Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
A coastal city in the eastern part of the Land of Fire.
Having left the village for the first time in this world, Menma had changed into a simple outfit and was strolling along the city's harbor docks.
"Sir! Do you need any workers? I can do anything!" Along the streets adjacent to the docks, ordinary unemployed people were seeking work.
Most were dressed in rags, sallow and emaciated. When they looked at the pedestrians in the harbor—especially those in fine clothing—their eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and longing.
Traveling all the way from Konoha, Menma had seen too many commoners displaced and wandering because of the war.
Currently, the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning had entered its final stages. The ninja forces of both nations were in a standoff within the borders of the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Water. Although small-scale skirmishes occurred occasionally, both sides remained relatively restrained.
Furthermore, with the Hidden Cloud having already sent an envoy to Konoha for "peace talks," the war was nearing its end. The coastal cities of the Land of Fire were gradually regaining their pre-war prosperity. Various merchant ships came and went, including many from the Land of Lightning.
The shinobi world was not a peaceful place.
Beyond the wars between major nations, bandits ran rampant. The level of civilization in the entire shinobi world remained stuck in a feudal era; a strictly hierarchical social structure was composed of "Daimyos, Nobles, Merchants, Shinobi, and Commoners."
Yes, even though ninja possessed combat power far exceeding that of ordinary people, their social status was only roughly equal to that of merchants. In fact, most of the time, they were employed by merchants to earn a living.
Ninja, who specialized in combat and killing, held a status only slightly higher than that of commoners.
Of course, there were rogue ninja or wandering ninja who would kill merchants and take what they wanted by force.
However, this usually happened to small-time merchants. Large-scale merchants generally had aristocratic backgrounds that average ninja dared not provoke.
After all, if a noble were killed by a ninja, it would alarm the highest ruler of a country—the Daimyo. The entire noble class of the nation might pool their money to put a bounty on that ninja's head to maintain the ruling power of the aristocracy.
This strange social structure had persisted for nearly a thousand years.
During his time in the "Limited Tsukuyomi world," Menma had studied this social structure in his spare time between training sessions, finding it incredible.
Although many things in the "Limited Tsukuyomi world" were the opposite of reality, the social structure remained unchanged. Even though ninja wielded supernatural power, they rarely interfered with the state's political power.
A delicate symbiotic relationship existed between the state political power and the ninja; the ninja did not think of seizing state power, and the state did not think of replacing the existence of ninja clans and villages.
Menma walked into a small restaurant overlooking the sea.
"Please take a seat, sir. Is it just for one?" The waiter greeted him warmly, not slighting him just because he looked to be only in his teens.
Speaking of which, the technological tree of the shinobi world was also very strange. Some large cities had rapidly developing technology, while other places seemed stuck in ancient times.
In the manga and anime, classical architecture appeared alongside modern buildings; in some movies, they had even managed to build aircraft carriers.
Menma found a seat by the window where he could see the ships moored at the dock. He pulled out two bills and waved them slightly. "I'll have a ramen set, no narutomaki. Also, are there any merchant ships heading to the Land of Lightning lately? The safer, the better."
As a ninja, Menma naturally didn't need to hitch a ride on a merchant ship. He was simply using it as an excuse to find out who the most powerful merchant in the area was.
The waiter took the two hundred-ryo bills with both hands and introduced enthusiastically: "The safest would definitely be Lord Gato's shipping company! They even have samurai and ninja escorts."
Although ninja were the mainstream in this world, samurai had not gone extinct.
Setting aside the samurai of the Land of Iron, most countries had rōnin—wandering samurai—who mostly existed as mobsters, thugs, or bodyguards.
After all, according to the setting, ninja generally did not get involved in the disputes of ordinary people, and ninja wars tried to avoid involving civilians as much as possible.
However, once a war broke out, it became difficult to control.
With two hundred ryo, after deducting the cost of the meal, the waiter would get at least a hundred ryo in tips.
The monetary system in the shinobi world was complex, with almost every country having its own currency. As the strongest of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire's currency was the most stable.
According to the manga's setting, 1 Ryo = 10 Yen.
In 'Manga Chapter 150: Start of Training,' Jiraiya gave Naruto three hundred-ryo bills for pocket money, which is about 3,000 Yen—roughly less than 200 RMB.
*(In the early anime, a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost 400 Ryo, but in the manga, it was 60 Ryo, less than 36 RMB. The simpler manga setting is adopted here.)*
"Gato?" When Menma heard the name, deep memories were awakened.
"Yes, Lord Gato is a major merchant who has risen rapidly in recent years!" The waiter, for the sake of the generous tip, began to elaborate.
"Rumor has it that Lord Gato has the backing of the Land of Fire's nobility. His fleet is practically unimpeded in these waters. Even during the war these past two years, he wasn't heavily affected."
Menma listened quietly.
He recalled that it was currently Konoha Year 54. There were still nine years until Naruto's graduation and the start of the main plot in Konoha Year 63.
Nine years from now, Gato would be one of the few top billionaires in the shinobi world, capable of employing S-rank rogue ninja like Zabuza Momochi long-term.
After all, Zabuza was a ruthless man who had attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and escaped unscathed—an elite Jonin who could fight Kakashi to a draw. His asking price would not be low.
Menma vaguely remembered that the reward for an S-rank mission was about one million ryo.
Furthermore, Zabuza had Haku by his side, whose abilities were at least at a standard Jonin level.
If Naruto hadn't tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra, he really wouldn't have been Haku's match.
After the waiter retreated, Menma rested his chin on one hand and looked at the busy harbor outside, contemplating the goal of this excursion.
Removing the White Zetsu around the orphanage earlier provided only a temporary solution. To ensure the Zetsu stopped monitoring him entirely, the best way was to move to a district in the village center near the Hokage Building or a district near the Hyūga compound.
Utilizing the Anbu ninja and the Sensory Division in the Hokage Building, along with the X-ray vision of the Hyūga Byakugan, should force Zetsu and Obito to give up their surveillance of him.
However, Menma's physical body was only that of a three-year-old. It was impossible for him to live on his own, let alone move to the districts near the Hokage Building or the Hyūga estate.
He needed not only money but also some influence.
Therefore, Menma planned to find a merchant to act as his pawn—preferably a merchant from the Land of Fire with some noble background.
By having the merchant settle in Konoha and then using the excuse of adopting an orphan to select himself, he could move out of the orphanage.
As for why he didn't just find a noble from the Land of Fire to adopt him directly, it was mainly to avoid unnecessary trouble.
To live long-term near the Hokage Building or the Hyūga compound, it was best not to control the pawn with genjutsu; the pawn had to serve him willingly.
In that case, the nobility—who had been accustomed to an elitist mindset for centuries—were not suitable.
(End of Chapter)