Fleeing from Konoha

Chapter 853: Chapter 31: Stone Statue Soldiers

In the office, Hakushi was holding a paper document.

This was Ichihime’s observations and feelings in the Land of Fire and Konoha, all meticulously presented in the paper.

Although in Hakushi’s view, there were still many shortcomings in this paper, the critical issues present in the Land of Fire and Konoha were all written by Ichihime in the paper. Therefore, Hakushi did not mind this minor flaw.

"I can see that you, Ichihime, have been very attentive in observing the various issues of the Land of Fire and Konoha, from their beliefs to the institutional level, essentially analyzing everything seriously. Honestly, it’s a bit beyond my expectations."

Hakushi put down the paper document. For a nine-year-old child, it was already remarkable.

Striving for perfection is good, but Hakushi also felt this kind of thing shouldn’t be rushed; going too fast in making someone grow isn’t necessarily a good thing.

"So, I passed, right?"

Ichihime looked up and asked.

She indeed put a lot of effort into crafting this paper. For two years, she traveled across the entire Land of Fire using the channels of the Land of Demons. Besides that, Konoha was also a key observation target.

Actually, many problems did not need her to search; the Land of Fire and Konoha had already actively exposed these issues themselves.

In Ichihime’s view, it should be because she was used to living in the Land of Demons. Suddenly entering a country whose systems, ideologies, and culture are completely different from those of the Land of Demons naturally allowed her to quickly discover those problems.

Just from the ninja system perspective, Ichihime felt that ninjas... have not essentially changed from the Warring States Era to the present.

In the Warring States Era, the way ninjas survived was by accepting employment from various Daimyo to help the Daimyo win wars.

Later, the Clan Leader of the Senju Clan, Senju Hashirama, changed the original way, advancing to the era of one-country-one-village, and established the Ninja Realm’s first ninja village — Konoha.

After that, this was emulated by various countries, entering the intense era of the Five Great Nations’ war of supremacy.

After Senju Hashirama died, this conflict deepened.

Out of fear of Senju Hashirama’s power, countries did not dare to act, but once Senju Hashirama died, this suppressive force naturally ceased to exist.

Behind the seeming peace, the fundamental problem still always existed.

That is, the ninja employment model was still like the Warring States Era, a group of mercenaries, not real soldiers belonging to a country.

In Konoha, it’s slightly better; ninjas would occasionally work voluntarily for ordinary residents of the village. But once outside Konoha Village, even the nearby villages needed money to hire ninjas to help.

To eradicate bandits, residents of the Land of Fire themselves also needed to hire ninjas with money; Konoha ninjas wouldn’t contribute their strength for free.

On the surface, it’s a kind of fair trade... but in Ichihime’s view, this trade seems very distorted.

Who funds the military expenditure of ninja villages?

Nobles?

No, indeed not.

The military expenditure of ninja villages is paid for by countless bottom-level workers of the Land of Fire.

These bottom-level workers have to pay heavy taxes each year, collected by the Daimyo and various nobles, and then a portion is divided for the ninja villages, used as military funds for the development of ninja village military strength.

Fundamentally, it is these bottom-level workers who create real wealth, not the Daimyo, nobles, and those ninjas.

Because those ninja villages do not engage in production or rarely engage in production.

They still retain traditional vices, taking money from people to solve their troubles, essentially indistinguishable from bounty hunters in the underground black market.

In Ichihime’s view, when civilians pay taxes, the country has the duty to protect them, not additionally charge money, adding unnecessary burden on the populace.

Because the richer the population, the more taxes can be increased; when tax revenue increases, the country can develop better, creating a virtuous cycle.

On the Land of Fire and Konoha, Ichihime did not see these phenomena.

The Daimyo and nobles hoarded over ninety percent of the country’s wealth, then divided a small portion to give to the ninja villages, maintaining the ’contract’ between them.

Having obtained development funds, ninja villages naturally wouldn’t stand up for justice for the bottom-level workers who truly create wealth and confront the Daimyo and nobles. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Essentially, ninja villages also stand from the perspective of vested interests in considering issues.

Taking the hard-earned money from the labor of bottom-level workers but not truly serving the country’s bottom-level personnel, this simply does not resemble how soldiers of a country should act.

This is why Ichihime believes the conclusion that ninjas are not soldiers.

The essence of Konoha’s ninjas is mercenaries, living by taking money from people to solve their troubles; ninja villages, to put it nicely, symbolize a country’s military strength, to put it bluntly, are just slightly bigger mercenary breeding bases.

Calling them soldiers is the greatest insult to soldiers.

If this disadvantage were eliminated from the beginning, perhaps the development of the Ninja Realm would not be so distorted. Unfortunately, Senju Hashirama, who established the one-country-one-village era, did not realize this issue.

Or perhaps, he didn’t have enough accumulated knowledge to support him in thinking about how to establish a country with a benign system.

Therefore, Ichihime felt that her family’s old man was amazing, that popularizing education and eliminating illiteracy are so important.

"Of course, for you now, it’s already enough to be considered excellent."

Hakushi did not hesitate to offer his praise.