Naruto: Did i Just Get Reincarnated as Gojo?

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Beyond serving as the Land of Fire's gateway to the outside world, Otogakure also functioned as a shield, protecting the homeland from external threats, resisting the pressure of invasion from the northern reaches of the Shinobi World.

If any force sought to bring the flames of war to the Land of Fire, they would first have to breach this formidable wall that Gojo Kaigetsu had painstakingly erected in Otogakure, at considerable expense.

The four Daimyos' envoys accepted the reports presented by Gojo Kaigetsu—their expressions reflecting a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

Setting aside the Land of Fire for the moment… the Daimyo capitals of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, how many years of accumulated development did it take to reach their current state?

How could Otogakure, even counting from its very inception—built in such a remarkably short time, have amassed such a substantial population?

The envoy from the Land of Earth, who had remained silent until now, couldn't restrain his skepticism.

"How was this achieved? You wouldn't be manipulating the data in this report, attempting to deceive us into joining your venture, would you?"

"There's an abundance of refugees. The Land of Sound was inherently impoverished, and its geographical location—nestled within the arc of the Shinobi World, makes it ideally situated to absorb the populations of surrounding small towns and minor countries."

"Konoha's policy is to resettle these refugees. Envoys, consider this: how much manpower is required to construct an entirely new ninja village—no, perhaps 'city' is a more accurate term?"

Gojo Kaigetsu raised a single finger.

"I've calculated that Otogakure alone necessitates over a hundred distinct workshops. There are those dedicated to lumber harvesting, those producing tiles, those manufacturing glass, and those responsible for cargo transportation… These workshops cannot be solely staffed by ninjas utilizing ninjutsu."

"The current manpower shortage exceeds tens of thousands. Tens of thousands with employment in Otogakure—what does this signify? It signifies that tens of thousands of households can be resettled. Tens of thousands of households translate to nearly one hundred thousand individuals!"

Gojo Kaigetsu continued, his voice gaining momentum—"Across the various construction sites of Otogakure, countless bricklayers, stonemasons, carpenters, and a multitude of other laborers are still desperately needed."

"A single large venue, capable of accommodating 100,000 people—requires the involvement of thousands of workers. Due to this overwhelming demand for manpower, some ninjas have even discarded their headbands and joined this infrastructure bonanza."

"And this is merely one landmark venue in Otogakure. Considering the entirety of Otogakure, even by conservative estimates, there are tens of thousands of jobs. Adding all this up, the manpower required is at least 50,000, and it may very well increase in the future."

"How many individuals will relocate their families to Otogakure—drawn by these 50,000 jobs? After these individuals receive their wages, they will still require food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and, of course, foot massages. How much demand will this generate?"

A delectable—perfectly formed pie was thus presented before the four envoys.

The envoy from the Land of Earth nodded thoughtfully.

To construct a super-large ninja village and amass such a substantial population in such a brief timeframe—This was undoubtedly a marvel of the Shinobi World, perhaps best described as a Konoha miracle.

With a single decree from the Hokage Tower—a burgeoning new city in the Shinobi World had been conjured into existence in the impoverished and diminutive Land of Sound.

However, this model—was virtually impossible to replicate.

Primarily because other nations lacked Konoha's vast wealth, and secondly, the numerous small countries surrounding the arc of the Shinobi World could only withstand so much siphoning by Konoha.

——

The four Daimyos' envoys set down the reports.

Apart from the envoy from the Land of Lightning—whose expression remained somewhat grim, the faces of the other three envoys visibly relaxed…

People represented a market. Particularly in a nascent city like Otogakure—it presented an irresistible lure to anyone in the Shinobi World.

Regardless of the business venture, a substantial return was virtually guaranteed.

When the winds of opportunity blow—even a pig can take flight.

The envoy from the Land of Lightning, his face dark, remarked sarcastically, "Hmph—even resorting to deploying ninjas to perform the labor of ordinary citizens. Your Konoha is truly desperate."

"Ah, well… securing ninja employment is proving increasingly challenging. The total number of commissions is so limited, and no new ninja battlefields are being opened… Even ninjas are compelled to remove their headbands and engage in… less specialized labor."

"Perhaps I should return to the village and immediately request that the Hokage Tower announce the opening of a second battlefield in the Land of Lightning?" Gojo Kaigetsu countered, a thinly veiled threat in his voice.

The Land of Lightning envoy's face shifted; he gave a curt snort and fell silent.

Preposterous!!

The Daimyo had dispatched him to devise methods for generating revenue for the Daimyo's treasury, not to declare war on Konoha.

Gojo Kaigetsu—this scoundrel—was crude, but his words held a kernel of truth. The ninja profession was indeed becoming increasingly precarious.

While individual ninjas might not perceive any immediate issues, from the perspective of the Raikage Tower and the Daimyo's treasury, problems were already clearly discernible.

In summary, the current situation in Kumogakure was this:

The high-net-worth individuals in the Land of Lightning were experiencing consistent losses—and the number of wealthy individuals willing to invest in Kumogakure was dwindling.

The investment of wealthy individuals in commissions had traditionally been the cornerstone of the ninja village economy.

Due to the localized ninja war between Kumogakure and Konoha, the village's resources were consolidated—and the ninja clans and oligarchs were significantly bled.

Kumogakure's economy experienced an artificial surge, but…

This dividend would inevitably be exhausted—and the problems stemming from the decline of this core industry would inevitably surface.

At that point, the challenges confronting Kumogakure would be dire.

A legion of ninjas with nothing to do but frequent the gymnasium. Once they lost the commissions provided by the Raikage Tower, it would equate to widespread unemployment.

Why were they unemployed? Fundamentally, it was a matter of supply and demand.

Kumogakure was akin to a microcosm of the entire Land of Lightning.

The Land of Lightning's economy was declining under the pressure of the Land of Fire's economic policies, and Kumogakure was like the largest corporation in the Land of Lightning.

The business of Kumogakure was struggling, necessitating a reduction in operating costs, and, as everyone knew, labor costs constituted the largest portion.

Consequently, Kumogakure continuously slashed salaries and laid off staff… Simultaneously, due to the volatile situation in the Shinobi World—it was compelled to intensify ninja training in preparation for war.

On one hand—the instability caused by the localized conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure forced Kumogakure to aggressively train ninjas; on the other hand—the diminishing number of lucrative commissions meant that the Raikage Tower could not provide sufficient work to support this growing number of ninjas…

Thus—Kumogakure entered a vicious cycle.

In an attempt to cut costs and boost efficiency, and to reduce labor expenses, a culture of tipping became rampant in Kumogakure, leading to a surge in complaints to the Raikage Tower.

Even the Raikage Tower's own commissions were subtly exhibiting this trend.

The commission rates were repeatedly increased, and the Raikage Tower tacitly condoned the ninjas' practice of soliciting tips from employers.

Faced with this seemingly unstoppable decline in their core industry, an "Expert" from the Raikage Tower emerged, proclaiming:

[—Faced with numerous competitors, it is undeniably challenging to distinguish oneself. Since we cannot currently compete, we must reflect upon our own shortcomings. Why is our competence inferior?]

[—If young ninjas fail to engage in self-reflection, instead resorting to complaining about the Raikage Tower's actions, they are merely 'whining,' blaming external factors, and perceiving the village as unjust. I deem this an irresponsible attitude towards one's own ninja way!]

[—No one sympathizes with losers; everyone venerates winners. To avoid being culled by the village, you must enhance your own competitiveness… If you genuinely lack a source of income, you might consider renting out your shuriken, kunai—or even your 'Exploding Tags'…]

"Young ninjas needn't prioritize marriage so early; you could consider renting out the wedding home purchased for you by your parents…"

Ninjas unable to secure commissions from the Raikage Tower were—in effect—Unemployed!!

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