"Ninjas can no longer distance themselves from the masses. Whenever there is free time, they must help with farming and contribute to developing production."
What if they stay away for too long and lose touch? What if they all start dreaming of becoming creators? Why did Obito later want to go solo instead of working for Madara? It's because Madara let him drift for too long, and he got carried away! He started thinking he could build his own company, even scheming to take over Madara's business. Isn't that the definition of getting carried away?
Although this war is a disaster for Uzushiogakure, isn't it also an opportunity? Starting over from scratch will make the reforms Uzumaki Jun wants to implement much easier.
Especially with the momentum of victory, those below won't dare to disobey orders in secret.
So he must seize this opportunity!
Uzumaki Jun rubbed his chin and muttered, "Looks like I'll have to send Gato out again. As long as we don't run short on food, there's nothing to worry about."
After all, Gato is the future big shot of the Land of Waves, one of the wealthiest tycoons in the shinobi world.
Right now, he's still a sleazy-looking young man with shifty eyes, but he's got a sharp business mind. Jun only found him by accident outside the village—just another ordinary refugee.
If his name hadn't been Gato, and if Uzushiogakure hadn't lacked its own merchants, Jun wouldn't have sent him out to trade. Otherwise, they'd have to rely on Uzushio ninjas for business?
Don't joke around. Those blockheads would probably lose money hand over fist.
Surprisingly, Gato turned out to be quite capable. After all, people who become big bosses aren't ordinary. Though he wasn't in his future trade—shipping—sea salt was still highly profitable!
As long as he sold it discreetly and quietly, there shouldn't be any problems. The guy was clever enough to hire ninjas from other villages as bodyguards.
At this time, ninjas were still quite trustworthy. Those who weren't either starved from lack of missions or turned to piracy.
Clap clap.
Seeing that Jun already had a plan, the clan leaders didn't say much. They patted his shoulder and smiled.
"Since you've already thought everything through, we'll leave Uzushiogakure, the Uzumaki clan, and Uzushio Village entirely in your hands."
Really?
Jun's eyes lit up. He had assumed that after the war, his authority would be taken back. He had even planned to make as many preparations as possible during this time. But now, it seemed the clan leaders trusted him deeply.
"If you run into any trouble, just come to us old folks," the elder laughed. "We're only good for this much now. We're too old, and our minds aren't sharp anymore. The future depends on you young ones."
When people get old, they start making foolish decisions. If they hadn't been foolish, would they have made such a mistake, trusting Konoha so easily? The world has changed, and it's time to leave it to the younger generation!
"Elders..."
Jun looked at them with emotion. It seemed his efforts had been recognized, and they no longer saw his actions as childish games.
He had long considered Uzushiogakure's development. Only by surviving this crisis could they talk about progress.
And if they wanted to grow, war was indeed the best opportunity—to take in refugees, expand the population, and strengthen the nation through whatever means necessary.
In this era, refugees weren't valued. As long as Uzushiogakure maneuvered carefully among the great villages, developing quietly without stepping on anyone's toes, they could thrive.
Some villages might even be happy to offload their refugees. They just had to be careful not to let enemy spies slip in.
By the time other villages realized—Wait, we're fighting tooth and nail for scraps, and Uzushiogakure has grown this much?—it wouldn't matter anymore.
If they wanted a fight, so be it. By then, Uzushiogakure would be strong enough to stand its ground.
So the development strategy was simple: boost production and nurture talent. With enough food and people, Uzushiogakure would fear no nation.
As for things like stopping shinobi wars, maintaining peace, or saving tragic characters—that wasn't something Uzushiogakure could afford to do yet.
They were still too weak. Not only were the Five Great Villages eyeing their sealing techniques, but there was also Madara lurking in the shadows.
Honestly, for an old man dragging his worn-out body around just to chase his dreams, it was downright inspiring.
If someone his age could still fight for his ideals, what excuse did anyone else have to laze around?
Feel guilty yet?
So Jun had to be careful. Madara was watching from the shadows, stirring chaos. Why would he want to interfere? Did he want Madara to crush him and then go looking for an heir for his Rinnegan?
Please. There was no way Uzushiogakure could take on Madara right now. Even if he was old and frail, he was still unbeatable.
If not for the fact that Madara's dream was downright ridiculous, Jun might have even considered taking Nagato to him.
They could've worked together to achieve their dreams. After all, Madara just wanted to turn the shinobi world into a stage for his grand performance. Their goals didn't conflict, they could've cooperated for mutual peace!
But did Nagato even exist yet?
Jun knew it was impossible. Madara was old and his mind wasn't right. Tricked by a fool, obsessed with becoming a god of creation, he would never cooperate.
So Jun had to guard against not just the Five Great Villages, but also Madara and later, those who coveted the Uzumaki clan's Sage Body.
But from another perspective, Madara was truly pitiable.
Originally persuaded by Hashirama's talk of building a better world, he agreed to join him in gathering the nine tailed beasts. Together, they founded the legendary Konoha. But then...
They sold off the tailed beasts, satisfied with their profits, and stopped expanding. Worse, they didn't even share the profits with him!
Not that it mattered. The Uchiha had wealth to spare, a little money meant nothing to them.
But then... just as Konoha was taking off, he was kicked out of the leadership. How heartless! No one could be that cruel!
Then his little brother pushed his clan out of power, relegating them to mere security work.
And finally, his own student plotted to wipe out his entire clan. Truly, Konoha was the most ruthless corporation in the shinobi world. The Uchiha had shed blood and sweat for Konoha, yet this was their reward.
It was a tale of endless bitterness.
The Uchiha had given their all for Konoha bled, sweated, and hidden their true power to avoid envy. Yet in the end, they were still betrayed.
The village's leaders slandered them relentlessly. Weren't they the ones who tasked the Uchiha with maintaining order? Yet after they arrested so many and made so many enemies, they were cast aside.
Even at the end, the Uchiha hesitated to act, choosing to die for the sake of Konoha's peace.
So really, Konoha's actions were utterly shameless.