N-M Chapter 18 Becoming a Celestial Dragon is worse than Becoming a Ninja
Chapter 18 Becoming a Celestial Dragon is worse than Becoming a Ninja
But Ryuji Ida wasn't reassured. He turned around, grabbed his son's ear, and scolded him in a low voice, "Do you think ninjutsu is so easy to learn? Do you think just anyone can become a ninja? You don't have that talent. Be a businessman and inherit the family business; that's the right path for you."
"But Father, I want to become stronger to protect you."
"Protect me? What can you use to protect me?" Ryuji Ida said with a bitter smile, "Keita, I only hope that you can live a peaceful and safe life."
He turned to Aburame Shisei and said with a fawning smile, "Lord Takikawa, don't you think so? Being a ninja isn't a profession that just anyone can do."
Aburame Shisei glanced at Ida Keita. The boy's eyes were already red, and he bit his lip, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall.
"Mr. Ida is right," he said calmly. "Ninjutsu requires special talent. Keita doesn't have the chakra constitution, so he's indeed not suitable to be a ninja."
These words were like the last straw, breaking Keita Ida's last hope.
The boy's shoulders slumped, and the starlight in his eyes went out completely. He lowered his head, silently walked back to the carriage, curled up in the shadows, and stopped talking.
Ryuji Ida apologized many times before leaving with a worried expression.
Kurosaki Ichiro sat in the corner, silently eating the reheated pancake.
He glanced furtively at Aburame Shisei and saw the scene just now: the adult and the boy were laughing and talking, their smiles warm and their eyes clear, as if everything in the woods had just been a nightmare.
But the two skeletons lying in the forest told him that none of this was a dream.
Aburame Shiki, with her keen senses, seemed to notice his gaze, beckoned to him, and placed a roasted rabbit in front of him.
Kurosaki Ichiro took the rabbit meat, nodded his thanks, and noted that the rabbit was heavily seasoned, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and tasted much better than dry food.
Night was falling.
The campsite gradually quieted down, with only the campfire still crackling.
The servants and the ronin each found a place to rest, and their snores rose and fell.
Yu Nu Zhicheng leaned against a tree, closing his eyes to rest. The parasitic insects spread silently, enveloping the entire camp in a sensory network.
The conversation between the Ida father and son in the tent naturally did not escape his ears.
"Keita, are you still angry with your father?" Ryuji Ida's voice was soft and weary.
"No," Keita Ida said sullenly.
"Kita, your father knows you said those things to protect me. But you must understand, the world of ninjas isn't as wonderful as you think."
"They are very capable."
"Amazing? Yes, they are amazing."
"So what? No matter how skilled a ninja is, he's just a tool. He's a sword in the hands of a daimyo, a pawn in the hands of a nobleman, and a thug that we merchants can hire with money."
Keita Ida remained silent.
Ryuji Ida continued, "Look at that Takikawa Hide, he's quite skilled. But why is he here? Why is he willing to protect a small caravan like ours? Because he needs money, he needs a mission, he needs to survive."
"But he saved us and didn't ask for any reward."
"Although he says no now, I'll naturally show my appreciation when we get to Takigakure. Besides, we'll hire another team of ninjas to escort us to the Land of Earth. Isn't that another kind of deal?"
Ryuji Ida's tone is very realistic, devoid of passion and heroism, and it exposes his lingering illusions.
"Keita, remember this: in the ninja world, those who truly have a voice are not ninjas or samurai, but those with power and money."
"Those daimyo and nobles, they are powerless, yet they can command hundreds or even thousands of ninjas to fight for them. Why? Because they control the resources, the land, and the rules of this world."
The sound of fabric rustling came from inside the tent, as if Ryuji Ida had sat up straight.
"Kita, your father isn't taking you to the Land of Earth just for business. I've already made arrangements so that you can study at the General Staff Office once we get there."
"Staff Office?"
"Yes. That's the think tank of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. If you study politics, economics, and diplomacy there, you might become an official if you gain the favor of a certain lord. If you can go further, you might even be granted a fief and become a new noble."
Ryuji Ida's voice was filled with longing: "By then, our Ida family will no longer be a small, insignificant merchant family. We will own land, we will have status, we will have true dignity. That is the path you should take, far better than becoming a ninja, fighting and killing all day long, living a precarious existence."
After a long silence, Keita Ida asked in a low voice, "But Father, didn't you say before that you wanted me to live an ordinary, peaceful life?"
Ryuji Ida smiled; his smile was both complex and simple.
"Qitai, ordinary people don't have the chance to live a peaceful life. So we must do everything we can to climb up. That's how the world is; if you don't climb, you'll be trampled underfoot. Merchants are lowly? Then become nobles. Commoners are humble? Then become officials. That's the right path."
Silence filled the tent for a long time, until a childish voice, still somewhat bewildered, rang out: "I understand, Father."
"Good. Go to sleep, we have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
The conversation inside the tent ended.
Under the tree, Yu Nu Zhicheng opened his eyes. At that moment, the campfire flickered in the wind. He looked up at the sky and gazed at the stars.
No matter how skilled a ninja is, they are just a tool.
Is it ridiculous?
It's not funny at all.
What Ryuji Ida said was the truth, the reality of the ninja world.
Even Konoha, which is known as the strongest ninja village, is under the financial control of the daimyo, isn't it?
The ninjas risked their lives to complete missions, only to earn enough to keep the village running. The so-called Kage, in the end, were nothing more than swords in the hands of the Daimyo.
Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, and later, the chosen ones Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha... these beings who stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world could save the ninja world and quell rebellions, but their essence remained unchanged.
The war continues, the hatred persists. Under a distorted political system, no matter how powerful or how profound the wisdom, it cannot escape the shackles of the system.
Aburame Shisei suddenly felt a sense of sadness, not in terms of power, but in terms of mindset.
Commoners envy the power of ninjas, unaware that ninjas envy their peace. Ninjas see themselves as protectors, but to nobles and merchants, they are merely high-ranking henchmen. Nobles and merchants believe they control the world, but eliminating them is as simple as a daimyo's word.
One layer upon another, one link after another.
In reality, those who have no power are nothing.
He closed his eyes again, and the parasitic insect's sensory network unfolded once more. Suddenly, he sensed a slight chakra fluctuation two miles northwest of the camp.