I'm Honored to Be One Too

The Third Shinobi World War had just ended, leaving a window of more than ten years before the Fourth.

Lu Zeming decided to use two five-year plans to give his village the strength to survive the Fourth Shinobi World War.

It would be difficult, but Lu Zeming was confident.

What Kumi Uzumaki was reading was Lu Zeming's first five-year plan.

First, they would build up their initial capital through the Super Soldier Pill business. The Land of Grass was on the brink of turmoil, so demand for Super Soldier Pills would only grow. Making their first fortune would be easy.

Next, they would expand their territory, take in refugees, train ninja, and build their strength.

By the end of the first five years, the village was to have a population of ten thousand and enough power to influence affairs throughout the Land of Grass.

It was only Lu Zeming's first draft, but Kumi Uzumaki's heart raced as she read it.

"We can do it. We absolutely can!"

Kumi Uzumaki clutched the Outline of the Five-Year Development Plan and paced in excitement, wishing she could put its policies into effect at once.

Lu Zeming smiled and reassured her. "No rush. We eat one bite at a time and take one step at a time. Every policy needs people's support. Only when everyone understands what's in it for them can we all pull together and get things done!"

After seeing Kumi Uzumaki off, Lu Zeming began training without delay.

He told others to take things slowly, but he did not dare slow down himself. Strength was what he could truly rely on.

Without it, his five-year plans and ten-year development would amount to nothing more than doing the work for someone else to reap the rewards.

Lu Zeming entered his Inner Landscape and found that the vortex of Spirit Energy had filled his Dantian. Absorbing more would do little good.

"I've reached the peak of Qi Refining, haven't I? Foundation Establishment comes next, but without a cultivation method to guide me, how am I supposed to do it?"

Lu Zeming fell back on his crude method and began experimenting with the little figure in his Inner Landscape.

He had the little figure in his Inner Landscape simulate compressing the Spiritual Power in its Dantian. After only a few attempts, its Dantian exploded.

The sight left Lu Zeming shaken, but he refused to give up and kept trying.

Compression alone was not enough; he also had to remove impurities. After another round of adjustments, the little figure in the Inner Landscape's Dantian exploded again.

The Spiritual Power was in the Dantian, but not only there. He had to keep it circulating normally through the meridians as he compressed it.

This time, Lu Zeming compressed the Spiritual Power in a rhythm that followed its circulation path. The Spirit Energy inside the little figure in his Inner Landscape showed clear signs of condensing.

Before Lu Zeming could breathe a sigh of relief, the little figure in his Inner Landscape's meridians burst apart.

Lu Zeming scratched his head in frustration. He was not going to solve this anytime soon.

With no other choice, Lu Zeming set aside his efforts to increase his Spiritual Power and focused on studying the Ninjutsu he had brought back.

This time, Lu Zeming brought back a great many Ninjutsu, well over a hundred in all, including some from each of the five releases: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water.

Considering the characteristics of his Wood Spiritual Root, Lu Zeming focused mainly on Earth and Water Release.

Water Release: Water Shockwave. Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet. Lu Zeming took just over half an hour to master both B-rank Ninjutsu.

Still, Lu Zeming was somewhat dissatisfied, so he turned his attention to the Ninjutsu unique to the Land of Grass.

Grass Release: Thorn Whip could rapidly grow thorny lashes beneath an enemy's feet to strike, bind, or strangle them.

Grass Release: Spore Mist released a mass of spores that blocked an enemy's vision while numbing their nerves.

Grass Release: Grass Blade Razor launched a barrage of serrated leaves that sliced through a wide area.

All three involved the precise control and transformation of Water- and Earth-natured Chakra.

They were extremely difficult for ordinary people to learn. But for Lu Zeming, born with a Wood Spiritual Root, they were much easier to grasp and more natural to use.

Most surprising of all, one of the scrolls he had brought back was a Summoning Scroll.

According to the scroll, it summoned an intelligent vine: the Ghost Lantern Vine.

The Ghost Lantern Vine was remarkably tough. Blades and axes could scarcely harm it, it did not fear fire, and it naturally suppressed Chakra.

In battle, an enemy ninja caught by the Ghost Lantern Vine was almost certain to die. Its weaknesses, however, were just as obvious.

The Ghost Lantern Vine was volatile and quick to anger. It was liable to turn on its master, and its movement speed was a clear weakness.

Lu Zeming rubbed his chin. Something about the Ghost Lantern Vine's traits felt familiar.

"Ghost Lantern Vine, Hozuki Castle... Could they be connected?"

For Lu Zeming, there was little point dwelling on that question now.

He was about to have his own summoned creature, and Lu Zeming could not help feeling delighted.

Before long, autumn had arrived. Yellow leaves dotted the forest, and the morning sun filtered through the dense trees, scattering patches of light among them. It was a beautiful sight.

None of the villagers worked that morning. Instead, they gathered in the clearing at the center of the village.

There were only a hundred or so of them, men and women, young and old, but every face was solemn.

This was their first village-wide meeting, and everyone was waiting for one person to appear.

Dressed in plain clothes, Lu Zeming strode out before them.

Without any visible movement from him, a tall platform rose from the ground.

Standing at its center, Lu Zeming instantly became the focus of every gaze.

In the distance, the three Jonin assigned to protect Kusakai Naoto were stunned by Lu Zeming's display.

"Was that Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall?"

"An Earth Flow Wall of over thirty cubic meters? That's Jonin-level power."

"That's not the point. Did you see him form any hand signs?"

"Casting Ninjutsu without hand signs? That can't be possible!"

"But we just saw it!"

"The Kusakage said he was terrifying. I didn't quite believe it at first, but now I see what he meant!"

"And he's only seven!"

"He really is terrifying!"

At the front of the crowd, the fifteen young ninja stood even straighter at the sight.

He was their leader, the one lighting the way ahead. He might still be young, but with strength like his, his age only made him more remarkable.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Lu Zeming took a deep breath and began his speech.

"You're lowborn scum. You're shit. You're weeds by the roadside that anyone can trample!"

Lu Zeming's opening left everyone dumbfounded. What was going on? Why was he insulting them? It might be true, but being insulted in public still stung.

Before they could turn to one another and grumble, Lu Zeming changed tack.

"I'm honored to be one too!"

The crowd burst out laughing.

Lu Zeming raised a hand to quiet them and continued.

"Some of you know me, and some of you don't. So let me introduce myself. My name is Lu Zeming, and I'm an orphan. Why? Because when the noble lords came to collect taxes, my parents refused to hand over the last bit of grain our family needed to survive!"

"They killed them. They killed them for refusing to hand over the grain. My parents died, and the grain was taken anyway. That was how my sister and I became orphans!"

By then, some people below had begun secretly wiping away tears. It was not pity that moved them. They had lived through the same thing.

"The noble lords said they collected that grain to repair a bridge. I went to look. The bridge is still broken. No one ever repaired it. So where did the money go? Straight into their pockets, to pay for their pleasures and their women!"

"Why? We're all human, so why can they rob us of our money and grain and squander it however they please? Some say paying taxes is our duty as commoners. But what about them? They collect taxes year after year and live off what we give them. Don't they have a duty to protect us?"

"So where were they when the bandits came? Where were they when the ninja came?"

"I had no way left to survive, so I took this stronghold and brought the villagers here. It's not a bad place. We have food and water. But have you thought about whether our situation has really changed?"

"Now that we've taken this stronghold, the government soldiers see us as bandits, and the ninja see us as prey. But we know we're human, just like them, with joys and sorrows of our own. We want to live. We want to live with dignity. What's wrong with that?"