Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 37 When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we harass; when the enemy i

Although the world today is dominated by aristocratic rule, there are many small, peripheral countries that do not have any aristocracy. They are either too poor to be of any use, or their resources are controlled by wealthy patrons, making them more like objects of the rich than nations.

After Hui's large-scale entry into the world, everything changed. They led the locals to reclaim their land, taught them agricultural techniques suitable for regional production, taught them to read and write, and brought truly transformative knowledge. Each team set out carrying a considerable quantity of seeds, books, weapons, and other necessities for regional development. Their identities were registered in all the merchants within the Hui system; as long as they presented the tokens for assistance, the merchants would fully cooperate with their work.

Such a large-scale reform movement is bound to have a few exceptions. And when there are too many, some astute individuals will inevitably notice something amiss. For example, a wealthy merchant who made his fortune through exploitation discovered that several places were no longer paying tribute. He led his men in a grand display to collect the debts, only to be utterly defeated. He narrowly escaped drowning after slipping into the water, but his perfectly proportioned size saved him. His opponent, capable of taking on ten men, was clearly a ninja. Faced with ninjas, the merchant, valuing his life, knew better than his money. So, he took the genuine land deeds to the daimyo who issued them and demanded that he send troops to protect his ownership of the land.

The Land of Rivers, Hui's Headquarters.

“You sensed it too, didn’t you?” Tobirama said.

"...When did that guy regain his freedom?"

Naruto was a little surprised. So the Three-Tails was already free so early? It seemed Itachi's surprise attack back then really was just to deliver the information to Konoha that "Akatsuki's target is the Jinchuriki." Unfortunately, the various ninja villages weren't on good terms at the time, and this crucial information was suppressed. He knew nothing about the other Jinchuriki besides Gaara, and naturally didn't know when they died, making it extremely difficult to rescue them in advance.

"Not long after your clone left, didn't your spies from the Water Mist side contact you?"

"Not at the moment."

Izuna interjected, "The Mizuki clan is too xenophobic. Our people can only be treated as ordinary civilians. Do you expect an ordinary civilian to know how the Mizukage died? Can you please not have such high expectations?"

"I was just asking casually..."

"We can put that aside for now. The Three-Tails poses no threat to us. However, the incident of villages in the Land of Earth encountering Iwagakure ninjas is worth our attention." Hashirama said with unusual seriousness, "Does this mean that Hikaru's existence has been exposed? With our strength, if we directly clash with the state apparatus, our identities will definitely be exposed."

"It shouldn't be to the point of exposing Hikaru yet. If it were to quell the rebellion, they wouldn't send only such a small number of people," Fugaku analyzed reasonably.

“…Has it already automatically been assigned to the rebels…” Shisui muttered to himself.

"What else could an army that overthrows rule be but a rebel army?"

“Hey, listen to me.” Naruto tapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention. “We do have the power to destroy a country, but such an overthrow won’t help us on our path. Don’t forget, what we need to overthrow is the aristocratic system, not the aristocracy. If the overthrow isn’t thorough, once this group of nobles dies, a new group of nobles will soon continue the old rule, and we’ll never be able to move forward.”

"In fact, in my vision, ninjas were not the main fighting force for overthrowing the regime."

The experts who could pilot Gundams with their bare hands looked at each other in disbelief, unable to imagine what a war without ninjas would be like.

"It is true that the strength of ninjas far surpasses that of ordinary armies, but don't forget that many countries also have Kage villages. Perhaps one day we can indeed get the Five Kage villages to reach a consensus on peace, but what if the Daimyo asks us to help quell a rebellion? In the end, wouldn't we just circle back to the Ninja War? So my idea is that it is best for ninjas to restrain each other and not to take action, and for commoners to overthrow the rule of the nobility. That would be the best option."

The meeting room fell silent. Every theory Naruto proposed was groundbreaking, and this one was no exception. As ninjas, possessing the innate gift of chakra, they were cut off from ordinary life from a young age and harbored a deep-seated disdain for commoners. They had witnessed the power of samurai, but samurai also used chakra; their own chakra reserves were pitifully small, requiring constant physical training to barely contend with ninjas. But an army composed of ordinary people? They had never even considered it.

“I have seen battles involving armies during the Warring States period. The scenes were very impressive, but also incredibly brutal,” Hashirama broke the silence, saying, “Wars between ordinary people are meat grinders. Numbers are the cornerstone of victory, and many people will die.”

“People die in any war, and overwhelming the enemy with numbers is the worst tactic,” Naruto retorted. “The Konoha Library has a military treatise from hundreds of years ago, filled with countless examples of victories against overwhelming odds. The involvement of ninjas will only escalate the scale and intensity of the war, and perhaps cause even more deaths. And…”

"What we need to do is kill the gods, not create them. Don't the nobles claim that the throne is ordained by heaven? Then let the common people knock them down with their own hands and prove to the world that there is no such thing as heaven! Even if there is, heaven exists for the happiness of the majority!"

"Lord Jinlun! Urgent intelligence!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Naruto's somewhat excited expression calmed down a bit, and his voice lowered. He simply pulled the others in the group chat.

[Received, please report.]

The daimyo of the Land of Water has arrived in Kirigakure with a wealthy merchant named Gato. Is it necessary to obtain further information?

"...No need. Take care of yourself and report any further developments immediately."

〖yes!〗

“Kado…that name sounds familiar…” Hashirama stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"A very wealthy merchant, owning land in many places. It seems he's started doing this in the Land of Water as well." Izuna, unable to bear Hashirama Senju's foolishness, explained. It was just a while ago; it seems Zabuza's actions in the Land of Waves weren't clean enough. We really need to send an Uchiha or Senju to assist, lest we don't even know if someone is dead or alive next time.

Naruto said, "On the land of a major country with ninja villages, try to avoid conflict. If you encounter ninjas, retreat. They won't directly attack civilians."

"So we're just going to give up all the construction we've done?" Shisui, one of the pioneers, was getting a little anxious.

"It's just Hui's retreat on the surface. They won't cut off the industries that have been incorporated into the business network directly, but they will most likely take them over for themselves."

“You mean…” Tobirama suddenly chuckled and exclaimed sincerely, “A cunning fox.”

"How can you say that? I was just speculating about how those guys operate." Naruto laughed as well.

Those present were all intelligent people, and they almost instantly understood Naruto's meaning. Hui's policy was to distribute resources so that everyone could reap sufficient production benefits. However, nobles and merchants didn't follow this approach; they wanted everything, leaving only enough for their subordinates to eat. The contrast was stark, and the direction of public opinion was undeniable. And Hui, in reality, hadn't lost much.

“However, giving up completely is not advisable. I suggest we wait until the ninjas leave before taking control of the village again, but this time the background check needs to be more thorough.” Hashirama finally revealed a bit of the decisiveness characteristic of the First Hokage. He was only soft-hearted towards his own people and the innocent, but when it came to enemies and villains, he was ruthless.

"If he's a merchant, then make sure to seize all his territory and all those who can tip him off. If he's a noble envoy, then replace him. As for the small countries that aren't part of a major power..."

"Defeate them head-on. Don't you understand the principle of not interfering in other countries' internal affairs?"

"Agreed." Everyone raised their hands in agreement.