Chapter 50

Upon hearing Hitoshi's words, Uzumaki Homura scratched his head and chuckled, saying, "You're overwhelmed, hahahaha."

"Don't laugh if you can't handle it," Hitoshi responded speechlessly, looking at Uzumaki Homura.

"To be honest, the two of them are like civil servants in the 21st century, benefiting from clan industry dividends and even being shareholders. It's quite unfair and intolerable," Hitoshi murmured in his heart.

Reflecting on Minami and Uzumaki Homura's situation, Hitoshi couldn't help but sigh. No matter how troublesome these two individuals were, their lives were much better than those of others.

On the other side, Minami and Pakura also stumbled upon the underground organization. As they wandered around, Hitoshi and Pakura encountered many familiar faces. Sunagakure, whether big or small, was a place where encounters were bound to happen if one didn't actively avoid them.

"Kazekage-sama, sometimes I really think you're amazing," Pakura suddenly said as they walked and ate.

"It's nothing. Among the previous Kazekages, I can truly say that they were amazing in terms of strength," Hitoshi responded, slightly taken aback. He bought some snacks from a roadside stall without knowing exactly what they were.

Pakura smiled and shook her head, saying, "No, I'm talking about other aspects. You're truly remarkable. The changes in Sunagakure are enough to prove your greatness."

Pakura, though young, had been an assistant to the Kazekage for a year. She possessed a certain political IQ and had experienced the environment in Sunagakure. Born into a Shinōbi Clan, she felt pity for Sunagakure and wondered about the lives of ordinary people and Shinōbi. She didn't read much, so she couldn't be fooled easily.

"Haha, greatness? I'm not great at all. I just did what I had to do. Pakura, you must remember that we're mortal and we make mistakes. Don't fear or idolize someone too much. Otherwise, when their 'greatness' collapses, your faith will collapse with it," Hitoshi laughed at himself, speaking in a peculiar manner.

"Collapsed greatness?" Pakura exclaimed in shock. Having spent a long time with Hitoshi, she understood his personality, knew that he was responsible, had desires, considered Sunagakure his top priority, and even had a temper.

She never thought about the possibility of his greatness collapsing.

"Don't take me seriously. Let's take Senju Hashirama as an example. Do you think he's great?" Hitoshi asked with a chuckle.

"Great? He created a system of one country, one village, so that we don't have to be born into conflict and live in constant fear of annihilation," Pakura replied, looking up with admiration in her eyes.

Hitoshi was speechless. His assistant, Pakura, who possessed Secret Jutsu, idolized the shadow of an enemy village. No wonder she was killed in her original story. Awakening to the truth was bound to have dire consequences.

Hitoshi thought fiercely, then sighed and continued, "Shōdai Hokage Senju Hashirama had a gambling addiction. If it weren't for Uzumaki Mito and Senju Tobirama, the Senju Clan might have been gambled away. Moreover, Senju Hashirama had a weak character. It's quite comical, really. At the Five Kage Summit, he bowed his head to the leaders of other villages and caused a lot of deaths."

"A gambling addiction and a weak character causing harm to many people," Pakura said, feeling her worldview being shattered.

The god of Shinōbi World she worshipped turned out to be a gambler and weak individual. This was unimaginable. She believed the god of Shinōbi World should be a handsome, aloof man whose mere presence would make other village leaders acknowledge their allegiance. Why would he bow his head?

Seeing Pakura's incredulous expression, Hitoshi wanted to admit that what he had just said was a lie, but he nodded instead, acknowledging the truth.

"That's why I said, don't idolize or deify someone too much. Otherwise, when you truly understand them, you'll find that belief is fragile and easily shattered," Hitoshi smiled and reestablished the correct values for Pakura.

"Also, your words today remind me of a question. How many people in Sunagakure, like you, idolize and see me as great?" Hitoshi's expression turned serious as he spoke.

He genuinely feared being idolized and seen as great. Such influence was terrifying. When a person is deified, they may not make mistakes, but if they do, the consequences are catastrophic. Military force can destroy the body, but it can't crush the spirit. A deified person can single-handedly bring about the destruction of an entire world. Hitoshi thought of a certain Obayashi in the former Soviet Union, a living example. The deification of that person directly led to the collapse of alliances.

"There should be many. I remember when I was at the Shinōbi Academy, someone even summarized three ideas, of which two were correct," Pakura replied, oblivious to the gravity of her words.

Girl, are you saying this again? What are these three ideas, with two of them being correct? My goodness, which big shot dares to play around like this? Are they trying to throw me into the fire?

Thinking about several decades later, after his "death," someone in Sunagakure would use his ideas to cause trouble. Although they would be beaten in the end, he would safely step down, but the burden would fall on his shoulders.

Hitoshi couldn't calm down in an instant. He began to ponder how to resolve this issue.

"Kazekage-sama, did I say something wrong?" Pakura asked weakly, her gloomy eyes fixed on Hitoshi, exuding a chilling aura.

Upon hearing Pakura's words, Hitoshi snapped back to reality, retracted his imposing manner, and his face turned serious. He replied mildly, "No, you did well. It's just that someone triggered a mission that shouldn't have been touched."

"By the way, Pakura, what kind of gold and silver jewelry do you like? As a reward, I can get you some," Hitoshi asked with a smile, looking at the jewelry store opened by Rasa and Karura ahead.

Pakura's demeanor instantly changed when she heard the words "gold and silver jewelry." She replied excitedly, "I like them, of course! Last time I saw a piece of gold jewelry, I really wanted it, but I couldn't afford it."

Hitoshi observed Pakura, who seemed captivated by her fantasies, and couldn't help but sigh. Women, they're all attracted to shiny things.

With thoughts of his substantial savings that he had no use for, Hitoshi took Pakura and walked straight into the store. Karura personally received them, accompanied by Rasa. Upon hearing that they were buying things for Pakura, Karura even took out the gold and silver jewelry she treasured.

The fate of the three-life bracelet, the ring that promised to meet again in the next life—Pakura had them all. Blushing, she took her time choosing. Hitoshi, observing the scene, thought of himself as a lord. This was too much! The price with all those zeroes was clearly trying to swindle the fool.

Everyone knew that Rasa possessed the Magnet Release Gold Dust series as a Shinōbi. He could easily pan for gold in the Sand Sea. Yet, they sold it at such high prices. Did they want to increase taxes?