The Art of the Great Deceiver
What are your thoughts?
Naturally, he wants to go it alone!
Rasa was the one most deeply moved. Yesterday, Rasa and Feng Da Ming talked all night, with Luo Sha promising countless benefits.
Rasa had never found a daimyo so endearing, and a thought began to rise in his heart: if the daimyo treats him as a national hero, he will repay him with the same patriotism.
Originally, they were prepared to fight for enough land for the Land of Wind, even if it meant being scorned and losing face, in order to secure a future for Sunagakure.
But after seeing what a country truly possessed, Rasa suddenly felt somewhat bored.
What is the purpose of ninjas?
Thinking back to the true root of the Third Shinobi World War, it wasn't the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, but rather the Kazekage Daimyo's grasp on the purse strings, forcing Hidden Sand Village to start the war.
The Sunagakure paid off its entire strength in the First Shinobi World War; almost half of its ninjas never returned after leaving the village.
The ultimate defeat of Sunagakure resulted in the Daimyo of the Land of Wind tightening his grip on their coffers.
The Sunagakure, with its population halved and most of its ninjas dead, is barely managing to survive.
Thanks to Rasa's diligent work over the years, Hidden Sand Village gradually recovered some of its vitality.
But now Rasa is finding it increasingly difficult, and at most, in a year, Hidden Sand Village will have to find a new way out.
One year later, in the year that the 'Konoha Crush Plan' was launched in the original work.
Rasa silently pondered everything he had just witnessed; the Land of Earth was not much stronger than the Land of Wind.
Yet, even in this Land of Earth, a small portion of it is enough to ensure that Sunagakure can live in peace and security for generations, at least for a hundred years.
Aside from being used as ninja tools by ninjas, ores are mostly consumed by ordinary people.
A mineral deposit means a continuous stream of wealth.
Without saying a word, Rasa had already made a decision in his heart.
Similarly, many people present also made their own choices.
Finally, someone broke the silence and spoke to Ren.
"Lord Hokage, what exactly do you want to do?"
Ren looked up and saw that it was the leader of Yugakure who was speaking.
The Yugakure, which was ravaged by the Jashin Cult, is now reduced to a small, insignificant place with a population of no more than ten thousand and ninjas no more than a thousand.
"That's a good question!"
Ren stood up, his eyes filled with reminiscence, and began to speak.
"Everyone, after the Fourth Shinobi World War, I implemented reforms within the Konoha Military Police Force, the most crucial of which was the establishment of several factories."
"Today, the products from these factories are selling well throughout the Shinobi World. I believe that everyone here has seen products from Konoha to some extent."
Ren turned his gaze to everyone, and those who were looked at by Ren nodded. Then, Ren spoke again.
"Some of you may think that Konoha's products are a mixed bag, but in my eyes, they're all fantastic!"
"Because they brought me, and Konoha, countless riches!"
"I'm sure you've all seen the lives of the Konoha. I can say without exaggeration that the lives of the Konoha are even more comfortable than those of some impoverished nobles!"
After hearing this, everyone nodded unconsciously, and at the same time, they felt a deep sense of envy.
"I want to tell you a fact: the military funding provided by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire only accounts for half the extent of Konoha's prosperity!"
"The remaining 95% is supported by Konoha's various factories. In other words, if the Daimyo stops providing military funding to Konoha, the Konoha might suffer a little, but not by much."
Ren's words shocked everyone present.
As everyone here knows, the people working in Konoha's factories are all ordinary people. Is Konoha really able to be self-sufficient just by relying on these ordinary people?
Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Ren continued speaking.
"As everyone knows, I have always hoped for peace in the Shinobi World."
Everyone present was secretly thinking, "Is it really appropriate for you to say such things here?"
If we truly want peace, then what are we doing sitting here?
"Only peace allows Konoha to sell its products to all parts of the Shinobi World without any scruples, and only then can Konoha become self-sufficient!"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. If Ren hadn't lied before, then Konoha truly did yearn for peace the most.
"The numerous Shinobi World Wars were, in essence, wars between shinobi."
"I want to ask everyone here, think back to what you fought for in the first place, and after the war, did you really get what you wanted?"
That war wasn't because the village couldn't sustain itself anymore; internal conflicts were rampant, and war was the only way to divert attention from these internal problems.
Even after defeat, one still gets what they wanted after the war.
The village became incredibly stable, united, and lived comfortably, but all of this came at the cost of countless ninja deaths.
"The current situation is that Konoha has already taken the lead and is seeing an incredibly beautiful view!"
Ren paused slightly, then continued.
"As the number one ninja village in the Shinobi World, Konoha is not afraid of war, but it also dislikes it. The only way to prevent war from breaking out is to make the other ninja villages like Konoha, so that they don't have to fight to the death for the meager military funds given by the Daimyo!"
"As long as none of the ninja villages desire war, Konoha can enjoy this peaceful and tranquil life forever."
Finally, Ren opened his arms, a sincere smile on his face, and slowly spoke.
"You ask me what I want to do? My desire is very simple: to create a bright future for all ninjas!"