"increase resources? What does that mean?"
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan looked puzzled. It was a term they had never heard before.
Uchiha Ren spoke with a serious tone.
"Don't underestimate this step. It's the most crucial part of all."
The three of them unconsciously straightened their backs, focusing with complete attention, not wanting to miss a single word of what Ren was about to say.
However, Ren did not immediately explain what "liberating productive forces" meant. Instead, he asked another question.
"You pursue peace—but what is the purpose of that peace?"
Yahiko answered without hesitation.
"So that everyone can live better lives. So people no longer have to live each day wondering if they'll survive until tomorrow."
Ren nodded slightly and asked again,
"And who exactly do you mean by 'everyone'?"
Yahiko frowned.
"Everyone, of course."
Ren looked at him meaningfully before speaking in a deeper voice.
"But what if I told you that peace alone cannot change the current situation?"
"Even without war, people would still live in misery."
"That's impossible!"
Yahiko shook his head in disbelief.
Nagato and Konan also showed confusion.
The three of them were war orphans. In their eyes, all the suffering they had experienced came from war. If war disappeared, then naturally the suffering should disappear as well.
From the very beginning, they had focused solely on one goal—ending war and achieving peace.
But now Ren was telling them that even if war vanished, suffering would remain unchanged.
That was something they found extremely difficult to accept.
Of course, their limited understanding was also shaped by the special circumstances of the Land of Rain.
Although the Land of Rain also followed the One Country, One Village System, it was a small nation and a perpetual battlefield. Because of this, it had neither a Daimyō nor a Kage.
The country had only a single leader—
Hanzo of the Salamander.
In such an environment, survival was always the first priority. There was no fertile ground for a true aristocratic class to emerge.
Although some people in the Land of Rain lived relatively better lives, their exploitation of commoners was nowhere near as severe as in other countries.
So it was natural that Yahiko and the others—who had never left the Land of Rain—did not understand the true structure of the world.
Ren didn't immediately explain. Instead, he asked another question.
"You three know about nobles, right?"
"We do," they nodded.
"That's good," Ren continued.
"Then what do you think of them?"
The three exchanged glances.
They knew of nobles—but they had never interacted with them, nor truly understood them.
How could they possibly have an opinion?
Seeing this, Ren finally began explaining.
"To put it simply, nobles are people who control enormous amounts of resources."
"They make up less than 0.1% of the population, yet they control more than 70% of the world's resources."
"To them, shinobi are tools."
"Civilians are beasts of burden that generate wealth."
"And war is merely a method of redistributing interests."
"You might not believe it, but even though the Great Ninja Wars have been fought three times, the luxurious lives of those noble lords have never been affected."
"They continue feasting and celebrating every night."
"Even during times of peace, the lower classes still suffer under the exploitation of the aristocracy."
"They work tirelessly in the fields, yet most of their harvest must be handed over to the nobles."
"They're left with barely enough grain to survive."
"And when disaster strikes—whether natural or man-made—countless families collapse overnight."
"The fortunate ones sell their possessions to survive."
"Those who have nothing left… sell their children into slavery."
"Or they turn to banditry."
"In this world, aside from the regions where nobles gather and enjoy prosperity…"
"Most other places are filled with suffering and despair."
Ren's voice grew heavy, his anger barely restrained.
Back when he had only seen this world through stories, he had mostly witnessed its brightest side—
Bustling commerce.
Lively streets.
Peaceful citizens.
The only flaw seemed to be the wars between shinobi.
But in truth, while certain technologies in this world were advanced, many others were still extremely primitive.
Society was fundamentally still in an agrarian era.
In an age where productive forces were so limited, how many people's blood and sweat supported those prosperous streets?
The most direct example in the original story might be the Land of Waves.
Even when the entire population pooled their savings together, they still couldn't afford the reward for a B-rank mission.
This world shouldn't be like this.
And shinobi shouldn't exist merely to sustain such a system.
"How… could things be like this…"
Yahiko muttered, his body trembling.
Nagato's Rinnegan was filled with confusion.
In the past, they had believed that peace alone would make people's lives better.
But now they realized—
Even with peace, suffering might remain.
Ren continued,
"In reality, this world still has vast amounts of untapped resources."
"Our current level of development might not even reach one percent."
"But a small group of people already enjoy most of those resources."
"So they don't care how everyone else lives."
"As long as they—and their descendants—continue enjoying their privileges."
"And thus, the social hierarchy becomes frozen in place."
"The child of a slave remains a slave."
"The child of a commoner remains a commoner."
"The child of cannon fodder becomes cannon fodder."
"And the son of a noble remains a noble."
"So if we truly want to change everything…"
"We must break the existing system and establish a new one."
"If we want everyone in the world to live better lives, then three things must happen simultaneously."
"First—unify the world under a shared standpoint."
"Second—change the existing system."
"And third—liberate productive forces to create more resources."
This was the conclusion Uchiha Ren had reached after observing this world for many years.
Only by advancing along all three paths could the world truly change.
Yahiko looked troubled.
"Brother Ren… everything you said makes sense."
"But if someone really tried to overturn the current system, wouldn't there be enormous resistance?"
Yahiko wasn't foolish.
He had quickly grasped the deeper implications of Ren's words.
And precisely because he understood them, he realized—
If Ren's ideas were actually implemented, they would likely unleash a storm of blood across the entire shinobi world.
The scale of sacrifice that implied filled him with fear.
Ren did not hide the truth.
"Those people control most of the world's resources."
"So if we attempt to change this system…"
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we'd face the entire world as our enemy."
He paused.
Then his gaze hardened with determination.
"Throughout history, no great reform has ever succeeded without bloodshed."
"Since I've seen the problem clearly…"
"I will not leave it for the next generation to solve."
His voice grew firm and resolute.
"If there must be sacrifice—"
"Let it begin with our generation."
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