idea, but he wanted to excavate a channel between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Wind even more. The Land of Waterfalls had numerous cascades and was a natural reservoir. If one or more rivers were excavated from the Land of Waterfalls, passing through the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain, and finally reaching the Land of Wind, then the problem of water scarcity in the Land of Wind would cease to exist.

"But these policies all concern other nations, or even various small countries. What does this have to do with the Land of Waterfalls?" Byakuren accepted the Wood Style bridge proposal by default, but he couldn't help but retort at Ruri.

"It's related, of course it's related. If it weren't for me, would you have thought of these policies? These are just the tip of the iceberg. Do you know about the Belt and Road? Economic layout? Reinforced concrete? It's not for me to say, but without me, it would take you decades to light up your tech tree. When it comes to farming, I am willing to call myself the strongest!" Ruri said, full of confidence. As the most efficient productive force in this world, ninjas could handle more than just these development policies; as long as he could conceive of it, he could produce the physical results. Besides, he had just completed an achievement, which meant three more draws—what couldn't he pull? Perhaps the next one would be god-tier crop seeds that could yield as much as one dared to plant! Even without the system, relying solely on his experience that exceeded that of the ninjas, applying various ninjutsu to farming and construction would guarantee the rapid economic development of all nations!

The strongest... The Five Kage had to admit that this was a fact. These fresh terms Ruri mentioned were things they had never heard of, but their intuition told them that these things were not spoken lightly and would definitely be of great help to the development of their nations.

"As for the Land of Fire, these policies don't seem to apply. I wonder if the Takikage has any ideas?" Hashirama was very supportive of the policies Ruri proposed for developing the ninja world. Even if the Land of Fire wasn't involved, he raised no objections. But Tobirama was different; if things developed like this for a few years, the Land of Fire would gain nothing, and the gap in national strength between the countries would be narrowed for no reason. How would he then beat others into submission?

"The Land of Fire has vast, fertile plains and is the most powerful among all nations. I think it shouldn't need these, right?" Ruri raised an eyebrow and said. In truth, there were plenty of economic policies that fit the Land of Fire's situation. Moreover, the Land of Fire had many ninja clans with secret techniques and wild imaginations. Not to mention anything else, just the Shadow Clone technique Tobirama developed—if someone with Tailed Beast-level chakra like Hashirama learned it, that would be the productivity of one man being equal to a whole nation! If he told them these ideas, the Land of Waterfalls would be finished and wouldn't be able to occupy a shred of resources! And without resources, no matter how wild Ruri's imagination was, he couldn't develop Takigakure!

The other four Kage tacitly agreed with Ruri's implication. If the Land of Fire also had policies to boost its economy and accelerate development, then how could they compete? Ruri had brought these policies forward precisely to help narrow the gap between other nations and the Land of Fire, preventing a situation where one power dominated. They couldn't let the Land of Fire get even further ahead.

"Hashirama, since the Takikage has no development policies suitable for the Land of Fire, there is no need to force him. The ninja world is already trending toward peace. Only through the balanced development of all nations can selfishness be reduced. As long as the entire ninja world is thriving, we will surely be able to welcome a completely peaceful new world in the future!" Hashirama said with high spirits. He didn't worry about the finances of the Land of Fire; with his own economic mindset, he couldn't feel the crisis that the development of other nations would bring to the Land of Fire. He even felt that the five great nations advancing together and keeping each other in check was the development trend that should exist in times of peace.

"Big Brother!" Tobirama couldn't help but glare at Hashirama. This was where he and Hashirama differed. He felt that if the Land of Fire and Konoha lost their status as the strongest nation and the strongest ninja village, they would be unable to guarantee peace in the ninja world. Peace required a leader, and Konoha was that leader. If they couldn't suppress other nations, how could there be peace?

In his eyes, if it weren't for Hashirama possessing the strength to suppress the entire ninja world, this Five Kage Summit would never have been possible!