Uchiha's personal opinion

"...The loess soil also has a kind heart."

After a brief silence, the daimyo of the Land of Earth, seated on his high throne, finally spoke with a dry laugh.

Chapter 444 When Humanoid Stars Shine

After an initial period of confusion, the Hidden Cloud Village soon began to wield its swords under the dual instructions of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning and the Raikage.

As a result, the area under the control of the Land of Lightning was completely plunged into bloodshed. Wherever the Cloud Village ninja army went, regardless of their status before the rebellion, whether they were nobles, samurai, wealthy merchants, or roaming ninjas, those who did not surrender within the five-minute persuasion period were all slaughtered.

It was precisely this extremely resolute action that completely quelled the massive riots that had almost swept across the entire country in a very short time.

Konoha's intelligence department and internal affairs department were also caught off guard, and their deployed pawns were almost completely wiped out in the Cloud Village's rebellion.

After all, no one could have imagined that the Hidden Cloud Village could be so ruthless.

Even the most extreme members of Iwagakure, upon learning of this, felt that Kumogakure had gone far too far...

However, it must be said that the extremely tyrannical Cloud Village did indeed resolve the extremely thorny national problem in a short period of time, although the price was that the Land of Lightning completely lost its vitality.

But in the eyes of the Third Raikage, all of this was worthwhile.

"Your Highness, Kumogakure has fulfilled its mission and has completely quelled those non-citizens!"

Inside the government hall of the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Lightning, the burly Third Raikage's voice, like a booming bell, resounded throughout the hall.

Those nobles who escaped the calamity simply lowered their heads and remained silent.

The nobility, whose succession and expansion are based on bloodlines, are inherently intertwined and mutually integrated. Although they have their own factions and are political enemies, they have always maintained a tacit understanding of fighting without breaking apart, putting on a show of disunity in front of the daimyo. However, with the executioner's blade under his command, almost the entire Land of Lightning has been slaughtered except for the Kinki region and the daimyo's prefecture. The nobles have no idea how much power or hidden agents their families have lost.

If the nobles whose interests had been severely infringed upon had not been afraid of the ruthless and bloodthirsty nature of Kumogakure, they probably would have jumped up and angrily denounced the Raikage, and demanded that the Daimyo exterminate the ninja village.

The problem is that the nobles, who know full well that this nationwide calamity was actually orchestrated by the daimyo, dare not speak out, for fear that the local disaster will befall them.

"Kumakure is a ninja village that protects the country. Suppressing rebellions is beneficial to the country and its people!"

The daimyo of the Taira clan, atop the high platform, officially set the tone.

The officials and nobles had nothing more to say and could only submit and bow down.

"All of you are pillars of the nation; you should know that you share the nation's honor and disgrace!"

Although the Taira clan daimyo's tone was calm, his words were full of threat: "Otherwise, the frigid soil of the Land of Lightning will bury all ungrateful people!"

Actually, the Taira clan daimyo wasn't so resolute at first. However, after A presented the daimyo with the information he had gathered about the Land of Earth's nobles' "Tsūmō" (a secret society), his attitude immediately changed 180 degrees.

His idea was simple: the meat must rot in its own pot! Even if these cooked ducks, after being squeezed dry, still dreamed of jumping into the shogunate's garbage can, it was not allowed!

What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine—that's the mindset and stance of the Taira clan daimyo.

……

After bidding farewell to Hanzo the Salamander, who had vowed to abstain from alcohol, Ashura continued his journey northward into the Land of Rain, crossing the shogunate-controlled northeast and entering the Land of Grass.

However, upon closer inspection, one noticed that in addition to their own village headbands, the Grass Ninja also wore brooches on their vests that were almost identical to the Uchiha clan's fan emblem.

After inquiring with the knowledgeable merchants, they learned that this was because the leader of the Grass Ninja Village, Mang, had become a member of the Military Affairs Office directly under the command of Uchiha Tokumitsu. The Grass Ninjas felt honored to be part of this great event, so they commissioned these brooches at their own expense to express their loyalty and love for the Shogunate.

He was already surprised by the Rain Village in the Land of Rain, but he didn't expect the Grass Village to be even more incredible!

Although Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, indulged in wine, meat, wealth, and women, he was once a "demigod" who was famous throughout the ninja world. However, Amegakure's strength was simply inferior to others, and he also had the intention to protect the village. Therefore, he was forced to submit to the shogunate's silver bullet offensive—at least that's how Ashura saw it.

But what about Kusanagi Shinobu?

Your leader is still alive!

Are you in such a hurry to kneel down to the leader of the leader?

"Lord Deguang is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see the poor."

In response, the merchants from the Land of Grass gave a surprising answer: "Whether ninjas or commoners, since Lord Tokumitsu's arrival, the Land of Grass has been free from the previous wars and banditry; after the establishment of the United Company, Lord Tokumitsu built countless ranches throughout the country, ensuring that the villagers would no longer suffer from the White Disaster..."

"But wouldn't it be better to herd the livestock ourselves?"

Ashura asked, puzzled.

"The livestock raised by the tribespeople who work on the ranch are divided 30/70!"

The merchant from the Land of Grass was filled with envy.

"Seventy percent...that's really pretty good."

"No! Seventy percent goes to the shogunate, and the bakumins only get thirty percent!"

"Only 30%!"

Ashura was even more confused.

Isn't this blatant exploitation?

"This 30% doesn't require you to be mindful of others' opinions; you just have to do the work. Isn't that great!"

The words of the merchant from the Land of Grass shocked Ashura to his core.

"...Therefore, people from the plains of the Land of Fire cannot understand the suffering of the deserts of the Land of Grass."

The merchant from the Land of Grass shook his head and said no more.

Including the Grass Ninja's past shameless and opportunistic behavior, it is nothing more than the helplessness of a small country.

If you can stand tall and be a decent person, who would want to be a despicable thief in the eyes of others!

Besides, as long as you pay the "blood tax," you can live and live well. Who wouldn't want to be a loyal retainer of the shogunate!

Ashura, finding it inappropriate to continue the entanglement, then wandered around the town with his hands behind his back.

By eavesdropping on conversations on the street, Ashura gradually pieced together his impression of the Grass Country beyond what he had read in books.

A country ridiculed as a fence-sitter, yet true to its name, as stubborn as the most persistent weeds that cannot be burned away; while the Grass Village is a concentration camp of thieves with no foundation or real strength, relying solely on piecing together and stealing ninjutsu from other ninja villages to make a living.

Before Uchiha Tokumitsu led his troops to garrison the Land of Grass, the Land of Grass, just as the stereotypes circulated among the nations, wavered between Konoha and Iwagakure. However, after the border war against Iwagakure was launched, the Grass Village, under the coercion of Uchiha Tokumitsu, fought a generation's worth of blood and flesh on the battlefield, thus earning Uchiha Tokumitsu's favor.

From then on, Kusagakure became prosperous!

First, they collected many new ninjutsu from the defeated Iwagakure, then they received support from the garrison camp at the time, and the outsourced missions solved the Kusagakure village's urgent needs.

Later on, as the Uchiha clan gained deeper control over the Land of Grass, the Grass Ninja were frequently conscripted into battle and obtained a large amount of supplies through the wars; the lives of the Grass Ninja Village improved day by day, and even the common people of the Land of Grass no longer had to face famine.

Therefore, from this perspective, the legendary "kind-hearted" Lord Deguang's "inability to bear seeing the poor" can be considered to be genuine.

This left Asura deeply moved.

As the saying goes, it is better to have no books than to believe everything in them. His journey through the ninja world had only just begun, but everything he had seen and heard was enough to refresh his understanding.

Although the rule of the shogunate deprived the common people of their surplus value, it also gave them the opportunity to survive.

In other words, although some of Uchiha Tokumitsu's actions were quite inhumane, it depends on who you compare him to—compared to the nobles or the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, Uchiha Tokumitsu could indeed be considered a great benefactor.

After all, this is an era where there is no worst, only worse, and even the relatively humane Tokugawa Shogunate shines brightly in comparison.

So... what is the situation of the common people in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, who are currently facing economic and ruling crises?

After hesitating for a moment, Ashura decided to head towards the Land of Earth.

Although he has now resolutely abandoned his contract with Mount Myōboku, he had previously made a promise to Iwagakure's Yotsuchi, and considering the discovery of an unknown group of White Zetsu, Ashura felt it was still necessary to continue investigating.

At worst, we can borrow troops from Uchiha Tokumitsu to wipe out the White Zetsu!

Asura thought so.

……

A dejected Black Zetsu, accompanied by an expressionless Sasori, returned to the secret base in the Land of Snow, relinquishing control of most of the White Zetsu.

Ah Fei grew bolder and bolder, and his strides became increasingly reckless.

It actually thought of establishing a land-based regime in the southern part of the Land of Earth, based on a few words from the Deguang Sayings!

This is utterly ridiculous!

When did the remnants of darkness dare to show their faces in the sunlight?

Therefore, Black Zetsu expressed his indignation and dissatisfaction.

So he was mercilessly hung up and beaten by Ah Fei!

As for the human puppets that Sasori created, they were as laughable as paper toys in front of Tobi's Wood Release—after the Wood Release drained their chakra, even the most powerful and exquisite human puppets were just decorations!

Sasori, whose confidence had been severely damaged once again, was on the verge of a mental breakdown and was taken away by Black Zetsu without any resistance.

Afei also looked down on the human puppets, whom he considered worthless, and let Black Zetsu and Sasori leave.

After rightfully bringing the White Zetsu army from Iwagakure under his command, Tobi began his various incredible maneuvers.

Konoha's intelligence personnel suddenly discovered that the previously dormant rebellious Iwagakure, also known as the "Free Iwagakure" organization, had suddenly emerged from nowhere and began to rampage through the southern part of the Land of Earth, attacking ninja army bases without restraint. They even dared to venture into the Land of Birds to rob the United Company's trading company!

The purpose of "they" carrying out attacks everywhere was to obtain enough food to distribute!

This is absolutely astonishing!

Even though the Konoha intelligence personnel were quite knowledgeable, this was the first time they had ever seen such a group that was "completely selfless and dedicated to helping others"!

Moved by their actions, the intelligence department also mobilized an action team to give the rebellious Iwagakure a harsh lesson, letting them know the consequences of daring to plunder the United Company!

In any case, the intelligence department has already supported a puppet of "Free Iwagakure". These genuine Iwagakure rebel ninjas have now become a hindrance.

However, after organizing several rounds of encirclement and suppression operations, the intelligence department discovered that the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of earth ...

Therefore, this case, which could very well help advance the sealing techniques of Konoha, was reported to the sealing team. Uzumaki Ashina became interested and, after obtaining the consent of Uchiha Tokumitsu, led a team of Uzumaki ninja toward the Land of Birds, intending to have a good spar with the "Free Iwagakure" who possessed an unknown sealing technique!

"The time is ripe! Those lackeys of the Deguang family have given up trying to stop us!"

After two or three days without the intelligence department's action team's encirclement and suppression, Afei immediately let loose and let himself go.

For the naturally unruly White Zetsu, retreating so many times in front of the Konoha ninjas was truly against their nature!

Of course, there are reasons for this. Afei believes that the Shogunate is too powerful, and they can only outsmart it rather than confront it head-on. Otherwise, they will surely defeat the smaller forces and then the larger ones will come. If that happens, it will cause a big problem if Uchiha Tokumitsu comes in person!

Therefore, for the sake of Master Fei's great cause, the White Zetsu endured it!

Today is the day to formally rise up in rebellion!

The white zeolites straightened their chests and cried out repeatedly to express their excitement—although their heads were empty, they still remembered the methods that Afei had taught them to express their emotions.

"I came! I saw! I conquered!"

Standing on the high platform, Afei raised his arms and shouted, and the White Zetsu below cheered.