Chapter 399: A Long-Awaited Reunion
Akahoshi's voice was hoarse, yet filled with a morbid stubbornness.
"If we don't use the'Star,' the strength of the Hoshi Ninja will decline, and once our strength drops, we won't be able to complete the commissions we once could..."
"Without commissions, the Village will lose its source of income."
"Without money, there is no food, no medicine, and no weapons. The people of the Village will starve, die of illness, or be annexed and enslaved by other nations and hidden Villages!"
His words were like a blunt knife, cruelly carving open the harsh reality of a small hidden Village struggling to survive in the cracks of the Ninja World.
"You people from the Great Nations' hidden Villages... you don't understand at all!"
"You have fertile land, abundant resources, stable mission channels, a massive population base, and a complete system for training Ninjas."
"You can sit back and relax while talking about things like 'the future,' 'health,' and'sustainable development.'"
"But what about us?" Akahoshi's voice suddenly rose, almost to a roar.
"Our Hoshigakure, our Land of Bears!"
"Sandwiched between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, with barren resources and poor land—besides that meteorite that brings power, what else do we have?"
"What does losing a little bit of lifespan matter?"
"It's better than having no commissions and being unable to survive!"
"I did kill that weak old man, the Third Hoshikage!" A hint of madness flashed in Akahoshi's eyes. "But I led Hoshigakure back onto the right track."
"The Village's income has increased, the strength of the young Ninjas has improved, and the surrounding nations and forces no longer dare to bully us so easily."
"Is this not correct?"
His words were like heavy hammer blows, striking the hearts of everyone from Hoshigakure present.
Among the Hoshi Ninja lying on the ground, some lowered their heads with complex emotions in their eyes; others showed expressions of agreement and sorrow.
Even on Hidden Leaf Village's side, the smile on Inuzuka Kiba's face vanished, and Akimichi Choji stopped chewing his potato chips.
Born in a Great Hidden Village like Hidden Leaf Village, they had enjoyed relatively abundant resources and a safe environment since childhood. It was indeed difficult for them to truly empathize with the desperation of a small Village struggling on the brink of survival.
Akahoshi's methods might be extreme or cruel, but from his perspective and understanding, this might be the only way for the Village to continue.
This was a microcosm of the cruel reality of the Ninja World.
Power and survival, the present and the future, the individual and the collective... countless contradictions intertwined to form an insoluble knot.
The atmosphere momentarily became heavy and oppressive.
"Foolish."
A cold voice broke this heavy silence.
Uchiha Sasuke slowly walked forward, standing before Akahoshi once again.
He looked down, his red eyes gazing at the collapsed Akahoshi as if looking at a dead object.
"Your vision is limited to just this much."
Sasuke's tone was filled with disdain.
"Sacrificing the future and health in exchange for fleeting power and survival is not 'correct.' It is drinking poison to quench thirst; it is the lowest form of stupidity."
"Truly powerful hidden Villages are never maintained by overdrawing the future and exploiting their villagers."
The pathetic thing was that even when Hoshigakure traded their lives for power, they were no match for Sasuke.
Burning their lives was useless in the eyes of the strong.
"Hidden Leaf Village has also faced crises of destruction and suffered heavy losses in wars."
Sasuke's voice was calm, yet it carried an indisputable power.
"You claim to do this for the Village, but you killed the leader who truly cared for the Village's future, tying everyone to a carriage destined to drive off a cliff."
"This isn't leadership; this is murder."
Sasuke's words were like sharp blades, pointing directly at the essence of Akahoshi's actions.
He might not be skilled in politics or management, but he possessed insight far beyond ordinary people and a deep understanding of the 'nature of power.'
In his view, Akahoshi's choice was merely the short-sightedness and madness of the weak in despair, not even worth mentioning.
"As for now..." Sasuke's gaze swept across the entire Hoshigakure. "Hidden Leaf Village has arrived."
"From today on, Hoshigakure will be incorporated into Hidden Leaf Village's jurisdiction and protection system."
"You will no longer need to struggle for survival, nor will you need to touch that poisonous stone."
"For all the Ninjas and villagers who have fallen ill because of the'Star,' Hidden Leaf Village will dispatch Medical Ninjas to provide treatment and care."
"Young Ninjas can enter Hidden Leaf Village's Ninja Academy to learn formal and safe Ninjutsu."
"The Village's economy and security will also be guaranteed by Hidden Leaf Village."
This was the standard procedure Hidden Leaf Village implemented after conquering other hidden Villages.
Uzumaki Naruto had said it once, and Sasuke remembered it.
Sasuke's mind often couldn't keep up, but his memory was excellent.
Uzumaki Naruto had said to suppress dissenters with force, then provide protection, medical care, education, and economic support, gradually digesting and absorbing them into the new order led by Hidden Leaf Village.
For a small Village like Hoshigakure, this might mean losing independence and freedom, but it was also indeed an opportunity to escape their predicament and gain a new life.
Hearing Sasuke's words, Akahoshi's face first showed an expression of disbelief, which then turned into distorted anger and resentment!
"No... No! You can't do this!"
He struggled to crawl up. "Hoshigakure belongs to us! It was protected with the blood and lives of generations of Hoshikage and Hoshi Ninja!"
"This is an invasion!"
However, his struggles and roars appeared pale and weak in the face of the absolute power gap and reality.
Sasuke didn't even bother to look at him again and said to Nara Shikamaru:
"Nara Shikamaru, I'll leave the rest to you."
Then, he turned and walked toward the outskirts of the Village, seemingly having lost all interest in everything here.
Nara Shikamaru looked at Sasuke's back and sighed helplessly.
He stepped forward and announced loudly to the surrounding Hoshi Ninja and villagers:
"Everyone of Hoshigakure, please listen to me..."
The footsteps of a new era were drawing closer; whether willing or not, change had already occurred.
Absolute force cannot solve everything, but it can solve most problems.
Whether it was the Five Great Nations or small countries, they could only struggle to resist under the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and even then, they might not succeed.
While the Ninjas of small countries were still fighting with Kunai and Exploding Tags, the opponent was already able to use a hundred-meter-tall giant avatar with a massive sword to cleave through your Village in one strike.
This kind of battle was no different from a Martial Artist challenging a Cultivator.
War was inherently a large-scale unfair fight.
Outside the Village, a figure wearing a black robe emerged from the shadows.
"You've been following me for two days, haven't you?"
Lightning crackled around his Ninja sword as he pointed it at the black-robed figure.
"Yes."
The figure took off his hood, revealing his original face.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Uchiha Itachi chuckled softly.
"What's wrong, Sasuke? Are you so excited by this long-awaited reunion that you're speechless?"
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