My Techniques are a bit off

This is such a sorrowful world.

Endless wars and conflicts had completely reshaped the worldview of everyone in this world.

Faced with three wars that swept across the world in just fifty years, with such intensity that even children under the age of ten from the five great nations were sent to the battlefield, the devastation was unimaginable. For smaller nations caught in these wars, the suffering was even worse.

Yet, the people of the Naruto World did not reflect on their situation, did not protest, and no one attempted to pave a new path for their land.

Everyone unanimously accepted it—accepted the slaughter devoid of order or humanity—and just as readily turned their blades toward others.

It was as if all their actions were a direct rejection of the Sage of Six Paths' ideals when he gifted chakra to humanity:

To use chakra as a force to connect people, for love and peace.

"What? For love and peace, you want to connect with me? Sure, connect with my kunai first, then we'll talk."

Link chuckled at the thought that popped into his head but soon felt a wave of sadness.

When the Sage of Six Paths was alive, there was peace. After his death, the world fell into the Warring States period, where the average life expectancy of both shinobi and civilians dropped to around thirty years.

The First Hokage, with his unparalleled strength, collaborated with Uchiha Madara to establish Konoha, inspiring other nations to follow suit. This ushered in a brief era of peace. But after his death, consecutive world wars erupted, with the intensity even greater due to the formation of large shinobi villages.

In the future, Naruto and Sasuke would maintain peace and development through their unmatched power, using fear to keep the world in check.

But shinobi are mortal. Even someone as strong as the Sage of Six Paths eventually died. After Naruto and Sasuke's deaths, would there be an even more catastrophic war?

Looking at history, Link couldn't help but feel pessimistic. If the Infinite Tsukuyomi weren't just a lie fabricated by Black Zetsu, perhaps it would be the best outcome for the Naruto world.

How could a single shinobi, even one ruling the entire world, change the mindset of every person?

The more powerful someone was, the more they could impose their version of "peace," strengthening humanity's respect for strength and its inclination toward violence.

In this world, where harming others for one's desires was neither shameful nor controversial but rather accepted as the norm, it was no wonder this society birthed so many psychopaths.

By contrast, Konoha, with its many high-morality shinobi upholding the Will of Fire, was often mocked as naïve.

The fleeting aggression Link had felt after killing the provocative ronin quickly dissipated.

"I just need to live my life well. I don't need to be invincible or bend the world to my will. All I want is to live freely..."

As he reflected, the female Sunagakure shinobi watching him from afar noticed the subtle expression of melancholy on his face and smirked.

"As expected, a naïve brat from Konoha. But that technique earlier—it must belong to the Nara clan…"

…

Three Hours Later

Nara Ensui emerged from the auction hall behind the grumbling Land of Fire merchant. He immediately noticed the strange looks directed at his three subordinates and glanced at the corpses of the dead ronin, quickly piecing together what had happened.

"Ensui-sensei, earlier…" On the way back to the hotel, Iris enthusiastically recounted the incident, adding with excitement, "Boss—uh, I mean, Link—was so cool earlier!"

Technically, bypassing their Chūnin superior to report directly to a Jōnin was frowned upon, which was why Ami stayed silent. But Iris, impulsive and thoughtless, had only wanted to boast about their leader's performance.

Link, though more thoughtful, wasn't annoyed or angry. He knew his teammates well and wasn't surprised by their behavior.

Nara Ensui chuckled, patting Iris's head. "Pack up; we're preparing to return."

Turning to Link, he added, "We failed to secure the purchase. The Sunagakure bid too high—far beyond the mine's actual value."

He shook his head. "It's not hard to understand. The more gold they produce, the more they can inflate its price."

Due to its post-war decline, the Sunagakure had seen its mission count plummet. Its harsh desert environment made it resource-poor, and the Land of Wind's budget cuts left it reliant on the sale of gold dust for survival.

They were willing to outbid others, far exceeding the mine's actual value, because for them, the purchase carried strategic significance beyond the gold itself.

"Does this mean we won't need to fight anymore?" Link couldn't help but ask.

He'd been prepared for combat, only for things to end so anticlimactically.

"No," Nara Ensui said, shaking his head. "The Sunagakure is our ally."

[Does that mean if the mine had gone to someone else, we'd resolve it through battle?] Link wondered.

After all, the Amegakure represented the Land of Rain, which was also nominally allied with the Land of Fire, as were merchants from the Land of Grass and other regions.

Link remained silent, nodding and deciding not to press further.

Even in Konoha, the harsh reality of the Naruto world was that power ruled all. As weak as the Sunagakure had become, it was still far stronger than villages like the Amegakure or Kusagakure.

Besides, this was just a B-rank mission. If they truly intended to turn against the Sunagakure and seize the mine, it wouldn't remain a B-rank mission—it would escalate to an A-rank mission, or possibly even S-rank, given how important the mine was to the Sunagakure.

But since the dispute was limited to commercial negotiations between merchants, with no intent to use force, it was classified as a B-rank mission.

In other words, the Land of Fire merchant was just here to show face and see if they could get lucky. No one seriously expected to win the mine.

Realizing this, Link let it go.

[Come to think of it, these merchants are incredibly rich—spending tens of thousands of ryō just to make an appearance...]

Hiring shinobi alone cost 150,000 ryō, not to mention the samurai, attendants, and travel expenses, which likely added up to 200,000–300,000 ryō.

Nara Ensui said nothing further. As always, he stayed within five meters of the Land of Fire merchant, maintaining vigilance.

Link and his teammates resumed their roles, though he couldn't shake the strange premonition that the matter of the mine wasn't truly over.

[The Akatsuki… they haven't acted yet.]