Chapter 243 Creativity and Productivity

Minato Namikaze patrolled the increasingly crowded camp, stopping from time to time to chat with the victims, not caring at all about their dirtiness.

In a shack made of three wooden boards, a family of three from the well were eating. The shack was built under a tree and the light was quite dim. There was no waterproof or moisture-proof measures inside, but the light in the eyes of these three people was enough to make any light in the world pale in comparison.

Like a magician, Jingxia took out a small piece of pickled cabbage from his arms, divided it into two equal halves under the expectant gaze of his two sons, and put it in their bowls: "Eat quickly, this is specially given to me by the Konoha Ninja Master, it can replenish your physical strength very well."

Suddenly the fragrant rice porridge had much more flavor, and the two children swallowed it in big mouthfuls regardless of how hot it was.

His eyes unconsciously became moist in the well, and he thought of his dead wife again. If she had had a bowl of porridge to fill her stomach that day, she would not have starved to death.

Just as he was feeling sad, a group of people came outside the shack, all wearing Konoha's standard white raincoats, and their sporadic voices came through the rain.

He quickly put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands, called his two sons out of the shack, and without even looking at who was coming, they all knelt in the mud.

Namikaze Minato smiled and pulled him up from the well. He carefully observed his improved spirits and could not help but feel more satisfied: "Have you been eating and sleeping well these days?"

Jingxia nodded vigorously and said, "It's all good. We three must have accumulated great blessings in our previous lives to have met the nobles of Konoha here. Otherwise, we would have starved to death long ago."

"Minato-sama," Hinata Munezane whispered in his ear, "They are the three survivors of the most miserable village. There are only a few left out of the hundreds of people in the village."

The smile on Minato Namikaze's face froze, and he unconsciously exerted some force to hold the hand in the well, and said slowly: "The people of the New Rain Country have suffered for a long time! They struggled desperately, and all they wanted was a bowl of porridge to survive, but such a simple wish has become a luxury. We must remember today's situation and always keep their survival in mind, otherwise how can we return to the village to report to the Hokage?"

"Don't worry, Konoha will not abandon you, and Lord Hokage will not abandon you either."

She wiped her tears and choked up, "I don't hate anything else, I just hate that I was not lucky enough to be born in Konoha. Konoha Village is great. I heard that the people there have meat to eat every day!"

"From now on you are part of the Konohagakure. Fortunately, it's not too late."

Namikaze Minato turned to Hyuga Munezane and said, "For those whose family situations are complicated, we need to distribute some food to ensure they have enough to eat!"

"Where has the Uchiha clan's food reserves been transported? Any news?"

"Sir, the communication ninja eagle delivered the latest information an hour ago. They will arrive at noon tomorrow at the latest." Hinata Munezane replied.

"Well, notify them to give the victims extra food tonight. It's not a good idea to always have porridge. Let's just have rice and pickles."

"Yes!"

Standing quietly in the rain, hesitating for a moment, he said, "Sir, we have hands and feet, but we have to wait here for food all day long. I feel really bad. A few years ago, when the lord was repairing the palace, I was transferred to work. I dare not say that I am very proficient, but I can do some simple carpentry work. How about you assign me some tasks?"

Namikaze Minato patted the other person's shoulder and said gently: "You should take good care of yourself now. There is no rush to work."

He was anxious in the mine. His simple values ​​did not allow him to eat white rice with a clear conscience: "I am full of strength. Why do I need to recuperate like a noble man? Let me do some work, otherwise this white rice porridge is really tasteless."

"Okay, okay, you take a few days' rest first. There's a big project waiting for you to do later." Namikaze Minato said with a smile.

With that, Minato left with a few others and continued to inspect the conditions of the victims.

At night, the Konohagakure held a meeting under a tree next to the camp. The meeting place was very simple, with rainwater pouring down from above and a pile of mud below. Even the few small benches were hastily made by the restless victims.

"Please sit down, don't stand." Namikaze Minato said with a smile after sitting down first.

A dozen ninjas wearing Konoha's standard vests sat down in an orderly manner, holding their breath and waiting for the Deputy Hokage to speak.

"First of all, on behalf of the Konohagakure and the Hokage, I would like to thank you all for your hard work. I have seen how hard and tired you have been these days. It is really not easy." Namikaze Minato said with a smile.

"Especially the senior ninja Sakata, who offended many merchants and their dignitaries in order to obtain emergency food. The Hokage sent a special letter to praise him, affirming his style of not fearing the dignitaries and the secular world when encountering problems. I hope you can all learn from him."

Everyone's eyes turned to Sakata, who sat upright, the joy on his face revealed without any concealment.

"For this reason, the Hokage has made special arrangements to approve Sakata's promotion: Sakata is appointed as the deputy captain of the New Rain Country Agricultural Assistance Advance Team! Everyone applaud and congratulate!"

"crash"

The applause temporarily suppressed the sound of rain. Sakata's face turned red with excitement. After wasting half his life, he was finally being valued. How could he not be happy?

"The Agricultural Assistance Advance Team was proposed by me and approved by the Hokage. It has a ninja brigade under it, with one captain, four vice-captains, eight secretaries, sixteen squadron leaders, and sixty-four team leaders. Although it is a temporary organization, the mission it undertakes is very arduous."

At this point, Namikaze Minato's expression became serious: "The mission of the advance team to help farmers is to resettle the victims before the spring plowing, so that they can survive as long as possible!"

"I'm here to make a statement. Everyone should be vigilant and treat this matter as a top priority! If a disaster victim starves to death, it will be recorded as a major offense!"

Everyone looked stern and felt a great sense of responsibility. Minato Namikaze had given a death order. Don't ever think that the mild-tempered Deputy Hokage won't be angry. Once he gets angry, the consequences will be more serious.

"Food is not a problem. The Uchiha clan's food is being transported. Five hundred thousand kilograms will be delivered tomorrow! We are waiting for the members of the transport team to be fixed. The daily transport capacity will be enough to meet the consumption of one million disaster victims!"

Although they had already learned about the generous donation from the Uchiha clan through various channels, they were still in a trance when they got the confirmation from Namikaze Mizumon. Once upon a time, they were hostile to the Uchiha clan under the guidance of some people, but they never expected that they would become the strongest supporters of the village now.

This is real food! Enough food to feed a million disaster victims! The Uchiha clan is worthy of the title of a powerful clan. How can other clans be so generous?

"The stage has been set up for you. As for how to perform, that is your responsibility. I emphasize again that you must not exploit the victims of the disaster, and you must not let anyone starve to death!"

"Yes!"

Everyone stood up in unison and responded. Minato Namikaze waved his hand and asked them to sit down, and continued: "Next, I will arrange the resettlement work."

"The statistical work must be done well. Of course, it does not mean that you simply count the number of disaster victims. Their place of origin, name, age and occupation must be written down and recorded in the register."

"Especially the craftsmen and those with special skills must be recorded clearly, as they are indispensable for the construction of the New Rain Country in the future."

"In view of the climate and transportation conditions of the New Rain Country, the Hokage intends to build a cement road that runs through the east, west, south and north. This is also the top priority for the victims. After all, we cannot support idle people, and the village's current economy is also stretched."

Sakata raised his hand with wrinkles, and after getting the approval of the Deputy Hokage, he said: "Deputy Hokage, the New Rain Country has heavy rains all year round, and cement is a material that needs dry conditions to be stirred and coagulated. How should we construct it?"

"You and the victims make the decision."

"Where can we get the steel bars and other materials for building cement roads?"

"You and the victims make the decision."

“Where does the money for road construction come from?”

"You and the victims make the decision."

"........"

No matter how Sakata asked, Minato Namikaze kept repeating the same thing over and over again, which was heartbreaking to hear.

"Vice-Hokage, this is already extremely difficult, you have to give me some definite answers, right? You're leaving it up to us and the victims to make the decisions, how can things still fall from the sky?"

Namikaze Minato looked around and said slowly: "I said these words to Master Hayama in the Hokage's office a few days ago, but this is how he answered me."

"Konoha Village is not the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, so it has everything it needs. The village is short of everything except food and people to work."

"We are short of funds, steel, tarpaulins, and everything else. You can exchange my position as Deputy Hokage for whatever you think I am worth!"

The sky was annoying and the rain kept falling. The moisture in the air mixed with the cold air was very uncomfortable to breathe into the lungs. Minato Namikaze's words rang out in such an environment.

"It's not that I'm stingy and don't want to allocate supplies, it's just that the village doesn't have any! We can't melt down the weapons to build roads, can we?"

"Everyone, this is the situation. It is very difficult and helpless, but the Hokage has issued a death order. He does not look at the process but only the result. If the road cannot be built, everyone here, including me, will suffer."

Everyone was silent, letting the winter rain pour down on their heads. The beginning of Hell Level was just like this. The New Rain Country was poor, so what could they use to build roads?

Sakata raised his hand again and said, "Vice-Hokage, I don't need other things, but there is one thing that the village must give me. Otherwise, I can't do this job anyway."

"You said."

"The village must always provide the technical guidance needed for road construction. If we want to build a road, we must build a road that can stand the test of time and meet the needs of at least five years of use!"

Namikaze Minato pondered for a moment, as if considering the feasibility. Sakata quickly added: "There are almost no experts among the disaster victims, and we ninjas don't know how to repair roads. It's not a good idea to just work hard. With technical guidance, we can get twice the result with half the effort."

"Okay, I will send a letter to the Hokage for instructions, but I will have to wait for news whether it will be successful."

“You must do a good job of calming the victims. They only give them food but no wages for building the road. This is a helpless move. Tell them that the village will compensate them later.”

Everyone nodded with a sad face, thinking about whether they should conjure up cement and steel bars to build the road.

"The victims are divided into four legions, each with about 250,000 people, and each legion is under the full charge of four deputy captains. Every 10,000 victims form a brigade, led by a squad leader. If the number of squad leaders is insufficient, deputy captains can be appointed temporarily." Namikaze Minato took out the notebook he had planned long ago and read it.

"The First Army is responsible for reclaiming wasteland, and will be commanded by Sakata. Your mission is the most important. The Hokage's orders are to reclaim millions of acres of wasteland, the kind that will be used next year."

Sakata smiled bitterly, having already imagined how hard the days ahead would be, but an order was an order and there was no room for bargaining.

"The other three legions are mainly responsible for building the roads. I won't be involved in the process. Anyway, the Hokage will personally inspect the New Rain Country in a few months. Whoever lets the Hokage walk through the mud will have to bear the consequences!"

"While arranging for the disaster victims, we must also not neglect the spring ploughing in the New Rain Country. We must ensure that the village can be self-sufficient next year."

Sakata raised his hand again and said, "Vice-Hokage, can we mobilize the natives of the New Rain Country to participate in the construction? They don't seem to have much food, and using food as a reward is still very attractive."

"Okay, I approve." Namikaze Minato agreed immediately. The Uchiha clan had plenty of food stored, it was just a matter of transporting it a few more times.

"Don't be so dejected. This is the New Rain Country, not the affluent Fire Country. As long as we have food, why should we be afraid of not being able to accomplish anything?"

"Using the ninja collective as the ruling class and uniting the middle and lower classes to the greatest extent possible is the purpose proposed by Lord Hokage at the first general meeting of the Ninja Research Association. What does it mean to unite the middle and lower classes? Meeting their needs for a better life is uniting the middle and lower classes! We are here to provide porridge, build roads, help farmers, and reclaim wasteland. Everything we do is to unite the middle and lower classes!"

"Hokage has talked to me about creativity and productivity many times. He believes that the creativity and productivity of ninjas are extremely backward, and this is true. Ninjas specialize in fighting, not to mention farming and building roads. Many of them can't even cook!"

"The lower middle class is the exact opposite of us. They know nothing about fighting, and they work hard all year round. They are far ahead in terms of creativity and productivity."

"Don't you still don't believe it!" Namikaze Minato said with a smile: "Munashi, go and call a disaster victim over. I have a few words to ask."

Zongshi took the order and left. Soon he brought back a timid victim, who happened to be in the well.

"Hello, we meet again." Namikaze Minato greeted gently.

"Sit down and talk. Don't be nervous. I called you over here just to ask you something."

Jingxia clenched his hands nervously together, nodded and said, "Please ask, sir, I will tell you the truth."

"Let me ask you, if you want to build a cement road, what should you do if you don't have cement?"

Jingxia scratched his head and carefully looked at Minato Namikaze's face. After seeing that the yellow-haired ninja had no ill intentions, he said, "There's cement everywhere here?"

The ninjas looked at each other, not understanding why the seemingly honest Jingxia was talking so nonsense.