Chapter 257: Profit

After lunch, the few of them walked out of the cafeteria made of wood and rainproof cloth, and stood in the rain to look at the direction of the rolling mountains.

Sakata stood straight, and intentionally or unintentionally lagged half a body length behind the Deputy Hokage. The umbrella he was holding in his right hand was tilted sharply towards the Deputy Hokage, and half of his clothes soon became wet.

Uchiha Fugaku glanced at the other party, stopped, took the umbrella from Sakata and put it away. The cold icy rain instantly wet his cheeks and hair: "We are all ninjas, not those spoiled nobles. There is no need for formalism."

Sakata stood there at a loss, not expecting that his flattering behavior would cause trouble. His face turned red and he whispered, "Please forgive me, sir!"

Uchiha Fugaku patted Sakata's shoulder heavily, and said with a smile: "You are a ninja promoted by the Hokage, and a practical ninja respected by the Deputy Hokage Minato. You have done nothing wrong, so why do you need my forgiveness?"

"Come, take a closer look." Uchiha Fugaku held Sakata's hand affectionately, pointed to the mountains in the distance and said, "The mountains here are rolling and undulating, just like a dragon with bared fangs and claws entrenched here. It is really beautiful and a good place to relax."

"In order to resolutely implement the new policy of road construction, we need to overcome great difficulties and dig a tunnel through the mountains. This is an extremely difficult task. Do you have the confidence to complete it?"

Sakata looked in the direction pointed by the Deputy Hokage, and the scene that he had known by heart appeared before his eyes again. He said solemnly, "Thanks to the Hokage for promoting me and the Deputy Hokage for entrusting me with this important task. I will risk my life to complete the tunnel digging task on time and with quality!"

"That's encouraging!" Uchiha Fugaku said with a smile, "Your mission is the most difficult in the entire New Rain Country, and correspondingly, you have the greatest authority! The biggest role of an organization leader is to ensure that rewards and punishments are clear. Just go ahead and do it. As long as you complete the mission by the end of the year, I will personally recommend you for the credit!"

A hint of joy flashed across Sakata's face, and he immediately said, "Please rest assured, Vice Hokage, I promise to complete the mission!"

Uchiha Fugaku nodded with satisfaction, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, opened it, took out two, stuffed them into Sakata's pocket, patted it gently and said, "This is a rare good thing in the village, I'll give it to you as a reward!"

Sakata took out a match, lit it for the Deputy Hokage, and then he lit a cigarette with the remaining fire. The two of them stood in the rain and stammered.

"There's something you need to pay attention to," Uchiha Fugaku took a puff of cigarette, his eyes sharpened, "There are still many corrupt classes from the old era in the New Rain Country. They are particularly opposed to the new policies and are actively trying to win over and corrupt our ninjas. I've already arrested three of them for embezzlement and bribery! You go back and organize the ninjas to collectively watch and learn from typical cases, and from now on ensure that our team remains righteous!"

Sakata smoked stiffly and said in disbelief, "Sir, you are not kidding, are you? Not to mention that we have only been implementing the new policy for a short time, the ninjas in the village have enough food and clothing. What can the people of the New Rain Country use to make them corrupt?"

"Don't underestimate the heritage of the New Rain Country. Their ancestors have taken root in this land and sucked blood from it, so they have accumulated a lot of good things." Uchiha Fugaku frowned and smoked, and said slowly: "I remember very clearly that the discipline inspection team found a five-foot-tall coral tree from a ninja's residence! Not only is it large, but its surface is also covered with extremely rare pearls, which are worth at least tens of millions!"

"Deputy Hokage, I don't understand why this noble is trying to please us. Don't they know that we are going to uproot them?" Sakata asked.

The purpose of the new policy of the New Rain Country is very clear, that is, to completely overthrow the corrupt daimyo aristocratic system and establish a system with ninjas as the ruling group and the middle and lower classes as the foundation of the country. This means that the ninja class and the daimyo aristocratic class have become the opposite of each other, so why do they still give gifts?

Uchiha Fugaku looked deep in his eyes and said, "The New Rain Country is neither big nor small. Compared with the Konoha Village, it is big; compared with the entire Fire Country, it is small. Governing a ninja village and governing a country with a complete ecosystem are two completely different things."

He waved his hand, motioning everyone to move forward, and said as he walked: "The affairs of the ninja village are very simple. All we need to do is to ensure the combat effectiveness of the ninjas, because all supplies are provided by the daimyo, so we don't need to worry about it at all. But a country has many things to do, and the place is so large that even if the Hokage and I have thousands of clones, we can't take care of everything, so choosing excellent ruling ninjas for each place has become a necessary option."

"Don't ever mistake reform for clear-cut distinctions. You can tell who is friend or foe at a glance!" Uchiha Fugaku threw away his cigarette butt, pointed at his eyes and said, "Under the Sharingan, no ninjutsu can escape. My ancestors gave me a pair of invincible eyes, but I still can't see through human nature and human hearts with them!"

"The biggest challenge facing Konohagakure is not the food supplies or the lack of preparation for spring ploughing, but the problem of building its own team!"

Uchiha Fugaku walked in the front, greeting the victims passing by from time to time, with a smile on his face, but the words he said made people feel cold all over: "Our ninjas are an invincible team in the ninja world, and this has been proven in several ninja wars! However, after putting them in the local area and giving them the power of life and death, what they did was very disappointing!"

"Of course, as the supreme commander, I cannot push all the responsibility onto my subordinates when problems arise. It would be unkind to do so, even though I have only been in office for less than a month."

"To be fair, there's nothing wrong with ninjas pursuing pleasure. I myself am a person who has extremely high standards for living!"

Uchiha Fugaku spoke softly, and the ninjas following him held their breath and listened attentively, afraid of missing a word: "We all roll around in the pile of dead bodies all our lives, and put our heads on the belts, isn't it for success and fame, and fine clothes and delicious food!? Why can the daimyo nobles drink and have fun all day long, but we ninjas have to sleep in the open and eat brown rice every meal?"

"I understand the logic! But the situation is like this. No matter how many high-sounding reasons you have in your mind to comfort yourself and accept the stolen goods, those who should be investigated must be investigated!"

Uchiha Fugaku turned his head sharply, his eyes quietly turned into three magatama, emitting a suffocating coldness: "Stick to your heart and resist the temptation of the outside world. When the harvest of the New Rain Country comes, the Hokage will naturally not treat you unfairly!"

"If anyone accepts the enemy's sugar-coated bullets and turns a blind eye to certain things, causing problems in the implementation of the new policy, don't blame me for not cherishing our friendship!"

Everyone was awed and bowed in response.

Uchiha Fugaku's expression eased a little, and he said, "Visible enemies are not to be feared, but invisible enemies are! We have already had several outstanding ninjas fall under the corruption of the enemy. I hope you all can take it easy, so that we can sit together and have a drink at the celebration banquet at the end of the year!"

"Yes!"

"You are all ninjas who have withstood the test of life and death. The Hokage pays great attention to the quality of life of your family members who remain in the village. He has specially ordered the allocation of special funds for their use. You can write to inquire about this."

Obviously everyone had known the news a long time ago, and there was not much change on their faces, but Uchiha Fugaku's next words made them happy.

"In fact, if you think about it carefully, the Hokage has taken so much trouble to implement the new policy, but the ultimate beneficiaries are us ninjas who participated in it. In Konohagakure, we are nothing more than ordinary ninjas, holding a tiny bit of power at best. But in the New Rain Country, it is very different. You are all princes who will rule a region in the future, controlling huge natural and political resources. You can decide the right and wrong, honor and disgrace of countless people with just one sentence. How high-spirited is that?"

Uchiha Fugaku spoke softly, his words were full of empty promises: "Wear socks first, then shoes; be a grandson first, then a grandfather; this has been an unbreakable truth since ancient times. Our working and living environments are a bit poor at the moment, but once the New Rain Country gets on the right track, there will naturally be a bright future waiting for us!"

"By then, your sons and grandsons may be able to come to the New Rain Country and take root there. We can't say that they will become a hereditary wealthy family, but they will still be able to enjoy a comfortable life for one or two generations."

Seeing everyone smiling and full of anticipation, Uchiha Fugaku bent down and picked up a broken branch, playing with it nonchalantly, and said, "Of course, we overthrew the corrupt daimyo aristocracy not to replace them, nor to continue to enslave the people of the New Rain Country, but you also know that a large-scale reform affects the future of countless people. You have worked so hard, and you will not end up empty-handed."

"Hokage-sama once promised to share the food. This alone is enough for your descendants to be well fed and have nothing to do all day for several lifetimes!"

"Sakata, let me ask you, do you have a son?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

Sakata was startled and quickly replied, "To answer your question, sir, I have two good-for-nothing sons who are currently attending a ninja school."

"How's your talent?"

"It's just so-so. If nothing unexpected happens, I will only be an elite Chunin in this life."

Uchiha Fugaku smiled and said, "Where is their future?"

"You are joking, sir. The Konoha Village is full of talented people, and the number of jonin is the highest in the ninja world. How can the elite chuunin talk about their future? They can only barely make ends meet by relying on mission commissions. I can only pray that the Ninja World War will break out later, and it would be best if they don't set foot on the Shura field of the human world during their lifetime." Sakata answered honestly, not daring to be careless.

In fact, this is also the true portrayal of most ninjas. As the saying goes, every generation has its own talents, and each one leads the trend for hundreds of years. Except for a few large families that have been passed down for thousands of years and have been able to prosper forever, it is a blessing for ordinary families to have a jonin. If they have another ninja who holds an official position, it is simply a blessing that smoke is coming out of the ancestral grave, and you can see it in the surrounding villages.

You must know that the Konoha Ninja Village does not keep idle people. If you want to make a living as a ninja, you must have a skill. Otherwise, how can you get something for nothing?

"Parents in the world are so pitiful. You are the father of two children and I am the father of one child. The first thing we do when we open our eyes every day is to think about how to leave a family business for our children. It's human nature!" Uchiha Fugaku sighed.

"In the long river of time, we are all extremely lucky. Do you know why?"

Sakata said without hesitation: "Because of the new policy of Hokage-sama!"

"That's right!" Uchiha Fugaku agreed, "The New Deal, after all, is a redistribution of political power, production relations, and means of production! Look through history books and see how often such an opportunity comes along. Now that we have caught up, we must seize this God-given opportunity and do our best to build a career and earn a huge fortune!"

"Don't you know that the moment you set foot on the New Rain Country, the gears of destiny will begin to turn!"

The group walked in the mud, letting the winter rain wet the standard Konoha vests they were wearing. As the current rulers of the New Rain Country, their every move and every word affected the fate of this country.

"Now, let me ask you, if someone wants to give a gift, what should they do?"

“I absolutely won’t accept it!”

"That's right!" Uchiha Fugaku nodded with satisfaction. It was worth his long talk. He continued, "A good blacksmith must have strong tools himself. If a person himself is not clean, morally corrupt, sinister and dirty, then everything he does will be in vain!"

"Orochimaru, one of the Three Ninjas, I'm sure you've all heard about him. This is a living example right before your eyes, you should all take it as a warning!"

"Be a clean person and do things cleanly. Keep your eyes on the long term and don't always think about the trivial things on the ground. The things of the daimyo and nobles are stained with blood. You took them and got yourself into trouble for nothing! When the time comes to reward the merits, the Hokage will definitely not forget you."

"Yes!"

Uchiha Fugaku stopped and looked up at the spectacular scenery of dark clouds passing over the mountains, with a light in his eyes: "Gentlemen, the Hokage has arranged an unprecedented opportunity, you all have to fight for it and eat it safely, do you understand?"

"understand!"

"As long as you know!"

The group stood quietly in the winter rain, admiring the wonder of the dark clouds crossing the mountains. After a long time, Uchiha Fugaku rubbed his cold hands and said, "The weather is cold, please take care of your health. If you need anything, just let me know, I will definitely satisfy you!"

Sakata stepped forward and said, "Sir, there is something urgent."

"you say!"

"There are many children on the construction site, and they are old enough to learn to read and write. Should we put this matter on the agenda?"

"Okay, okay, you're fine!"

Uchiha Fugaku was generous with his praise: "I have been to many places, and you are the first commander who can see the problem of education! No wonder Minato asked me to communicate with you more before leaving. You are indeed a talent!"

"Thank you for your compliment, sir!" Sakata said modestly.

"I will implement this matter, you can rest assured."

"Yes!"

"Everyone, go back to your posts and do your work."

"Yes!"