20demayo Chapter 477 Naruto's First Lesson: The Cruel Reality of the Ninja World
Chapter 477 Naruto's First Lesson: The Cruel Reality of the Ninja World
Chapter 477 Naruto's First Lesson: The Cruel Reality of the Ninja World
The scene inside the town was slightly better than the chaos on the main road outside, but it still exuded a heavy sense of desolation.
The street was fairly wide, but most of the shops on both sides had their doors and windows tightly closed. The few that were open were deserted, with shop owners sitting listlessly behind their counters, their eyes vacant.
The pedestrians hurried along, most of them looking pale and sickly, their clothes patched, their heads bowed, as if afraid of attracting any attention.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the air, reminding Naruto of his previous visit to the Land of Waves.
Naruto walked half a step behind Sasuke, still unable to resist looking around.
Although there are poor people and conflicts in Konoha Village, it at least maintains a sense of order and vitality on the surface.
Here—it was deathly still, and the word "difficulty" was written on everyone's face.
This is different from the oppressed suffering he saw in the Land of Waves, where everyone had a clear enemy and a target for resistance.
The oppressive atmosphere here seems to permeate every brick and every breath of air; there is no specific enemy, yet it is omnipresent.
As Naruto walked down a relatively secluded side street with low-rise buildings on both sides, a slightly excited commotion came from a narrow alleyway piled with clutter.
Naruto stopped, listened curiously, and peered in the direction of the sound.
Deep in the alley, on a makeshift platform made of broken wooden crates and discarded door panels, stood a young man in his early twenties with dark skin.
He was wearing a faded coarse cloth shirt, barefoot, but his back was ramrod straight, and his eyes shone brightly in the dim alley.
Around him were dozens of men, all dressed in the same ragged clothes, and many of them were even shirtless.
Most of them were pale and thin, with rough hands, clearly farmers or low-level craftsmen who had worked hard all year round and endured many hardships.
At this moment, they were listening intently to the young man's speech on the stage, their eyes burning with suppressed anger and a faint glimmer of hope.
The young man's voice wasn't particularly loud, but his enunciation was clear and infectious, echoing through the narrow alley: "Fellow villagers! Wake up! Open your eyes and see! This drought, which has lasted for half a year and spread throughout our Fukuyama County, and even several counties in the western part of the Fire Kingdom, is not some bullshit divine punishment! That's all nonsense those noble lords use to fool us and make us accept our fate!"
He waved his arms, pointing towards the faintly visible Fukuyama Domain castle in the town center outside the alley, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "Look at that castle! Look at Lord Fukuyama, and his samurai and tax collectors!"
"The crops in the fields have all died; there's been no harvest at all! We've had no choice but to eat tree bark, eat soil, and sell our children!"
"But what about those nobles? They can't pay a single grain of rice less in their taxes! A day's delay means whipping, imprisonment, and the theft of our last bit of food and seeds to save our lives! They're driving us to our deaths!"
His words elicited a suppressed resonance and a chorus of curses from the crowd.
"We farmers, toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk, are starving, our stomachs practically touching our backs. Our children are so hungry they don't even have the strength to cry. But what about those noble lords? They feast on meat and wine every meal, revel in song and dance every night! Their granaries are overflowing with moldy grain, yet they'd rather feed it to their dogs than offer a single grain to us, who are on the verge of starvation!"
"Did you know that just yesterday, yesterday, his butler brought back three truckloads of fresh fish from the neighboring county to raise in his private pond? Just to raise them! Just so his guests could see that he has koi in his pond!"
"What kind of logic is this?!"
The young man became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his face flushed with anger.
He took a deep breath, then abruptly changed the subject, his voice rising sharply: "To be honest, a few days ago, I secretly followed a caravan to the west! This drought has not only affected our Land of Fire, but also the neighboring Land of Rivers, and even the Land of Stars further west!"
Upon hearing the words "Land of the Stars," the commotion among the crowd noticeably intensified.
Many people whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Rumors about the Star Kingdom had already been circulating quietly in this land that had suffered so much, thanks to the passing merchants.
What might have been considered mere tales and absurdities in the past has now become a source of great curiosity, especially given the double blow of natural and man-made disasters.
Seeing that he had attracted everyone's attention, the young man spoke even more forcefully: "Do you know what I saw in the Star Country?"
"The Land of Rivers is similar to ours; the nobles still exploit people, and the common folk suffer just as much! But once we enter the Land of Stars—"
He paused, as if recalling what he had witnessed, his voice filled with shock: "The government of the Star Kingdom! They've already begun opening granaries and setting up soup kitchens to provide relief to the disaster victims! Not just their own people, but even those who fled to the River Kingdom..."
Even refugees from our Land of Fire can receive life-saving food and even medicine simply by registering!
"And there's something even more amazing!" The young man's eyes gleamed. "I saw it with my own eyes! A ninja from the Land of Stars used that kind of ninjutsu! He brought a timely rain to the parched land! Or at least some water! Although it wasn't much, it was enough to give the seedlings a breather, and maybe they could even get a harvest, preventing a complete crop failure!"
This news was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the crowd!
Ninjas are high above others and usually only serve the country, nobles, and merchants. When have you ever heard of a ninja using ninjutsu for the sake of a farmer's crops?
This completely overturned their understanding.
The young man pressed his advantage, shouting out the most crucial and impactful statement: "Most importantly! The Star Kingdom government has posted a proclamation exempting all drought-affected areas—whether domestic or resettlement areas for displaced refugees—from taxes for the next three years! Three years! Not a single grain of food required!"
"Whoosh—!"
The crowd erupted in chaos!
The sounds of discussion, exclamations, doubts, and excited confirmations mingled together.
Three years of tax exemption!
This was simply unbelievable to the common people of the Land of Fire, who had struggled their entire lives under heavy taxes.
Naruto stood at the alley entrance, listening intently.
Although he didn't fully understand the specific pressure that "taxation" meant, the words "opening granaries to distribute grain," "using magic to make it rain," and "exempting from taxes" stood in stark contrast to the scenes of starvation and oppression by nobles that he had just witnessed outside the city.
The vague impression he held of the "outside world" was being torn open, revealing the cold and cruel reality beneath.
"Hey, Naruto. What are you looking at?"
Sasuke's slightly impatient question came from ahead.
He had already taken a few steps when he realized that Naruto hadn't followed, so he stopped and turned to look at Naruto, who was standing there in a daze at the alley entrance.
"Huh? Oh!" Naruto snapped out of his daze and quickly jogged to catch up with Sasuke, his face still showing lingering confusion and contemplation.
He pointed towards the alley and said to Sasuke, "Sasuke, those old men in the alley just now—they were talking about disaster relief and tax exemption—but wasn't that wicked fat man outside the city just now a local nobleman? Why didn't he distribute food and help people when his territory suffered a drought? Instead, he bullied the refugees and even tried to kill them?"
Naruto frowned, trying to understand the contradiction.
In Konoha, although there is a distinction between the rich and the poor, and there is injustice, at least the village has a basic system of mutual assistance and protection.
When the Naga River floods and destroys houses, the village organizes reconstruction and provides relief; ninja families who suffer misfortune receive compensation.
If a disaster of this scale were to occur near Konoha, the village would certainly do everything in its power to provide disaster relief.
But these nobles outside seemed completely indifferent to the lives of the people under their rule, which was beyond Naruto's simple understanding of good and evil.
Sasuke paused for a moment upon hearing this.
He crossed his arms over his chest, a hint of confusion flashing across his dark eyes, but mostly indifference.
During his six years in the Anbu, he came into contact with some of the darker aspects of Konoha and even the ninja world. He had heard about the greed and cruelty of the nobles, but this was the first time he had witnessed the evil deeds of the nobles directly like today.
The education he received at the ninja academy and the training he received from the ANBU only taught him to obey orders, complete missions, improve his strength, and — revenge.
On governance, on class, on the hardships of the people —
These never appeared on his schedule.
He didn't know how to explain to Naruto this systemic exploitation and oppression rooted in the old order.
"Because those so-called nobles are essentially parasites and vampires who depend on the flesh and blood of commoners, surviving by sucking their blood and sweat and plundering the fruits of their labor."
A cool and calm voice suddenly came from above the two of them.
"!!!"
Sasuke and Naruto were both startled and instantly went on alert!
Sasuke's hand was already on the hilt of his sword behind his back, and Naruto immediately assumed a fighting stance.
The two of them looked up sharply towards the source of the sound.
On the edge of the roof of a two-story shop next door, a figure was standing quietly.
He was dressed in a white Hyuga clan uniform, his long black hair was tied into a neat low ponytail at the back of his head, his forehead was smooth, and what was most striking were his eyes, which were calmly gazing at the two people below, pure white and without pupils.
Hyuga Neji.
Naruto and Sasuke were both taken aback when they saw the somewhat unfamiliar face.
Naruto was genuinely surprised.
Sasuke, while surprised, immediately thought of the backup that Kabuto had mentioned.
Could it be him?
Neji didn't seem to have any hostility. He stood on the edge of the roof, looking down at the two of them, and even raised his hand to gesture for them to "come up".
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
Sasuke was wary, but considering the purpose of their trip and the timing of Neji's appearance, he still nodded slightly to Naruto.
The two simultaneously pushed off with their feet, leaping lightly onto the rooftop where Neji was, stopping a few steps away from him.
Neji used his Byakugan to scrutinize Naruto and Sasuke again, lingering a moment longer on the ninja sword behind Sasuke and on Naruto's still childish and confused face.
Then, he continued in that calm, unwavering tone, "Konoha's ninja education won't teach you these things. It will only teach you to be loyal to the Hokage, loyal to the village, and to carry out missions."
"As for how the daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire rule the common people in their territories, what kind of lives those common people lead, and what kind of oppression they endure—"
"These are not within the scope of a ninja's curriculum."
"Sometimes, even the ninjas of Konoha would accept employment from nobles to suppress commoners who had gathered together because they could not survive and just wanted to ask the government for food and justice."
His voice was cold, stating the cruelty of reality.
"Suppress—civilians?" Naruto's eyes widened as he repeated incredulously.
He couldn't imagine that a Konoha ninja would do such a thing.
To deal with unarmed ordinary people who just want to survive?
"Why? Why would they do this?!" Naruto couldn't help but ask, his voice filled with anger and confusion.
This is completely contrary to the "Will of Fire" that he was instilled with since childhood!
Neji looked into Naruto's bright blue eyes, which were unusually clear due to his excitement, and his lips curled down almost imperceptibly.
He said coldly, "Because for the high-ranking nobles and daimyo, killing those unruly and troublesome disaster victims is far easier and cheaper than opening the granaries to provide them with relief."
"The dead will no longer cry out in hunger, will no longer protest, and will no longer think of escaping to another place."
"Disaster relief requires providing real food and silver, which would reduce their wealth and affect their enjoyment. Between the two, which do you think the nobles would choose?"
"————!!"
The cruel reality, like the coldest wind, instantly pierced through Naruto's thin clothes, reaching straight to his heart, causing him to tremble uncontrollably and his face to turn pale instantly.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
From childhood to adulthood, he had experienced the villagers' malice and ostracism, and after becoming a ninja, he had also experienced brutal battles. But never before had anyone so bluntly and coldly laid out the nakedly cruel logic of how the world works before him.
It even made him feel nauseous and vomit.
Although Sasuke remained expressionless, the pupils in his dark eyes contracted slightly.
Neji's words confirmed some of the fragmented information and vague feelings he had previously encountered in the Anbu.
The relationship between Konoha and the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Fire, some ambiguous instructions during the mission, and some deliberately obscured details in the Anbu files regarding "suppression of rebellions" —
Many fragments seem to be strung together at this moment, outlining a more suffocating dark silhouette.
Konoha's ninja training forbids violence against civilians, but what if civilians gather in large numbers to confront the nobles and demand justice?
Even if these civilians simply pick up hoes and sickles, they will be regarded as rebels!
As for the rebels, the samurai and ninjas who received the mission never showed any mercy.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
It seemed to be to confirm Neji's words, or perhaps it was a cruel mockery of fate.
In the town center, from the direction of the majestic castle of the Fukuyama Domain, a heavy and urgent bell suddenly rang out!
Immediately following was a loud scraping sound as the castle gate was pushed open!
"kill!!!"
"Suppress the rebellion! Leave no one alive!!"
"By order of Lord Fukuyama! Anyone who gathers to cause trouble or spreads rumors shall be killed without exception!"
A murderous roar, along with the chaotic sounds of footsteps and horses' hooves, erupted suddenly from the direction of the castle, like a flood bursting its banks, and quickly spread to all parts of the town!
This includes the neighborhood where they live!
The crowd that had just been listening to the young man's speech in the narrow alley below was the first to be affected!
"It's...it's Lord Fukuyama's samurai! Run!"
"Let's fight them!"
"Don't kill me! I was just passing by—"
Panic-stricken screams, desperate roars, and piercing wails instantly replaced the previous hushed discussions.
Squads of armored warriors, dressed in uniform leather armor and wielding spears or samurai swords, charged into the alley and surrounding streets under the command of several mounted warriors!
The people who had just gathered collapsed instantly under this absolute forceful suppression, scattering and fleeing in all directions.
But the warriors were clearly not satisfied with merely dispersing the crowd.
A one-sided, bloody massacre has begun.
puff!
"ah--!"
"Please, please, spare my child—"
"Those who resist, die! Kill!"
"Don't let these lowly people get away with it!"
The warriors brandished their swords and spears, mercilessly slashing at any civilians within their sight.
Whether it was the men who had just gathered, the passersby who happened to be passing by, or even the residents who peeked out of their homes after hearing the commotion, they all became their targets.
They rushed into the shops on both sides of the street that hadn't closed yet, dragged out the shop owners and employees, and hacked them down without asking any questions.
They kicked open the doors of residents' homes, dragged the elderly, women, and children hiding inside out onto the street, and coldly swung their knives amidst cries and pleas for mercy.
Blood splattered on the dirty street walls and ground, staining patches of it red.
Severed limbs and broken arms are everywhere.
The neighborhood, which had just barely maintained a semblance of order in the town, was instantly transformed into a living hell.
Cries, screams, curses, the dull thud of swords piercing flesh, and the samurai's rough shouts and maniacal laughter intertwined to create a chilling symphony of death.
The young man who had been giving a speech while standing on the wooden crate was now leading a few remaining courageous companions, relying on the debris in the alley and the narrow terrain, using simple kitchen knives and long sticks as weapons, in a desperate resistance.
But their resistance was futile against the well-trained and well-equipped warriors; people fell every moment.
on the roof.
"This—this is—" Naruto's eyes widened, his body stiffening with extreme shock and anger.
He watched everything unfolding on the street below: the splattered blood, the fallen figures, the desperate eyes, the children's cries—
Every image was like a red-hot branding iron, searing his retina and his soul.
"Why—why—" Naruto's voice trembled, almost incoherent. He shook his head unconsciously, as if trying to deny the hellish scene before him.
"They clearly did nothing wrong—they just—just wanted to live—why—why treat them like this—"
He couldn't understand it.
I can't understand it at all.
Those samurai who were supposed to protect this town were instead slaughtering its civilians!
This massacre of innocent civilians struck him as absurd.
In Konoha, even the people who hate him the most will at most insult and isolate him, but they will never—never like this, just because of gathering and saying a few words, bring about a catastrophic disaster and implicate countless innocent people!
Is this the dangerous world outside that Jiraiya-sensei was talking about?
Naruto, who grew up in Konoha, simply couldn't accept it!
Sasuke also pursed his lips tightly, his knuckles turning white from gripping the hilt of his sword so hard.
Even after six years of training in the Anbu, carrying out numerous bloody missions, and even personally killing many wandering ninjas and bandits, the bloody scene of suppression before him still sent a chill down his spine.
Human life is like a mustard.
The so-called Will of Fire, the so-called Ninja Rules, seem so pale and laughable at this moment.
"Damn it! I can't stand it anymore!" Naruto growled, his eyes blazing with fury—anger at injustice and hatred of cruelty.
He leaned forward, his chakra already gathering at the soles of his feet, as if he were about to charge down recklessly at any moment!
"Wait!" Sasuke reacted quickly and grabbed Naruto's arm.
"Don't act rashly! Look around!"
Naruto was pulled back by Sasuke, who forcibly brought him back to his senses from his rage.
He looked around with bloodshot eyes, following the direction Sasuke indicated.
The area around the house they were in, as well as the adjacent streets and rooftops, had been densely packed with people!
That's the army.
Hundreds of fully armed foot soldiers and archers formed a tight formation, blocking all the streets and alleyways leading to the rooftop.
On the rooftop, dozens of agile samurai, dressed in light leather armor and wielding katana, appeared, subtly surrounding them.
Further away, hundreds of mounted warriors could be seen galloping back and forth at the street corner, raising dust and completely blocking traffic in the area.
An army of several hundred men, while suppressing a "rebellion" within the city, quietly completed the encirclement of this rooftop!
Clearly, their target was not just those restless civilians from the very beginning.
The leading mounted warrior slowly rode out from the infantry formation.
He was tall and wore a finely crafted crimson armor, a shovel-shaped helmet, and had a stern face with sharp, eagle-like eyes.
He held a spear that was over three meters long, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, exuding a chilling killing intent.
He reined in his horse, stopping it outside the encirclement. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across Naruto and Sasuke on the rooftop, and Hyuga Neji standing quietly beside them. He cleared his throat and shouted in a booming voice, "Three ninjas on the rooftop! Listen up! I am Yamamoto Naoki, the Grand General of Fukuyama County, Land of Fire!"
He raised his spear, its tip pointing towards the roof, his tone arrogant: "By order of Lord Fukuyama Domain, I have dealt with the rebellion within the castle! Your Konoha ninjas previously rammed the domain lord's carriage outside the castle, injuring the guards—this is already a grave act of disrespect!"
He paused, seemingly observing the three men's reactions, then raised his voice and issued his ultimatum: "Now, I will give you two choices!"
"First, leave Fukuyama County immediately and return to your Konoha Village! Lord Fukuyama will hold Konoha accountable for today's disturbance!"
"Secondly, surrender immediately and come with me to apologize to Lord Fukuyama! Perhaps, out of respect for Konoha, he might spare your lives!"
"If you dare to resist—" A fierce glint flashed in Yamamoto Naoki's eyes, and he slammed his spear down with a dull thud, shouting, "Kill them on the spot! And deal with these traitors along with them!"
Clearly, one purpose was to mobilize the army to suppress the so-called "rebellion," but the more important task for this samurai general was to use this opportunity to intimidate the two Konoha ninjas who had humiliated Fukuyama and restore the dignity of the nobility.
After all, although ninjas possess formidable personal martial prowess, in the social hierarchy of the ninja world, which has been passed down for nearly a thousand years, ninjas are still a class below daimyo and nobles.
As for the lives and deaths of ordinary people, it was merely a means of cleansing and deterring others.
However, this "majesty" and "ultimatum" built upon the blood and lives of countless civilians sounded incredibly jarring to Naruto, who had just witnessed the tragedy.
Utterly absurd, utterly infuriating!
"Apologize? Make amends? Go back?" Naruto abruptly shook off Sasuke's hand, took a step forward, and stood on the edge of the roof. His orange figure looked like a burning flame in the morning light.
He stared intently at Yamamoto Naoki on horseback below, then glanced at the blood-stained, menacing samurai around him, and finally, his gaze swept over the corpses lying haphazardly in the street, as well as the civilians who were still putting up a few resistances and falling one after another.
Naruto's chest heaved violently, his voice distorted with rage as he roared, each word distinct and forceful: "The ones who should apologize—are you bastards!!!"
The boy's angry roar, like thunder, exploded in the air above the blood-soaked town.