Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan

"Oh right, there's another one dragging us down, what's his name again?"

"Shut up!!"

After angrily rebuking Sai, Aburame Torune looked at him and said, "No matter why you've shut yourself off, I'm not you. I can't watch my classmate of six years die in front of me!"

"And then there's Sakura Haruno, who's weak but still a classmate. As for your mouth... I really want to sew it shut."

……

In the Ninth Training Ground, Aburame Torune is currently tied to a wooden stake, while Sai and Sakura sit on either side.

"A ninja's duty is to complete missions. Aburame Torune, who abandoned his mission, is not fit to be a ninja. I will explain this to the Hokage later."

Kakashi glanced at Sai and Sakura, then continued, "You two still have further tests to take, while Aburame Torune will have to accept the punishment for failing the test and will be sent back to the Ninja Academy."

Kakashi took out two bento boxes and put them down: "Eat well, the assessment this afternoon won't be easy."

Kakashi, who was about to leave after his reincarnation, turned to the two of them again: "Hunger is his punishment. If you give him food, he will be sent back. Remember this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi vanished from the spot in an instant.

……

A gust of wind blew by, and Sai and Sakura brought over the bento boxes.

At that moment, Qu Gen, who was tied to the wooden stake, let out a timely growl from his stomach.

Sai smiled and opened the bento box: "It's a very generous bento, but it's a pity you won't be able to eat it, Torane. Speaking of which, you failed the test because you were saving me."

"So... now you can only watch me eat my bento!"

Sakura sighed. Although she had inexplicably become a survivor, was it really okay for Sai to say such things?

Won't taking the root cause make you so angry you'll die?

Shaking her head, Sakura decided to fill her stomach first.

I've managed to pass the first assessment, and since I haven't been eliminated yet, I must seize the second opportunity this afternoon.

Just as they were about to start, they saw Sai stand up and walk behind the wooden stake.

The rope was cut directly. Aburame Torune rubbed his wrist and looked at Sai in confusion: "If you do this, you'll have to be sent back with me."

Sai smiled and handed over the bento box: "I ate a bit too much before the assessment started. My brother said not to overeat, so you can have this bento box that I don't want."

Sakura, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, then reminded him, "Sai, you'll be eliminated if you do that. You'll be laughed at when you go back to school."

Sai looked at Sakura and smiled, "I know! But I've never been a good ninja because I have Shin-nii, so I can't learn to suppress my emotions."

"It's better to be a person with feelings than a bad ninja. My brother Shin has always hoped that I could make new friends."

"Those who are willing to give up the assessment to save me should already be considered friends, right?"

Sai then looked at Aburame Torune.

"Snapped."

A hand wearing a sealed glove patted Sai's shoulder.

Toru looked at him: "My special body always caused me to unintentionally hurt the people around me when I was a child. If it weren't for this protective suit, I wouldn't even have been able to get into the Ninja Academy."

"I'm just like you, I also want to make new friends. But... could you please stop faking your smile?"

The two looked at each other and laughed again.

This time, however, Sai's smile contained more genuine emotion.

Sakura, standing to the side, froze in place.

At this moment, she felt that the bento box in her hand no longer tasted good. Although her stomach was still growling, the feeling of hunger had inexplicably subsided.

Compared to the two boys in front of me, why do I feel guilty if I eat this bento?

"Would you... like to eat together?"

……

Meanwhile, on the hill behind Shadow Rock.

The little nine-tailed fox perched on Quan's shoulder was picking its teeth, while the three little ones opposite it sat obediently.

"In fact, the assessment of students graduating from the Ninja Academy is usually an assessment of their abilities, teamwork, and mindset."

Izumi looked at Shikamaru and said, "But with the Nara brat around, he should be able to guess these things."

"An assessment whose purpose can be guessed is no longer a true assessment. Therefore, I have devised a special assessment method for you..."

He was speaking fluently, but then he suddenly stopped.

Quan frowned, but couldn't remember anything. In the end, he could only take out a small card and glance at it.

Seeing this, Shikamaru on the other side said speechlessly, "This special test, could it have been designed by Brother Yun?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

It slipped out, and I wanted to take it back, but I couldn't.

The little Nine-Tails on the shoulder crossed its paws and said in the same tone as Uchiha Yun, "The new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho is special, but if they can't know what they will face in the future, then it's good for them to go back and reflect."

After saying that, the Nine-Tails smiled and looked at Shikamaru: "Nara brats, you might get eliminated if you're not careful... Izumi's words can't be trusted, but even the Hokage has to give face to Boss Kumo..."

Shikamaru scratched his head: "Although it's quite troublesome, compared to getting scolded by my mom when I get back, I think the assessment is easier."

"Click".

As the potato chips were bitten into pieces, Choji asked, "If I pass the test, can Izumi-sensei have barbecue for dinner?"

These words made Quan take a deep breath, compose himself, and then smile and say, "If it passes, I'll treat you to barbecue again tonight."

Upon hearing this, Choji put away his potato chips and became extremely focused.

Nothing is more important than a barbecue, or two if there is one.

Ino, standing nearby, nudged Shikamaru, her face full of excitement.

"Brother Yun personally designed this assessment for me. Would you consider that a customized romance? Just thinking about it makes my heart race!"

Shikamaru looked at Ino speechlessly: Can't you just be normal?

……

Within the illusion released by the three tomoe, scenes played out in front of Shikamaru like a movie.

After a farmer's hard work, the harvested crops filled the mud house, seemingly enough to support the family for the next year.

If you do the math, you might even have enough left over to buy some luxury items.

However, not long after, the nobles came and confiscated the goods, taking away more than half of them.

Not long after, bandits passed by and looted everything.

The nobles used the confiscated grain to exchange for money and issued a mission to the ninja village to wipe out the mountain bandits. The ninja village sent out ninjas to wipe out the mountain bandits and made money.

The bandits were wiped out, and everything was taken away by the nobles.

In the end, the nobles suffered no losses, the ninjas suffered no losses, the bandits were killed, and the peasant family starved to death.

After the video finished playing, Quan took out a piece of paper.

"Who are the people who create this wealth?"

"Farmer".

"So what needs to be addressed? How can we ensure that the farmers who create wealth don't ultimately starve to death?"

Shikamaru got stuck on the second question.

Logically, this is a very simple problem. Whether the bandits or the nobles are killed, the peasants do not seem to starve.

But... ninjas cannot attack ordinary people; that's the rule.

In addition, after killing the bandits and confiscating most of their grain, the farmers might barely have enough to live on.

Any unforeseen event could still cause farmers to starve to death.

Throughout the illusion, the three classes represent the interests of three different groups of people. Is this a framework for maintaining this relationship?

"Time's up, let's move on to the next question."

As the sound of the spring faded, the scene changed once more.

The peasants starved to death, the bandits were wiped out, the nobles were at peace, and everything was fine.

However, due to safety concerns, fewer and fewer missions were assigned to ninja villages. Also because of safety concerns, the mortality rate of ninjas in ninja villages decreased, and the number of ninjas began to increase.

The ninjas, who did not engage in production, required a large amount of resources. In the end, having no other choice, they turned their attention to neighboring countries.

A war inevitably ensued.

The scene changes again.

This time there were no bandits, but the farmer, whose harvest was mostly confiscated, starved to death for the first time because his son was sick.

The second time, it died because the winter was too cold and it couldn't withstand the daily hunger.

The third time, his wife fell ill and died.

Of the six transfers, they survived the year only once.

But then another year begins, and the nobles will still come, taking away most of the harvested grain. Whether bandits will appear is also uncertain.

This time, the farmer's wife fell ill before the tax collection, and the farmer, who had already spent a lot of money, was unable to pay the taxes. A sinister glint appeared in his eyes.

Later... the farmer became a bandit, becoming the other side in the first scene.

"Did the farmers do anything wrong?"

Shikamaru remained silent.

Are the farmers wrong? What's wrong with trying to survive?

The subsequent scene is already predictable: the farmers who have become bandits will be wiped out by ninjas on a mission.

The ninjas who wiped out the bandits, however, received no income due to the reduction in missions, and eventually had to turn their attention to other places.

In this way, war seemed inevitable.

However, among these three parties, there was one who was the victor from beginning to end: the nobles.