When Kōda Jin heard that Ranmaru had finally grasped the situation, a slight smile formed on his face, and he felt a bit of satisfaction: "Indeed, no matter the means, our goal is always the same—to make the ninja fight to the death while we reap the benefits. The more turmoil among the ninja, the stronger our position becomes."
"I see you're starting to understand. Since that's the case, I'll test you now."
Ranmaru responded eagerly: "Yes, father."
"This time, the Kinkaku and Ginkaku squad in the Cloud Village suddenly rebelled and killed the Second Hokage and the Second Raikage. Then, the Third Raikage arrived and killed Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Tell me what you think about this matter."
Ranmaru lowered his head, thinking deeply, then honestly replied: "I'm sorry, father, I can't quite understand."Chapter 45: Uchiha, My Life Has Been Extremely Difficult
Prince Kōda Jin laughed and said, "Don't rush. Think carefully about what I just told you, and you'll understand."
Ranmaru wasn't foolish; it was just his first time dealing with such matters, so it was natural for him to take time to grasp it.
Once he understood the motive, deducing the truth would be easy.
Ranmaru closed his eyes and began to ponder.
The alliance between Konoha and the Cloud Village.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku's rebellion.
The Third Raikage arriving just in time to kill Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Once these events were linked together, it became easy to see the trickery.
Ranmaru opened his eyes and said aloud: "I get it. All of this was suspiciously synchronized. Based on what you've taught me, father, it seems like someone planned everything, especially the sudden rebellion of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. How did the Third Raikage arrive so quickly?"
Prince Kōda Jin smiled and said, "Hmm, it seems there are some smart people in the Land of Lightning too. It's a really clever move. This way, several first-class combat forces were wiped out in one fell swoop."
"I've heard that they're working hard to develop military equipment over there. Maybe they want to eliminate their reliance on ninja."
"Not only the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, but I've also heard that in the Land of Water, ninja have to kill their friends who graduated with them to get a diploma, to reduce the number of ninja."
"As for the Land of Wind, it seems that the ninja in the Sand Village aren't as strong compared to other villages, so they want to cut the budget and reduce the number of ninja."
"As for the Stone Village, the situation remains unclear."
"It seems that everyone is thinking the same way: if you want to maintain your position, you first have to reduce the number of ninja to a manageable level. Well, that's only natural; we're talking about great nations with deep roots, and none of them are foolish."
"Since that's the case, I must make an effort as well. Let's start by removing the Uchiha clan from this world."
A dark look appeared in Prince Kōda Jin's eyes as he decided to start with the Uchiha.
This clan was too powerful and uncontrollable, so it must be completely eradicated.
In this era, the Mangekyō Sharingan hadn't yet become just a legend, and Prince Kōda Jin had witnessed its power firsthand, feeling a deep fear of it, and even a desire to possess it.
He thought of bringing them into the fold, perhaps through marriage or something of the sort, but after studying the information, he found that the Uchiha clan seemed emotionally unstable. In other words, they could easily go mad...
And worse, when one of them did go mad, they often carried a super bomb in their hands...
Additionally, the Uchiha's personalities had some issues—you could call it pride, but frankly, they were arrogant and only saw their own clan, making them difficult to control.
Based on that, he abandoned the idea of using their power and decided to destroy them so they wouldn't become enemies in the future.
Moreover, the current situation was very suitable; the current Hokage was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
They had spies inside Konoha, and information flowed steadily into their hands, so they knew well what was happening there.
The top leadership in Konoha was sidelining the Uchiha, and the current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was still influenced by his teacher's ideas, the second student of the Second Hokage.
If the country is strong, the people are weak. Therefore, the country must be weak to make the people stronger, and if the country is weak, the people must be strong to make the country stronger.
Comparing the Uchiha clan to the Sarutobi clan, which is stronger? The answer is obvious.
Therefore, Prince Kōda Jin decided to support the Sarutobi clan to eventually wipe out the Uchiha clan. Leaving the weaker Sarutobi clan would be easier to control than the Uchiha, which would naturally make the nation stronger.
It was impossible for there not to be thoughts against the powerful Uchiha clan that clearly surpassed the other ninja clans.
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to eliminate the Uchiha, his family behind him would want to, to gain more benefits and push him to make the decision.
Prince Kōda Jin's interests aligned with the Sarutobi clan, so he would do everything he could to gain Sarutobi Hiruzen's support.
Now, the Uchiha clan was being marginalized, and Prince Kōda Jin could expect that they would be sidelined even more in the future.
The Uchiha clan were a group of arrogant people, and they wouldn't tolerate this marginalization, which would inevitably lead to a strong conflict with Konoha's leadership.
Of course, it was impossible for the Sarutobi clan alone to wipe out the Uchiha clan—that would be madness. But the Sarutobi clan had produced someone who became Hokage, and the Hokage represented the village. With the village's full power, it wasn't impossible to eliminate the Uchiha clan.
Previous plans aimed to weaken the people, but now they needed to think about enhancing the "nation's strength." This way, the power could be sustained.
At this point, Prince Kōda Jin cast an expectant look at his most intelligent son, who was deep in thought, feeling some curiosity.
Noticing the gaze directed at him, Ranmaru looked up and said, "Ah, father."
Prince Kōda Jin laughed and asked, "What were you just thinking about?"
"I wasn't thinking about anything." Ranmaru shook his head and said, "But I heard you say that the only way we can control the ninja is through money, right?"
Prince Kōda Jin sighed sadly and said, "Yes, if we lose money, it will be hard for us to control the ninja."
And this is the fundamental reason why he was cautious about the ninja. In the face of absolute power, wealth and authority seem insignificant.
So, he was thinking about how the family could seize control of Konoha's power to ensure the family's lasting prosperity.
"What if there were a ninja who didn't follow our plan in wars, and instead chose to enter the business world? What if they even brought other ninja with them to make more profit from business than from being a ninja? Wouldn't we lose control over these ninja?"
Prince Kōda Jin laughed and said, "Did you forget? If anyone wants to do business within our borders and open a company, they need the daimyo's approval, and they must pay taxes like VAT, income tax, and land use tax every month. After paying all these taxes, how much would they have left?"
"What if they don't pay?"
"If they don't pay?" Prince Kōda Jin sneered: "I'll send someone to arrest them and put them in jail to work as free labor."
What nonsense, exploiting the common people's income is the Fire Country's way of maintaining dominance, and anyone who violates that won't be tolerated.
"And what if they smuggle? If the transaction happens outside our borders, we have no authority over them, and if those ninja resist violently, can we even defeat them?"
"..."
Prince Kōda Jin fell silent, expressing his need to think.
Typically, ninja don't lean towards other professions.
They have high pride and a deep respect for the ninja profession, feeling a strange honor towards it.
But if they tasted the profits, things might change.
After all, no one would refuse money, and if they could make money easily, why risk their lives? Are they crazy?
After a long while, Prince Kōda Jin sighed deeply and showed some concern: "If such a ninja appeared, this world would change drastically because of them. I don't know exactly what would happen, but I'm certain of one thing—that we nobles would face a devastating catastrophe."
Ranmaru gasped, shocked.
"But there's no need to worry; usually, ninja don't have such broad thinking, and even if such a person did appear, I'd make sure to kill them as quickly as possible, using the fiercest and strongest assassins."
At this point, a murderous gleam appeared in Prince Kōda Jin's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he returned to his usual innocent-looking, wide-browed appearance: "Ranmaru, I have an important mission for you, one that no one else can take on. It concerns the future prosperity of our family."
(End of Chapter)
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