Chapter 535: The Problem of the Ninja World
Nagato's voice was not loud, but it carried a penetrating power that came from a lifetime of experience: "I want to know, after achieving unification through force, how do you intend to truly maintain this peace?
How will you make this vast Ninja World, once hostile to each other and with diverse cultures, truly fuse into a stable, prosperous, and unified whole that is not easily split again?
Rather than relying solely on your personal prestige and Hidden Leaf Village's military deterrence."
This question went straight to the core, and it was indeed the greatest challenge that Naruto had to face now and in the future.
Unification could perhaps be achieved by force, but governance and long-term stability required a more complex, systematic wisdom and institution.
Relying solely on personal force was not enough to directly control the entire Ninja World, because the population of the Ninja World was too vast, and Naruto's energy was limited.
Hearing this, Naruto did not reply immediately. Instead, he picked up the water cup beside him and took a sip, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
At the dining table, Karin and Hikari also stopped what they were doing and listened quietly.
Konan kept her eyes lowered, as if waiting for Naruto's answer, and also seemingly pondering the question raised by Nagato.
After a moment, Naruto put down his water cup, leaned forward slightly, and crossed his fingers on the table, a glint of seriousness and planning shining in his deep blue eyes.
"Nagato, you are right.
Force is only the starting point. True peace must be built on tangible 'livelihood' and 'development.'"
Naruto's tone was steady and firm, as if he had already thought about it countless times.
"What the people pursue is nothing more than a stable life, visible hope, and the opportunity to improve their own situations through hard work."
He began to elaborate on his concept, with clear logic and a defined goal:
"First is the economic Foundation.
With years of continuous warfare in the Ninja World, the livelihoods of people in many places have been devastated, and infrastructure is backward.
My plan is to vigorously develop infrastructure: roads, bridges, water conservancy, energy, and communication networks.
This will not only directly create a massive number of jobs, allowing a large amount of idle labor to earn an income, but will also lay a solid Foundation for subsequent economic development."
"At the same time, to prevent bottom-level workers from being overly exploited, I will push for legislation to set a minimum wage standard and guarantee a basic living.
In terms of taxation, we will implement reforms: reducing or even abolishing agricultural taxes to encourage grain production and ensure the stability of basic survival supplies; levying reasonable commercial taxes, as well as personal income taxes targeting high-income groups after their income reaches a certain level, to adjust the wealth gap and raise development funds."
"Key sectors, such as important minerals, energy, large-scale transportation infrastructure, and the financial core, need to be dominated by state-owned enterprises or joint ventures directly controlled by Hidden Leaf Village.
Only state power can guarantee the stable and sustainable development of these industries, which are the lifeblood of the national economy and people's livelihoods, preventing them from being monopolized by a few individuals or families, which would trigger new social injustices and turmoil."
The more Naruto spoke, the clearer his thoughts became, as if he were painting a grand blueprint: "Once transportation is convenient and logistics costs are reduced, commerce will naturally develop further.
When the people have stable jobs and incomes, their purchasing power will increase, which will in turn stimulate consumption, drive the development of more industries, and form a virtuous cycle."
"And the taxes collected, taken from the people, must be used for the benefit of the people."
Naruto's tone carried a strong sense of responsibility and planning, "Apart from maintaining necessary administrative and national defense expenditures, most of these funds will continue to be invested in the next round of infrastructure and public utilities.
Building more roads and bridges, improving water conservancy and power Systems, establishing schools with wider coverage to popularize basic education, promoting Medical Ninjutsu and basic healthcare, building more hospitals or clinics, constructing public libraries, parks, sports facilities, and so on."
He looked at Nagato and Konan, his gaze sincere: "I know this sounds like an incredibly massive and long-term project that requires an unimaginable investment of manpower, resources, and time.
There will also be various forms of resistance.
Opposition from vested interests, conflicts between different regional cultural customs, corruption and inefficiency during implementation...
Problems will emerge one after another."
"But," Naruto changed his tone, speaking with absolute certainty, "this is exactly what I believe must be done after 'unification'.
Peace cannot remain solely at the level of having no large-scale wars; it must allow the vast majority of people to feel a tangible improvement in their lives and hold hope for the future.
Only in this way can peace have a solid Foundation, and be able to resist internal tendencies of division and external instigation."
"This is not just to maintain rule, but for long-lasting peace."
Naruto said in conclusion, his voice not loud, but carrying immense weight, "Bring order with power, bring prosperity with development, and unite people's hearts with a vision of the future.
This is what I can think of at the moment. It may not be the only path, but it must be the core one."
The dining room fell silent for a moment, with only the soft light spilling over everyone.
Nagato and Konan listened quietly, thoughtful expressions appearing on their faces.
Naruto's words contained no empty slogans or illusory ideals, but were concrete down to the tangible levels of taxation, employment, and infrastructure.
This was completely different from the methods they had once envisioned to bring peace—more pragmatic, and also more... difficult.
But precisely because of its difficulty and concreteness, it seemed all the more feasible and persuasive.
In Nagato's eyes, which had experienced despair, paranoia, and endless pain, a complex light seemed to flash, as if peering through the dust of time to re-examine the young Hokage before him—someone who shared a similar ideal but had chosen a completely different path.
Naruto's answer did not remain in vague concepts, but was concrete down to the practical details of livelihood such as taxation, infrastructure, and employment, which made Nagato feel an unfamiliar yet subtly attractive sense of pragmatism.
However, while the ideal was beautiful, reality was often harsh.
As the former actual ruler of the Hidden Rain Village, Nagato knew better than anyone how difficult it was to pull a country that was impoverished, weak, and ravaged by war out of the mire.
He took a light breath, and his voice, carrying a trace of illness and weakness, rang out again, throwing out a concrete and sharp question that went straight to his deepest pain:
"A very grand vision, Sixth Hokage. So, what about the Land of Rain specifically?"
Nagato's tone was calm, yet carried a heavy weight, "That land is rainy all year round, with sunny days being a rare sight.
The damp and rainy weather makes it difficult for crops to grow, and food has been unable to be self-sufficient for years.
Although there are many rivers within the territory, the fishery resources are mediocre and cannot become a pillar industry.
Under the soil, there are no decent mineral resources either.
War has caused the population there to plummet, and the infrastructure is almost completely destroyed, leaving a pitifully thin economic Foundation."
He raised his eyelids, his eyes, which had regained a bit of vigor, staring straight at Naruto as if questioning him: "How will the development strategies you just mentioned be implemented in a place like the Land of Rain?
How will you solve the most fundamental survival issues of the people in the Land of Rain?
If you cannot properly handle even a 'tough bone' like the Land of Rain, how can your so-called 'bringing prosperity with development, and uniting people's hearts with hope' be convincing, and how can it be promoted to the entire Ninja World?"
This question was sharp and realistic.
The Land of Rain was almost the most typical and troublesome representative of a "problem area" in the Ninja World.
The natural conditions were harsh, resources were scarce, and the scars of war ran deep.
If Naruto's new order could not even benefit the Land of Rain, then its universality and sustainability would indeed be greatly compromised.
The fact that the buildings in Amegakure mostly used steel did not mean that the Land of Rain had a rich output of steel.
Amegakure was built as a steel jungle to facilitate drainage, and those buildings were inherited from the era of Hanzou.
It could only be said that when Nagato was in power, the situation of the people in the Land of Rain was much better, but they were still at a lower-middle level in the Ninja World.
Climate had always been the biggest factor restricting the development of the Land of Rain; even without war, the people of the Land of Rain had already suffered enough.
Hearing Nagato's question, Naruto did not look surprised, but rather seemed long prepared.
He nodded gently, his gaze growing deep, as if he could already see that land shrouded in constant rain.
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