Chapter 239: He Stands Before Us, and That Is Enough
"Have the Shadow Guards in Kirigakure stand down and not make any rash moves. They only need to play their roles and wait for news."
After a pause, Menma added, "Remind the people in the Land of Waves to pay attention to Zabuza's movements. If necessary, they can also try to win him over."
Providing help in a time of need is always better than adding flowers to a brocade.
I believe Zabuza is in great need of support from a major power right now.
"Yes."
After Uchiha Shisui left, Menma rested his chin on his hands and fell into deep thought.
If he didn't intervene, according to the original plot development, Terumī Mei, who possessed two Kekkei Genkai, would ascend to the position of the Fifth Mizukage with the support of people like Gensui and Ao.
Whether in terms of strength or background, she was the best choice.
However, once they freed up their hands, the Shadow Guard would sooner or later be discovered. In that case, the source of intelligence from Kirigakure would be completely cut off.
Even if they were to break out of their closed state at that time, the Robin Group would not have enough time to enter the markets of the Land of Water and Kirigakure.
What's more, the "protection fee" given to the Daimyō of the Land of Water was not small.
If it weren't for the sake of planting a chess piece inside Kirigakure to obtain more intelligence, Menma would not be willing to have any dealings with those corrupt nobles.
They cut the ninja village's finances, ignored the poor and weak commoners, and kept all the wealth for their own enjoyment.
If someone tried to break this deadlock, most of the higher-ups would be implicated. The first to be dealt with would be the daimyō and the nobles.
After Terumī Mei, who came from a Kekkei Genkai clan, ascended to the position of Mizukage, this situation would absolutely not change in any way.
Unless…
"We replace her with a guy who has no taboos and disregards the rules to become the Fifth Mizukage."
Just like back then, when Menma chose to ignore Sarutobi Asuma and let him wander around the Land of Snow.
This world also had "seeds."
It only took a small spark to ignite the flame in their hearts.
And these flames, appearing from all directions, could then form a prairie fire across the entire world.
"In the darkness, how will their flames burn?"
Will they warm the weary? Guide the blind? Shelter the homeless?
I'm really looking forward to it.
Menma chuckled lightly and picked up the scroll that Chū had brought back from the Land of Demons.
However, after opening the scroll, Menma felt something rather familiar, and a look of slight surprise appeared on his face.
Natural energy?
No, it should be a more stable sage chakra.
Moreover, it definitely does not belong to the Sage Art system of the three great sage regions. It is some kind of Sage Art full of "light" and "purity."
"As I thought, the priestess of the Land of Demons really does possess an inheritance of Sage Art. So, has she already predicted my future?"
Just then, as if sensing something, Menma couldn't help but narrow his eyes, the light within them flickering.
Besides this, there seems to be something else mixed in here?
An unprecedented malice, in the form of a strange purple mist, rose from the scroll.
Like a gloomy, ghostly aura, it formed a faintly visible ghostly face.
"Hiss! Roar!!"
Menma vaguely heard a roar like that of a monster.
The voice was filled with evil, resentment, and anger…
The longer he stared at the purple mist, the more distinct the strange roar in his ears became.
The originally comfortable temperature in the office also grew a bit colder.
It made Menma frown in disgust.
An evil thought of killing and destruction arose in his heart.
It was obvious that this purple mist was influencing his will, inducing the evil thoughts and malice in his heart.
However, for Menma, this was not enough to control his mind.
"The demon of the Land of Demons, Mōryō?"
Menma closed the scroll and murmured to himself, "It seems… it's an existence even more powerful and bizarre than the Box of Ultimate Bliss's Satori and the Zero-Tails' Reibi."
Menma had long heard of the demon of the Land of Demons, "Mōryō," and had also collected some information from the ancient texts of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans in the past.
The existence of demons had been around since ancient times.
It was said that in the era when the Sage of Six Paths spread Ninshū, ninja were not yet mainstream. At that time, the ninja world was in a state of chaos with demons running rampant. Countless demons were born, feeding on human flesh and blood, with brutal personalities, bringing terrible devastation to the human nations of that time.
But regarding the demon Mōryō, the information was all fragmented, and many things could not be verified.
He only knew that Mōryō possessed an immortal characteristic similar to the Tailed Beasts and could only be sealed using the power of a priestess.
It had once controlled an army of stone statues similar to terracotta warriors, invading and slaughtering the various nations of the ninja world, and had also caused an extremely malevolent impact.
It was precisely because Mōryō could only be countered by the power of a priestess that it was very tricky for ordinary ninja.
And the purple mist Menma sensed should be a part of the demon Mōryō.
Unlike the Tailed Beasts, which were pure chakra creations, it was a collective of evil thoughts similar to the "Box of Ultimate Bliss's Satori," a special species born from the combination of human negative emotions and chakra.
"However, this evil thought feels too pure, doesn't it?"
Human emotions were very complex things.
But, compared to "Satori" and "Zero-Tails," "Mōryō" seemed too pure.
It was almost as if…
"The evil that has been completely cut out from a single person."
Menma rubbed his chin and said with great interest, "Hiss, I really want to put it on the operating table and see its internal structure."
It just so happens that I don't have much to do recently. I have time to go to the Land of Demons and have a chat with that priestess, and I can also get some exercise.
Meanwhile, in a hidden open space.
Before Iwana Jinjin stood more than thirty people, most of whom were merchants, and a small portion were down-and-out nobles.
"Iwana Jinjin, we came to find you under the hot sun because you said you had a way to make money, not to stand here foolishly with you," a merchant mocked impatiently.
The others also began to mutter.
"Ahem! Quiet!!"
Iwana Jinjin cleared his throat and took a step forward to stand before the crowd.
Under the gazes of doubt and indifference, Iwana Jinjin adjusted the silk robe he had bought with all his savings.
Putting on the air of a successful man, he clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, are you very confused right now, wanting to know why I've called you all here?"
The crowd looked at each other and did not respond.
"I know you are confused, and I can tell you right now."
Iwana Jinjin paid them no mind and said on his own, "Because just like you, I have nothing but money. We are all the same kind of people who can be bullied by those nobles at will!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd first showed astonishment, which then turned into shame and anger.
Yes, everyone present had been bullied by nobles before.
[Step One: Establish emotional resonance]
"Just as we show off in front of the poor commoners, in the eyes of those nobles, we are no different from the commoners." Iwana Jinjin said with an extremely contemptuous expression, "And that is precisely why I have gathered you here."
The crowd was suddenly in an uproar.
"Quiet! Listen carefully!"
Iwana Jinjin shouted loudly, "I have an opportunity here, not only to make more money but also to trample those nobles under our feet!"
"If you don't believe me, then please leave on your own!"
After Iwana Jinjin said this, a dozen of the thirty people turned and left, cursing.
The remaining number of people was eighteen, all small merchants and down-and-out nobles, holding onto a glimmer of hope.
[Step Two: Eliminate the cautious ones]
Surveying the crowd, Iwana Jinjin nodded in satisfaction. "No matter why you chose to stay, I must first congratulate you on making the right choice."
"I'm sure there is unwillingness in your hearts, unwilling to bow and scrape before those nobles."
Looking at the various faces before him, Iwana Jinjin clenched his fist tightly, then suddenly shouted loudly, "Are you all really willing to be bullied?"
Stimulated by Iwana Jinjin's excited demeanor and extremely infectious words, a small portion of the people subconsciously followed, "No…"
Iwana Jinjin showed a contemptuous expression, looked at the crowd, and continued to raise his voice, "Don't you want to have the status and power of the nobles?!"
"We do!"
"I can't hear you!"
"Tell me, do you want to have power and status!"
"We do!!"
The hoarse shouts echoed around.
Iwana Jinjin took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Today, here, I want to introduce to you all a brand new business operation project!"
"And this project can change your lives!"
As he spoke, Iwana Jinjin took out a scroll.
POOF!!
With a puff of white smoke, dozens of pots of Iris Rainbow Flowers were revealed.
This impact made everyone's breath stop for an instant.
[Step Three: Start throwing out the chips]
"Very good. It seems you all know what this is."
The corner of Iwana Jinjin's mouth curled up. "Then, let me explain the details of this project to you all."
"Participants will adopt a five-level, three-promotion system. As the name suggests, there are five levels and three promotion stages…"
After a long while, he spoke the devil's formula that Oyashiro En had taught him. "In other words, as long as each of you can find three downlines, you can break even. As long as you can find ten downlines, you can make a profit. As long as you continue to move up and become a level-four member, your wealth will be comparable to those nobles!"
To be able to become merchants and nobles, they definitely had a basic knowledge of mathematics.
After listening to Iwana Jinjin's formula, they could naturally see that it was by no means an exaggeration. If it was really like this, making money would be as easy as reaching for something.
Some with quick minds had even guessed something, their faces showing unconcealable greed.
"Hiss!"
A merchant who was on relatively good terms with Iwana Jinjin stepped forward, put his arm around his shoulder, and asked, "Could it be… you plan to sell these Iris Rainbow Flowers to us as a product?!"
Iwana Jinjin pushed him away with a look of disgust. "Don't get too close to me. Business is business. Even if we have a good relationship, the rules cannot be changed!"
He turned to look at the crowd again and said loudly, "I was fortunate enough to be enlightened by a benefactor and was able to participate in this project. I believe this is an opportunity that can change me, and also change you!"
"This time, we are selling Iris Rainbow Flowers!"
"To become a level-one member, you first have to buy a pot. How many downlines you want to develop is for you to consider!"
After speaking with great passion, Iwana Jinjin licked his lips.
Then, with a forceful smile, he looked at the excited crowd before him:
"So, who wants to join, and who wants to quit?"
In a village in the Land of Waves.
Kurama Unkai walked out of the grass hut and subconsciously shivered.
Due to the geographical factors, the temperature in the morning was still very low.
But the people in the village had already gotten up early to work.
Work at sunrise, rest at sunset, every day, every year, it was like this.
Or rather, this was already the state they were most satisfied with.
Kurama Unkai looked at the subordinate beside him and asked, "Have you counted the number of workers in this village?"
"One hundred and twenty-seven."
Although he had expected it, it still surprised Kurama Unkai.
"One hundred and twenty-seven… this village only has a total of over a thousand villagers. Are more than one-tenth of them workers?"
After arriving in the Land of Waves, Kurama Unkai had begun to investigate. He knew that the population of this village was about twelve hundred people.
And the general level of education was very low. Most adults knew a limited number of words, and there were no schools in the village, no unified educational institutions.
Most adults had an indifferent attitude towards letting their children receive an education.
This was not the Land of Snow; the people here had not awakened their consciousness.
And because the economy was relatively backward, they didn't need to be literate in their daily lives. They just needed to know how to work hard and earn enough to eat and drink.
This was the extent of the skills they could teach their own children.
"Yes, it feels like the people here are really backward," the subordinate beside him also lamented.
After visiting so many villagers with Lord Unkai, this was the only thought in his mind at this moment.
"There's nothing to be done. This is their most genuine thought."
Kurama Unkai sighed. "The economy of this country is not actually backward, but the people of this country are too poor. They need a job to support their families, not to learn some useless knowledge."
Survival and living are two different concepts.
After paying taxes, the food and wages of ordinary farmers and workers were only enough to barely survive.
In their subconscious, only nobles would go to study. Farmers and workers should work to feed themselves and their families.
In the eyes of the current Kurama Unkai, this way of thinking was naturally wrong.
But from a practical point of view, these people's thoughts were correct.
Only when one's stomach is full can one "fill" one's mind.
"If we can't deeply understand their lives, then even if we take over the entire Land of Waves, it will only drag down our progress."
Kurama Unkai said with a tone of admiration, "This is also why Lord Menma sent me to the Land of Waves to conduct practical investigations."
"That sounds very troublesome."
"Hahaha, it is indeed very troublesome."
Hearing this, Kurama Unkai chuckled. "If the Lord wanted to suppress the entire ninja world with his own power, I believe it would be much simpler than this method."
"Unfortunately, status, power, wealth, and even strength… are just tools for the Lord to achieve his ultimate ideal."
"Although I don't understand what he wants, I, an old man, can see that he is also yearning for something."
Having been by Menma's side for a long time, Kurama Unkai's thinking had also become more open.
The current ninja world was still an era dominated by ninja.
Whether it was nobles or ninja, they all ignored the most numerous group of ordinary people.
This in itself was a form of arrogance.
The subordinate beside him nodded and said in a low voice, "Sometimes, the Lord is clearly standing right in front of me, but I inexplicably feel that he is standing in a very distant place."
"Don't overthink it. The Uzumaki Clan, the Uchiha Clan… and our Kurama Clan, which of us hasn't been completely captured by his unique charm? If it were a guy like Uchiha Madara, he could not have brought us to this point."
"No matter where he is looking, as long as we know he stands before us, that is enough."
Kurama Unkai let out a long breath and said, "Collect the information of those workers. Those with bad records, such as gambling, should be directly removed from the list."
"We are going to proceed with the second step of the project, to turn the Land of Waves into a sharp blade that we thrust into the Land of Fire."
(End of Chapter)
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