Not long after.
Senju Hashirama was coaxed out of the Hikarikage's office by Uchiha Makoto. He still had serious business regarding the Six Kage Summit to discuss with Senju Tobirama.
A "pest" like Senju Hashirama staying here would only get in the way.... Saying this was indeed a bit hurtful to him, but there was no helping it; this was the truth.
And the Two-Tails cat, who quietly opened its eyes and confirmed that the "Great Demon King" Senju Hashirama had left the room, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then... it started hissing at Uchiha Makoto.
"Makoto, you guy, you really have no loyalty!"
"I'm telling you... if you want to touch my tail again tomorrow... absolutely not!"
However, Uchiha Makoto didn't care about such hissing at all. He grabbed the Two-Tails cat's tail and refined it instantly!
The Two-Tails cat hummed comfortably; it really liked this feeling.
Watching this scene, the weird look in Senju Tobirama's eyes didn't fade at all.
"Uchiha Makoto, I didn't expect you to get along quite well with the Two-Tails."
"Is touching the tail the secret... Do you think this method can be used on the Nine-Tails..."
Senju Tobirama held his chin with his hand, saying this with a serious face.
He had seen those sealed Tailed Beasts; each one was unruly and difficult to tame.
Especially the Nine-Tails.
It was the boss among the Tailed Beasts, with the strongest power. If Konoha could tame the Nine-Tails....
"The Nine-Tails... I think you can try."
"Cat, what do you think?"
"Hmph... that stinky fox... its temper isn't as good as mine... use a bit more force!"
"Alright, go play on the side; I have serious work to do."
Uchiha Makoto patted this lazy and gluttonous cat, then let go.
The Two-Tails hissed twice demonstratively, then jumped onto the windowsill, ran out of the Hikarikage's office in a flash, and trotted all the way back to Uchiha Makoto's villa... It's too dangerous outside; I'm going back to bully Uchiha Makoto's son!!
"Speak, Uchiha Makoto. Making such a big fuss about the Six Kage Summit, what do you want to do this time?"
"What bad intentions could I have? I just hope the light of Akatsuki Village can spread to the entire ninja world, bringing stability and order to the entire ninja world."
"Hmph... with you around, how could there be stability and order in the ninja world?"
"I'm too lazy to argue with you... hurry up and talk business."
.......
Three days remained until the formal Six Kage Summit.
The next three days were free time. As long as ninjas from various villages did not violate the laws and regulations of Akatsuki Village, they could enjoy this freedom to their heart's content and breathe the fresh and sweet air here.
And nowadays, the vast majority of ninja villages in the ninja world, even a premier great ninja village like Sunagakure, were just remote backwaters compared to Akatsuki Village.
As for those small ninja villages that didn't even have a name in the original plot, they were even less worth mentioning.
Unsurprisingly, longing and inferiority lingered in their hearts.
Matsumoto Takahashi was one of them.
He was a ninja from a small village, following the leader of the village to Akatsuki Village for the meeting, and incidentally to see the world. He had indeed heard of Akatsuki Village's prosperity, but he didn't expect it to be exaggerated to this extent.
The gap between the two sides was like a chasm!
Taking advantage of the plenty of free time, Matsumoto Takahashi came to a beer hall.
Although it was still daytime and not a holiday, logically not a good time for drinking, due to the surge in people flow in Akatsuki Village during this period, the beer hall was already full.
Most of them were ninjas from various villages, and a small part were Akatsuki Village ninjas.
The positions of the two sides were distinctly separated, not interfering with each other.
Matsumoto Takahashi looked at the high and mighty Akatsuki ninjas with a hint of envy in his eyes, then walked to the bar to order two beers for himself.
Just after finding a seat and taking a few sips of beer, Matsumoto Takahashi suddenly found a seated Akatsuki ninja very familiar.
"Fujimaru, is that you?"
"You are... Takahashi.... why are you here?"
Matsumoto Takahashi was truly surprised; he didn't expect to run into an old acquaintance in Akatsuki Village.
"I should be the one asking you this; why are you in Akatsuki Village?"
"Ha? I've long been an Akatsuki Village ninja!"
"What, even you can become an Akatsuki Village ninja!!"
Fujimaru's voice was loud, and a proud expression appeared on his face. Even his somewhat bent spine straightened at this moment.
Matsumoto Takahashi instantly showed a surprised expression.
In his opinion, someone like Fujimaru, whose strength wasn't even as good as his, would probably have died on the street long after leaving the village, his bones gnawed clean by wild dogs.
Now this guy actually told him that he had become an Akatsuki Village ninja?
Soon, the commotion here attracted many foreign ninjas drinking nearby.
"I told you long ago, there is no future in that dilapidated small ninja village!"
"There is no stable source of missions, ninja tools have to be paid for out of pocket, there are no subsidies, not even the most basic medical security... And those high and mighty higher-ups only treat us as consumables sent to die. They declare war when they say war, and declare truce when they say truce, never taking the lives of us weak ninjas seriously."
"Damn, fortunately I chose to run back then."
Fujimaru had a lot of resentment towards his previous employer. Seeing Matsumoto Takahashi, he began to complain loudly, denouncing how unbearable the days in his original ninja village were.
At first, the ninjas in the beer hall were unfamiliar with each other and still wary.
But as Fujimaru continued to output, the faces of the crowd showed a bit more agreement, and some even complained along with him.
Although no large-scale war worthy of being called a Ninja War had broken out in the ninja world currently, the background color of the ninja world was ultimately chaos and combat. Every day, various ninja forces would have conflicts and battles for various reasons.
Ninjas from large ninja villages lived a bit better, but bottom-level ninjas from small ninja villages were truly living in deep water and scorching fire.
"Oh my... then how did you become an Akatsuki Village ninja now... Joining a big ninja village like Akatsuki Village isn't that easy."
"Don't I know your strength?"
Compared to Fujimaru fiercely denouncing his original ninja village at the wine table, Matsumoto Takahashi cared more about how Fujimaru joined Akatsuki Village.
Akatsuki Village was one of the top large ninja villages in the ninja world, not a ninja village that any trash could join.
For a moment, more foreign ninjas in the beer hall turned their gazes to Fujimaru.
They were also very curious in their hearts!
If Fujimaru could join Akatsuki Village, then could they.... The days of small ninja village ninjas were really hard.
"Your news is simply too outdated; you don't pay attention to Akatsuki Village news at all."
"As early as two years ago, Akatsuki Village released a new policy called a visa... As long as ninjas, skilled workers, and strong ordinary people have a chance to get a visa."
"As long as you get a visa, generally speaking, working in Akatsuki Village for ten years gives you a chance to get a permanent blue card. This represents permanent residency rights, allowing you to wear an Akatsuki Village forehead protector. Even the next generation has a chance to enter the ninja academy specifically for training elite ninjas, or at least enter an ordinary ninja academy..."
Another pure passerby in the beer hall chimed in at just the right time.
These things were not secrets within Akatsuki Village; they were considered public news.
"Is it that simple?"
"How is that possible... Getting a visa is not that simple. If those big merchants want to join Akatsuki Village, they have to pay a naturalization tax, which costs millions of ryō easily. This is just a chance, not a guarantee."
"And those ordinary people, they can only sign long-term labor contracts with factories. It is difficult to get an Akatsuki Village permanent blue card. However, most factories here provide food and accommodation. Not only is it safe, but there are also wages. This is already very high treatment. However, if certain conditions are met, their children have a chance to become part of Akatsuki Village."
"As for us ninjas, powerful ninjas can naturally pass the review smoothly and get the Akatsuki Village permanent blue card very quickly, obtaining formal status. Ninjas with low strength are certainly not without opportunities. They can choose to sign a mission contract with Akatsuki Village. Every time a mission is executed... dangerous missions are also needed... If you work for ten years, you can get an Akatsuki Village permanent blue card and become part of Akatsuki Village... If you make contributions to Akatsuki Village... inventing patents in the technical field can accelerate this process..."
Fujimaru narrated as if enumerating his family treasures, his tone full of immense pride.
He had long memorized these regulations by heart.
Although Fujimaru hadn't obtained a permanent blue card yet, he had worked hard in Akatsuki Village for so long and already had a visa. The rest was just slowly biding his time.
Whenever he went out to execute missions wearing an Akatsuki Village forehead protector, he felt superior to others.
Who dares to provoke him, who dares to kill him!
The last village that dared to openly and deliberately provoke Akatsuki was Kumogakure, and what was the result?
Lord Hikarikage directly led Akatsuki Village's heavenly soldiers to beat Kumogakure into surrender and signed a pile of unequal treaties!
So no matter how much hardship and fatigue he suffered in Akatsuki Village, it was worth it!
"Are the conditions that harsh... Not only do you have to do all kinds of dirty and tiring work, but you also have to endure for such a long time."
"Ten years... I don't even know if I can live for ten years..."
Matsumoto Takahashi couldn't help but frown.
Currently, the average lifespan of ordinary ninjas was generally around thirty years old.
If war broke out, it would be even shorter, purely a short-lived species.
And joining Akatsuki Village required at least ten years. Even if the speed was accelerated midway, it was still a very long time. During this process, one had to accept various assigned missions and do some dirty and tiring work. Who knew if one could survive until the day of formally joining Akatsuki Village.
No matter how you looked at it, Akatsuki Village was deliberately exploiting them.
"Moreover, Fujimaru, you are not considered a formal Akatsuki Village ninja now, at most a second-class Akatsuki ninja."
"You guy, what are you saying!!"
"You simply don't know how great Akatsuki Village is. Even being a second-class ninja in Akatsuki Village is better than you lot."
Matsumoto Takahashi's casual complaint made Fujimaru fly into a rage.
In an instant, Fujimaru's face flushed red, and the flames of anger burned in his eyes, making him look like a beast about to rage.
Thus, Fujimaru looked at the surrounding foreign ninjas with an unruly and rather contemptuous gaze, and started firing map cannons (insulting everyone).
"In Akatsuki Village, life becomes exceptionally pure. There are fewer complicated factional disputes, and the focus of life is all on living steadily. Everyone can manage their own small life with peace of mind. Without those entangled conflicts of interest and identity barriers, capable people can find the most suitable stage here to display their ambitions, and incapable people can also receive basic ninja tools and supplies for free. No matter what your background or past is, even ordinary ninjas who have just joined the village can climb to management positions based on solid achievements."
"The last bottom-level ninja like me was initially just a Genin, but because he was in the Technology Department... finally became a Jōnin through his own efforts and leaped into the core layer of the village..."
"This is the Akatsuki Dream. In front of dreams, everyone is equal!"
"In the entire ninja world, only Akatsuki Village can give us bottom-level ninjas these opportunities, the opportunity to talk equally with those high and mighty Kekkei Genkai ninjas!!"
Fujimaru's eyes sparkled with light, his face full of intoxication, and he smacked his lips as if wanting to say more after finishing.
These words quickly resonated with the surrounding Akatsuki ninjas.
Because what Fujimaru said was indeed true.
According to the traditional ninja village framework, ninjas were focused on figuring out how to complete missions faster and better.
And under this system, strength was the first priority.
But bloodline was something that could greatly improve a ninja's combat power. Even children who hadn't undergone ninja training could easily kill a large number of ordinary people without controlling the power of their Kekkei Genkai at all. And ninjas with Kekkei Genkai... they were destined to be stronger than ordinary ninjas.
The voice and status of Kekkei Genkai ninjas and ordinary ninjas had always been worlds apart.
But in Akatsuki Village...
Kekkei Genkai ninjas indeed enjoyed extremely high voice and status.
But Uchiha Makoto hated brainless fighting machines the most.
And because the Uchiha Clan had already joined Konoha, Uchiha Makoto didn't have trusted family clansmen around him, which destined that his base could only be civilian ninjas.
To suppress the local ninja clan forces in Akatsuki Village, he had also spent a lot of energy and massive resources cultivating numerous civilian ninjas.... As long as the number reached a certain level, even if relying on quantity, according to the smallest ratio, the geniuses born among ordinary people were no less than those in Kekkei Genkai families.
After these children showed talent, they would naturally be carefully cultivated by Uchiha Makoto.
Whether it was pure ninja talent, or scientific research, business, agriculture... various talents, Uchiha Makoto was very willing to promote them in the village, and then let them become the pillars of Akatsuki Village.
And the story of a civilian grassroots boy counterattacking to become a high-level official of the ninja village was something everyone loved to hear and see.
Uchiha Makoto would of course also focus on promoting this, becoming the most dazzling sun in the hearts of ordinary ninjas.
For a time, Akatsuki ninjas joined the battlefield one after another.
They narrated familiar inspirational stories of "poor boys" counterattacking around them as if enumerating their family treasures.
Receiving support, Fujimaru's face became even ruddier, and his waist had never been so straight from birth until now.
I am indeed lower than others in Akatsuki Village, but I am much nobler than you guys!