Naruto: My Hiddden Village-Chapter 34: Civilians & Coins

"Have any of you in this room ever wondered why those weak daimyo and nobles can be so wealthy, while we, these mighty ninjas, end up fighting in meaningless wars and running missions just to earn a pittance from them?"

Tsubasa's question hung in the air, piercing into the minds of everyone present in the Kage Building meeting room.

The room, which had been bustling with conversation, was instantly enveloped in a thick silence.

Tsubasa's simple question opened the gateway to new thinking for them.

They were all ninjas, warriors with extraordinary power, yet why were they always under the control and at the mercy of rulers who were physically much weaker?

This injustice seemed to be the norm they had accepted without question for so long.

The morning sun slipped through the window slits, illuminating faces gripped by confusion.

The silence in the room felt even heavier, filled with the churning of thoughts in each of their minds.

Tsubasa's question was like a pebble thrown onto the surface of still water, creating ripples that widened further and further.

Kyoya, being the first to break the silence, cleared his throat softly. "Tsubasa-sama, are you implying... that something has been wrong with the ninja world system all this time?" he asked hesitantly, trying to string together words to express his confusion.

"I don't know, but Tsubasa-sama's question really makes me think," Benkei chimed in, scratching his head. "All this time I've just accepted orders from the daimyo, never thinking about why things are the way they are."

"Me too," Ginga echoed, nodding in agreement. "We ninjas risk our lives on the battlefield, but wealth accumulates in the hands of daimyo who just sit pretty in their palaces." His tone began to rise, showing the dissatisfaction that had been pent up all this time.

"But isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Madoka tried to offer a different perspective, although she herself seemed unsure of her words. "The daimyo and nobles are rulers, they govern the country, it's natural for them to have more wealth."

"Natural, you say?" Hotaru retorted with a cynical tone. "Natural for them to live in luxury, wallowing in wealth, while we have to fight to the death just for a bite to eat? That's not natural, Madoka, that's injustice!" Her tone was sharp, reflecting their bitter experiences as ninjas.

"But what can we do?" Ayame asked in a despairing tone. "We are just ninjas, their subordinates. It's impossible for us to change a system that has been running for centuries."

The debate heated up, various opinions and theories emerging.

However, there was not a single answer that was truly satisfactory and able to explain the injustice they felt.

Confusion increasingly plagued the minds of the ninjas present.

Why were ninjas who possessed extraordinary power living in poverty, while daimyo and nobles who were weak were wallowing in wealth? These questions tickled their curiosity, opening their eyes to the reality of the ninja world that might have been overlooked all this time.

In the midst of the increasingly heated debate that seemed unlikely to find common ground, Tsubasa raised his hand, signaling everyone to calm down again. "Calm down, calm down," Tsubasa said in a calm but authoritative tone. "I understand your confusion. But believe me, I have the answer."

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Everyone fell silent again, looking at Tsubasa expectantly.

They knew that Tsubasa was no ordinary ninja.

He possessed intelligence and a perspective that far surpassed ninjas in general.

They were sure that Tsubasa had the answer they were looking for.

In a calm but confident tone, Tsubasa continued his words. "The answer is our bad reputation as ninjas in the eyes of civil society." A brief explanation that surprised everyone.

Tsubasa's explanation instantly silenced everyone and refocused their attention on listening.

They were curious how the reputation of ninjas could be the main reason for this economic inequality.

How could the views of civil society, who seemed powerless, have such a great influence on the wealth of the rulers and the poverty of the ninjas?

Benkei, who still looked confused, raised his hand. "Tsubasa-sama, why can the reputation of ninja clans in the eyes of civil society affect the reason why daimyo can be in power?" he asked doubtfully.

He still did not understand why the opinions of civilians could be so crucial.

"Good question, Benkei!" Tsubasa replied with a smile, appreciating Benkei's critical question.

He was ready to unravel this mystery, explaining the complex relationship between ninja reputation, daimyo power, and the economic condition of the ninja world. "I will give an explanation for all of you..."

Tsubasa began his explanation from the basics. "First of all, let's start with the most fundamental thing, where does the money of the daimyo and nobles come from?" Tsubasa asked again, prompting their understanding of the source of the rulers' power.

When Tsubasa posed this question, everyone in the room reacted in unison.

Some of them slapped their foreheads, others nodded, and some even whispered to their neighbors.

They began to realize the answer that had been hidden behind Tsubasa's question all along.

"Yes, seeing your reactions, I'm sure you must have realized that daimyo and nobles get their money from taxes paid by commoners to them," Tsubasa explained clearly.

An answer that was actually very simple and logical, but had been overlooked by them all this time.

"That's why they can be wealthy, while we ninjas, because of our bad reputation as hired killers who can do anything depending on who pays us, makes us untrusted by the general public," Tsubasa continued, explaining the negative impact of the ninja reputation.

The bad reputation of ninjas made civilians distrust them, even tend to fear and avoid them.

In fact, trust is an important foundation in the relationship between rulers and the people.

If the people do not trust ninjas, then they will also not entrust the safety of their lives to ninjas.

"That's why we remain poor while daimyo and nobles get richer and richer," Tsubasa ended his explanation for the time being, giving everyone a chance to digest this important information.

He deliberately paused his explanation so that everyone would truly understand the fundamental reason why ninjas were always poor and daimyo always rich.

Deep understanding was the first step towards change.

After a moment of silence, Ozora, in his innocent tone, asked, "Then, should we start being kind to all civilians from now on, Tsubasa?" He tried to find a practical solution from Tsubasa's explanation.

Ozora's simple mind immediately focused on improving the ninja image in the eyes of the public.

"Well, that could be done, but we must be careful not to be found out by the daimyo and nobles, which would contradict our initial goal of showing our good image to the public," Tsubasa wisely rejected Ozora's suggestion.

He realized that a strategy that was too obvious would actually be counterproductive. "For now, we can't do it that way yet," he continued.

"Why do we have to be careful of daimyo and nobles?" Ozora asked again, still not fully understanding Tsubasa's reason for caution.

He was confused as to why being kind to civilians could actually be a problem.

"Look, think about it, if you yourself were a daimyo," Tsubasa explained with an analogy that was easy to understand. "If there is a ninja clan in your territory that suddenly wants to appear good in the eyes of your people who are your money field, if you are a good daimyo or a shrewd noble, then you would definitely be suspicious of the motives of that ninja clan that suddenly turned good."

Tsubasa continued, "Whether it's to let your people slowly divert their tax payments to that ninja clan, because their image has improved. Whether there are other reasons behind it or not, as a good daimyo, you would definitely eradicate anything that threatens to reduce your wealth." A cruel but very realistic logic of power and economy.

"So as a good daimyo, what would you do? One, pay another ninja clan to deal with that ninja clan, and two, buy locals among the civilians who will divert their tax payments to badmouth that ninja clan among the civilians. That's what a good daimyo might do," Tsubasa gave a concrete example of actions a daimyo might take to protect his power.

The daimyo's strategies to maintain their power and wealth were indeed cunning and effective.

They used other ninjas and propaganda to eliminate potential threats.

Civilians, as the majority of the population, became the primary target of opinion manipulation.

"So remember, civilians are the most important and they are also the easiest to fool," Tsubasa concluded, emphasizing the importance of public opinion and the vulnerability of civilians to manipulation.

He reminded everyone that true power lay not only in military might, but also in the support and trust of the people.

After hearing Tsubasa's lengthy explanation, everyone in the room finally understood the secret of how daimyo could continuously become so wealthy.

This new understanding opened their eyes to the reality of the ninja world, which was full of injustice and manipulation all this time.

They began to realize that the existing system was unfair and needed to be changed.

"So Tsubasa-sama, should we fight the daimyo?" Kohaku asked excitedly, implying a desire to take radical action.

Kohaku's rebellious spirit reignited after understanding the existing injustice.

He might think that the only way to change the situation was to directly overthrow the daimyo's power.

However, Tsubasa had a different view.

He knew that direct confrontation was not the right solution, and would instead bring more problems to their newly established ninja village.

Tsubasa replied, "On the contrary, Kohaku. We must make the daimyo trust us. Because even if we succeed in overthrowing the daimyo's power, daimyo from other countries will definitely react and cooperate to invite many other ninja clans to besiege us," Tsubasa wisely rejected Kohaku's idea of direct confrontation.

He understood the risks and consequences of rash actions. "That's the same as suicide," Tsubasa thought.

Tsubasa continued, "So for now, we must become the daimyo's confidants and start eroding their wealth little by little. This will also make it easier for us to get support from the daimyo when our ninja village is publicized. And the way to do it is not by running missions for them. Just relying on missions, daimyo will not become poor, and we will not become rich either. We will use this." Tsubasa revealed his subtle and long-term strategy to change the situation.

He did not want to just fight the daimyo, but to exploit the existing system for the benefit of their ninja village.

Tsubasa took out a blueprint from his ninja pouch.

The blueprint depicted a beautiful Japanese-castle style building with many floors and using elevator technology, air conditioning, and lighting that had been researched by his clones, equipped with hydropower technology as its energy source.

The blueprint was very different from the situation and building styles of the current era. Everyone in the room was shocked and amazed to see the blueprint of the very modern and magnificent building. They had never seen such a building before.

The building was not just an ordinary castle, but also equipped with advanced technology they had never seen before. An amazing combination of traditional architecture and modern technology.

Tsubasa explained that various technologies from this blueprint would also be applied to every building in their ninja village in the future.

Hydropower plants and elevator technology were just small examples of technological innovations that would be applied in their village.

Tsubasa planned to continue developing other advanced technologies to advance his village.

With technology, Tsubasa believed he could create new sources of income for his village, which were not dependent on missions from daimyo and nobles.

Economic independence through technological innovation.

This was Tsubasa's grand vision for his dream ninja village: a village that was prosperous, strong, and economically independent, not just militarily.

While Tsubasa's main body held discussions and taught his ninja village members, many of his shadow clones were scattered throughout the Land of Tea.

They were carrying out a secret mission of great importance.

All of Tsubasa's shadow clones had a clear goal, which was to spread the 'VENOM' virus to the nobles and daimyo in secret.

A covert operation that would change the power map in the Land of Tea.

Tsubasa planned to control the rulers subtly and without violence.

The latest version of 'VENOM' capable of influencing the target's subconscious became the main weapon in this operation.

Tsubasa's clones moved very carefully and secretly.

They infiltrated the residences of nobles and daimyo, spreading 'VENOM' undetected.

'VENOM' was spread in various ways, ranging from light touch to mixing it into the target's food or drink.

The methods of dissemination were varied and difficult to trace, ensuring the operation ran smoothly without arousing suspicion.

The main purpose of spreading 'VENOM' was to plant subconscious suggestions and commands in daimyo and nobles.

Tsubasa wanted them to submit and obey his will without realizing they were being controlled.

The suggestions planted by 'VENOM' were designed to make daimyo and nobles trust the Takagami clan more, provide them with economic support, and facilitate Tsubasa's ninja village development plans.

Ambitious long-term goals, but not impossible to achieve.

The 'VENOM' dissemination operation was carried out gradually and systematically.

Tsubasa did not want to arouse too much and sudden suspicion; he took a gradual and measured approach, ensuring long-term success.

In addition to spreading 'VENOM', Tsubasa's clones were also tasked with gathering intelligence about daimyo and nobles.

Information about the rulers' weaknesses, preferences, and habits would become powerful weapons in Tsubasa's hands.

Tsubasa realized that controlling the Land of Tea was not an easy task and would take a long time.

However, he was confident that with the right strategy and patience, he would succeed in achieving his goals.

Tsubasa's ambition to build his dream ninja village and change the ninja world had reached a new Chapter.

The first step towards unlimited power had begun.