novelonline Chapter 491 Yamato's Encounters in the Land of Light
Chapter 491 Yamato's Encounters in the Land of Light
Kizaru, noticing Yamato's gaze still drawn to the mecha that hadn't gone far, continued, "The mecha you see was born from the inspiration of a genius, but its production is the result of the collective efforts of many workers on the production line. In this era, people's abilities vary greatly, and as a government, as the administrator of a country, their job is to place the right people in the right positions and guide them to make their own contributions."
When society operates in an orderly manner under the management of order, when productivity is fully utilized, and when scientific theories are transformed into practical results, the realization of these conditions inevitably heralds the arrival of a peaceful and prosperous era.
Kizaru's words were somewhat profound to Yamato. Her gaze towards him held a touch of innocent confusion. She could roughly understand that governing a country was a task that required a lot of brainpower.
So Yamato nodded and said with a look of agreement, "Kaido and his bunch of idiots, as well as Orochi and the others, are all a bunch of fools. They can't possibly govern Wano Country well."
Kizaru looked at Yamato and listened to her angry outburst. Finally, he couldn't help but ask with a hint of sarcasm, "Then, with all the other samurai daimyo you mentioned, did they have the brains to govern this country well?"
Kizaru's question left Yamato speechless for a moment, but due to her stubborn nature, she still insisted, "At least before Kaido appeared, life in Wano Country was better than it is now."
"How much better can it get? The samurai and nobles who wield military power still occupy official positions. Power only flows among these families. Aren't the geishas in the red-light district sold into servitude by their parents at a young age? The common people toil only to barely survive. The Oden you respect, and those daimyo, did they oppose Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi because they exploited the people?"
No, they oppose these people because they threaten their rule and the succession of power. Their so-called heroic sacrifices are nothing more than fighting for the power of their families.
Ultimately, what's the difference between them and Kaido? The only difference is that their families have ruled Wano Country for over a thousand years, treating it as their own land. Kaido, summoned by Kurozumi Orochi, disrupted the country's established political order and threatened their rule.
Kizaru's words directly and bluntly revealed to Yamato the interests behind the so-called struggle in Wano Country.
This was a bit beyond Yamato's comprehension, leaving her momentarily speechless. In her naive mind, Oden represented justice and was a hero, while Kaido was the villain who killed the hero.
Therefore, avenging the heroes, defeating the villain Kaido, and restoring Wano Country to its former rule, so that the world can become a better place again, is the only correct direction in Yamato's opinion.
But now, Kizaru tells her that the heroes he considers to be nothing more than beings who fight and sacrifice themselves to protect their own and their families' power. Their battle with Kaido is not a battle between good and evil, but a struggle for power. To Yamato, this is like someone blatantly shattering the fairy tale world she has always imagined with a hammer.
"You're talking nonsense! Oden was a hero who wanted to save Wano Country!" Yamato insisted.
Kizaru chuckled, as if looking at a child who hadn't grown up. He didn't continue arguing with Yamato, but instead led her on a walk through the streets of the capital.
As the two approached the city center, the scene they saw became somewhat retro. As the capital of the Land of Light, which evolved from Konoha Village, it was home to the ninja clans of Konoha, as well as ninja clans that had migrated from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Leaving aside the ninja clans that were relocated and settled in the newly planned urban areas, the original ninja clans of Konoha were allocated large and small plots of land in Konoha when they were in the Land of Fire.
Now that Konoha Village has become the capital of the Land of Light, and with the construction of the city and the continuous expansion of the urban area, those clan territories that once seemed to be on the edge of Konoha Village can now be considered to be located in the city center.
This has also brought about a problem: many long-standing ninja clans still adhere to the ancient courtyard architectural style. While this adds a touch of historical depth to the city, it also leads to insufficient land use.
Previously, Tobirama had discussed this issue with Kizaru, proposing that the government should take the lead in purchasing or cooperating with the ninja clans to develop a batch of land in the city center and create a number of commercial centers to meet the capital's increasingly scarce land needs.
Tobirama sought to discuss with Kizaru with the intention of having the Senju and Shimura families, currently the strongest and most prestigious clans in the Land of Light, take the lead by contributing their clan lands, thus setting a good example.
As it turned out, Tobirama's approach was correct. With the Senju and Shimura clans taking the lead in selling about one-third of the land they owned and developing it commercially, a model of selling half and developing the other half, it quickly inspired other ninja clans to take action.
The remaining ninja clans, those with a long-term vision, chose to jointly develop projects with the government, other large companies, or through bank loans, in order to ensure the long-term benefits of their clans.
Some short-sighted or declining families have chosen to sell their land at high prices to obtain massive amounts of funds for other investments, or to relocate from the increasingly competitive city center to newly developed areas on the outskirts of the capital, or to other cities.
The development and construction of land in the city center has led to the movement of ninja clans. Many large ninja clans that previously came from other ninja villages have used their accumulated wealth or ninjutsu secrets to purchase a lot of land in the city center, thus obtaining residential areas similar to those of the old Konoha ninja clans.
This can also be considered a competition between Konoha and other ninja clans. This competition has shifted from past mission conflicts and wars to the location of the clan's residence, the size, luxury, and elegance of the main family's mansion, the positions that the clan's strongmen and talents have been promoted in the Land of Light, and the number of successful descendants of the clan. All of these have become areas of competition for them.
These ninja clans, possessing wealth, land, and money, have, in a sense, become the privileged class of the Land of Light. However, unlike the world nobles of the pirate world, they are no different from ordinary people, at least in the eyes of the laws of the Land of Light.
The only difference between them and ordinary people is that they have access to more means of production by virtue of their early start and through family inheritance.
This is a problem that even Kizaru would find difficult to solve. This is not only because Kizaru also comes from a ninja clan, but also because these ninja clans are one of the core forces that maintain the rule of the Land of Light.
What Kizaru can do, what Tobirama is doing now is to continuously develop education, allowing more commoners to enjoy the educational resources that were once only available to the descendants of ninja clans and nobles, while ensuring the fairness of the selection of government officials and creating a free path for talented people among the commoners to advance.
In the Land of Light, anyone with talent can become a powerful ninja, a top researcher, or an excellent government official. This is the fairness that Kizaru and Tobirama ensured for the common people.
After traversing the city center where modern buildings and historic residences coexist, Kizaru finally brought Yamato to the Land of Light Military Academy, located next to the government building in the heart of the capital and situated beneath the Hokage Rock.
This was formerly the Konoha Ninja Academy, and is now the top military academy in the Land of Light. Every student who can study here is a genius among geniuses.
Kizaru stood with Yamato on the tree-lined path outside the school playground, watching the students training inside.
"This is the top military academy in the Land of Light. Every student here is a genius among geniuses. They will all join the army in the future and become one of the forces that protect the Land of Light," Kizaru said, looking towards the training ground.
Yamato looked at the training ground, where some students were receiving some kind of throwing training, some were receiving physical training, and some were like Devil Fruit users, some breathing fire, some spraying water, and some manipulating soil. For the first time, he became somewhat interested in the kind of learning that Kizaru had mentioned.
The idea of providing these teenagers with standardized training to ensure their growth and safety seems quite interesting.
Especially after Yamato recalled Kaido's training methods for her and his subordinates, she felt even more that this school was good.
"The students here are all selected to enter at the age of twelve. They study here for six years and graduate after passing the examination. Graduates can directly obtain the rank of Chunin."
Speaking of military ranks, when Kizaru first established the Land of Light, he wanted to completely abandon the ranking system of Genin, Chunin, and Jonin and replace it with the military rank system he had before he transmigrated.
However, for the ninjas of various villages who were already accustomed to the ninja system, as well as ordinary people, the military rank system he designed was a bit too complicated and convoluted. In the end, after discussing with Tobirama and others, Kizaru chose a compromise to avoid confusion and set the military ranks as three major levels: Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. Then, in order to further subdivide the strength of each level, he set up three levels for Genin, Chunin, and Jonin respectively.
At the same time, above the Jonin level, Kizaru added a Kage level to commemorate the era of the former ninja villages. Ninjas who are awarded the Kage level strength label represent that they have the ability to independently change the course of a war.
This is the highest recognition of a ninja's strength; currently, there are fewer than twenty people in Konoha who have been awarded the rank of Kage.
Meanwhile, the Land of Light's First Military Academy, formerly known as Konoha Ninja Academy, also reformed its education system. The academy no longer accepts students from lower grades. As a higher academy, it only accepts outstanding students who have graduated from the sixth-grade compulsory junior school and passed the assessment.
In the Land of Light, schools are divided into primary, secondary, and higher schools. Primary school is a six-year compulsory education system that all school-age children must attend according to the laws of the Land of Light.
After graduating from junior high school, students have three options. The most outstanding students, after passing the national unified selection examination, can enroll in one of the five national universities, which also have a six-year study period.
These five higher academies are the First Military Academy, the Second Military Academy, the Medical Academy, the Science Academy, and the Political Academy of the Land of Light.
These students who graduate from higher education institutions can directly enter the three most crucial departments of the Land of Light: the government, the military, and research institutes, depending on their school and major.
It can be said that being able to get into a higher education institution means that these students will have a bright future.
With the ongoing reforms in the Land of Light and the development of these academies, ninja clans now consider the number of their descendants admitted to higher education institutions as a key indicator of their clan's future prospects.
There have even been cases where the children of ninja clan chiefs had their inheritance rights revoked because they failed to get into higher education institutions.
Those students who did not get into higher education institutions also have other options. One option is to enter a secondary school, which has a study period of three to six years. These schools mainly teach vocational skills such as civil engineering, mechanical manufacturing, accounting, and medical care, similar to the junior colleges and vocational schools in Kizaru's previous life.
Another option is to graduate directly and then enter certain chambers of commerce, factories, or workshops as an apprentice.
Starting work at twelve was illegal child labor in Kizaru's previous life, but in the world of Naruto, it's not considered young. Especially being able to apprentice in factories and technical workshops means acquiring a skill to support a family. For many teenagers from ordinary families who aren't academically gifted and can't even get into government-subsidized secondary schools, this is the best possible outcome. (End of Chapter)