Hashirama frowned slightly as he looked at Ruri. Perhaps it was unrealistic, but he genuinely desired peace in the shinobi world, without a trace of personal ambition.
The discussions had been nearly concluded, but Ruri's words cast a new shadow of uncertainty over everything.
Tobirama, however, was unconcerned. The peace agreement was signed; at the very least, there wouldn't be any major wars for the next few years. Even if other nations viewed the Land of Fire unfavorably, that was a problem for the future.
He was a hardliner. In a few years, the Land of Fire would have already developed significantly. If others wanted to open multiple fronts in a war, it would suit him just fine. His longstanding philosophy was to use overwhelming force to bring about peace. If you couldn't subdue others through strength, how could you negotiate peace with them?
"However, if you engage in trade with the Land of Waterfall, we have ways to bridge this gap, to place the great nations on a level playing field. Even after years or decades of peaceful development, the national power of each country won't diverge too drastically."
Ruri's tone was filled with confidence. When it came to construction and development, who in the shinobi world, filled with people who only knew fighting and killing, could compare to a modern-day transmigrator?
This was also the confidence he gained after obtaining the system. Developing a shinobi village? No problem!
"This..."
Reto fell into thought. He might not believe others, but Ruri's words warranted deep consideration. Back then, the method for using the Hero's Water, the excavation of waterways, and the selection of locations were all taught to him by Ruri.
If he hadn't used the methods Ruri provided, that small amount of Hero's Water might not have had such a good effect.
The other four Kage also pondered seriously, including Hashirama. They had all witnessed the Land of Waterfall's development speed in recent years, which was almost on par with that of a great nation. And now Ruri spoke like this; he must have methods to accelerate national development!
"Explain your ideas. If it's feasible, the Land of Wind agrees to establish trade relations with the Land of Waterfall."
Reto spoke up. Actually, even if Ruri was determined not to trade the Hero's Water, he intended to curry favor with Ruri. After all, he couldn't burn bridges. They had signed the peace agreement today; there would be opportunities for trade in the future.
"Take the Land of Wind, for example. It's located in a desert, short on water, but the neighboring Land of Rain has constant rainfall. If Lord Tsuchikage is willing to send shinobi to use Earth Release to excavate a canal passing through the Land of Rain and into the Land of Wind, this problem could be alleviated, right?"
"And the Land of Water, isolated overseas, has inconvenient travel. But you can build bridges! Ordinary bridges naturally won't work, but what about Lord Hokage's Wood Release? Building a large bridge connecting to the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning wouldn't be too difficult, would it?"
"The Land of Lightning is situated on a high plateau, surrounded by mountains. The Land of Earth is mostly barren rock cliffs. Both countries have terrain that is easy to defend but difficult to attack, which might be an advantage in war, but in peacetime, it greatly hinders external communication. Meanwhile, the Land of Snow is researching railways. Once railways are laid across the cliffs and plateaus, the disadvantage of poor transportation can be quickly improved."
A and Ishikawa nodded repeatedly. They had heard of the railways and trains being researched in the Land of Snow. If successfully developed, it would indeed be a powerful tool to improve transportation.
Before establishing their villages, they were indeed shinobi who only knew fighting and killing. But after founding their villages, they forced themselves to consider national and village construction and development. They weren't fools; the policies Ruri mentioned could genuinely improve their national economies.
Reto, who had been for village resources, considered a deeper layer. Excavating a canal between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind was indeed a good method, but he preferred a canal connecting the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Wind. The Land of Waterfall had numerous waterfalls, making it a natural reservoir.
If one or even multiple rivers could be channeled from the Land of Waterfall, passing through the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain, and finally reaching the Land of Wind, then the Land of Wind's water shortage problem would be solved.
"But these policies involve other countries, even various small nations. What does it have to do with the Land of Waterfall?"
Byakuren tacitly accepted the Wood Release bridge proposal but couldn't resist challenging Ruri.
"It's related, of course it's related. If it weren't for me, could you have thought of these policies? These are just the basics! Have you heard of the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative? Economic layouts? Reinforced concrete? Let me tell you, without me, it would take you decades to advance your technology tree. When it comes to development, I declare myself the strongest!"
Ruri spoke with full confidence. Shinobi were the world's most efficient workforce. With a little thought, not only could these development policies be implemented, but even physical structures could be built. Moreover, he had just completed an achievement, granting him three more lottery draws. What couldn't he get?
Maybe the next draw would yield miracle crop seeds with incredible yields?
Even without the system, just relying on his experience beyond these shinobi, applying various ninjutsu to farming and construction could ensure rapid economic development for any country!
The strongest... The Five Kage had to admit it was probably true. The novel terms Ruri mentioned were unheard of, but their intuition told them these weren't empty words; they would definitely aid national development.
"As for the Land of Fire, these policies don't seem applicable. I wonder if Lord Takikage has any methods for us?"
Hashirama greatly approved of the policies Ruri proposed for developing the shinobi world. Even though the Land of Fire wasn't included, he didn't raise objections. But Tobirama was different. If things developed like this for a few years, the Land of Fire would gain no benefits, while the power gap between nations would shrink. What would he use to subdue others then?
"The Land of Fire has vast fertile lands and is the most powerful among the nations. I don't think it needs these, does it?"
Ruri raised an eyebrow. Actually, there were many economic policies suitable for the Land of Fire's conditions. Moreover, the Land of Fire had numerous shinobi clans with secret techniques and great creativity. Just the Shadow Clone Technique developed by Tobirama, if learned by someone with Hashirama's Tailed Beast-level chakra, would equate to the productivity of an entire nation!
If he shared these ideas with you, what would the Land of Waterfall have left to play with? They wouldn't get any resources! And without resources, no matter how creative Ruri was, he couldn't develop Takigakure!
The other four Kage silently agreed with Ruri's stance. If the Land of Fire also obtained policies to boost its economy and accelerate development, how could they compete?
The very reason Ruri presented these policies was to help narrow the gap between other nations and the Land of Fire, preventing a single dominant power. They couldn't let the Land of Fire pull further ahead.
"Tobirama, since Lord Takikage has no suitable development policies for the Land of Fire, there's no need to pressure him. The shinobi world is tending towards peace. Balanced development among all nations can reduce self-interest. As long as the entire shinobi world prospers, we will surely usher in a completely peaceful new world someday!"
Hashirama spoke with fervent passion. He wasn't worried about the Land of Fire's finances. With his economic acumen (or lack thereof), he didn't perceive the crisis the Land of Fire might face if other nations developed. He even felt that the great nations advancing together and checking each other was the proper trend for peacetime development.
"Big Brother!"
Tobirama couldn't help but glare at Hashirama. This was where he differed from his brother. He believed that if the Land of Fire and Konoha lost their status as the strongest nation and village, they couldn't guarantee peace in the shinobi world.
Peace required a leading force, and Konoha was that leader. If it couldn't suppress other countries, how could there be peace?
In his eyes, if Hashirama didn't possess the strength to overpower the entire shinobi world, this Five Kage Summit would never have happened in the first place!