Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 305 Talk-no-jutsu with Jiraiya

Hearing the sound, Ayaka raised her head and followed Menma's gaze. She saw Jiraiya and quickly waved and called out, "Uncle Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya lowered his guard somewhat, stepped over, and glanced between Menma and Hydrangea before finally settling on Menma. His tone was teasing yet also scrutinizing: "Kid, last time in Amegakure you just disappeared without a word, leaving little Hydrangea all alone in that messy place. That's not very gentlemanly."

Ziyanghua blushed and hurriedly retorted, "Uncle! Don't talk nonsense!"

Menma glanced at the somewhat embarrassed Hydrangea beside him and said, "I really didn't expect her to make the decision to leave so quickly. The situation was special at the time, and I also had other important matters to attend to."

He was referring to the encounter with Jigen and the subsequent handling of the Ten-Tails.

Hydrangea nodded quickly and helped explain, "I didn't expect such a big commotion to happen in the village, even Lord Hanzo died. A few friends and I protected some innocent villagers and evacuated. Later, we met the injured Uncle Jiraiya and decided to leave Amegakure with him."

Jiraiya watched as Hydrangea instinctively defended Menma and blushed slightly, then glanced at the composed fox-masked boy opposite her. He couldn't help but touch his nose, inwardly grumbling, "These two kids completely disregard their elder! This atmosphere..."

At this moment, Menma turned his gaze back to Jiraiya and asked bluntly, "Uncle, you've traveled all the way from the Land of Rain, through the Land of Birds, and finally into the Land of Stars. You must have seen a lot. What are the differences between these three countries?"

Upon hearing this, the playful expression on Jiraiya's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep solemnity.

He recalled the horrific scenes he witnessed in the Land of Rain: the stench of blood that even the continuous rain couldn't wash away, the numb faces struggling to survive under war and oppression, and the ruins and wandering orphans everywhere.

Even in the relatively peaceful Bird Kingdom, he had seen noble caravans swaggering by, beggars huddled by the roadside in tattered clothes, and unburied skeletons scattered across the wilderness. Countless emaciated refugees trudged towards the Star Kingdom, desperately seeking a glimmer of hope.

Only after stepping into the Star Kingdom did the sights and sounds become clear.

In the level fields, hardworking farmers with peaceful faces live; in the tidy villages, smoke rises from the chimneys; in the bustling towns, order is maintained; and people wear a sense of peace and focus on their own lives. Their vibrant life and energy even surpass that of the Fire Country, which is known for its wealth.

This stark contrast was something Jiraiya could not ignore.

He took a deep breath, looked sharply at Menma, and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time: "Kid, I admit, the scenery of the Star Kingdom is indeed different from what I've seen along the way."

"But I'm curious, you, or rather the Star Kingdom, started by conquering five small countries through war and used ruthless methods to purge the old nobles and daimyo classes of those five countries. Normally, such a country would be accompanied by chaos and oppressive rule, and it would take more than ten years to stabilize. So why, in just a few years, have you been able to govern it into what it is today?"

"In fact... in many ways, they do better than most countries in the ninja world?"

Mianma tilted his head slightly, gesturing towards the direction outside the city: "This isn't the place to talk. Let's walk and talk."

The three walked side by side along the wide road leading out of the city.

Soon the three arrived outside the city. Along the roadside were neat rows of fields and busy farmers. In the distance, they could see rolling mountains, a scene of tranquility and peace.

Menma's voice rang out again: "Not long ago, the leader of the Akatsuki organization, the guy who called himself 'Pain,' also attacked the Land of Stars."

Jiraiya felt a chill run down his spine. He had heard about Pain's attack on the Land of Stars, which resulted in his defeat, but he didn't know the details.

Menma continued, "He asked similar questions back then. About peace, about the future."

"And I countered by asking him, if he were to unify the ninja world and end all wars through his power, how would he plan to govern the world? How would he bring happiness to the people living in it?"

Jiraiya fell silent, recalling the fierce argument he had with Nagato and Konan after discovering that Pain was Nagato in Amegakure.

Nagato firmly believed that only by making the world experience extreme pain could understanding and peace be achieved, but he had no vision for the world after peace.

"So, how did Payne answer?" Jiraiya couldn't help but press.

"Him?" Menma's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "He has no concrete, feasible ideas. In his mind, it seems that as long as the major powers and ninja villages stop fighting each other, the war will naturally stop and peace will fall from the sky."

Jiraiya frowned and subconsciously retorted, "Isn't that right? When the war ends, peace will naturally come."

This was his, and the most basic thought of the vast majority of ninjas who had experienced the pain of war.

Menma shook his head, then turned to Jiraiya, his tone becoming more serious: "The war is over, and then what?"

"And then?" Jiraiya paused, clearly not fully understanding the question.

"The end of the war only means the cessation of large-scale killing." Menma's voice was clear and powerful, striking Jiraiya's heart like a hammer blow: "And then? Have you people who have been advocating the ideal of 'peace' ever thought about how to truly enable people to live better lives after peace arrives? How to eliminate the poverty and hunger that are everywhere in the world? How to give hope back to those who have lost everything in the war? What else does your 'peace' include besides the absence of war?"

This series of questions struck Jiraiya's mind like a heavy hammer.

He traveled the ninja world for decades, witnessing countless tragedies. Deep down, he longed for peace, but almost all his thoughts and efforts were focused on "how to stop the war".

As for how to rebuild society after the war and how to solve those deep-rooted social problems...

This completely touched upon his blind spot in knowledge.

The history of the ninja world for thousands of years seems to be a vicious cycle of war, with no one ever truly thinking about or practicing the path "after peace".

Jiraiya hesitated for a long time before answering tentatively and uncertainly: "If... if peace is truly achieved, then... the Kage of each country and the major ninja villages should be able to sit down and discuss... how to cooperate, how to develop, and slowly... solve problems like poverty and hunger, right?"

His voice grew softer and softer, and even he himself felt that his answer was weak and powerless.

Menma didn't laugh at him, but continued to press him like peeling back layers of an onion: "Well then, in the absence of war, please tell me, what is the root cause of the vast majority of poverty and hunger in the world? Who, or what system, is constantly creating poor and starving people?"

Jiraiya fell into deep thought once again.

He recalled what he had seen and heard during his travels: the peasants who were overwhelmed by the heavy taxes levied by the nobles and had to sell their children; the villages that lost their land and became homeless because of a single decree from the nobles; the poor who froze and starved to death outside the luxurious mansions of the nobles...

Those fat, extravagant nobles; tax collectors who exploited the people under various pretexts; local tyrants who seized land and drove ordinary people to ruin; the bureaucratic system that was indifferent and ruthless in the face of the people's demands, even resorting to ninjas and samurai to violently suppress them...

Scenes flashed through his mind.

Soon, he involuntarily trembled slightly as an answer surfaced in his mind—an answer he might have vaguely sensed in the past but had never been willing to delve into.

They are the nobles and famous people who are high and mighty!
They have been exploiting the wealth and hard work of ordinary people through an unequal system, creating countless sufferings.

And those hired ninjas often became tools of force used to maintain this system of exploitation.

For a moment, Jiraiya felt his throat go dry.

He found himself unable to refute this conclusion.

"No...that's not right!" Jiraiya shook his head violently, as if trying to dispel this overly subversive thought, his voice unconsciously rising a little.

"The employment relationship between ninjas and nobles/daimyo has remained unchanged for thousands of years! It is the foundation for the operation of the nation!"

As a ninja, he was taught from a young age to be loyal to his employers, namely the nobles and daimyo, and to protect the interests of the village.

Now, Menma goes straight to the heart of the matter, telling him that the very people they have been serving are the ones who are creating poverty. This is tantamount to classifying him and the entire ninja community as accomplices, which makes him instinctively feel resistant and uncomfortable.

"Just because it has been like this for thousands of years, does that mean it must be right?" Menma's voice remained calm.

"How did the world function a thousand years ago, before even the profession of 'ninja' existed? Going back to even earlier times, what was human society like before the birth of systems like 'nobles' and 'daimyo'? Existence does not equate to rationality."

“How could there be no nobles…” Jiraiya instinctively retorted, but he stopped mid-sentence.

He found himself unable to answer the question.

His understanding of the history of the ninja world was mostly limited to the rise of ninja clans and villages; he knew almost nothing about the more ancient social structures. He was caught in a deep dilemma and confusion.

Intellectually, he witnessed firsthand the vibrant life the Star Kingdom had shown after abolishing the aristocracy; but emotionally and according to his preconceived notions, he could not fully accept this method of overthrowing the traditional order through violent revolution.

In the journey that followed, Jiraiya attempted to refute these arguments from various angles, debating the necessity of order, tradition, and sacrifice.

However, Menma always manages to dismantle his arguments one by one with clear logic, a deep understanding of the needs of the grassroots, and vivid facts about what is happening in the Star Kingdom.

Mianma discussed land distribution, universal basic education, the medical security system, and equality before the law...

These concepts were both unfamiliar and awe-inspiring to Jiraiya.

Hydrangea quietly followed beside the two, looking up at Jiraiya, who was frowning and arguing fiercely, and then turning her head to look at Menma, who remained calm and composed.

She was still young and could not fully understand the profound clash of ideas in their words, but she was born and raised in Amegakure, a land ravaged by war and oppression, and had witnessed too much suffering and injustice.

She couldn't understand those complicated principles, but she could truly feel that the peace, stability, and hope that permeated the land of the Star Kingdom were exactly what she had always longed for but could not obtain deep in her heart.

Her heart involuntarily gravitated towards the world Menma had depicted.

Finally, Jiraiya stopped, his face grim.

All the arguments seemed unable to sway the other party in the slightest, but instead shook his own beliefs.

Just then, he remembered the vague yet weighty prophecy made by the Great Toad Sage before he left Mount Myōboku.

That "Child of Darkness" who will bring destruction and change to the ninja world!
Looking at the mysterious, powerful, and subversive young man before him, a thought popped into his mind: Could it be... that he is the person prophesied to be?
The thought sent chills down his spine.

All the doubts and anxieties seemed to find an outlet at this moment.

He stubbornly believes that Mianma's highly inflammatory and subversive rhetoric is nothing but "spreading rumors and misleading the public"!
It is a tool to win people's hearts and minds and realize their ambitions!
"Enough!" Jiraiya snapped, interrupting Menma. He stared sharply at Menma, his tone filled with vigilance and determination.

"No matter how eloquently you speak, it cannot change the fact that you rose to power through violence and subversion! No wonder so many people follow you, no wonder even people like Shisui and Hizashi were bewitched by you! But I, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, will never be deceived by your sweet words!"

An invisible tension filled the air.

Menma never naively believed that he could persuade Jiraiya with just a few words.

This legendary Konoha Sannin, who had traveled the ninja world for many years and was very knowledgeable, had a willpower far beyond that of ordinary people. Otherwise, he would not have been chosen by the old toad of Mount Myōboku who was well-versed in the way of prophecy to shoulder the important task of guiding the "Child of Prophecy".

To put it bluntly, he's a stubborn mule.

Conflicts of ideas are often deeply rooted and cannot be resolved overnight.

Just like in her past life when Menma argued with someone online, even if she presented all kinds of evidence, it was impossible to convince the other party.

The three of them had now arrived at an open valley not far from the city.

The terrain here is flat and the view is open. There is soft grass underfoot and a babbling brook next to you.

Standing on the edge of the valley, one can clearly see the vast and boundless plain of Youhe River to the west.

It is autumn, the most bountiful season of the year.

Looking out, the banks of the river valley and even the entire Youhe Plain are covered by an endless expanse of golden waves of rice.

The heavy ears of rice swayed in the autumn wind, making a soft rustling sound, as if singing a hymn to the harvest.

In the fields, countless farmers are working diligently, harvesting, bundling, and transporting crops, their faces beaming with satisfied and joyful smiles.

Even more striking are the sights of some oddly shaped, medium-to-large-sized agricultural machines in the vast fields, clearly not driven by animal power.

They emit a deep hum as they efficiently complete arduous tasks such as harvesting and threshing, a stark contrast to traditional farming methods, showcasing the extraordinary nature of the Star Kingdom in agricultural production.

This scene of abundant harvest, full of vitality and hope, stands in stark contrast to the tense atmosphere between the two men just moments before.

Menma turned to Jiraiya, his tone arrogant: "Do you think you're qualified to fight me when you can't even defeat Pain?"

Before he finished speaking, Mianma casually raised his right hand, and a deep, dark chakra that seemed capable of swallowing light instantly condensed in his palm, transforming into a black chakra rod about half a meter long and entirely black.

He casually swung it, and the black rod sliced ​​through the air with a low whistling sound, seemingly causing subtle ripples in the surrounding space.

Upon seeing the black rod, Jiraiya's pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression became extremely solemn.

During the fierce battle with Pain in Amegakure, he deeply experienced the terror of these black rods. They were not only indestructible, but could also greatly interfere with or even block the opponent's chakra flow.

He clearly remembered that the mysterious man and Shura stormed into the battlefield together, and with a single strike, he completely destroyed a Pain puppet with a similar black rod!
That overwhelming power still haunts him to this day.

Jiraiya quickly weighed the options in his mind.

In the battle against Pain, he used every trick in the book, even activating Sage Mode, yet he still narrowly escaped death and nearly perished. He still has some injuries that haven't healed.

The young man before him was clearly stronger than Nagato's Pain, yet he knew very little about him.

To launch a war rashly under such a severe lack of intelligence would be tantamount to courting death.

His primary purpose in infiltrating the Star Kingdom was to gather intelligence and understand the true situation of this emerging nation, as well as the ideology and strength of its leaders.

Therefore, Jiraiya always claimed to be a traveling writer and emphasized his non-Konoha ninja identity in order to lower the opponent's guard and facilitate his actions.

If a conflict were to break out with Shura here, regardless of victory or defeat, it would mean the complete failure of the mission and could even lead to more serious consequences.

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya forcibly suppressed the restless chakra within his body, and his tense muscles slowly relaxed.

His seemingly nonchalant smile returned, and he waved his hand, his tone becoming more relaxed: "Oh dear, young people shouldn't be so hot-tempered. It's so disheartening to start a fight all the time. I'm a cultured person, after all, here to gather inspiration, not to fight."

He skillfully avoided Mianma's provocation, changed the subject, and turned his gaze back to the golden rice field, as if the tense standoff had never happened.

"Speaking of which, your Star Kingdom's farmland planning is indeed quite good. This yield should be enough to feed quite a few people, right?"

Seeing Jiraiya's expression change instantly, Menma didn't press the matter further.

The black chakra rod in his hand vanished silently, as if it had never existed.

He could naturally see Jiraiya's concerns and true intentions. Since the other party had chosen to back down, he would not pursue the matter relentlessly.

After all, he was his father's teacher; killing him would be somewhat inappropriate.

"Food is the most important thing for the people. Ensuring that everyone has enough to eat is the most basic principle of the Star Kingdom." Menma replied calmly, his gaze also turning to the bountiful field.

The atmosphere along the river valley temporarily eased from a tense standoff to a delicate and fragile calm.

[Image: Swimsuit-clad Yekura]

(End of this chapter)