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Jin did not bother with suspense.
"During this war, we have already secured full control over the Land of Waves. At the same time, Shisui should already be at the daimyo's residence."
The moment those words landed, shock rippled through the group.
Then excitement followed.
Minato struggled to suppress the surge of emotion in his chest. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
"Does that mean the reform is starting early?"
According to their original plan, every step was meant to wait until Minato officially became the Fourth Hokage and gained control over the core authority of the Leaf.
But now, it was clear something had changed.
Jin nodded calmly.
"Plans never survive reality, On the Mist front, I encountered someone."
Minato frowned slightly.
"Who?"
He could not imagine what kind of person would force Jin to advance a plan that had been prepared for years.
"Gato."
Minato froze.
He searched his memory, but the name meant nothing to him.
Seeing this, Jin smiled faintly.
"Do not bother, Gato is not a shinobi."
"He is a merchant. The head of the largest maritime shipping company in the shinobi world."
Understanding dawned.
Minato had little knowledge of matters outside the shinobi system. It was only natural that the name meant nothing to him.
In truth, most shinobi ignored the civilian world entirely.
Jin continued.
"Gato is one of the wealthiest men alive. His company has effectively monopolized global sea transport. His wealth rivals that of a nation."
"This time, he was smuggling weapons into the Land of Water. We happened to intercept him."
"Under normal circumstances, finding him would not have been so easy."
Minato's expression sharpened.
"Jin, from the sound of it, you already control him and his assets."
"Correct," Jin replied. "Controlling Gato means we now possess a continuous and reliable source of funding."
"With sufficient financial backing, many obstacles simply disappear."
"And more importantly, we now have the confidence to begin reform."
Minato fell silent, weighing the implications.
Beside him, Akimichi Dong frowned.
"Jin, Shinobi interfering with civilians crosses a line. That is not how things are done."
In the shinobi world, there existed an unspoken rule.
Shinobi did not openly target civilians.
Of course, this protection applied mainly to powerful civilians. Daimyo. Nobles. Political elites.
The rule's origin was unclear, but every major village observed it with tacit agreement.
Jin chuckled softly and turned to Akimichi Dong.
"Rules are dead, People are alive."
"Do not forget our ultimate goal."
Dong stiffened.
Without thinking, he answered.
"To fundamentally change this world."
Since the birth of shinobi thousands of years ago, conflict has never ceased.
From the chaotic era of warring clans to the age of hidden villages and large-scale wars, peace had never lasted.
Endless bloodshed had worn the world down.
So many had grown to despise war.
Even the final figures lurking in the shadows of history pursued their own versions of peace.
That alone showed how deeply this world had grown to hate conflict.
And it was this very belief that had allowed Jin to gather a group of like-minded individuals around him.
He turned to Akimichi Dong and spoke with solemn clarity.
"But changing this world cannot be achieved by changing shinobi alone."
"How many shinobi are there in total?"
"Even if you count generously, no more than two hundred thousand."
"And how many people exist in this world as a whole?"
"That number must be measured in the hundreds of millions."
"In other words, shinobi make up less than one ten thousandth of the population."
Jin's words forced everyone present to view the world from a perspective they had never truly considered.
He continued.
"At the beginning, shinobi were hired to accept commissions and carry out missions."
"But because of their overwhelming strength, even hiring a single genin was more cost-effective than employing ten ordinary soldiers."
"Over time, shinobi became tools, Task machines."
"And slowly, they became the focal point of conflict itself."
"From ancient times until now, every conflict between shinobi has been, at its core, an extension of disputes between their employers."
Jin's expression grew increasingly serious.
"So if you want to end war, if you want to truly change this world. Targeting shinobi alone will never be enough."
"If the root remains untouched, war will never end."
He paused, then spoke with quiet resolve.
"I know this path is filled with thorns."
"I know we may never reach the end."
"But in every era, past, present, and future, there are always those who pursue peace and change."
"One life carries the fate of ten thousand."
"Rather than leaving every problem to future generations, I would rather let one generation suffer for three."
"I would rather one generation fight the wars of three generations."
"If that is what it takes to carve a road forward for those who come after us."
As Jin's words settled, the expressions of those present slowly changed.
Silence, Confusion, then resolve.
Minato in particular looked as though twin flames had ignited in his eyes.
In the past, influenced by his teacher Jiraiya, Minato had believed in destiny and cycles of cause and effect.
For problems without solutions, he would instinctively entrust them to the next generation.
But now, under Jin's influence, that belief had shattered.
There were no unsolvable problems.
There were no insurmountable obstacles.
Even failure had value.
If they failed, then they would at least mark the wrong path and spare those who followed from repeating it.
That was the responsibility of those who came before.
Akimichi Dong spoke heavily.
"Jin, you see further than any of us."
Minato followed, speaking from the heart.
"Jin, in truth, you are far more suited to be Hokage than Orochimaru or me."
Jin smiled and shook his head.
"Suitability is not determined by ability alone. A position must be judged from many angles."
"And besides."
"Hokage is only the beginning."
"Our path does not end with the Leaf."
"Our destination is far greater."
"Our journey reaches for the stars and beyond."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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