Naruto: With maxed-out affection, I am invincible in the ninja world.

"Uchiha Haneda won't be appearing on this mission. As for where we're going to dig the tunnel, come with me."

Deidara followed, and as he walked, he didn't forget to turn back and make a contemptuous gesture towards Sasori.

Sasori dismissed it as childish, and Deidara stomped his foot in anger, unable to resist retorting sarcastically:

"Your eternal art has no aesthetic appeal whatsoever. It'll be blown up sooner or later, and it'll still have a moment of brilliance, huh!"

"You can't do it."

"That was before I used my ultimate art, C4—Garuda! I once blasted out a super-large mine with that move!!"

"You still can't do it."

"Baka! I have the Flying Thunder God Seal that Brother Haneda gave me before we parted. I can blast you away in a heartbeat!"

This time, Scorpion had nothing to say and silently followed behind the leader.

…………

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

With the draft policy formulated by Haneda and supplemented by the policy of the Shikaku Cabinet, the policy of popularizing high-yield grains throughout the country was implemented in most areas.

Half of the southern regions have already achieved two harvests a year, while the northern regions are lagging behind, with wheat only harvested once.

It is expected that there will be another harvest across the country in autumn and winter, before the temperature gets completely cold.

However, even in this period alone, the estimated grain income has already exceeded the total of last year!

National grain tax revenue is expected to nearly double this year, while commercial tax revenue has slightly decreased due to the public-private partnership.

However, judging from the current trend, Haneda is about to achieve the first five-year plan to eliminate hunger!

According to a poll conducted by the Dark Side using illusion techniques, Haneda has completely turned the tide in public opinion.

Aside from the upper-class businessmen and some politicians who still harbor extreme resentment, most of the lower-class people have gradually forgotten the daimyo and have come to recognize the country's leader, Uchiha Haneda.

This is without Haneda deliberately promoting it!

Of course, driven by popular demand, Haneda's "My Struggle," published last year, successfully topped the bestseller list in the Land of Fire!

The idea of ​​the Will of the New Fire spread throughout the country.

With the Land of Fire enjoying a favorable situation after the reforms, the Land of Rain, under the leadership of Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki organization, actively learned from these reforms.

They also implemented a cabinet system, public-private partnerships, and a planned economy in a rather formal manner.

Of course, there was bound to be a chorus of resistance within the country, fueled by hereditary nobles and wealthy merchants.

But under the cover of a bag of rice, the reactionaries all became obedient.

Payne then used swift and decisive measures to bring half of the country's capital into the national treasury.

However, to prevent the Land of Rain from being besieged by other major powers outside the Land of Fire, he did not abolish the daimyo directly like Haneda did.

Instead, it was controlled like a puppet.

The train track connecting Konoha and Amegakure was also quickly completed and opened to traffic within six months.

With the deliberate assistance of the Land of Fire, about a quarter of the grain that was originally intended to be sold to other major powers was diverted to the Land of Rain.

The other four great powers are suffering, but prices in the Land of Rain, which is allied with the Land of Fire, are falling rapidly.

Driven by trade between the two countries, major factories have been recruiting workers on a large scale, and the number of unemployed people has dropped significantly.

Compared to last year, the lives of the people in the Land of Rain have improved significantly.

Chapter 298 The Changes in the Land of Rain

Payne and Nan walked through the town where they used to live.

They met here, and with Yahiko's help, they survived until they could meet Jiraiya.

"A lot has changed here. The streets are cleaner, and there are no more homeless children."

Holding an oil-paper umbrella, Xiao Nan looked at the changes around her and sighed.

"Yes. I imitated the welfare home system established by Haneda, took in many orphans, opened some cotton mills and some simple jobs, so that they could learn skills and be self-reliant with dignity."

"Haneda originally wanted to let them enroll in school for free and receive education, but due to the conditions in the Land of Fire, he could only implement the policy in Konoha and then extend it to the whole country."

“I will follow the path he took and keep going.”

As Payne spoke, a smile appeared on his stiff, cold face.

That smile was unforgettable for Xiao Nan.

She still clearly remembers that Yahiko's smile used to be like that.

"Yes, under Haneda's guidance, the Land of Rain has changed a lot in just six months."

"Even with the aid of the Land of Fire, if we continue down this path, we will eventually find happiness."

Payne suddenly stopped in his tracks; there was a bakery to his right.

Yahiko once brought the injured Haneda here.

At that time, Akatsuki also had a very capable and idealistic executive named Kyusuke.

However, of the original Akatsuki members, only Nagato and Konan survived.

"The price of a long loaf of bread is now fifty taels, which is 90 taels lower than nine years ago and 50 taels lower than last year..."

"Most wages have increased slightly, and judging from prices, the living standards of people here are clearly rising."

Payne then added,

"Prices are lower in Amegakure than here, but wages are higher."

Xiao Nan stared blankly at the price marked on the bread.

Without Haneda's help, without Haneda guiding us in the right direction...

Is the Land of Rain still as good as it was before?

Nagato exerted all his efforts and it took him seven years to bring the price of bread down to 100 taels.

Haneda only took half a year!

On her way to transfer Kakuzu's assets, Konan also inquired about the current situation in the Land of Fire.

Haneda established a nationwide hotline for reporting crimes and used the ninjas' mobility to crack down on crime.

Furthermore, with the widespread adoption of high-yield grains, grain production nearly doubled.

Compared to the Land of Rain, the Land of Fire is in an even better situation!

Payne's voice came again.

"Xiao Nan, how's the preparation of the three hundred million explosive tags going?"

"For Yahiko's dream, and for the happiness of the Land of Rain, we must eliminate Madara for Haneda!"

Xiao Nan's thoughts returned to reality, and her expression calmed down:

"I've already prepared 170 million, and I'm still arranging for people to make purchases secretly, while I'm also producing them myself in secret."

"Funding is a problem; it will take at least five years to raise 300 million explosive tags."

Payne asked doubtfully, "Kakuzu doesn't have enough money?"

Xiao Nan nodded, a hint of helplessness in her voice:

"No matter how many tasks you complete, it won't equal a company's annual revenue."

"Kakuzu hasn't worked hard enough in the past few decades; he's wasted too much time on low-level bounties."

Pain seemed to be deep in thought. While following Haneda's strategy, he had come to realize that the ninjas were the ones being exploited.

No matter what kind of task it is, the person who issues the task always benefits the most.

Furthermore, the work of a ninja is not stable, somewhat similar to the saying Haneda mentioned:

If you don’t open for three years, you can make a living for three years after you open.

Even Kakuzu, who worked diligently in the underground gold exchange, only managed to raise a few billion yen over several decades.

That's not enough to buy 100 million detonating tags.

Payne stopped talking about the explosive tags and asked about Sasori and Deidara's situation:

"Has Deidara, Haneda's half-student, broken up with Sasori yet?"

"Go and meet up with Scorpion on the way. He's not one of Madara's men, but he's very important to our plan."

Xiao Nan nodded and said, "Sasori is not in any immediate danger. Deidara and Sasori get along very well, and Deidara even calls Sasori 'Lord Sasori'."

"It's somewhat similar to the relationship between a senior and a junior."

Payne said, unsurprisingly, "Both of them are people who enjoy discussing art. It seems that Ban had anticipated this."

"Let's go."

…………

In the autumn of Konoha Year 56, after Deidara blew up the tunnel and completed the train track construction, he returned to Konoha.