The Takigakure higher-ups were there, complaining. A group of ninjas gathered around them, their faces showing conflict.
Sometimes, one's true feelings cannot be spoken aloud and can only be written in a diary. But most of them didn't like writing diaries, so they could only bury these words deep in their hearts. But holding it in for a long time... was truly unbearable. Today was a rare opportunity. Venting a little once in a while... surely wouldn't be a problem!
A ninja in the crowd quickly stood up and recounted a strange noble he had encountered on a previous mission.
"Damn it, those bastards are so rich, but when they assigned our village's ninjas for an escort mission, they still kept haggling the price down."
"This type of mission has had the same price for years!"
"Their constant chattering along the way was bad enough... but when we stopped at an inn, they even wanted the ninja to pay for the rooms upfront!"
Generally, nobles have their own guards when they travel. These guards, though not ninjas, are strong and well-trained fighters, sufficient to handle unexpected situations. Those bandits and rogue ninja wouldn't casually target nobles, as they are considered extremely high-risk targets. This is because it could easily attract pursuit from official ninjas. Merchants are the easiest fat sheep... they have money, but their status is generally not high.
So nobles usually don't need to hire ninjas to protect themselves for everyday travel. Unless... he provoked someone he shouldn't have. Therefore, escort missions are inherently high-risk tasks, requiring the ninja to bear a certain amount of risk. They are basically rated as C or B-rank missions, with relatively high prices.
But... this is money to buy safety! Even the room fee... wanting an advance payment, trying to save even that kind of money, is being stingy to the extreme! The ninja was cursing by the end—so rich, yet so stingy!
"What's that? At least you got paid in the end, they just wanted you to pay upfront. The one I met was a real bastard... I shouldn't have saved her back then..."
"That stupid woman is usually so arrogant. When she was out, she inexplicably provoked a group of desperate rogue ninjas!"
"She came to our village, and it was my bad luck. Seeing her generous offer and the high mission reward, I took it."
"Later, I fought a bloody battle with those assassins, protecting her for three days and three nights. In the end, this person, just because my attitude towards her wasn't good... said I didn't provide 'emotional value'..."
"Damn it, I was working for days without sleep. Those rogue ninjas... my blade was chipped from hacking at them. It was already a feat that I could speak to her patiently at that time... In the end, she just gave me a bad review, and the original payment became..."
"Later, I heard she's a repeat offender. She deliberately sets the mission commission very high, even exceeding the amount for the mission's rank, to give her a chance to pick a ninja... Then she just finds a random reason to deduct money, and the deducted amount is still within the range for the mission's rank... It's mainly because this person relies on her husband being a Daimyo... At that time, I really wanted to..."
A ninja with a scar on his face spoke up indignantly.
He had met countless clients over the years, including a few difficult ones. But she was the only one who had made him want to kill.
"Cheer up... at least your client was a person... I once had a mission to escort a big shot's 'dog son'..."
"That's right, a dog!"
"And the mission price was low!"
"That big shot spoiled this dog like a son, demanding that I hold it the entire time. He was a complete bastard... that damn dog was a Poodle... not yet neutered, and it was humping me... Ah!!"
"I wanted to kill that damn dog right then and there!"
A female ninja in the crowd hugged her arms, a look of disgust on her face.
Before, she could still tell herself that being a ninja meant enduring these things. But now, with everyone cursing, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
"...I'd rather escort a dog... You don't know how truly perverted some of those nobles are!"
"And they're so fat!"
"I took a mission once, and that bastard actually snuck into my tent in the middle of the night..."
A gentle-looking ninja clenched his fists even tighter.
The speaker was very beautiful. His lips were the color of March cherry blossoms, his eyes bright, his skin as white as new snow. He had long black hair that fell naturally to his lower back. Small, fragrant, and soft.
—But he was actually a man.
It was just that because of this wretched ninja world, he had been exposed to war at an early age, causing this cute boy's heart to become a bit twisted. After being forced to cross-dress for an infiltration mission, he came to like dressing as a girl, and psychologically, gradually... he actually didn't mind contact with men. But being... by a fat-headed guy during a mission... he would also fly into a rage!
"Wait, dude, you're a guy?"
"Bro, you smell good!"
"My butt clenched in sympathy for your experience... but what happened next..."
"The mission was just to get him safely to the destination, but missions inevitably have accidents. I reasonably made him lose... a precious item..."
The crowd's desire to complain grew even stronger.
...........
In any profession, it takes all kinds to make a world. It's common for a service provider to encounter a moronic client. This is not strange at all. Even ninjas are no exception.
The frustrating things a ninja can encounter during a mission are simply too numerous, and the pressure they endure has nowhere to be released. Everyone is very suppressed!
Now, one person had started, and a few others had joined in. The emotions were running high. The resentment in the hearts of the ninjas present was also stirred up.
Finally, the emotion of resentment was like a car with broken brakes; it couldn't be stopped. The atmosphere of speaking freely led some ninjas who had originally intended to stay quiet... to immediately slam the table upon remembering their past experiences!
"Let me speak first..."
"Don't rush, I'll go first. The one I met was a complete scumbag!"
"..."
The crowd complained continuously.
Uchiha Makoto ate his snacks on his own, his eyes on the growing crowd of ninjas, a smile unable to be suppressed on his face.
He truly hadn't expected at first that this spontaneous act of his could resonate with so many ninjas.
But it should be considered reasonable.
After all, although ninjas are powerful, they do not control the means of production. In essence, they still rely on selling their strength to make a living—they are hardworking laborers, high-class laborers!
And the ninja world is a terrifying world. Class solidification divides people into different ranks. The highest-ranking people can fully enjoy the supply of material and spiritual goods. Then, as the ranks decrease, the supply begins to decrease. The material energy the lowest-ranking people can receive is barely enough to sustain their survival.
Usually, without comparison, there is no harm.
But because of their identity as ninjas... ninjas always come into contact with some great nobles and have the opportunity to glimpse the daily lives of the heavenly people.
Breaking through the class barrier, the scenery seen from above. Even just a single glance is an immense blow to a ninja's spirit.
Although their lives were much better than ordinary people's. But compared to the nobles... they were still shabby!
The ninjas before them rarely got to eat such a luxurious meal. But the nobles could eat this every day.
But on what grounds could the nobles live so much better than them?
Was it because the nobles were stronger than them? Could they use Sage Arts, or could they open Susanoo? They couldn't do any of that! An ordinary ninja could kill ten of them with a single shuriken!
Uchiha Makoto was hiding to the side, smiling.
The atmosphere inexplicably became harmonious.
Ninjas from different villages usually maintained their guard and vigilance due to their respective identities and positions, but at this moment, they had only one identity—ninja!
The power of a so-called grand narrative lies in this—personal grudges seemed to have disappeared.
Even the Iwagakure ninjas, who had been indignant this morning, now looked at the Kirigakure ninjas with less hostility in their eyes.
But Senju Tobirama's mood at this moment was very bad.
He didn't feel the atmosphere had become harmonious; on the contrary, it was filled with soaring resentment!
Looking at the scene filled with soaring resentment, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but shudder in his heart.
The ninjas present didn't know what Uchiha Makoto wanted to do in his heart. But Senju Tobirama knew all too well!
"I knew it... that naturally evil Uchiha brat, Makoto, has never had good intentions."
"He secretly pulled aside that group from Takigakure just now... for this very purpose..."
"And will the so-called Six Kage Building become... if that's the case, how the hell did I do another stupid thing!"
"How could I have agreed to let Uchiha Makoto build the Six Kage Building in Akatsuki Village!"
"This kind of scene will surely become more and more frequent in the future, and the topics will become more and more extreme!"
Senju Tobirama thought to himself.
An image had already formed in his mind.
The ultimate form of the Six Kage Summit would be a terminal management platform that decides various affairs of the ninja world. And as Uchiha Makoto's Six Kage Summit plan continues to advance, more and more ninja forces will join it, until it includes the entire ninja world.
And this Six Kage Building will become a place for Uchiha Makoto to preach his ideology.
Uchiha Makoto wouldn't even have to appear in person. Just like today.
The "money-grubbing" Takigakure ninjas proactively moved closer to Akatsuki Village and then very straightforwardly acted as Uchiha Makoto's mouthpiece, speaking out in front of everyone.
The Takigakure ninjas didn't even realize what Uchiha Makoto really wanted to do, but everything fell into place without them knowing.
The conflict of the topic quickly pointed to the Daimyo and nobles of their respective countries.
Even if the ninjas present at this moment only wanted to kill the occasional difficult and rude "individual" nobles they encountered on missions.
But as long as Uchiha Makoto was around... It was probably only a matter of time before the ninjas' resentment rose to an entire group.
In the future, when Akatsuki Village exports its economy, just like how it treated Takigakure, giving them real benefits, today Takigakure can have a conflict with the domestic noble group over the interests of canned fish, and tomorrow there will be another ninja force because of... such groups will only become more and more numerous.
And Uchiha Makoto had given them a regular opportunity to gather together and curse.
"We'll go through fire and water, Lord Light Shadow!"
"Lead us, brothers!"
"Heaven's punishment on the Daimyo!"
"Heaven's punishment on the nobles!"
Senju Tobirama felt a little breathless.
The above was just a fantasy in his mind. But the thought that it might become real in the future... gave him a headache.
It was really hard for Senju Tobirama to get over the hurdle in his own heart!
This was simply crushing the values he had believed in for the first half of his life and forcing him to rebuild them himself on the ruins—it was really difficult.
After rebuilding.
Senju Tobirama would still have to face Uchiha Makoto... follow him, become his follower?
How could such a thing be possible!
If Senju Tobirama had to choose between "following Uchiha Makoto" and "eating shit in a latrine"?
Senju Tobirama might really prefer to eat shit in a latrine.
There was another, more difficult problem—that was, Senju Tobirama didn't know how to face his own big brother, Senju Hashirama.
Senju Hashirama was a staunch conservative. He could make many compromises. But when it came to overthrowing the entire underlying logic of the ninja world, pushing the order of the ninja world to a reset, and letting the flames of revolution ignite the entire ninja world—the peerless palm technique named True Several Thousand Hands would truly descend from the heavens.
And his big brother was his big brother. Even a foolish big brother was still his big brother... Senju Tobirama had never thought of betraying his big brother!
The crowd was still arguing.
Senju Tobirama's thoughts were like stepping on a watermelon peel; he didn't know where they had drifted off to.
The more he thought about the troubles he might encounter in the future, the more irritable his mood became.
"Ah... so annoying!"
"Damn it... Uchiha Makoto, I really want to kill you!"
Senju Tobirama was an old-school Senju. He couldn't solve the problem, but if he solved the Uchiha who created the problem, the problem would be solved. He had always done this in the past.
But... the past was the past, and now was now.
Senju Tobirama could now neither solve the problem nor solve the Uchiha Makoto who created the problem.
So he could only glare fiercely at Uchiha Makoto, with a look that wanted to kill.
"???"
"Wait... why is that naturally evil old demon of the Senju, Tobirama, staring at me with that expression again?"
Uchiha Makoto quickly noticed Senju Tobirama's gaze beside him.
Clearly, everyone was very happy right now! Together, they were happily cursing the Daimyo, cursing the nobles, looking like they couldn't wait to set these guys on fire.
"How inexplicable!"
Uchiha Makoto gave a thumbs up, then rotated it 180 degrees and pointed it down forcefully.
"Uchiha Makoto, you bastard, stop playing dumb here. I know what you want to do!"
"The Six Kage Summit is not a tool for you to spread extreme ideology!"
"Oh~ so that's it... but I haven't done anything right now. Everyone is just complaining about the misfortunes in their lives. You can't just not let the ninjas even speak, can you."
"Besides, what they're saying is all true."
Uchiha Makoto instantly understood. There was a fence-sitter next to him.
As a ninja, Senju Tobirama wanted to advance further, but he didn't want to bear the cost of advancing further. Such people were destined to be the most tormented.
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