Chapter 3: Interests Between Ninja Villages
Dark clouds obscured the sun as a light drizzle fell incessantly.
Over 60% of the weather in the Rain Country consisted of rain, making the region extremely humid.
Mentioning the Rain Country inevitably brought to mind several keywords: dampness, poverty, war, and strong liquor.
The term "strong liquor" seemed somewhat contradictory to poverty. Struggling to make ends meet, yet still thinking about drinking? This left a poor impression of the Rain Country's commoners in the minds of civilians from other nations. In their eyes, the people of the Rain Country were perpetually reeking of alcohol, clad in tattered clothes, and gaunt from hunger.
While the tattered clothes and gaunt appearances did match the reality of the Rain Country's commoners, the drunkenness was something they had no choice about.
In such an extremely humid environment, without moderate consumption of strong liquor, their bodies simply couldn't withstand it. Illnesses like rheumatism would inevitably plague them sooner or later.
The drinking culture was one of the reasons for the Rain Country's poverty, but it was also one of the economic lifelines for its commoners. Since strong liquor was a daily necessity, their brewing techniques were naturally excellent, ranking among the top three across many nations.
Producing fine liquor alone didn't bring wealth; it required transportation channels. One day, the Rain Country's trade routes opened, established by the 'god' in the hearts of its people, known externally as Pain.
With trade, the Rain Country was no longer impoverished. However, recently, the Rain Country's foreign trade was suddenly cut off. Though it resumed shortly after, they now had to pay a 40% tax.
The merchants of the Rain Country naturally couldn't accept this, but within just a few days, they all agreed to these outrageous terms. Moreover, an additional transshipment point was added for liquor exports: the Hidden Leaf Village.
Now, the Rain Country's exported liquor could only be sold to the Leaf. Not only did they have to pay taxes, but they also had to endure relatively low purchase prices. Without competition, it was easy to imagine how much the prices would be squeezed.
Over 50% of the profits from the Rain Country's export trade were intercepted by the Leaf. This affected not only the merchants but also the commoners. If a large barrel of liquor previously sold for 5 taels, it now fetched at most around 2.1 taels, or even lower.
The commoners of the Rain Country didn't know that the money they were being exploited for was the Leaf's war spoils—the 'victory' spoils after the battle with Nagato.
Naruto Uzumaki, who believed he had protected everyone, might never know what the people of the Rain Country lost behind his 'reformation' of Nagato, what the Leaf gained, and the immense interests involved.
Did Naruto Uzumaki become the Leaf's hero because he protected the village? Don't be ridiculous. The Leaf had been nearly leveled by Su Xiao and Nagato. At best, Naruto had successfully repelled an external enemy. As a mere genin, neither his personal status nor his overt background qualified him to be the Leaf's hero.
The Leaf had three heroes before: Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Minato Namikaze.
The reason Naruto became a hero was mainly because he indirectly helped the Leaf seize control of a small country's economy.
Before Su Xiao and Nagato attacked the Leaf, the village wasn't incapable of occupying the Rain Country—they lacked a legitimate reason. This was an era of peace, and the Leaf dared not initiate war. Now, they had ample justification: the Rain Country's Kage had proactively attacked the Leaf and was connected to the Akatsuki's criminals.
The person handling the Rain Country affairs wasn't the Fifth Hokage. It was a miracle the current Fifth Hokage was still alive. The one responsible was Danzo-sama.
Regardless of Danzo's character, his political acumen was undoubtedly sharp. He wasn't the Hokage, yet he had built a loyal force within the Leaf, showcasing his ability.
Being squeezed by the scheming Danzo, the Rain Country's days were anything but good. Perhaps before long, its once-thriving economy would decline again.
This was the aftermath of Su Xiao and Nagato's attack on the Leaf. Su Xiao couldn't care less about the Hidden Rain Village—he had no connection to it. As for Nagato, from all perspectives, his political acumen was mediocre at best, far below his strength.
Konan was helpless but had no choice. Obito, on the other hand, was delighted. The Rain Country bearing the brunt of the attention essentially diverted the Akatsuki's heat. He had even considered disbanding the Akatsuki, given its dwindling combat strength and accumulated hatred.
But upon seeing the current situation, Obito immediately regrouped the Akatsuki. As long as the Leaf didn't target them relentlessly, there was no need to disband. Notoriety was still fame, and if used well, it could greatly aid his plans.
Rain Country, a remote town.
It was dusk. The town's streets had a fair number of passersby, wearing raincoats, dragging their weary bodies from a day's labor into the ubiquitous taverns.
Inside a small tavern, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu were having dinner. The meal wasn't lavish—just some grilled fish, wild vegetable soup, and the like.
Amu ate heartily. With its terrifying appetite, this amount of food was far from enough; it was merely a post-meal snack.
Su Xiao chewed his food. He had traveled from the central region of the Rain Country to this point, passing through several towns along the way. He had been to the Rain Country before, and the changes were minimal. The only difference was the presence of numerous Leaf ninjas.
These Leaf ninjas claimed to be supporting the Rain Country's insufficient combat strength to prevent invasion by other great nations. In reality, they were 'gentle' invaders.
The Rain Country bordered the Land of Fire, as well as the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. If the Leaf successfully established a foothold in the Rain Country and formed a war supply point, they would have a natural advantage whether attacking the Wind or Earth Countries or defending against their sneak attacks.
Bordering three great nations was the main reason for the Rain Country's endless wars. Once war broke out, it became the best buffer zone, bar none, since the Rain Country formed a triangle separating the three great nations.
The Leaf had coveted the Rain Country for years, starting from the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. They wanted to station ninjas there, but the then-leader of the Rain Country, Hanzo, was formidable. Two Hokages—Tobirama and Hiruzen Sarutobi—had launched five attacks on the Rain Country, all repelled. In those battles, Hanzo bestowed the title of the Three Ninjas on Jiraiya and the others.
Now, the Leaf had succeeded, and the credit went to a genin. Thus, the Leaf didn't hesitate to grant this genin the title of hero, as he had fulfilled the long-cherished wish of two Hokages.
These were Su Xiao's conjectures based on the history of the Naruto world. Whether accurate or not, the number of Leaf ninjas in the Rain Country spoke volumes.
Having just endured a major war, the Leaf dispatched so many ninjas to the Rain Country. The Leaf elder, Koharu Utatane, personally oversaw the Rain Country to prevent the Hidden Sand and Hidden Rock Villages from interfering. The Sand was indeed an ally, but if the interests were sufficient, allies were equally unreliable.
Su Xiao had roughly understood the situation in the Hidden Rain Village. His conclusion was that this place was not suitable for a prolonged stay. If he engaged an enemy here, the Leaf would immediately dispatch a large number of additional ninjas to surround him.
Currently, the major ninja villages appeared calm, but beneath the surface, undercurrents surged.
Su Xiao didn't linger in the Rain Country. He headed straight for its eastern side, which bordered the Land of Fire. He planned to investigate the Akatsuki's base within the Land of Fire, where he might find traces of Akatsuki members.