Hong let Hei Dalang take her on a tour of the village.
The situation was similar everywhere: the grain bins were empty, the stoves were cold, and only a few old people remained. Reaching the end of the village, they found a house with its door ajar. Hei Dalang pushed the door open, went in, and quickly retreated, his face grim.
"The old man in this family starved to death three days ago. He only had his grandson left, who was seven or eight years old."
Hinata turned and ran towards the village entrance.
A moment later, he returned carrying the child, who was the naked little boy who had been digging for grass roots by the ditch earlier.
The child's face was covered in mud, and he was still clutching the wooden stick in his hand. He was being held by Hinata and didn't say a word. But when he smelled the dry food, tears fell silently down his face, leaving two white streaks on his muddy face.
Hong took stock of all the grain stored in the village.
Forty-three households, with a total of about one hundred and twenty people, could not survive for more than ten days. She piled all the dry rations and Military Rations Pill under the old locust tree and distributed them according to the number of people.
Many villagers, clutching the food in their hands, were somewhat at a loss. After realizing what was happening, they quickly hid it, fearing that these strange people would snatch it back.
Ya turned his face away, unable to bear seeing the villagers' miserable state.
Hong called Hei Dalang aside.
How far is Kira's house?
"Three miles away, sir, he has ninjas—"
Kurenai didn't answer, but simply said to Shino, "Scout."
Shino released the Kikaichū and returned a moment later.
"The courtyard wall is two zhang high with blue bricks, there are two warriors at the main gate and one at the side gate."
There were five guard ninjas inside the courtyard; judging by their Chakra, they were probably between Chunin and Special Jōnin.
The backyard granary contained tens of thousands of kilograms of grain. A dried human head hung on the crossbeam of the main gate.
Red nodded and placed the Kunai in a convenient position.
"Walk."
The gate of Kira's house was vermilion, studded with copper nails, and a plaque bearing the name " Kira " hung above the lintel.
The human head on the crossbeam beneath the plaque still swayed in the wind. Hong glanced at it, then raised her hand to knock on the door.
The steward Gate of Opening, wearing a silk short jacket, his face bearing the arrogance typical of a servant of a powerful family.
Upon seeing the Konoha Forehead Protector, his tone softened slightly, merely changing from arrogant to indifferent.
"What's up?"
"Investigate Kira for illegally increasing grain taxes and killing villagers without cause. I am now conducting an investigation into Lord Hokage under orders from the Kira."
The housekeeper looked at the woman with three teenagers and couldn't help but sneer.
"Since when did Konoha's ninjas start interfering with our nobles? Get out of here, or I'll write to the Ming Dynasty to complain."
"If you reduce the mission rewards for Konoha then, don't blame me."
Kurenai Yuhi felt sorry for these people, yet also found them somewhat amusing.
They knew how to deal with the Konoha Ninja, but they didn't know that the Daimyo was already dead.
She had no interest in saying much to the person in front of her, and her pretty face immediately turned cold. She then gave instructions to the three disciples behind her.
"Arrest them, interrogate them quickly, and don't hold back."
The steward stepped back and called for people in the courtyard.
Just as the two samurai drew their swords, Kiba and Akamaru had already scaled over the side wall. Fang Over Fang swept up two white shadows, and before the two could react, they were sent flying, crashing against the wall and passing out.
Shino sneaked in from the backyard, Kikaichū silently crawled onto the insteps of the two servants. When the two looked down, they saw that the insects had crawled up to their waists and immediately collapsed.
Shino emerged from the shadows. "Crouch down."
The two immediately covered their heads and squatted down.
In the main hall, Kira was sitting in a rosewood armchair, drinking tea.
On the coffee table were four plates of pastries, a plate of fruit, and a silver wine pot. Behind him, the display shelf was filled with porcelain and gilded wood carvings.
He was a fat man in his early fifties, wearing a silk robe embroidered with gold thread and three gemstone rings on his fingers. When he saw Hong kick the door open and come in, he didn't get up, but instead picked up his teacup and blew on the foam.
Do you know whose residence this is?
Hong glanced at the glutinous rice and red bean paste cakes on the coffee table. At this time of year, glutinous rice is five times the price of regular rice.
"I am Jonin Kurenai Yuhi, a Jonin of Konoha. I demand that you immediately cease all resistance."
Kira's ugly face turned bright red with anger. Perhaps he was used to being domineering and couldn't stand anyone defying him, even Konoha ninja.
He slammed his teacup on the table. "Show them out."
Five guard ninjas emerged from behind the screen, their short swords drawn.
Kiba charged into the crowd, separating the two. Akamaru bit one of their wrists, and the short sword slipped from his hand and stuck into the armchair beside him.
Shino's Kikaichū silently sealed the third person's joints, and the person screamed in pain when he tried to move.
Hinata's Gentle Fist sealed the fourth person's pressure points. After delivering thirty-two blows, the person's legs went weak and he collapsed to his knees.
The last leader, who had a scar on his face, rolled to a corner amidst the chaos, pulled out a poisoned dagger, and lunged at Hinata.
Hinata sidestepped the blade, used her left hand to deflect his wrist, and then slashed into his chest with her right hand.
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
A tremendous burst of energy erupted from Hinata's palm, a powerful Chakra that sent the man flying, crashing into a display shelf and shattering porcelain pieces everywhere.
A dark shadow fell from the ceiling, the blade flashing as it cleaved Hong's nape.
Red dodged to the side, Kunai his sleeve, stabbing him in the abdomen with his other hand.
One blow killed him instantly. The man's eyes were wide open; he died without understanding how he had been discovered. Hong drew her Kunai, wiped it clean, sheathed it, and turned to ask her three disciples.
Are you injured?
All three shook their heads.
Kira slumped in the armchair, a teacup shattered on the floor, and glutinous rice cakes swelled up in the tea.
Hong walked up to him.
"The key to the granary."
Kira's hands were trembling so badly that he pointed to his waist.
Kurenai took the key and tossed it to Shino. A moment later, Shino returned with the ledger.
Hong waved to Hei Dalang and a dozen or so young men who were waiting at the gate of the courtyard.
"Come in. Move all the grain from the granary back to the village and distribute it according to population."
Hei Dalang was the first to cross the threshold.
He stopped as he passed Kira, looking down at this once arrogant nobleman. For a moment, he found it hard to accept.
The overcast sky that once seemed to cover the entire heavens collapsed completely in a short period of time.
He watched the four ninjas, one large and three small, bustling about, and was overwhelmed with emotion.
He's truly a figure akin to a celestial being or a Buddha. I wonder just how powerful that person known as the Hokage really is.
Kira's mouth trembled as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't. Hei Dalang looked at him for a while, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the granary.
At the entrance of the granary, the hunchbacked old man's hands trembled so much when he received the rice that he almost couldn't hold it.
He looked down at the white rice, grabbed a small handful, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it dry.
Shino said softly, "Grandma, this needs to be cooked."
The old woman nodded, but continued chewing, tears streaming down her face as she did so.
The villagers' panic gradually dissipated as the food was distributed. Smiles slowly appeared on the faces of many villagers, and their voices grew louder.
If it weren't for the deterrent presence of the remaining few ninjas, the scene would probably have descended into chaos.
After distributing the grain, Hong gathered everyone at the main gate of the house. Under the horizontal beam with the skull hanging from it, she unfolded the Development Committee's announcement.
"Effective immediately, the old grain tax system will be abolished throughout the Land of Fire."
Ninety-five percent of the grain was retained by the farmers, and half was handed over to the state. All outstanding grain taxes were cancelled. Land was redistributed to the farmers who actually cultivated it.
All land and property illegally occupied by Kira have been confiscated and put into public possession.
When Hei Dalang heard the words "nine and a half percent", his hand trembled and the rice bag almost slipped off.
When someone asked him what was wrong, he shook his head and said it was nothing, tears streaming down his face.
The requirement to hand over 70% of the grain has been reduced to only 50%. The difference is simply unimaginable.
In fact, Hei Dalang didn't know that if it weren't for Shinsei's desire to make himself known, he would have even considered abolishing the grain tax.
In modern society, where industry and commerce are exceptionally developed, the meager harvest of grain is simply insufficient.
Collecting half a grain tax is only a temporary measure. As the public gradually gains acceptance of the Hokage's rule, he will gradually reduce the amount of grain tax until it is completely abolished.
Hong then took out another scroll.
"There's one more thing. According to the Lord Hokage's orders, in order to improve the survival capabilities of the people within the Land of Fire..."
All citizens within the Land of Fire can learn the methods of Chakra refinement.
From today onwards, you can learn the Chakra refining method. Anyone can learn it, and we will instruct you before we leave."
Hei Dalang was stunned. He didn't understand what Chakra was, but his intuition told him that it was a unique technique of ninjas.
"Lord Red, can we learn that too?"
"Able!"