Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 309 Nobles, Peasants, and Mountain Bandits

At that time...

If I had truly understood the meaning of the teacher's assessment back then, perhaps everything would have been different?

He used his cleverness to pass the teamwork test, but even after becoming a genin, he still felt deep down that his teammates would be a burden.

And the death of my father...

"That's right, in the ninja world, those who break the rules are called trash, but those who don't cherish their comrades are even worse than trash!"

Obito's voice flashed through my mind again.

They adhered to the rules of the ninjas, but neglected the importance of their comrades.

Back then, I was truly worse than trash!

The wind whistled past his ears as Kakashi raised his headband, revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan.

Although due to their special physiques and secret techniques, these two kids have surpassed the level of normal genin...

But if they don't truly understand the importance of teamwork, I will definitely not let them graduate!

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

The flames scorched the insects surging out of the trap, and a hand suddenly attacked from concealment.

"Bang!"

A kunai was thrown, its handle striking his wrist.

The next moment, Kakashi threw the kunai at Sai in mid-air.

"Get out of the way!"

Aburame Torune offered a suggestion, but Sai dismissed it.

"squeak!"

The lightning instantly connected to the kunai through the steel wire, and with the lightning chakra, its penetrating power suddenly exploded.

The tiger formed by the ink painting was pierced directly, and the kunai grazed Sai's shoulder, leaving a bloody mark.

Having dodged the attack, Sai instantly leaped into the air, avoiding the steel wire tied to the back of the kunai.

However, after thinking for a moment, Sai landed directly.

"As a Jonin, Master, your kunai throwing skills shouldn't be limited to that level. So, I failed with that attack just now."

Sai still had a smile on his face.

However, Kakashi, standing on the tree branch, looked at Aburame Torune and said, "Time is running out. If you don't absorb those poisonous insects soon, your companions will die."

"He doesn't have antibodies like you, so you don't have much time left to make a choice."

Upon hearing this, Sai scratched his head and said, "Does that mean... I'm going to die?"

He still had a smile on his face, as if death was not an unacceptable end for him.

Aburame Torune stared intently at Kakashi: "With your Jonin skills and that eye, you could easily subdue me during the poison touch recovery process."

"In that case, we'll all be eliminated before the time is up. This outcome doesn't satisfy me."

Kakashi nodded slightly from the tree: "You guessed right, so now it's your turn to make a choice. Will you save your teammates, or continue your trial and retrieve the bell?"

Aburame Torune glanced at Sai, who was still smiling.

From the very first day of school, this guy was destined to be hated by everyone for his bluntness and unchanging fake smile.

Sometimes, no matter how you look at it, it seems like a mocking smile.

But now, facing death, the other person is still smiling. People without emotions are truly pathetic...

"The Jonin training exam isn't a formal mission. Aren't you going to help him? Like, take him to the hospital or something."

"The training ground is quite far from the hospital. By the time he gets there, he might have already died from the poison. You should be well aware of the special nature of your body."

Kakashi thought for a moment and then advised, "Of course, the assessment is also the first mission for ninja trainees, and missions are the top priority for ninjas. The fact that you don't give up on being a ninja proves that you are a qualified ninja."

"Now... it's your turn to make a choice!"

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent for a moment.

But after a short while, Aburame Torune put on the glove on his left hand and then walked to Sai's side.

"Bang."

Sai, who had been holding on, collapsed to the ground, still smiling as he asked, "A ninja considers completing missions his primary duty. This choice only proves that you cannot become a true ninja."

"You abandoned your mission to save me, and I won't be moved to tears. But... it looks like we'll both have to waste a year going back to school..."

"Oh right, there's another one dragging us down, what's their name again?"

"Shut up!!"

After her angry rebuke, Aburame Torune turned to Sai and said, "No matter why you've shut yourself off, I'm not you. I can't watch my classmate of six years die in front of me!"

"And then there's Sakura Haruno, who's weak but still a classmate. As for your mouth... I really want to sew it shut."

……

In the Ninth Training Ground, Aburame Torune is currently tied to a wooden stake, while Sai and Sakura sit on either side.

"A ninja's duty is to complete missions. Aburame Torune, who abandoned his mission, is not fit to be a ninja. I will explain this to the Hokage later."

Kakashi glanced at Sai and Sakura, then continued, "You two still have further tests to take, while Aburame Torune will have to accept the punishment for failing the test and will be sent back to the Ninja Academy."

Kakashi took out two bento boxes and put them down: "Eat well, the assessment this afternoon won't be easy."

Kakashi, who was about to leave after his reincarnation, turned to the two of them again: "Hunger is his punishment. If you feed him, he will be sent back to his original state. Remember this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi vanished from the spot in an instant.

……

A gust of wind blew by, and Sai and Sakura brought over the bento boxes.

At that moment, Qu Gen, who was tied to the wooden stake, let out a timely growl from his stomach.

Sai smiled and opened the bento box: "It's a very generous bento, but it's a pity you won't be able to eat it, Torane. Speaking of which, you failed the test because you were saving me."

"So... now you can only watch me eat my lunchbox!"

Sakura sighed. Although she had inexplicably become a survivor, was it really okay for Sai to say such things?

Won't taking the root cause make you so angry you'll die?

Shaking her head, Sakura decided to fill her stomach first.

I've managed to pass the first assessment by luck, and since I haven't been eliminated yet, I must seize the second opportunity this afternoon.

Just as they were about to start, they saw Sai stand up and walk behind the wooden stake.

The rope was cut directly. Aburame Torune rubbed his wrist and looked at Sai in confusion: "If you do this, you'll have to be sent back with me."

Sai smiled and handed over the bento box: "I ate a bit too much before the assessment started. My brother said not to overeat, so you can have this bento box that I don't want."

Sakura, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, then reminded him, "Sai, you'll be eliminated if you do that. You'll be laughed at when you go back to school."

Sai looked at Sakura and smiled, "I know! But I've never been a good ninja because I have Shin-nii, so I can't learn to suppress my emotions."

"It's better to be a person with feelings than a bad ninja. My brother Shin has always hoped that I could make new friends."

"Those who are willing to give up their exams to save me should already be considered friends, right?"

Sai then looked at Aburame Torune.

"Smack."

A hand wearing a sealed glove patted Sai's shoulder.

Toru looked at him: "My special body always caused me to unintentionally hurt the people around me when I was a child. If it weren't for this protective suit, I wouldn't even have been able to get into the Ninja Academy."

"I'm just like you, I also want to make new friends. But... could you please stop faking your smile?"

The two looked at each other and laughed again.

This time, however, Sai's smile contained more genuine emotion.

Sakura, standing to the side, froze in place.

At this moment, she felt that the bento box in her hand no longer tasted good. Although her stomach was still growling, the feeling of hunger had inexplicably subsided.

Compared to the two boys in front of me, why do I feel guilty if I eat this bento?

"Would you... like to eat together?"

……

Meanwhile, on the hill behind Shadow Rock.

The little nine-tailed fox perched on Quan's shoulder was picking its teeth, while the three little ones opposite it sat obediently.

"In fact, the assessment of students graduating from the Ninja Academy is usually an assessment of their abilities, teamwork, and mindset."

Izumi looked at Shikamaru and said, "But with that brat from the Nara family around, he should be able to guess these things."

"An assessment whose purpose can be guessed is no longer a true assessment. Therefore, I have devised a special assessment method for you..."

He was speaking fluently, but then he suddenly stopped.

Quan frowned, but couldn't remember anything. In the end, he could only take out a small card and glance at it.

Seeing this, Shikamaru on the other side said speechlessly, "This special test... could it have been designed by Brother Yun?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

It slipped out, and I wanted to take it back, but I couldn't.

The little Nine-Tails on its shoulder crossed its paws and said in the same tone as Uchiha Yun, "The new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho is special, but if they can't know what they will face in the future, then it's good for them to go back and reflect."

After saying that, the Nine-Tails smiled and looked at Shikamaru: "Nara brats, you might get eliminated if you're not careful... Izumi's words can't be taken seriously, but even the Hokage has to give face to Boss Kumo..."

Shikamaru scratched his head: "Although it's quite troublesome, compared to getting scolded by my mom when I get back, I think the assessment is easier."

"Click."

As the potato chips crumbled, Choji asked, "If I pass the test, can Izumi-sensei have barbecue for dinner?"

These words made Quan take a deep breath, compose himself, and then smile and say, "If it passes, I'll treat you to barbecue again tonight."

Upon hearing this, Choji put away his potato chips and became extremely focused.

Nothing is more important than a barbecue, and if there is, it's two barbecues.

Ino, standing nearby, nudged Shikamaru, her face full of excitement.

"Brother Yun personally designed this assessment for me. Could that be considered a customized romance? Just thinking about it makes my heart race!"

Shikamaru looked at Ino speechlessly: Can't you just be normal?

……

Within the illusion released by the three tomoe, scenes played out in front of Shikamaru like a movie.

After a farmer's hard work, the harvested crops filled the mud house, seemingly enough to support the family for the next year.

If you do the math, you might even have enough left over to buy some luxury items.

However, not long after, the nobles came and confiscated the goods, taking away more than half of them.

Not long after, bandits passed by and looted everything.

The nobles used the confiscated grain to exchange for money and issued a mission to the ninja village to wipe out the mountain bandits. The ninja village sent out ninjas to wipe out the mountain bandits and made money.

The bandits were wiped out, and everything was taken away by the nobles.

In the end, the nobles suffered no losses, the ninjas suffered no losses, the bandits were killed, and the peasant family starved to death.

After the video finished playing, Quan took out a piece of paper.

"Who are the people who create this wealth?"

"Farmers".

"So what needs to be addressed? How can we ensure that the farmers who create wealth don't ultimately starve?"

Shikamaru got stuck on the second question.

Logically, this is a very simple problem. Whether the bandits or the nobles are killed, the peasants do not seem to starve.

But... ninjas cannot attack ordinary people; that's the rule.

In addition, after killing the bandits and confiscating most of their grain, the farmers might barely have enough to live on.

Any unforeseen event could still cause farmers to starve to death.

Throughout the illusion, the three classes represent the interests of three different groups of people. Is this a framework for maintaining this relationship?

"Time's up, let's move on to the next question."

As the sound of the spring faded, the scene changed once more.

The peasants starved to death, the bandits were wiped out, the nobles were at peace, and everything was fine.

However, due to safety concerns, fewer and fewer missions were assigned to ninja villages. Also because of safety concerns, the mortality rate of ninjas in ninja villages decreased, and the number of ninjas began to increase.

The ninjas, who did not engage in production, required a large amount of resources. In the end, having no other choice, they turned their attention to neighboring countries.

A war inevitably ensued.

The scene changes again.

This time there were no bandits, but the farmer, whose harvest was mostly confiscated, starved to death for the first time because his son fell ill.

The second time, it died because the winter was too cold and it couldn't withstand the daily hunger.

The third time, his wife fell ill and died.

Of the six transfers, they survived the year only once.

But then another year begins, and the nobles will still come, taking away most of the harvested grain, and it's uncertain whether bandits will appear.

This time, the farmer's wife fell ill before the tax collection, and the farmer, who had already spent a lot of money, was unable to pay the taxes. A sinister glint appeared in his eyes.

Later... the farmer became a bandit, becoming the other side in the first scene.

"Did the farmers do anything wrong?"

Shikamaru remained silent.

Are the farmers wrong? What's wrong with trying to survive?

The subsequent scene is already predictable: the farmers who have become bandits will be wiped out by ninjas on a mission.

The ninjas who wiped out the bandits, however, received no income due to the reduction in missions, and eventually had to turn their attention to other places.

In this way, war seemed inevitable.

However, among these three parties, there was one who was the victor from beginning to end: the nobles.

And the reason for all of this is... food?

Or perhaps...resources?

Between countries, between ninja villages, between people...

For the first time, some fundamental problems of the entire ninja world began to surface in Shikamaru's mind.

The scene was simple, even rudimentary. The underlying problems of the ninja world were far more complex and complex than depicted in the scene.

However, the issues of nobility and insufficient resources came to mind as a trigger for Shikamaru's thoughts.

He said nothing, yet it sparked his thoughts on nobles, ninja villages, resources, and the causes of war.

"call……"

After letting out a breath, Quan put away the note: "These things are so depressing no matter how you look at them. I don't know why you wanted to include them in your graduation assessment."

"Alright, my task is complete, assessment over."

???

This left Shikamaru momentarily stunned. He hesitated and asked, "Didn't you say... if I didn't pass, I'd have to go back and retake it?"

Izumi reached out and tapped Shikamaru on the forehead: "If I didn't scare you a little, would you have thought things through seriously just now?"

Shikamaru rubbed his forehead and twitched his eye: "Did Brother Yun say that too?"

Quan nodded nonchalantly: "Yes, you guessed right."

The next moment, the simple three-tomoe slideshow ended.

Then, Izumi began testing Ino and Choji.

……

Night has fallen, but the barbecue restaurants on the commercial street are still bustling with activity.

Class 10 and Class 7, who had also passed the assessment, got together. Of course, it's also possible that Izumi wanted to get a free barbecue.

With a student like Choji, three barbecue meals a day, plus a bottomless pit like Kurama, it seems that the amount of money he has saved up over the years is already foreseeable.

"How do you conduct the assessment? Is it very difficult?"

"It was alright, we just chatted and talked, and then Sister Quan said we passed."

"What? That easy?"

"Sasuke, you're so pitiful."

"What happened to Sasuke? He didn't pass? Well, this barbecue meal is probably a consolation prize then, right?"

"Sasuke passed, but the process was a bit complicated."

"Sasuke-kun...spent several months in a genjutsu..."

"Yeah, I only passed the test after the whole village was destroyed. I almost went crazy."

"hiss……"

"Is it that scary? Luckily, our instructor is Izumi-neechan."

"A few months of illusion magic, an illusion space that can control the flow of time—Brother Yun's power is beyond the imagination of ordinary people."

……

A group of kids were chatting excitedly, while Ino occasionally stole a glance at the clouds.

After wrapping the grilled meat and handing it to Yun, Izumi glanced at Sasuke.

"I can't believe even Itachi's younger brother is graduating. I remember he used to cry whenever he saw me when we were kids, but he seems alright now."

Yun took the grilled meat and ate it: "How did Shikamaru's test go?"

Izumi shrugged: "Brother, even I don't know how to answer your questions. They're too profound. Even the minds of the Nara clan are too small."

Yun smiled and replied, "If you have a good brain, you should make good use of your strengths. Lu Jiu has retired, but his son has to keep going."

Izumi said disdainfully, "This is more like an attempt to slack off when he becomes the Fifth Hokage, exploiting child labor."

After downing a glass of wine, Little Nine-Tailed Fox smacked her lips and said, "Those from the Nara family, excluding child laborers, are all incredibly shrewd."

As if remembering something, the Nine-Tails dashed over to Naruto's table.

"I heard I got beaten so badly my upper body was covered in poop?"

……

(End of this chapter)