From within the royal palace of the Land of Wind, a furious roar erupted.
The Wind Daimyo slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Rasa! How dare you show your face to me! The spy you sent out was caught red-handed, and now many people are cursing me. As the Kazekage, you can't even handle such a small matter, what use are you?"
Rasa gritted his teeth, clenching them audibly, and retorted, "Your Excellency, the funds you allocate to the village each year are too little. This has led to a shortage of ninjas in Sunagakure, making it impossible to guard such a vast border."
"Moreover, the Land of Water's grain ships transport grain daily, their factories recruit workers daily, and they even offer a 200,000 ryo reward to attract people. We simply cannot stop them."
The Wind Daimyo threw a book at him. "Can't stop them? Why don't you send troops to burn their granaries? Why don't you arrest all the returnees from the Land of Water? If this continues, the Land of Wind will be empty."
"Go to the border now, and if even one more person escapes, you will commit suicide to atone for your failure!"
Rasa frowned and responded helplessly, "Yes, Your Excellency."
Soon, the three countries urgently issued a "collective punishment order".
"Smugglers will be executed, those who harbor them will have their entire family executed, and neighbors will be collectively fined 50,000 ryo."
At the border, Suna ninjas and soldiers patrolled back and forth with swords, and three layers of barbed wire were set up, yet the number of people attempting to smuggle themselves across continued to increase.
Yuma, a young boy from the Land of Wind, hid in a cave with his father, clutching a crumpled immigration policy poster. The "200,000 ryo reward" figure on it had been rubbed shiny by him.
"Dad, can we really get across? I heard that if you get caught, you'll be beheaded." Yuma whispered, his eyes fixed on the Land of Water farmhouse in the picture.
His father patted his head and pulled out half a dry biscuit. "Don't be afraid, the guard team will meet us on the other side. Once we reach the Land of Water, I'll earn 50,000 ryo a month as a farmer. If I bring people from our village over, I can also get a 200,000 ryo reward."
"I can buy you new clothes, a new schoolbag, and even take you to eat the Land of Water's sugar cakes, which are a hundred times better than dry biscuits."
...
Late at night, the father and son, along with a group of smugglers, waded through the river covered with thin ice.
When they saw the torches of the Land of Water's guard team on the opposite bank, Yuma's father suddenly cried, "We've made it! We'll never have to go hungry again!"
...
The collapse of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth accelerated, and border cities became deserted.
Wheat rotted in the fields, factory machines rusted, and even the army began to suffer from personnel shortages.
Rasa stood on the border city wall, looking towards the distant Land of Water.
A Suna ninja reported expressionlessly, "Kazekage-sama, another group of smugglers has been discovered. There are forty-one males, thirty-two females, and seventeen children in total."
Rasa tiredly closed his bloodshot eyes and sighed, "Execute them according to the Daimyo's order. Kill them all."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
Rasa knew in his heart that even if this group was killed, there would be another and another. The allure of six times the salary and a 200,000 ryo immigration reward would act like a giant magnet, drawing away the citizens of neighboring countries and eroding the foundation of the nation.
Meanwhile, at the immigration registration office in the Land of Fire, Araki was busy registering villagers.
He was beaming with excitement, shouting to his fellow villagers, "Everyone, line up to register! Don't rush! Since you've arrived in the Land of Water, you're sure to live a good life..."
After the registration, an official handed over 7,000,000 ryo in banknotes.
"Araki-san, you brought 30 people this time, and the total bonus is 7,000,000 ryo. Please count it."
Araki took the money, his hands trembling slightly. He had never seen so much money in his life, but he hadn't forgotten the fellow villagers who had followed him.
He waved his hand and shouted, "Brothers! I'll give each of you 50,000 ryo and I'll buy everyone a mobile phone."
As things progressed, others understood why Araki was so determined to bring them to the Land of Water.
Bringing one immigrant over earned a cash reward of 200,000 ryo, and if it exceeded 20 people, there was an additional bonus of 1,000,000 ryo.
This time, Araki brought 30 people, so he earned 7,000,000 ryo, no wonder he was so desperate.
However, Araki was quite generous. After receiving the bonus, he distributed 50,000 ryo to each villager, bought a mobile phone and an outfit for everyone, and treated them to a meal.
Eiji stood on a street in the Land of Water, looking at the bustling crowd with a somewhat complex mix of emotions.
He recalled his past experiences, the hardships and setbacks, and the uncertainty about the future.
Now, immigrating to the Land of Water seemed to offer him a chance to start anew.
Just then, Araki, who was beside him, noticed his silence.
He smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "Eiji, what's wrong? Are you worried about work? Don't worry about that. As long as you fill out the form at the talent market, someone will help you find a job very soon."
Eiji came back to his senses, looked at Araki, and hesitated for a moment. "Araki, I'm not worried about work, I just feel a bit guilty towards you."
Araki was clearly surprised, but he quickly understood what Eiji meant.
He smiled and shook his head, comforting him, "Let's not talk about the past. We're like brothers. From now on, we're all people of the Land of Water, and if we work hard together, we'll definitely have a better life."
In the Land of Water's royal palace, Shun was sitting on a spacious sofa.
He asked with a smile, "Shikaku, how is the progress of our immigration policy now?"
Shikaku respectfully handed over a report and replied, "Shun-sama, the immigration policy is very effective. The number of new immigrants received daily is around 300,000, which is much higher than our previous expectations."
Shun nodded slightly and continued to ask, "What about the financial aspect? Are there any problems?"
Shikaku's expression was somewhat serious. "Shun-sama, because of the 200,000 ryo reward per immigrant, a large amount of cash has been paid out, causing some financial strain."
Upon hearing this, Shun asked indifferently, "What is the reaction from the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Wind?"
Shikaku organized his thoughts and replied, "They sent negotiators over, hoping that we would cancel the immigration reward policy. They expressed willingness to cede five border cities to us in exchange for our concession."
Shun merely chuckled. "If they want us to stop recruiting immigrants, then let them open up their trade policies and acknowledge that the Land of Fire region is under the jurisdiction of the Land of Water. Otherwise, as long as their civilians are willing to come, we will welcome them with open arms."
In the distant immigration registration office, the number of immigrants continued to grow.
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000