Chapter 349 Thoughts

To be honest, Zabuza felt from the bottom of his heart that Konoha was far stronger than the Hidden Mist Village. Whether it was the living environment, cultural atmosphere, transportation conditions, or military strength, Konoha was far ahead of that closed village.

After coming to Konoha, Zabuza was not used to walking openly on the streets at first. In the Hidden Mist Village, he always walked on the dark side or in the sewers; he was not used to eating in restaurants outside; he was not used to being greeted by villagers when he met them, etc., but now he is used to it.

Strolling into a familiar barbecue restaurant, Zabuza sat down at a window seat on the second floor with ease. A moment later, the waiter brought the steaming hot meal.

A large bowl of tonkotsu ramen as a main dish, a plate of marinated beef tenderloin, a plate of pork belly, plus a few skewers of grilled chicken and refreshing lemon water, this is Zabuza's usual meal.

Ten years later, Zabuza has gradually forgotten the taste of his hometown, but the spicy taste still lingers in his stomach, making him like spicy food. The Land of Water is humid, and most people like spicy food to remove dampness, and Zabuza is no exception.

He untied the bandage on his mouth, revealing small and thin broken teeth that looked like shark teeth. He swallowed the ramen with a lot of chili in big gulps. The pork belly and tenderloin on the iron plate were sizzling with oil. Zabuza picked up the yakitori and was about to swallow it in one bite, but his eyes suddenly saw a thin figure standing at the stairs.

"Mr. Zabuza is here indeed."

Zabuza put down the yakitori and tried to smile but pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly: "Bai, I've told you many times not to squint your eyes when you smile, it will make you look like a girl."

Mizunotsuki Haku was not angry when he heard this. He smiled and squinted his eyes and walked to the seat and sat down: "Mr. Zabuza, are you going to treat me to these?"

"How could that be? Just order whatever you want from the menu. You have money to spare."

Soon, the sound of sizzling grilled meat came from the window. Adhering to their habit of eating without talking, the two of them quickly cleaned up the food.

"pat"

Zabuza lit a cigarette with satisfaction. This was a cigarette produced in the Water Country and later incorporated into the Konoha Tobacco Factory. Fortunately, the taste remained unchanged and was deeply loved by the former ninjas of the Hidden Mist Village.

Mizunotsuki slumped in the chair, her white and tender hands rubbing her belly back and forth: "It's still better to eat outside. I'm tired of the food at home, but grandpa won't allow me to change."

"What do you know?" Zabuza laughed, "The Mizunotsuki clan is a famous ninja clan. They value rules. Eating is all about safety. If the dishes are changed frequently, it will inevitably lead to extravagance."

"But the last time I visited Vice Hokage Keiji's house, the dishes they ate were all rare goods. It's no exaggeration to say that one meal was worth a thousand gold."

Zabuza exhaled smoke and said, "This is the difference in philosophy. The Uchiha clan pursues strength and supremacy. They are calm in character but arrogant in behavior. The most important thing is that they really have a mine, so naturally they are a bit extravagant."

"Your Mizunotsuki clan is different. You focus on meticulous chakra control and pursue a tranquility like water, so your life is a bit rigid."

Mizunotsuki Haku seemed to be lost in thought. From his grandfather's teachings, he gradually understood the importance of thinking.

"The word 'thought' has existed since ancient times. Don't think it's very distant. In fact, the New Deal is a form of expression of thought."

"Ninjas will do things based on their own thoughts. The unity of the Rock Ninjas and the cunning of the Kirigakure all stem from this. It will subtly influence the ninjas and then the world."

Zabuza spoke softly of his own views. He had been frustrated over the years and had no choice but to devote all his time to theoretical study. He was even more familiar with the journals of the Ninjutsu Research Association.

"There is no doubt that the new policy ideas proposed by Lord Hokage have broken the traditional ruling system. The aristocratic class represented by the daimyo has lost in this power struggle that has lasted for hundreds of years. In the end, the ninja has the last laugh."

"But aren't we implementing the New Deal for the sake of people's happiness?"

Zabuza chuckled, his eyes narrowed in the smoke: "Of course we are improving the living standards of the people, and we are doing it wholeheartedly. But I think the starting point of the new policy is to eliminate the corrupt and extravagant aristocracy and take control of government affairs in our own hands."

"Government power?"

Mizunoe Haku was a little confused. In his opinion, ninjas were in charge of both military and political affairs. They were the absolute masters of the ninja world, so how could there be separation of powers?

"Let's not talk about the distant ones, let's look at the Kingdom of Wind," Zabuza said with interest, "The overall strength of the Sand Village in the Kingdom of Wind is very strong, and its puppet troops make many people shudder, but its ninja group only has military power, and not a single political power. The Daimyo of the Kingdom of Wind tightly controls power and controls the country's production resources and materials, thereby achieving the goal of controlling the ninja village."

"Then why don't the ninjas of the Wind Country launch a new policy like us?"

Zabuza had a headache, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Bai, how much food and material resources do you think are needed to support the Sand Village?"

Mizunotsuki Shiro scratched his head. He had never been interested in these things. His grandfather seldom talked about state affairs with him. Instead, his uncles talked all day long, like politicians.

"Let's calculate based on the standard of 100,000 people. If one person consumes three kilograms of food per day, 100,000 people would consume 10,000 kilograms of food per year. This is just the food necessary for survival, not including side dishes, vegetables, protein, etc. With more than 100 million kilograms of food per year, how many people are needed to farm?"

"According to the relatively fertile land in the Fire Country, one acre of land can produce about 700 kilograms of rice. One hundred million kilograms of food would require more than 14,000 acres of land. If each person cultivates five acres of land, about 3,000 people are needed to farm. This is still the most ideal state. In fact, there are many deserts in the Wind Country, and the degree of mechanization is very low. It is considered amazing if each person can cultivate two acres of land."

"That is to say, in order to ensure that 100,000 people do not starve to death, 3,000 to 4,000 people are needed to grow food full-time for logistical support. Then how much material support is needed to ensure the normal development of a village with a population of hundreds of thousands and a group of about 20,000 ninjas?"

Zabuza put out his cigarette and took a long breath: "The answer is that millions of people are fully supporting it, and the entire country's economy is heavily supporting it, but even so, life in the Sand Village is still tight."

"If you don't have money in your pocket, you have to look at the daimyo's face. If you don't have food in your warehouse, you have to obey the daimyo's orders, even if the daimyo knows nothing about ninja management."

"This is actually the military power that the first Hokage fought for. He united multiple ninja clans into one and ended the chaotic situation of each clan fighting for itself. He then forced the daimyo and other nobles to recognize the legitimacy of the ninja village and grant them the title of Kage and military power."

"In the thousands of years of chaos, no matter what purpose the first Hokage had in establishing the ninja village and implementing the one country, one village system, he will leave an indelible mark in history. This means that ninjas have won independence and national military power, and no longer need to be controlled by others like samurai and be someone else's black glove."

Mizunoe Shiro blinked. They were just talking about the Land of Wind, how did they get to the first Hokage again?

"After several decades of development, as the wars between ninja villages intensified, voices calling for peace also rang out. But peace requires balance, and a military organization that can't even support itself has no right to obtain peace. The daimyo nobles are very happy to weaken the strength of the ninja villages for their own interests. It would be best if all ninja villages disappeared and they could achieve unified military and political rule."

"So the question goes back to the beginning. Why didn't the Sand Village seize power through force and get rid of the rule of the daimyo nobles?"

“My answer is no.”

"Of course, ordinary people are like ants under ninjutsu, and the Sand Village can also wipe out the entire noble class through force, but what happens after that?"

"How can a huge country ensure effective operation? How can the public security system remain efficient and stable? How can daily government affairs be handled? Most importantly, how can food and other supplies be guaranteed?"

"Ninjas are just ordinary people who have mastered extraordinary powers. They need clothes, food, and sleep. In essence, they are just objects of management. The daimyo nobles are deeply rooted and firmly control the country's economic lifeline. Ninjas are naturally helpless. Even the Sand Village is about to lose its independent military power."

Mizunotsuki Haku felt dizzy after listening to this and regretted discussing ideological topics with Zabuza.

"Why was Konoha able to forge its own path under such circumstances? In fact, it is very simple. You will know the answer by looking at the New Rain Country. In some areas of the New Rain Country, rice is harvested once a year, and in a few areas, it is harvested twice a year. With a population of millions, there is a lot of arable land, and the food produced is enough for Konoha to use. In addition, with the popularization of chakra, the productivity of the New Rain Country has been improved, which is more than enough to support a Konoha ninja village."

"That's why Konoha has the confidence to carry out the new policy and to strike at the authority of the daimyo nobles. The success of the new Rain Country Road gave Konoha a certain amount of experience. In addition, the popularization and maturity of cultural education, road traffic, mechanical equipment and chakra have liberated the people's minds, improved the status of ninjas, and established their political power. That's why the daimyo nobles are doomed."

At this point, Zabuza chuckled and said, "No one is stupid. The people know very well who has the least tax and who has better living conditions. In fact, 99% of the things in the ninja world are disputes over interests. The so-called carnivores only need to give a small part of their interests to the people to ensure their long-term rule. But even with such a small amount of interests, the carnivores would rather throw it away than share it with the people. This is the narrow-mindedness and limitation of their thinking."

"In the eyes of the daimyo nobles, the people are just tools to support them, the most obedient cattle and horses in the world. No, they are even worse than cattle and horses. Cattle eat grass and work but their endurance is not good enough, and horses eat grass and beans and have good endurance but bad tempers. Sometimes they can even go on strike out of temper, but the people who are worse than cattle and horses cannot do that. If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will..."

"Stop it, Mr. Zabuza. If you continue talking, you will be locked up in the dark room..."

Zabuza took a sip of lemonade and said, "In short, Konoha has taken a different path and successfully seized the country's military and political power. This is unprecedented in history. It means that Master Yeshan has changed the profession of ninja from a tool to a tool. He has truly made ninjas and the people the masters of their own affairs, eliminated carnivores, and even eliminated the newly emerged carnivores to a certain extent."

“Amazing, really amazing…”

Mizunotsuki Shiro seemed to understand, but he clearly felt that the living standard had been greatly improved. When he was in the Land of Water, the children in the tribe had rice, fried fish and a bowl of miso soup for every meal, which was considered very good. But now it was different. Eggs, milk, beef and other high-protein foods were freely available, and even the tuition and living expenses were paid by the family. They were extremely wealthy.

Zabuza drank the lemonade in the cup and wrapped the bandage carefully, thus ending today's dinner.

"Meet at Dongdaemun at noon tomorrow. Don't be late."

Mizunotsuki Haku cheered. He had come here just for this sentence. Finally, he could leave the village and see the outside world again.

.......

The next day, the four of them quietly left the Konoha Ninja Village and boarded the express chakra train to the New Rain Country. Mizunotsuki Haku carefully took out a bucket of spicy instant noodles from his backpack. This was a food that was not allowed to be eaten in the family, but he had bought it in advance and hid it. Moreover, he felt that enjoying a bowl of steaming hot instant noodles during the journey was an ultimate enjoyment.

Zabuza lay on his back on his berth, his eyes staring at the bed board above, chewing beef jerky quickly, and taking a sip of beer in the thermos from time to time.

It is relatively safe on the train, and there has been no incident of a train being attacked by ninjas so far, so even though Zabuza is a person who is very strict with his subordinates and himself, he won't say much.

"Hey, Mr. Zabuza, is this train really running by boiling water? Its speed is too amazing!"

"Of course." Zabuza turned his body and looked at the other person who was smelling the aroma of instant noodles. "Use fire attribute chakra to heat the boiler, use wind attribute chakra and valve to adjust it, and then the water in the boiler will turn into steam to drive the engine to run, thus providing a continuous source of power."

"It's amazing that water vapor has such great power."

Mizunoe Shiro stared blankly at the steam floating from the instant noodles, fantasizing in her mind that one day she would make a steam train that flavored like instant noodles so that everyone could enjoy the aroma of instant noodles.

"This way of utilizing energy is outdated. Its energy conversion rate is too low. The internal combustion chakra engine launched by the Ninjutsu Research Association a few years ago solved this problem. Now all chakra cars no longer burn water."

"From Konohagakure Station to the New Rain Country, it's about two thousand kilometers. It takes fourteen hours by train, which is much faster than a ninja walking."

"awesome!"

Zabuza chuckled: "If you don't eat it now, the noodles will lose their chewiness."

"I like to eat soft food."

"You boy."

The train sped past on the rails, and the farmlands and villages on both sides quickly receded from sight. Mizunotsuki Shiro touched his stomach with contentment. He hadn't been so indulgent in a long time.

The white clouds, green fields, blue bricks and grey tiles, the colorful scenery of the world made Bai happy, and the train passing by from time to time made his heart sway.

Just like what we learned in the Ninja High School textbooks, the Land of Fire is prosperous, the people live and work in peace and contentment, the ninjas work hard, and everyone works together to create a new glory within five years.

"I like this Fire Nation, this new policy, and this ideology."