Chapter 359: Konoha Has Come, and Justice Has Come!

“That’s why! I always wondered why the prices of all kinds of daily necessities kept rising every few years, reaching their peak during wartime, only to fall rapidly after the war ended!”

“I never paid much attention to it before, but I remember one time when the price of a single loaf of bread in the village nearly reached five thousand ryō! Then, just when my family was about to become unable to survive, war broke out!”

“But why are things different in other countries? Their prices only rise during wartime!”

“You idiot! Didn’t the man up there already explain it? Although our Land of Wind has sufficient resources, it’s still poor compared with the other Great Nations! When the internal contradictions in our Land of Wind have accumulated to the point of exploding, the contradictions in the other Great Nations are still nowhere near their peak. Naturally, the situation is different!”

“Oh! So in the end, it’s because our Land of Wind is too poor!”

“You idiot! It’s because the leadership and nobles of the Land of Wind and Sunagakure are too greedy! They don’t leave us any way to live!”

“That’s right! I heard that the nobles of Sunagakure have a hundred and eight dishes served at every meal. If all that food were given to me, I could probably eat it for months! But they only take one bite of each dish before throwing it away!”

“And those puppet masters! Each of their puppets costs hundreds of thousands, even millions, of ryō. I couldn’t earn that much money in my entire lifetime!”

“I heard Elder Chiyo has hundreds of puppets in her home. Doesn’t that mean her puppets alone are worth hundreds of millions of ryō?”

“That’s nothing! I heard Elder Chiyo even had a huge pond built at her house, and she spends her free time fishing there every day!”

“Damn it! Fishing in the middle of a desert? I can’t believe she came up with something like that! My family has to ration even our drinking water!”

“Hmph! I curse her to go fishing without a helmet!”

Under Uchiha Ren’s guidance, the civilians of Sunagakure below gradually turned their anger toward Sunagakure’s leadership and nobles.

The resentment and dissatisfaction they had kept buried deep within their hearts for years finally erupted, and the fury only continued to intensify!

Seeing this, Ren felt that the time was right.

“So you should all understand where Sunagakure’s resources have gone now, right?”

The civilians below fell silent once again.

But unlike the previous silence, this time there was a blazing fire burning inside every one of their hearts.

The only reason that fire had not completely erupted was because they were still under the watch of the Konoha shinobi.

They were still holding back, leaving that final shred of respect for their own people.

Ren smiled and changed the subject.

“Sunagakure’s situation is like this. But do you know what the situation in Konoha is like?”

The civilians of Sunagakure couldn’t help but look at him curiously.

Their own lives were miserable, but they still wanted to know whether other people’s lives were just as miserable as theirs.

Ren continued,

“As everyone knows, the Land of Fire is rich in natural resources and fertile land. It is the wealthiest nation in the entire shinobi world, without exception!”

“So although there is still a gap between rich and poor in Konoha, it is nowhere near as severe as the one in Sunagakure!”

“In Konoha, ordinary civilians may not be eating delicacies every day, but they have meat with their meals and fish on their tables. And every now and then, they can even afford to eat at a restaurant!”

“Huff… huff… huff…”

As Ren spoke, the eyes of the civilians below gradually turned red.

Even their breathing became heavier.

“But even that isn’t enough!”

A sharp glint flashed through Ren’s eyes as he continued.

“You may have heard that Konoha recently welcomed a new Hokage—the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze!”

“Minato Namikaze is the first Hokage of Konoha to come from an ordinary civilian background. He may even be the first person from a civilian background in the entire shinobi world to become a Kage!”

“Our own ‘Minato’ came from an ordinary civilian background, so naturally, he hasn’t forgotten the civilians of Konoha!”

“And even though the contradictions within Konoha are still nowhere near the point of exploding, as Hokage, he has a responsibility to solve those problems.”

“So, under Minato’s leadership, Konoha has implemented a new reform!”

“Ordinary civilians of Konoha are now allowed to elect representatives of their own to participate in the village’s decision-making!”

“Konoha belongs to the shinobi. Konoha belongs to the shinobi clans. And Konoha also belongs to every civilian of Konoha!”

“The civilians already make up the overwhelming majority of Konoha’s population. Naturally, their will must also have a place in the will of Konoha!”

Ren’s words were no less than a depth charge exploding among the civilians of Sunagakure!

As the old saying goes:

People don’t resent having little; they resent having less than others.

And as a newer saying goes:

You don’t mind your brother being poor, but you certainly don’t want to see him driving a luxury car.

Without comparison, perhaps nothing would have happened.

But once there was something to compare against, everything became different!

Why are the civilians of Sunagakure still living miserable lives while the civilians next door in Konoha are already being allowed to participate directly in the village’s decision-making?

The fire of anger in the hearts of the civilians of Sunagakure was instantly ignited!

“Damn it! Why?! Why are all the benefits going to Konoha?!”

“Those bastards in Sunagakure’s leadership should all go to hell! They only care about enjoying themselves and have never cared about whether we live or die!”

“That’s not quite right! Don’t forget, the village leadership also starts wars that send us off to die, using our deaths to resolve the village’s internal contradictions!”

“No wonder Sunagakure is the poorest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages! If the leadership only cares about indulging themselves, how can the village ever develop?”

“No! We have to do something! We have to change the situation!”

The civilians of Sunagakure were furious!

But unlike before, their anger was no longer directed at Ren and the Konoha shinobi.

This time, their fury was directed at the leadership and nobles of their own village!

The flames of their anger grew hotter and hotter, as though they were about to consume the entire Sunagakure!

Meanwhile, inside one of the rooms of the Kazekage Building, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, watched everything unfold through a window.

His heart had gone completely cold.

It’s over!

Sunagakure is about to undergo a complete upheaval!

Seeing the situation below, Ren was equally satisfied.

At precisely the right moment, he raised his voice.

“People of Sunagakure, I know you’re all extremely angry right now. But please rest assured—starting today, your lives are going to change!”

“Konoha has come here precisely for this reason!”

“Where Konoha goes, peace follows!”

“Where Konoha comes, justice will prevail!”