Uzushio.
Looking at the bustling crowd, Chiro froze for a moment and muttered, "So many people!"
This was Uzushio's commercial district. They had simply followed the flow of pedestrians and ended up here.
Yet, they never expected...
There would be so many people?
"Because it's already late," Hiroshi said with a smile. "These people have just gotten off work."
During this time, whenever Chiro was resting, she would go out alone to walk around and observe what Uzushio was really like. So, she was somewhat familiar with everything inside Uzushio. But...
She truly never imagined Uzushio could be this prosperous.
Especially for a country without a hidden village...
How had Uzushio developed like this?
Or rather, where did Uzushio find the courage to protect all this? Currently, every hidden village in the shinobi world believed that abandoning the hidden village system was suicidal.
But...
Hiroshi and Chiro saw no signs of decline. Instead, they saw something they had never witnessed in Sunagakure, or even Konoha...
Smiles filled with hope.
"Off work?" Chiro asked Hiroshi in confusion. "These civilians?"
He could tell that most of the people here were civilians.
"There is no distinction between civilians and shinobi here," Hiroshi shook her head and explained. "Uzushio provides jobs in construction, textiles, fishing, and more. Whether you're a shinobi or a civilian, you can sign up."
"And now, these people have just gotten off work. They're probably here to eat in the commercial district or buy groceries at the market."
So...
This kind of system was truly unprecedented!
"Is that so?" Chiro fell silent after hearing Hiroshi's words, then asked, "What about the shinobi?"
"Don't they need to take on missions?"
"No," Hiroshi replied. "Uzushio doesn't rely on shinobi missions for income. Instead, it depends on commerce."
"As for shinobi, you can choose to work regular jobs, join the military, or even..." Hiroshi glanced around and pointed at a shinobi wearing a Uzushio police uniform. "Become a police officer."
"The police force?" Chiro nodded. "Like in Konoha?"
"It doesn't seem the same," Hiroshi thought for a moment and shook her head. "But I'm not sure how exactly they differ."
She couldn't quite articulate it, but she could sense that the police here were different from Konoha's.
"No, I understand now," Chiro stared blankly ahead, then suddenly smiled. "One is despised by people, the other..."
"Recognized and accepted."
Looking at the police officer chatting casually with civilians, Chiro felt an inexplicable emotion.
Especially since the civilians weren't afraid of the officer at all—they even joked with him...
This was something unimaginable in other hidden villages!
"What an interesting country," Chiro sighed.
Perhaps...
It was time for him to meet Uzushio's daimyo.
"Let's go," Chiro said with a smile. "We'll take a look around the commercial district too."
"Maybe there really is some incredibly delicious food here."
This feeling...
Was really nice.
If only Sunagakure and the Land of Wind could be like this too.
Where civilians and shinobi...
Could interact without barriers.
...
"Uncle Fuguki," a little boy walked over cheerfully, holding a lunchbox. "Mom made this and asked me to bring it to you and Dad."
"Yuta!" Hoshigaki Fuguki set down the tools in his hands and smiled at the boy. "Eating so early today?"
"Because Mom said you've been working hard," Yuta scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "So you must be hungry already."
"Yeah," Hoshigaki Fuguki nodded and rubbed his stomach, complaining. "I am pretty hungry."
"Wait here. Your dad's still busy inside. I'll go call him."
He turned and walked inside.
After resigning from Lord Jun's service, he had taken a job at the lumberyard, along with several other Kiri-nin.
Though these Kiri-nin still weren't fully trusted by Uzushio, the country had gradually relaxed its surveillance over them. So, he believed they would eventually integrate completely into Uzushio.
And besides...
He, Hoshigaki Fuguki, was different!
He...
Had always been a citizen of Uzushio.
He had only endured the humiliation of working as a lumberjack to avoid suspicion from the other Kiri-nin. And honestly...
Using his Needle Thousand Jutsu to move logs was pretty easy.
One stab, one bundle, ready to carry away.
And...
"This feeling is really not bad," Hoshigaki Fuguki smiled faintly and murmured. "A hero? Recognition?"
The grateful expressions on the faces of the Kiri-nin when they looked at him now gave him a strange feeling. In all his years as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had never experienced anything like this.
Back then, apart from a few subordinates who respected him, who else had ever genuinely acknowledged or appreciated him?
So...
Though he still missed the money and the house a little, he didn't regret giving them up.
"Kenji," Hoshigaki Fuguki called out to the Kiri-nin still chopping wood. "Your son brought lunch. Hurry up."
"Yuta's here?" Kenji set down his tools happily. "Let's go eat."
Though there was a cafeteria here...
He still preferred home-cooked meals.
"Wait," Hoshigaki Fuguki grabbed Kenji, his expression serious. "Wash your hands first, then eat."
"This is a matter of principle!"
"Poor hygiene can easily lead to sickness."
"Oh, right," Kenji scratched his head sheepishly. "Almost forgot."
"Here, I'll use a Water Release."
"We'll both wash up, including our faces."
"Good," Hoshigaki Fuguki nodded in satisfaction. "Now that we've joined Uzushio, we need to adapt to its rules."
"Don't complain about the hassle."
"Hurry up, use Water Release. After washing, we'll go eat."
...
"Sweet, salty, or spicy tofu pudding?" A girl around sixteen years old smiled at a beautiful woman supporting a pale-faced man.
"Tofu pudding?" Chiro looked at the girl curiously. "What's that?"
"It's a dessert," the girl replied cheerfully. "A specialty of Uzushio. It's really delicious."
"Chiro, your health isn't good yet," Hiroshi said quietly, holding onto him. "So you can't eat anything spicy."
Though she didn't know what tofu pudding was either, the doctor had said Chiro needed to be careful with his diet during this time.
It was best to eat nourishing foods like fish soup, chicken soup, pork rib soup...
To help him recover faster.
"In that case," Chiro nodded with a smile. "I'll have the salty one. As for Hiroshi..." He looked at her warmly. "I remember you've always liked sweet things."
"Mm," Hiroshi replied. "I'll have the sweet one."
One salty, one sweet.
What was so special about this tofu pudding?
"Got it. Please wait a moment," the girl noted down their order. "There are seats inside. Please have a seat."
"Thank you," Hiroshi said with a smile, then helped Chiro slowly walk inside and take a seat.
"Tofu pudding..." Chiro murmured, watching the people around him eating something white and jelly-like. "I wonder how it tastes."
And this country, Uzushio...
Was truly amazing!
Along the way, they had seen so much, so much.
Perhaps this was only a small part of Uzushio, but...
It still left them deeply shocked.
The harmonious coexistence of shinobi and civilians, doing the same jobs, eating the same food, without any discrimination or jealousy.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it!
And all of this...
Chiro had already asked around. It was all the work of Uzushio's daimyo.
The youngest Kage in the shinobi world.
"I'd really like to meet Uzushio's daimyo," Chiro thought with emotion.
What an incredible person. But why did Uzushio's daimyo want to see them?
Just as Chiro was lost in thought...
"What a coincidence."
A red-haired boy walked in with a smile. "I was just looking for you."
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