The current ninja world—both full of crisis and teeming with life—wasn't anything like what Sakumo Hatake had hoped for.
Moreover, as the Ninja Clan Capital Corporations continued expanding, the village-state system alongside the coexistence of the Five Great Countries had already been practically dismantled. The development path of both the ninja world and hidden villages had deviated completely from the "Will of Fire" guidance that Sakumo Hatake had imagined, plunging headlong into an absurd era unlike anything before.
Nowadays, ninja could control territory to govern themselves autonomously, massacre nobles to seize their positions, or even directly replace workshop masters and wealthy merchants, carving out profitable niches for themselves.
In short, the boundary between ninja and secular society had been thoroughly erased.
Worst of all, Sakumo Hatake had witnessed all of this firsthand without having the strength to change it.
"Sigh..."
Sakumo Hatake put down the report on recent developments regarding the ninja clan capital corporations, slumped helplessly in his chair, and gazed emptily out the window toward the sky.
After that fateful night, the Hyuga Clan had essentially freed itself from the control of the Caged Bird (Tenketsu) Curse Seal; however, Sakumo felt imprisoned within a mental cage himself, as though mentally bound by a metaphorical "Caged Bird." He found himself caught in a spiral of doubt and overthinking, sinking deeper and deeper as if trapped in an endless swamp of his own thoughts.
"The Will of Fire no longer exists!"
He murmured softly to himself, slowly closing his eyes.
This was also the most direct feeling he'd experienced lately.
Especially after the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation brazenly launched privateer warfare against the Land of Water, this feeling had become increasingly intense.
Whether other powerful nations and great ninja villages remained indifferent to these blatant abuses—was it because the daimyos and village leaders hadn't recognized them as true threats, or were there deeper considerations at play? Regardless, across the entire ninja continent, widespread opposition against the Ninja Clan Capital Corporations had yet to erupt on any significant scale.
What disturbed Sakumo the most wasn't merely that ninjas from other villages eagerly participated in so-called privateer wars, but even common ninja from Konoha voluntarily formed multiple privateer fleets and set off en masse toward the Land of Water, backed financially by wealthy patrons.
As for the four clay idols (symbolizing unfeeling leaders) in the Hokage Tower—their silence was deafening.
Based on Sakumo's knowledge, one thing was certain: Danzo Shimura, one of the Advisory Elders, was secretly funding and controlling one such privateer fleet, and had already begun setting up extensive channels for laundering stolen goods, eager to make a huge profit.
Even Kumo—who was infamous for having no shame at all—probably wouldn't have dared to pull off such disgraceful acts!
Yet Sakumo was powerless to intervene—that was precisely where his deepest pain lay.
Since the ninja clans collectively withdrew to defend frontier settlements, his Jonin Unit lost vital support from forces led by figures like Hyuga Soushu. As a result, the unit had become utterly marginalized. Although still nominally responsible for legislation within Konoha, due to conflicting policies among civilian jonins and countless external temptations, the group inevitably grew apathetic and disorganized.
Meanwhile, the once hard-fought bill advocating for the Direct Election of Hokage by Jonins had become nothing more than shelved bureaucratic debris.
No one cared about the village's future anymore, no one still valued the Will of Fire, and even fewer cared whether the person sitting in the Hokage Tower was human or a monkey. As for something like a Jonin Unit? Forget it.
"Morals have really gone downhill these days."
Sakumo Hatake sighed deeply.
Knock knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the door to Sakumo Hatake's office.
"Come in!"
Sakumo quickly masked his sorrow and called out solemnly.
"I'll come in then."
A voice from outside replied, carrying a slightly humorous tone.
"It's you."
Sakumo showed some surprise. "Jiraiya Jonin, how come you're back in the village?"
The unexpected visitor was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Third's apprentices.
And he was also a notorious wanderer who roamed endlessly across the Ninja World, famous for his womanizing and squandering fortunes like dirt.
"I've written a few novels recently. Originally I planned to publish them at the Daimyo's court, but the bookstore I worked with before has gone bankrupt, so I came back to the village looking for a publisher to collaborate with."
Jiraiya shrugged dramatically.
At the same time, without hesitation, he strolled straight up to Sakumo's desk, grabbed a chair, and plopped down boldly, speaking with a cheeky grin as he gave Sakumo an impish smile.
Sakumo didn't really like such boundaryless behavior.
"What happened to the bookshop back at the Daimyo's court?"
Sakumo asked idly.
"The Ninja Clan Capital Corporation flooded the market with countless shoddily-made pirated editions, completely wiping out the bookstore's sales. And just like that—"
Jiraiya shrugged dramatically again, appearing quite helpless.
"Again the Capital Corporation."
Sakumo sighed gloomily.
From this small incident described by Jiraiya alone, the damage caused by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation to the original economic ecosystem of the Ninja World was far more complicated than imagined.
"But wouldn't the peacekeepers of the Daimyo's court get involved in this matter?"
Sakumo asked again.
"Those peacekeepers are just low-ranking samurai. How could they possibly confront the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation guarded by elite ninja escorts? That would be suicide!"
Jiraiya said, "Besides, even the spiritual homeland of the samurai, the Land of Iron, has been completely crushed and controlled by the corporation's ninja forces. Then, how could those insignificant lower-class samurai possibly dare to resist the Capital Corporation?"
"But what about the Courtiers?"
Sakumo originally wanted to ask further, but stopped halfway through.
"The Courtiers? They don't dare either!"
Jiraiya grinned widely. "Their little treasure chests are full enough to let them live comfortably. Why should they provoke the corporation? Besides, even the Hyuga, who tried hard to present themselves as nobles, have frequently launched ruthless attacks against the daimyos and courtiers of minor countries. They've even brazenly gathered mobs to invade the Land of Water. So dominant—what sane person would dare stand in their way?"
Sakumo had no words to reply.
"Speaking of which, why is it so poor here, Sakumo Captain? I'm part of the Jonin Unit too! Yet there isn't even a cup of tea to offer!"
Jiraiya started winking and making faces again.
"Alright then."
Sakumo Hatake sighed, pulling out a long-forgotten tea set from the cabinet behind him and awkwardly starting to boil water and make tea.
Judging by his movements, it was clear Sakumo rarely dealt with such delicate tasks.
Jiraiya silently took in the scene, sighing inwardly all the while.
This was nothing like the treatment he got when visiting the Hokage's office.
His mentor, the current Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, now had an office that, though not overly flashy, overflowed with expensive, elegant decorations. Even the once-modest Kage cloak had been swapped for one embroidered with golden thread—subtly luxurious yet tasteful. This stood in stark contrast to Sakumo's still-simple lifestyle.
Thinking about it only made Jiraiya feel more emotionally choked up.
"Please, have some tea!"
Sakumo clumsily placed a cup of green tea in front of Jiraiya.
"My pleasure!"
Jiraiya quickly responded, grabbing the teacup and chugging it down without caring how scalding hot it was.
The boiling liquid rushed down his throat, bitter and clearly low-grade.
"Burned!"
Jiraiya's eyes even welled up slightly from the heat.
"Don't chug it down while it's still steaming," Sakumo said helplessly, shaking his head before picking up his own cup and sipping it properly.
From his expression, Sakumo seemed genuinely enjoying the tea, so Jiraiya deduced this was probably what he usually drank—not a performance of poverty.
But from Jiraiya's experience, even the free tea you'd get at a backstreet diner was far better than this, let alone the top-tier varieties served in the Hokage's office.
"Ah well, I'm just no good with tea!"
Jiraiya quickly forced a smile and continued, "Actually, I recently swiped some premium tea leaves from my teacher's office, but leaving them with a roughneck like me is a total waste! How about I give them to you, Sakumo Hatake?"
Without waiting for Sakumo's reaction, Jiraiya immediately unsealed a large tea jar from his sealing scroll and stood up to place it inside the cabinet behind Sakumo.
At the same time, he caught a glimpse and noticed the shelves were packed with nothing but poor-quality tea bags just like the ones they were currently drinking.
That made the difference even more obvious.
Now Jiraiya felt totally sure he'd done the right thing!
Now came the bigger challenge: how to convince this stubborn Jonin Unit leader.
"This tea's worth more than its weight in solid gold."
Sakumo didn't refuse, speaking instead with meaningful undertone.
"No way? I guess I really don't know much about tea. I just thought it looked decent, so I took the best-hidden jar from my teacher's office," Jiraiya replied immediately, trying to cover for his mentor.
Truthfully, he hadn't known the tea was outrageously valuable!
"Is that so?" Sakumo said, clearly unconvinced.
"There's something I wonder if you've heard about."
Jiraiya poured himself a cup of tea while glancing casually at Sakumo Hatake's desk.
"What is it?"
Sakumo responded as if he hadn't noticed Jiraiya's subtle gesture.
"The harm caused by the privateer fleet in the Land of Water might be worse than anyone could imagine."
Jiraiya said seriously.
"War has always brought devastating consequences for civilians."
Sakumo frowned slightly but patiently replied.
As a veteran jonin who emerged from the chaos of the Second Great Ninja War, Sakumo had long since witnessed countless brutal battlefields. Though he never became indifferent to killing, oppression, or massacre, he understood the limits of individual power—he realized there was nothing one could do to change the world, only endless frustration to show for it.
Besides, the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation's orders were essentially privateering licenses—semi-official permits for plundering. Could such organizations possibly do anything good?
So everything happening in the Land of Water seemed normal and unchangeable. After all, even Sakumo couldn't stop Konoha ninja from participating in these privateer operations!
"Sakumo, don't you think the world shouldn't be like this?"
Jiraiya suddenly stood up, agitated.
"I know that, but what can we really do?"
Sakumo countered with a question.
"I remember you once intended to push for reform."
Jiraiya took a deep breath and said slowly, "We cannot just sit idly by and watch all of this happen. We must initiate reforms and bring the Ninja World back onto the right track!"
"Then tell me, how should we reform?"
Sakumo pointed out, "Is the greatest capital controller currently facing our village really the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation?"
"Isn't that exactly the case?"
Jiraiya grinned widely, feigning surprise. "Surely we aren't saying the enemy is inside the Hokage Tower itself!"
"This is precisely what you just said yourself."
Caught off guard by having his thoughts so directly exposed, Sakumo didn't quite know how to respond.
"It's because I understand this that I came to find you, Sakumo."
Jiraiya immediately dropped his previous joking manner and grew serious again. "Nowadays, only a handful of Konoha ninja still uphold the Will of Fire."
"The existence of the corporation desecrates every noble value and moral principle. They tarnish noble bloodlines, cripple ancient orders, forcefully transform peaceful pastoral idylls into factory labor, and greedily provoke wars whenever profit might arise."
Without waiting for Sakumo's reaction, Jiraiya intoned dramatically: "Wherever the company spreads, the crowns of daimyos lose their luster, the heads of nobles roll, wealthy merchants' fortunes are ruthlessly looted, and commoners become mere disposable resources to be exploited endlessly."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Sakumo frowned instantly.
To him, Jiraiya seemed like no more than a deluded fool lost in wild poetic fantasies, spouting fancy nonsense with no real guidance to offer.
Except for the Will of Fire, Sakumo Hatake's heart could hold no other ideology.
"The source of all calamities in the Ninja World and the corruption within our village lies entirely within the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation!"
Jiraiya immediately stopped his antics and spoke seriously, "Only by eliminating this heretical anomaly outside prophecy can the Ninja World embrace a bright future!"
"Have you been eating too many mushrooms lately?"
Sakumo started rummaging through drawers, looking for an appropriate antidote pill.
Eradicating the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation?
This plan's about as realistic as a pipe dream!
If such capability truly existed, how could the Five Great Countries and their five great Hidden Villages possibly allow this freakish entity composed entirely of ninja clans not only to exist but continuously grow stronger?
Besides, even the current Konoha F4 originated from the ruling Four Ninja Clans—all part of this tangled mess. With such mutually intertwined relationships, from what angle could one possibly separate them?
Would he actually seek help from the other four Hidden Villages to destroy Konoha itself!
"Leader Sakumo, I'm perfectly fine!"
Jiraiya's tone turned serious, "And besides, this is the Great Sage's decree!"
"Eh?"
Upon hearing that, Sakumo froze instantly.
How come another so-called Great Sage suddenly appeared out of nowhere?
And something he hadn't even heard about before was now interfering with the order of the Ninja World?
"Have you completely lost it?!"
Sakumo stated firmly.
At last, he found a bottle of antidote pills in the drawer—still within its expiration date—and handed it to Jiraiya, solemnly saying, "Take your medicine first!"
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