Chapter 772

"Sigh, this is just a small gathering!"

Bofengshui looked at the narrow alley, which wasn't very large, yet filled with dozens of boys and girls of varying ages, with a pink-haired little girl standing at the front.

"Interesting. Let me hear what they're saying." Bofengshui pretended to be an ordinary person and listened from the side.

An hour later.

Bofengshui stared at the pink-haired little girl standing atop the crate, speaking passionately, lost in deep thought.

"Is this what Konoha's youth is like now? What she's saying actually seems quite reasonable!"

"The future of Konoha belongs to my lord and to us, but ultimately it belongs to us—if we don't strive now to bring change, this great tree called Konoha will wither from its rotten institutions."

"Rotten institutions inevitably lead to weak national strength, and weakness invites attack!"

The pink-haired girl delivered her speech with righteous fervor, and the children below listened intently, nodding repeatedly.

"The position of Hokage has always rotated among the upper class—these upper-class Hokages never consider the problems of lower-tier ninja."

"They treat our precious lives as consumables, shattering thousands of families and leaving countless children orphaned for their own self-righteous political ambitions."

"The Hokage is the fire that ignites from the leaves—it should not be decided by the elite who becomes the torchbearer, but chosen by us, the grassroots leaves, as the one who truly represents our interests."

"Only then can the fire of Konoha burn endlessly!"

Then the pink-haired girl cited historical examples, dissecting several Hokage administrations, each one sacrificing the interests of civilian ninja to achieve so-called victories.

The war between Fire and Earth was the most typical example; she explained the death of the White Fang of Konoha with thorough logic, blaming every single failure squarely on the decay and backwardness of the Hokage system.

Some of her views Bofengshui agreed with, but others he found extreme—such as the claim that no matter how talented a person is, once they rise to Hokage through this system, they can no longer represent the interests of the masses.

"Hey, you with the yellow hair—you look unfamiliar. Are you new?"

Are you one of us who shares the same ideals?

It's quite close.

"Uh, I just arrived in the village. I plan to enter the Ninja Academy next year."

The pink-haired girl smiled gently, like a warm sun.

"It's fine—even if you're not a ninja, as long as you agree with our ideals, you're one of our comrades."

The girl's words warmed Bofengshui's heart, nearly bringing him to tears—he didn't even know why he felt this way.

How had this fiery passion suddenly ignited?

"Leader." Bofengshui didn't know how to address her.

"You can call me Sister Nana. Here, we're all brothers, all siblings—no hierarchy, no nobility or lowliness. We've gathered together as comrades, all striving for Konoha's revival."

"Is that so?"

"Relax. I can tell you don't fully understand our ideals yet—ask any questions you have."

Sister Nana's gaze was sincere, showing no suspicion at all because Bofengshui was a stranger—only unconditional trust.

To be honest, Bofengshui found this feeling wonderful—being trusted felt so good.

Ninja rarely experience this kind of trust—even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who appointed him as Fourth Hokage, never fully trusted him.

Bofengshui was no fool—he could feel Hiruzen's constant surveillance; everything he did was permitted by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In short, he was a semi-puppet Hokage, placed at the front by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Sister Nana, you just said that even if a civilian ninja somehow became Hokage due to luck, they still couldn't represent civilian ninja interests—I don't quite understand. I think the Fourth Hokage is great—he's always thought of Konoha's villagers."

Bofengshui boasted about himself without blinking.

"Bofengshui is indeed an outstanding Hokage, but you must understand one thing: the moment he became Hokage, he could no longer represent the interests of the masses."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because his class changed. In plain terms—your position determines your thinking…" Sister Nana gave another clear and insightful explanation, and eventually Bofengshui was completely convinced.

So that's how it is. So that's how it is. One talk with you is worth ten years of reading!

To hear the Dao in the morning, I could die in the evening!

"Sister Nana, you're right—the current Hokage system is indeed rotten and backward. But hoping for a single outstanding individual to reverse the entire rotten system is impossible."

"Only by changing the system at its roots can we alter Konoha's current situation."

"Konoha Ninja Village has been declining ever since the First Hokage founded it—each generation worse than the last. War has never been avoided, and the people have never known true peace."