Chapter 244: The Case of Missing Ninja

In the minds of the Konoha ninjas, the New Rain Country is clearly full of poverty and backwardness, most places have no electricity, and people can't even get enough food, so where does the cement come from?

Sakata couldn't help but say, "Stop talking nonsense. There is no room for liars in front of the Deputy Hokage."

Namikaze Minato waved his hands and smiled, "Don't scare him, it's not that serious. We called you here today just to listen to other opinions. Holding meetings behind closed doors won't solve problems. Sometimes it's a good thing to have more people to advise you. Just say whatever you want to say, it doesn't matter if you're wrong."

Maybe it was the yellow-haired ninja's constant smile, or maybe it was the few days of charity from the Konoha ninjas, Jingxia thought for a moment and gritted his teeth and said, "I am telling the truth. The Rain Country lacks everything except manpower."

“What does manpower have to do with cement?”

"Sir, cement is nothing more than a mixture of rocks and other materials. The Rain Country has many mountains and rivers, and there are many people working on it, so it's easy to make some cement." The answer came from underground.

Namikaze Minato nodded and said, "Did you all hear that? Why does Lord Hokage emphasize uniting the lower and middle classes? Because their creativity and productivity are far ahead, at least much stronger than our ninja class."

"Let me ask you again, if Konoha organizes you to build a road, and only provides you with food but no wages, would you be willing?"

This time, there was no hesitation in the mine, and he readily agreed: "As long as the adults give us food, we can go to repair the road, or even take our breakfast."

In the simple values ​​underground, the most serious thing in the world is rebellion. In the lightest case, one will die, and in the worst case, one's entire clan will be eliminated. If one works hard, one can have food to eat. This is a good thing that is hard to find even with a lantern.

"Don't you get any food when you work for the daimyo nobles?" asked Minato Namikaze.

"Let your Excellency know that we do not get food when we perform corvée labor every year, and we do not get any wages at all, which means we work for nothing."

Namikaze Minato sighed. He knew that it was not easy for civilians in the Land of the Rain to survive, but today he realized that he had underestimated the extent of exploitation by the daimyo nobles. They were completely treated as non-human beings!

"You can rest assured. Although the Konohagakure is in financial difficulty and cannot pay the workers, we will compensate you in other ways in the future. You won't be working for nothing."

Hearing this, the man in the well suddenly raised his head, which had been lowered all the time, and for the first time stared into the eyes of the big man not far away in front of him and said, "You can't ask for wages!"

Namikaze Minato was stunned for a moment, then realized: "It's only natural to get paid for your work, don't feel burdened."

"Pfft!"

He knelt down directly in the well, and the man in his prime shed tears for no apparent reason, leaving everyone present puzzled.

"Sir, I know that the adults in Konoha Village are all kind-hearted people who always think about us lowly people, but building roads really doesn't require any wages!"

"The Rain Country is my country. The adults paid for the construction of the road in order to develop my hometown. If I take wages again, how can I face my dead mother?"

"So I don't want a penny of wages!"

After hearing this, Namikaze Minato was deeply moved. He stood up from his small stool, walked to the bottom of the well and helped the man up. His turquoise eyes were misty, and he shouted: "You all saw it, this is the lower class people of the New Rain Country!"

"They are simple and honest, with no other skills except working and farming; they are lovely, and their hearts of gratitude are stronger than anyone else; they are pitiful, and they risk their lives just for a bite to eat!"

“We always overcomplicate things, thinking that everything in the world requires a material foundation to be accomplished, but we don’t realize that we have overlooked the most important thing!”

"As long as we unite more people, everything will be as vulnerable as a paper tiger! Remember, the will of unity is the strongest at any time. As long as we think and work together, let alone a small cement road, even the sea water can be filled up!"

After finishing speaking, Namikaze Minato patted the man's shoulder and said, "Our ambition is to liberate the countless people who are suffering in the New Rain Country. The corrupt daimyo feudal class is no longer worthy of being maintained. A brand new country and an advanced system will stand firm here. But before that we will face countless difficulties and obstacles. Are you willing to help us?"

Although Jingxia didn't understand what the yellow-haired ninja meant, he couldn't even eat now, so he would follow whoever gave him a bite of food: "I'm willing!"

"Good good!"

Namikaze Minato said three "OK" words in a row, and signaled Hyuga Munezane to send him back down the well and sit on the small stool again, but he did not say anything. He reached his right hand into the ninja tool bag behind his waist, fumbled for a moment, and took out a delicate and small lighter.

A dozen Konoha ninjas held their breath and didn't dare to breathe. Sakata cleverly took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to Namikaze Minato, saying, "Master, take a smoke. These are local specialty cigarettes I got from the New Rain Country. The taste is completely different from the Konoha Village cigarettes. It has a unique flavor."

Namikaze Minato took it without hesitation, took a puff, shielded the cigarette with his hand to avoid getting wet by the rain, and said slowly: "There are a lot of things waiting for us to do. I hope you can show your spirit of not being afraid of hardship and concentrate all your energy on doing the work well. If you have any difficulties, let me know in time, and I will try my best to solve them. Of course, I will never ask for money."

"The statistics work will be completed in a week. Sakata, you will be in charge of the details. Feel free to ask for manpower."

Sakata nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely complete the mission even if I don't eat, drink or sleep!"

"That sounds good. If you do a good job, I'll let the Hokage reward you!"

"And you, don't think that coming to the New Rain Country is a hard job. The Hokage has already made a rule that after the harvest in summer, you can enjoy a 20% dividend! The guys in the village are all jealous. If anyone cheats and doesn't work seriously, they will be eager to replace you!"

“Twenty percent!???”

The ninjas who had been suffering for a long time were now boiling with excitement. None of them were fools for having come this far. Although the New Rain Country was a little smaller and had more rainfall, it was a country with a complete system after all. The two percent dividend every year would be an astronomical figure!

Compared to risking their lives to perform missions and get paid, Konoha ninjas prefer to earn money in a safe and stable way. It's just a little hard work, but it's nothing compared to the generous material rewards!

"Hokage-sama is wise!"

"The policy to help farmers is good, I am willing to go through fire and water for it!"

"I'm going to write home and tell them to get ready to see the villa!"

Don't think that ninjas are rich, most of them are ordinary. The ninjas of Konoha Village don't get paid, their income depends on the rewards they get from completing missions, and this village even takes a cut...

Namikaze Minato calmly took a puff of cigarette and chuckled, "You guys are just greedy for money. I have to tell you straight up, if you mess up the job, you won't get a penny."

"Reasonable!"

"Basic operation!"

"Anyone who doesn't work hard is my enemy!"

Therefore, there is no difficulty in the world, it is nothing more than insufficient money. If you don't believe me, look at the Konoha ninjas now, they are all crying and wishing that the road could be repaired immediately, even though they were still frowning a few minutes ago.

"That's all I have to say. Do you have anything to add?" asked Minato Namikaze.

Everyone shook their heads, and he continued, "Since there is no one, let's all go. When you go back, remember to tell your subordinates about the meeting."

"Yes!"

Everyone left happily. Minato Namikaze wiped the rain off his face, looked up at the sky, muttered a few words, and returned to the tent, preparing to write a letter to Ye Shan to report on his work.

.............

In the Konoha Hokage's office, Yeshan frowned and stared at a report submitted by the Anbu, anger burning in his chest.

"Two more ninjas disappeared for no reason? Two elite Chunin-level ninjas? What are you doing here, Anbu! Our own ninjas are missing in the village, and you investigated for a few days but found nothing. You just handed over the missing persons information. This is dereliction of duty!"

Since Hayama succeeded as Hokage, the responsibilities of the Uchiha clan's security department have been weakened. They are in charge of the village's outer security, while the interior is under the responsibility of the Anbu.

"Is Deputy Hokage Fugaku here? Invite him to discuss the matter!" Ye Shan said angrily.

Nara Shikaku's heart trembled, knowing that the Hokage was really angry, otherwise he would not have looked for Uchiha Fugaku first.

A minute later, Uchiha Fugaku sat next to Ye Shan, quickly scanned the documents, and frowned.

"Hokage-sama." Uchiha Fugaku usually addresses outsiders by their titles, not that they are estranged from each other. "This is the fourth case of missing ninjas this month. I suspect there is a problem within the village."

Uchiha Fugaku's suspicion is not unreasonable. The enemy country's ninja spies will not easily carry out continuous assassination operations. Even if they do, they will not specifically target mid-level and low-level ninjas, unless they are mentally ill.

"That's why I'm angry!"

"If it was done by ninjas from an enemy country, we can only blame them for their poor training and cannot blame anyone else. But what does it matter if they died at the hands of our own people? How can I, as the Hokage, convince the people in the long run? Investigate it thoroughly and make sure to find out the reason!" Ye Shan slammed the table in anger.

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes were gloomy as he said, "I have been busy at the Ninjutsu Research Association recently, and the affairs of the Anbu have been handed over to Uchiha Keiji. Should we call him over to question him?"

"Call him. I want to see what he says."

"Calm down, Shikaku, please go to the Anbu." Uchiha Fugaku said.

When Nara Shikaku arrived at the Anbu office, Uchiha Keiji had been waiting for a long time and had even changed into the Konoha standard vest. He knew that Yeshan liked his subordinates to wear standard vests, otherwise he preferred loose clothes.

"Lord Keiji, Lord Hokage invites you." Nara Shikaku bowed and said.

Uchiha Keiji slowly stood up, and with a smile on his face, he said, "Brother Shikaku, we are estranged. In the past, we two often ate from the same pot."

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Nara Shikaku smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, you also know that it is difficult for me to do my job now. The job of Hokage is not easy. It is more comfortable for you department heads. You are the focus wherever you go, unlike me who looks like a colorful paper man."

"What are you talking about? This position of mine will be yours sooner or later, so please take care of me when the time comes." Uchiha Keiji said with a smile.

"How is Hokage-sama's mood now? Did he throw any cups?"

Nara Shikaku shook his head and said, "The cup was not dropped, but the table was slammed. Be careful when you speak. The Hokage has been angry about the New Rain Country recently. Don't be a punching bag."

Uchiha Keiji nodded seriously and said, "Thank you very much. I'll treat you to a drink some other day."

The two walked out of the office one after the other. When they were out of the Anbu gate, Uchiha Keiji said nonchalantly, "My ninjas got a batch of pearls last month. I'll have someone send them to your house later. They're not valuable, just put them on the table to please the eyes."

Nara Shikaku looked around and said softly, "Brother Keiji, there is no need to do this. It is too estranged between us."

"It's okay. My sister-in-law happens to be pregnant. I just want to give her a treat. It's good for the fetus in her belly." Uchiha Keiji said with a smile.

"Hokage-sama is very angry, are you ready? You have to be careful when answering later, and don't push anything onto your subordinates. Hokage-sama hates ninjas who shirk responsibility the most." Nara Shikaku reminded softly.

"Thank you!"

Not long after, Uchiha Keiji arrived outside the Hokage's office, tidied his clothes and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Uchiha Keiji took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked in. As expected, he saw Ye Shan with a sullen face. He bowed respectfully and greeted him.

"Sit down, Keiji is not an outsider." Uchiha Fugaku chuckled.

Uchiha Keiji stared at Ye Shan, and after seeing his barely perceptible nod, he carefully sat down: "Why did the Hokage summon me here?"

"Regarding the missing ninjas in the village, how is your Anbu's investigation going?" Ye Shan asked, raising the report in his hand.

Guilt flashed across Uchiha Keiji's face, and he quickly replied, "It's my incompetence. There has been no breakthrough in the investigation of the case so far, only a few clues."

Ye Shan's calm expression improved a little and he said, "Tell me more about it."

"Yes!" Uchiha Keiji pondered his words and said, "The four incidents occurred in different directions of the village, and the number of missing people each time was no less than two. I speculate that it was a gang crime, and it was at least a Jonin-level ninja who did it."

"From the time point of view, the incidents were concentrated in the late night and were short. It is obvious that the ninja who committed the crime had planned it in advance."

"In summary, I believe that the criminal gang has a high status in the village and has access to confidential files on a daily basis. Otherwise, they would not be able to commit crimes so accurately every time."

"That's it?" Ye Shan asked.

"There is one more thing. Yesterday, the Anbu informant heard the complaints of the Jonin Yoshida in the tavern. He said that sooner or later his crime would be exposed and he would lose his head."

Ye Shan took a puff of the cigarette, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a calm tone: "Who is in charge of Jonin Yoshida?"

Uchiha Keiji took out a report, stood up and put it on the desk: "Hokage, please take a look at it yourself."

Ye Shan did not read the report, but leaned back in his chair and said to Uchiha Fugaku: "Are the ninjas in the Hokage Building clean? Don't alert the enemy."

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes flashed, he stood up, pointed at Keiji's nose and cursed.