"Liberate productivity? What does that even mean?"
Yahiko and the others looked confused. It was a term they had never heard before.
Jin's expression turned solemn.
"Don't underestimate this step. It's the most critical part."
The three instinctively straightened in their seats, listening with full attention, unwilling to miss a single word.
But Jin did not explain immediately. Instead, he asked a question.
"You seek peace. But what is your ultimate goal in pursuing peace?"
Yahiko answered without hesitation.
"So that everyone can live better lives. So people don't have to survive day to day in fear anymore."
Jin nodded slightly.
"And when you say 'everyone,' who exactly do you mean?"
Yahiko frowned.
"Everyone means everyone."
Jin looked at him meaningfully.
"And if I told you that even if war disappeared, life would still remain unbearable for most people… what then?"
"That's impossible!" Yahiko shook his head, unable to accept it.
Nagato and Konan were equally puzzled.
All three were war orphans. In their eyes, every suffering they had endured came from war. End the war, and suffering ends.
That had always been their logic.
Now Jin was telling them that even without war, hardship would persist.
It was difficult to swallow.
And in truth, their perspective was shaped by the Land of Rain's unique situation.
Though Rain followed the One Country, One Village system, it was a small nation perpetually ravaged by war. It had no Daimyō and no "Kage" title in the conventional sense.
Rain had only one leader—
Hanzo of the Salamander.
In such an environment, survival was the primary concern. There was no fertile ground for a sprawling noble class like in larger countries.
Yes, there were people who lived better than others in Rain.
But their exploitation was nowhere near as severe as in other lands.
So it was natural that Yahiko and the others, who had never left Rain, didn't fully grasp the world's true structure.
Jin broke the silence.
"You know about nobles, right?"
"Yes," the three nodded.
"Then what do you think of them?"
They exchanged awkward glances.
They had no real answer.
Jin continued.
"To put it simply—nobles are those who control vast amounts of resources."
"They make up less than 0.1% of the population."
"Yet they control over 70% of the world's wealth and resources."
"Ninja? Tools in their hands."
"Commoners? Livestock that generate their wealth."
"War? A method for redistributing利益—benefits—among themselves."
His voice grew heavier.
"You may find it hard to imagine, but even after three Great Ninja Wars, those noble lords never stopped indulging in feasts and entertainment."
"Even during peacetime, the lower classes are relentlessly exploited."
"Farmers toil in the fields, yet most of their harvest is handed over. They keep only enough to barely survive."
"One natural disaster. One human calamity."
"And countless families collapse."
"The fortunate sell their possessions to survive."
"The desperate sell their children."
"Others become bandits."
"In this world, aside from noble capitals, most places are filled with quiet misery."
Jin's tone was restrained—but anger simmered beneath it.
In the anime, what was shown was often the prosperous side of the world.
Bustling markets.
Peaceful streets.
Stable lives.
War seemed like the only blemish.
But the truth?
This world's technology was strangely advanced in some aspects and painfully backward in most others. Society was still fundamentally agrarian.
Behind every bright street was blood and sweat.
The most vivid reminder in canon?
The people of the Land of Waves scraping together everything they had—yet still unable to afford a proper B-rank mission fee.
The world was never as clean as it looked.
"...How can that be…" Yahiko murmured, feeling numb.
Nagato's Rinnegan reflected confusion.
They had believed peace was the solution.
Now they were being told peace alone was insufficient.
Jin continued calmly.
"The world still has immense untapped resources."
"Our current level of development likely hasn't even reached 1% of what's possible."
"But because a tiny minority already monopolizes abundance, they have no incentive to improve conditions for others."
"As long as they and their descendants remain comfortable, they are satisfied."
"And so society hardens."
"A slave's child becomes a slave."
"A peasant's child remains a peasant."
"A disposable pawn's child grows into another pawn."
"And a noble's son?"
"Remains a noble."
Silence weighed heavily in the room.
"So if we truly want change…"
"We must dismantle the current system."
"And build a new one."
"To let everyone live well—"
"We must first unify the world under one shared standpoint."
"Then reform the system."
"Liberate productivity."
"And create far greater resources."
This was the conclusion Jin had reached after years of observing this world.
Peace alone wasn't enough.
Unity, reform, and development—
All three were necessary.
Yahiko's expression grew troubled.
"Jin-nii… even if what you say makes sense… overturning the current system would meet enormous resistance, wouldn't it?"
He wasn't foolish.
He understood the implication immediately.
If such ideas were implemented, the entire shinobi world would descend into turmoil.
The bloodshed required…
It terrified him.
Jin did not sugarcoat it.
"Those people control most of the world's resources."
"If we move against them—"
"We would be making enemies of nearly the entire world."
He paused.
His gaze steady.
His voice resolute.
"But throughout history, no true reform has ever occurred without blood."
"If I have seen the problem—"
"I will not leave it for the next generation to solve."
His eyes burned like twin embers.
"If blood must be shed…"
"Let it begin with our generation."
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