Chapter 28: The Lecturer Who Understands Human Nature
Naruto ran to the door, took a look, and without a word, turned right back around.
He had been surrounded.
The outside was crawling with guards clad in armor.
Three words naturally came to his mind.
Give it up.
He didn't know when the fighting had stopped.
Naruto shook his head; this batch of assassins was truly pathetic.
To any keen observer, they were being played like fiddles by Oda Nobuaki and the others.
But it wasn't entirely their fault.
Asuma's appearance meant that Oda Nobuaki's identity was more than just the Governor of Omi.
He was very likely the Daimyo's son or an illegitimate child.
However, he remembered the information from the black market stated that Oda Nobuaki's father was the previous Governor of Omi.
Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
The implications behind this were quite intriguing.
Could it be, Lord Daimyo, that you are also a Chancellor Cao?
"Who's there?"
Naruto suddenly turned his head and saw a middle-aged man entering the room where he was hiding.
He looked very familiar.
"Warrior, it's me, Ryuji Ishiyama."
The middle-aged man took off his wig, revealing a shiny, balding 'Mediterranean' head.
Naruto looked surprised and asked, "It was actually your guild?"
He recalled Oda Nobuaki chatting with his guards earlier, mentioning that they purchased weapons from Konoha.
Does that mean I'm technically an accomplice?
Good grief, as expected of me!
The Child of Destiny of the Ninja World. ஜ۩۞۩ஜ ஜ۩۞۩ஜ
With one pick, I caught a big fish.
"Yes, warrior. This isn't the place to talk, follow me."
Ryuji Ishiyama swapped a few books on the shelf, and a secret tunnel was immediately revealed.
Naruto was somewhat surprised.
These people had come prepared.
But unfortunately, the gap in strength was too great.
He followed Ryuji Ishiyama down the steps to a cellar.
In the dimly lit space, there were only two people.
A man and a woman, both around thirty years old, with ordinary appearances.
They carried a thick scent of blood; they must have just come from the fighting.
"Chairmen, let me introduce you. This is Sir Yasuo, the warrior who fought the Guardian Shinobiearlier."
Ryuji Ishiyama's expression was somber, but his gratitude toward Naruto was still evident.
"If not for him, I'm afraid the three of us wouldn't be able to gather here."
"I am the Chairman of the Ripple Merchant Guild. You may call me Naoki. This is the Vice Chairman, Misa."
After Naoki introduced himself, he bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "I must thank you for your help today!"
Following him, Misa and Ryuji Ishiyama also bowed deeply.
Naruto's expression turned solemn as he said, "A corrupt official like Oda Nobuaki deserves to be executed by anyone."
Naoki's body trembled slightly as he said seriously, "Sir, you are a true warrior."
Naruto shook his head and said, "A true warrior is one who dares to face the gap in strength and challenge the strong from the position of the weak. That is what you are doing, whereas I cannot."
Naoki and the others felt a warmth in their hearts, their eyes reflecting the look of having found a kindred spirit. ♦♦ ♦♦
As for 'not being able to do it,' they believed it was just a humble way of speaking.
Naruto couldn't help but give himself a thumbs up for his acting skills.
He sat by the table and asked, "I'm curious, why does your guild want to deal with the Governor of Omi?"
Naoki was silent for a moment, but he didn't hide anything.
He and Misa were born commoners and had become slaves during the last war, then were forcibly conscripted by the Governor of Omi.
However, during a grain transport mission, their group was delayed for a few days due to heavy rain.
According to the Governor's rules, they were to be executed. So, they rose in rebellion, sold the grain, and turned into a merchant guild.
"..."
Naruto's lip twitched.
One of you should be named Chen and the other Wu, right?
"Oda Nobuaki is incredibly tyrannical. We were already victims of his cruelty, so we came together for a common purpose. But unfortunately..."
Naoki sighed and said, "I didn't expect a traitor to emerge from within our guild, causing us to lose everything."
After listening, Naruto asked, "Your goal was simply to overthrow Oda Nobuaki?"
"Correct."
"If you hadn't failed tonight and had successfully killed Oda Nobuaki, what then? What did you plan to do?"
Naoki was stunned; they hadn't thought about that question in detail.
He mused, "We would probably have returned to the guild and waited to see how the next Governor of Omi performed."
"Naive."
Naruto shook his head in evaluation. "Even if your guild didn't fail today, you would inevitably fail in the future."
"Sir, you..."
Ryuji Ishiyama spoke up hurriedly, fearing a conflict between Naruto and Naoki.
"Ryuji, don't interrupt."
Naoki waved his hand, then looked at Naruto and said seriously, "Please explain, sir."
Naruto thought to himself that their attitude was decent enough.
In that case, he would give them a lesson.
And while he was at it, he'd stir up some trouble for his main body.
He didn't even give me a hundred bucks.
Naruto held up three fingers and said, "Three reasons: No organization, no leadership, no plan. You came together based only on a surge of passion and a simple goal. You have no underlying cause, no development plan, no correct course of action, and no ultimate objective."
Naoki and Misa exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise and shock in each other's eyes.
To them, these words were like a sudden enlightenment.
"Then what should we do?"
Naoki bowed to Naruto once more and said, "Please, sir, point out a path for us."
To be honest, tonight's failure had caused him and Misa to lose confidence.
They had even planned on one final desperate strike to avenge their fallen brothers.
Even though it would most likely be a pointless death.
Naruto smiled very happily.
The two people before him were limited by their era and vision, unable to see the true path, but that didn't diminish their shining qualities.
Vibrant, brave, and fearless—an aura completely different from that of the feudal nobles.
Well, it certainly piqued his interest.
He wondered how far they could go with the theory he was about to give them.
"Sir, why do you laugh?"
Naoki was confused.
"You people might actually be able to do it."
Naruto's expression became serious as he said, "Ryuji, I lied to you before. I am not a samurai from the Land of Iron, but from the Tianming Organization."
"Tianming?"
Naoki and the others were all puzzled; they had never heard of it.
"Our organization's goal is to overthrow the corrupt world of nobles and create a new world where everyone is like a dragon, everyone is equal, there is no distinction between high and low, and there is no war. This is our Heaven's Mandate—our Tianming."
Naruto gave a faint smile and spoke in a calm yet intensely confident tone, "Every member of our organization believes that such a world will surely come, and it must come."
The hearts of Naoki and the other two trembled.
Compared to the Tianming Organization, their Ripple Merchant Guild was like children playing house.
Such lofty ambition was truly something to aspire to!
"What I am about to say is the future path for your guild and the direction our organization is working toward. I hope it only enters your ears and never leaves your mouths."
Naruto held up three fingers again. "Three methods. Which one do you want to hear?"
Naoki couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, is there any difference between the three methods?"
He had naturally changed the way he addressed Naruto.
Calling him 'Teacher' was not an exaggeration.
Naruto accepted it candidly.
He really was a lecturer who understood human nature.
"Difficult, medium, and simple—three levels of difficulty. And the most beautiful future is often the most difficult one to achieve."
"We want to hear the difficult method first."
Naoki said after a moment of thought.
He naturally hoped for perfection and the best possible outcome.
Naruto nodded. "The most difficult method can be summarized in one sentence: Leave Omi City and turn toward the villages. As for the specific operations, it goes like this, and like that..."