Today, Yahiko was in an exceptionally good mood. Their teacher, Jiraiya, was very pleased with their progress. Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato could now work together to defeat one of Jiraiya's shadow clones. As a reward, Jiraiya gave each of them 200 ryo and granted them a day off, with the condition that they return by evening. He himself had gone off to search for inspiration for his writing.
The life of a shinobi is grueling and monotonous, so the three rarely had any free time. Like unleashed puppies, they dashed straight into the bustling marketplace of Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village).
Today, the village was free from rain. Although the sun wasn't out, this kind of weather was already considered a rare blessing in the Land of Rain. Villagers opened their windows to let in fresh air, while shopkeepers set up stalls along the streets. The market was filled with a dazzling array of goods, attracting crowds of people. The lively atmosphere made the place buzz with excitement.
Having spent so much time in the wilderness, the three young shinobi found everything in the market fascinating. They wandered around, buying snacks here and sweets there, marveling at everything they saw.
By lunchtime, they still had more than half of their money left.
"I'm starving. Let's find a place to eat," Konan said, rubbing her stomach.
"Me too," Nagato replied.
Yahiko looked around and pointed to a nearby tavern.
"Let's eat there."
The three entered the tavern and ordered three bowls of ramen. While waiting for their food, they noticed a crowd gathered not far away. A young Amegakure shinobi stood on a table, passionately delivering a speech to an attentive audience. The crowd erupted into applause and cheers from time to time.
"What's he talking about?" Konan asked.
"I can't hear clearly," Nagato replied, shaking his head.
At that moment, their steaming bowls of ramen were served.
"Let's move closer while we eat," Yahiko suggested, carrying his bowl to a table nearer to the crowd. This time, they could hear the speech clearly.
"The incompetence of Nōshin Kongō is appalling, and the Hourglass Group harbors nothing but malicious intent!
Since the founding of Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village), they've had their eyes on our Amegakure. From the very beginning, the First Kazekage stationed troops in the Night-Singing Sand Sea, watching us like a hawk. The Second Kazekage even launched an outright shameless invasion. Fortunately, our former leader, the great Hanzō of the Salamander, was powerful enough to repel their attacks.
But the despicable Sunagakure didn't stop there. When their current leader, the Third Kazekage, Jinghang, came to power, they shifted from military aggression to insidious manipulation. Under the guise of economic development, they built factories for the Hourglass Group along the Shule River, but their true goal was to seize our land, exploit our people, and drain our resources.
Don't believe me? Look around you! How many brothers have become mere tools in the blood-sucking factories of the Hourglass Group? How many sisters have been forced into the brothels of Kichō Street?
Check your pockets—how many coins do you have left? Open your rice jars—how much grain is left? Friends! Look around you. How many of your loved ones are still here? How many of your parents are still alive?"
The speaker's words were fiery, rhythmic, and full of emotion, delivered with a cadence that captivated the crowd. His voice carried a contagious energy and incited anger among his listeners. The audience's faces were filled with indignation, their eyes burning with fury.
Konan and Nagato paid little attention to the speech, focusing instead on slurping their ramen. Yahiko, however, was utterly engrossed, so much so that he didn't notice his noodles had gone cold.
The young shinobi on the table continued his impassioned speech.
"What's even more outrageous is that the despicable Sunagakure assassinated our beloved leader, Hanzō of the Salamander, and installed a puppet ruler—Nōshin Kongō.
These corrupt and greedy scoundrels hide in the Rain Tower, indulging in luxuries provided by the Hourglass Group while ignoring the suffering of the common folk and the lower-ranked shinobi.
Recently, terrorists from Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) rampaged through our village, committing atrocities. And what did Nōshin Kongō do? Nothing! He was utterly powerless! Even the commander he sent to stop them was beheaded! If this isn't incompetence, then what is?!"
At this point, the speaker coughed, and someone from the crowd quickly handed him a bowl of sake. He downed it in one gulp, tossed the bowl aside, and continued.
"To make matters worse, Nōshin Kongō begged his overlord, the Kazekage Jinghang, to send troops to deal with the terrorists. And after the terrorists were defeated, did they leave? No! They stayed, claiming to be a 'factory protection force.' But let's be real—are they protecting the factory, or are they an occupying army?
A large contingent of shinobi from one village stationed in another—what is that? It's a blatant humiliation to our village! A brazen violation of our sovereignty! Today it's a protection force; tomorrow it's an invasion! The day after, it's the death of our nation!
Comrades! Brothers! Can we tolerate this?"
"No!" "No!" "No!"
The crowd roared in unison, their faces red with anger, their eyes blazing with determination. They looked ready to charge at the Hourglass Group's so-called protection force at any moment.
"This guy's really good at talking. Who is he?" Nagato asked, finishing the last sip of his ramen broth.
A waiter clearing the table next to them overheard the question and replied, "Him? That's Taro Myōwa. He's just a low-ranking shinobi who can't get any missions and is too proud to work in the factories. He spends his days rambling here, but you know what? Every time he speaks, he draws a crowd, and our business improves because of it. So our boss doesn't kick him out and even gives him a free meal every day."
"He's not just rambling. What he's saying is true…" Yahiko muttered.
Yahiko, too, was from Amegakure, an orphan no less. Before meeting Jiraiya, he, Konan, and Nagato had lived through unimaginable hardships. Yahiko knew all too well what it was like to endure hunger, war, and death.
He often wondered why life had to be so cruel. Why was there always war? Why was there always hunger? Why did people always have to die? Today, Taro Myōwa's words seemed to offer him an answer. The source of all this suffering was Sunagakure and the Hourglass Group. They were the ones who needed to be driven out, torn down, and destroyed.
"Yahiko, your ramen's gone cold," Konan reminded him.
Yahiko snapped out of his thoughts, realizing the crowd had already dispersed.
He quickly finished his ramen, paid the bill, and hurried home.
Back at home, he poured out everything he had seen, heard, and felt to Jiraiya, hoping his teacher could provide him with answers.
Jiraiya listened intently, then scratched his ear and said thoughtfully, "This Taro Myōwa guy is mixing truth with lies, adding a lot of personal bias. His words are deceptive and inflammatory, probably just a ploy to get free meals. Real political struggles are far more complicated than that. And as shinobi, our first duty is to hone our skills and complete our missions. Leave the rest for when you're older."
Yahiko wasn't satisfied with this response. He didn't believe a shinobi's duty was limited to improving their skills and earning money through missions. He thought their goals should be grander—like driving out the Hourglass Group and improving the lives of their fellow villagers.
Whenever he had free time, Yahiko would return to the tavern to listen to Taro Myōwa's speeches. Moved by the fiery rhetoric, he would often join the crowd in raising his fist and shouting in unison. It was as if a seed had been planted in his heart—a seed of change, a seed to reshape the world.
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