The next day.
The fluttering light snow that had fallen from the day before yesterday until yesterday finally ended.
Traces of snow still remained on the streets of Konoha.
Early in the morning, the cold wind raged everywhere, sneaking into people's clothes from all directions. But even so, a venue near the Hokage building was still lively.
The briefing had just begun, but more and more people gathered, already blocking the surrounding area.
Almost all the ninja clans of Konoha were present, along with a large number of Konoha villagers, looking around curiously.
As a last resort, the Uchiha elders urgently sent capable Uchiha clansmen to maintain order at the scene and ensure the smooth progress of the briefing.
The enthusiasm of the lively audience undoubtedly confirmed how hard the Uchiha clan had worked to build momentum in Konoha recently.
Soon, the protagonists of today's briefing appeared in front of everyone.
The Uchiha Great Elder appeared and hosted the opening remarks of the briefing. Under his hosting, a group of students returning from Konoha walked to the front of the stage and greeted everyone.
Of course... the protagonists today were not just them.
There were also Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara, but they were just sitting below the stage and did not go up.
"Today, Lord Tobirama is also present in person. Everyone, please welcome him with applause."
A smile appeared on the Great Elder's face, deliberately naming Senju Tobirama.
Everyone's eyes quickly turned to Senju Tobirama.
Konoha ninjas naturally knew Senju Tobirama's name like thunder. The phrase "Shadow Hokage Nine Thousand Years, one pillar holding up the sky of Konoha" was not an empty boast.
And Konoha villagers were also very familiar with Senju Tobirama. The Konoha Unlimited Fighting Tournament a few years ago left a deep impression on many villagers about Senju Tobirama—this lord is not to be trifled with!
Of course, another very important factor was the spread of Senju Tobirama's prestige by the movies released by the Akatsuki Ninja Village over the years... Senju Tobirama was now a household name in Konoha.
And Senju Tobirama remained expressionless, just glanced coldly at the Great Elder, and didn't say a word.
"Alright, since Lord Tobirama is here, then next, why don't we let a Senju clansman talk about his study and life experience in the Akatsuki Ninja Village."
According to the plan, the Great Elder let a Senju clansman speak first.
"The prosperity of the Akatsuki Ninja Village is probably beyond Konoha's reach. You can't imagine the factories with smoking chimneys lined up one after another. The factory buildings cast in black iron stretch for miles. Thick smoke spirals up like ink dragons, dyeing the sky a deep color. Inside the factory buildings, the roar of meshing gears is deafening. Chakra-driven mechanical arms forge industrial products and refine ores with precision. Workers beside the assembly line wear uniform overalls... And the rolling huge wealth brought by this is used by Lord Kōkage for the people."
"He once said that sooner or later, he would let an ordinary worker in the Akatsuki Ninja Village support a family of four with one income, including two cars, a dog, a house, and children's education... This is not empty talk. I saw it in the Akatsuki Ninja Village..."
A Senju clansman described everything he saw in the Akatsuki Ninja Village.
Compared to those grand narratives, he described more common things in daily life.
Especially about ninjas.
Akatsuki ninjas not only enjoy exclusive allowances, systematic medical ninja services, relatively affordable medicines, but also reimbursement quotas for ninja tools in the Akatsuki Ninja Village, such as consumables like kunai and shuriken, and even explosive tags.... In Konoha, which is dominated by traditional agriculture and small-scale handicraft workshops, the prices are indeed relatively high, but these things are really easily reduced to cabbage prices in the face of industrialization.
It's just that the chakra application system of the Akatsuki Ninja Village has just started, and the road to industrialization is not yet mature.
In a few more years, Uchiha Makoto can make the Akatsuki Ninja Village the largest arms dealer in the entire ninja world.
Overall, the living standards of Akatsuki ninjas have greatly improved, and the wealth in their families has accumulated more and more.
Even for an ordinary Genin, saving fifty or sixty thousand Ryo a year is not a problem. If they are frugal, they might have seventy or eighty thousand Ryo.
It sounds like not much, but this is already a very considerable figure.
Ordinary Genin in the ninja world are basically executing C and D-rank missions. The reward range for D-rank missions is between five thousand and thirty thousand Ryo. The missions are relatively simple and not dangerous. While C-rank missions are between thirty thousand and one hundred thousand Ryo. Combat may be encountered during the mission. After the mission ends, deducting the village's cut and the share of other team members, an ordinary Genin completing a D-rank mission gets a few thousand Ryo, or even a few hundred Ryo.
C-rank missions will be more, but completing a C-rank mission takes a long time and is accompanied by danger. Once injured, it is very likely to be a waste of one or two months.
If it's serious.... if they don't want to retire just like that, they can only work while injured and find ways to make money to heal themselves. If they are not careful, they will fall into a death spiral.
Under normal circumstances, it's good for a Genin to earn twenty or thirty thousand Ryo a month, or even lower..... After all, ninjas live on war. After the Land of Fire stabilized, the total number of missions has shown a downward trend.
This money also has to be used for various living expenses, purchasing ninja tools, cultivation supplies, medical expenses, and the income and expenditure can barely maintain a balance... In fact, the ninjas in the ninja world who really have the strength to save money are usually Chunin and Jonin.
For Genin, instead of saving money, it is better to invest fully in themselves, improve their strength as soon as possible, and be promoted to Chunin.
In short, saving a sum of money is a luxury and difficult thing for ordinary Genin. With the support of the family, the situation is a bit better, but for civilian ninjas, life is even harder.
This is not only a portrayal of life but also the oppression of the entire traditional ninja system on the lower-level ninjas. Either grow stronger in missions or be completely eliminated—so ninjas are always emphasized to endure, obey orders, and learn to be tools.
And the life of ordinary people is definitely much harder and more difficult than that of ninjas. Not having enough to eat is the norm, and starving or freezing to death on the roadside is also common.
What the Akatsuki Ninja Village can give ordinary people now is only "insignificant" three meals a day, not freezing to death on the roadside, and a house that can only be exchanged for decades of hard work day after day.
Soon, the first Senju clansman finished speaking, and several other Senju clansmen took turns to speak on stage, sharing comparisons between various fields of the Akatsuki Ninja Village and Konoha.
Ninja income is just one part of it. The improvement of living standards brought by increased productivity, gradually popularized public education, and various welfare safety net measures followed one after another.
Their voices were not loud.
And the noisy crowd quickly quieted down.
The middle and lower-level ninjas and villagers of Konoha had tried their best to imagine life in the Akatsuki Ninja Village, but.... they really broke down.
Ninjas are only taught to endure and eventually get used to enduring, but they are not fools. They are also living people who yearn for a beautiful and happy life.
And didn't they join Konoha because Konoha is the premier large ninja village in the ninja world, which can make their lives better?
Indeed.
Since joining Konoha, their lives have indeed improved a lot compared to the Warring States period. They no longer have to worry about killing or being killed every day, or even sleeping with one eye open. They can live peacefully and smoothly all year round.
But it's just surviving.
But why, clearly both Konoha and the Akatsuki Ninja Village are large ninja villages in the Land of Fire, yet the life of Akatsuki ninjas is so much better than theirs?
"What to do... want to run!"
"Is it too late to run now?"
"If wanted by Konoha as a rogue ninja, is the Akatsuki Ninja Village still willing to protect them?"
"Damn, it seems not!!"
The mood of a large number of Konoha ninjas at the scene suddenly became extremely low.
Because they could have chosen the Akatsuki Ninja Village back then, but the Akatsuki Ninja Village was not famous in the Land of Fire at that time, and was even once considered a vassal of Konoha.... Rather than going to the Akatsuki Ninja Village, it was better to come to the stronger Konoha.
Who could have known that the development gap between the two villages is so big now?
And those ordinary people, needless to say.
They actually held similar thoughts back then. Because Konoha's reputation was relatively loud, they came to live in Konoha.
But life over the past few years hasn't been much better... There are still many villagers in Konoha wearing thin clothes coming here to join the fun.
As for eating three full meals a day, how many times a month can they eat meat?
Their life all year round is actually tight, saving a little bit if they can, even if it's just a few dozen Ryo. Only during the New Year can they eat comfortably for a few meals.
Going to the factory next door in the Akatsuki Ninja Village to work as a worker, getting three full meals a day is just a click away?
Their desire to run is even stronger than that of Konoha ninjas.
However, besides sadness, the rest is excitement and eagerness to try. After all, the ninja village's management of ordinary people is not so strict. If they can't live in Konoha, it's okay to leave Konoha and find another way out.
The sharing of the Senju clansmen was not finished yet.
The atmosphere at the scene was already somewhat oppressive, filled with sadness, longing, incomprehension... implications.
And the Uchiha elders were very happy at this time. Thinking that Uchiha Makoto governed the Akatsuki Ninja Village so prosperously, some of their old bent backs couldn't help straightening up, each glowing as if waxed in the cold weather.
This is the effect they wanted!
The Akatsuki Ninja Village rose in these few years precisely because of the irrigation of the wisdom, courage, and diligence of the Uchiha clansman (Uchiha Makoto), while Konoha's development has been extremely slow these years. Who else can be the culprit of all this but Senju Tobirama.
Undoubtedly, now is the time to set things right in Konoha.
While rejoicing, the Uchiha Great Elder couldn't help looking at Uchiha Madara.
He saw Uchiha Madara's face was deep, but the curve of his mouth was hard to hide. Obviously, as an Uchiha, he also admired Uchiha Makoto's ability.
"Perhaps, that brat Makoto..."
"Unfortunately... human greed is infinite..."
Uchiha Madara had been hiding behind the scenes. He felt inexplicable emotion in his heart at this time, recalling the words Uchiha Makoto had said that day. Those unconstrained, even treasonous ideas, were really turned into reality step by step by Uchiha Makoto.
Unfortunately...
These beautiful things are probably only temporary.
One day, it will be destroyed by human nature.
Soon, the Great Elder withdrew his gaze from Uchiha Madara—Lord Madara, this is just an appetizer, the real main course hasn't come yet!
Subsequently, the Great Elder cast his gaze in another direction, where the person was... Senju Tobirama!
Undoubtedly, Senju Tobirama's face was extremely ugly.
Not afraid of god-like opponents, but afraid of pig-like teammates.
From the perspective of camp affiliation, the Uchiha clan is actually Senju Tobirama's teammate; they are all Konoha ninjas.
But...
"Damn it, you idiots of the Uchiha clan!"
"Do you know how much energy I spent behind the scenes to conceal this news, how much money I spent to quell public opinion, and how many smiles I sold to the high-level officials of the Land of Fire, only to be exposed by you so casually!"
"From now on, the hearts of the people inside Konoha will be scattered, and once the hearts are scattered, the team will be hard to lead."
"The middle and lower-level ninjas of Konoha want to run, don't those ninja clans want to run too? You are the culprits destroying the foundation of Konoha!"
"Do you really think Uchiha Makoto, that naturally evil Uchiha brat, will let you control the power of Konoha? What he plots is the entire Konoha!"
Senju Tobirama's face was gloomy, and he cursed the Uchiha clan over and over again in his heart.
Everyone is a Konoha ninja, clearly teammates, but this idiot teammate Uchiha always stabs him, asking if he's afraid while stabbing.
Of course Senju Tobirama is afraid!!
Love the ninja village, or love the country, undoubtedly love the ninja village.... Then love the ninja village or oneself, undoubtedly love oneself?
Once those true and heartbreaking news about the Akatsuki Ninja Village spread on a large scale in Konoha, the consequences can be imagined. It will inevitably change people's hearts and affect the unity of the village—words unfavorable to unity cannot be spoken!
So in the past year, in order to minimize the impact of the Akatsuki Ninja Village on Konoha, Senju Tobirama took great pains to conceal a lot of news, silently let some people commit suicide by being hit by shurikens in the back, and then spent money to quell public opinion, and even smiled at the high-level officials of the Land of Fire, asking them to stop their magical powers and stop buying news hotspots.
But these unknown hardships and efforts all came to naught today!
Although Senju Tobirama was mentally prepared yesterday, the situation at the scene today was far worse than he imagined.
The Konoha ninjas were dejected one by one, and from their expressions, Senju Tobirama could easily guess their thoughts.
Run! Run! Run!
How to find a way to run to the Akatsuki Ninja Village!
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