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Yugito Nii, eighteen years old, was a Special Jonin of Kumogakure.
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Her long, tea-brown hair was styled in a braid that reached her waist, giving the fleeting impression of reins.
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(Due to reasons we all understand, her age has been adjusted.)
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Yugito possessed a haughty personality. Standing over 170 centimeters tall, she often carried herself with a queenly air. However, she could also be understanding and gentle, making her a classic example of a tough exterior hiding a warm heart.
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At this point in time, she was still just an ordinary Special Jonin of Kumogakure, not yet the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
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During her leisure time, when not on missions, she enjoyed visiting the local food stalls to buy a couple of warm milk and dorayaki treats, followed by browsing the bookstore for titles favored by sophisticated ninja.
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One day, Yugito, with a bag of snacks in hand, entered a small bookstore near the village outskirts, seeking some intellectual nourishment.
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A magazine with a fresh and eye-catching cover, displayed prominently on the front shelf, quickly caught her attention.
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Its unique aesthetic design was somewhat avant-garde for ninjas accustomed to living on the edge.
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Yugito read the magazine''s title aloud, a hint of curiosity in her voice:
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"…''Iki''? What a strange name."
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During this era in the shinobi world, most book titles were straightforward and easy to understand.
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For example, there were titles like "Make-Out Paradise," "Make-Out Tactics," and "Make-Out Violence" by the esteemed Jiraiya-sama… There was also "The Young Ninja," which had recently caused quite a stir in Kumogakure. More serious titles included uninspired periodical names like "Chronicles of the Land of Lightning" and "The Legend of Ninja XX."
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However, the peculiar two-character title "Iki," despite offering no clue about its contents, somehow resonated with Yugito.
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She stepped forward, took the magazine from the shelf, and casually flipped to the first page-
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[In Konohagakure…]
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"Hmm? Is this about Konohagakure?"
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Yugito''s brow furrowed slightly. The relationship between Kumogakure and Konohagakure had always been strained.
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Moreover, her convictions, her ninja way, were centered around Kumogakure.
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If the following content boasted about the strength of Konoha ninjas or the prosperity of Konoha, She would not hesitate to throw the book away and report it to the authorities.
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However, as her gaze moved downwards, Yugito''s frown gradually softened.
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"Huh, bandits robbing a store? It seems Konoha''s public safety isn''t all that great~"
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"But the villagers of Konoha are quite interesting. Even though the shopkeeper chose to accept his loss, they still voluntarily offered money…"
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"The villagers of Konoha are quite kind."
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Yugito nodded in approval. She was a ninja with traditional values.
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Ninjas were ninjas, and ordinary villagers were ordinary villagers. The gap between them was greater than that between humans and dogs.
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The strength of a hidden village had nothing to do with its ordinary villagers.
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Therefore, the content of this article essentially had nothing to do with ninjas. It was merely a story about a small incident in Konoha.
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From her perspective, this "Konoha Shop Under Attack" was clearly written by a person who failed to grasp that the strength of a hidden village depended on the number of powerful ninjas it possessed.
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However, one could glimpse the whole from a single part.
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Through these simple words, Yugito still sensed the virtuous qualities of the Konoha villagers, qualities that the rough and tough villagers of Kumogakure lacked.
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"They''re so well-mannered~"
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"Sigh~"
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Yugito sighed. Manners…
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A sliver of longing for Konoha bloomed in her heart. Of course, this longing wasn''t a ninja''s yearning for powerful jutsu.
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Instead, it was a yearning for the well-mannered villagers of Konoha. As the comment at the end of the article suggested, protecting such villagers might offer a sense of solace amidst the hardships. In that regard, she envied the Konoha ninjas.
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As a Special Jonin, Yugito had completed numerous missions and was well aware of the general demeanor of the common folk in Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning…
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In the rough-and-tumble Kumogakure, scenes of shopkeepers offering compensation and villagers voluntarily paying were unheard of. Incidents of shoplifting, ninja tool store robberies, and brawls with scantily clad shopkeepers were commonplace.
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Yugito casually flipped through a few more pages, discovering that most of the content resembled travelogues, documenting the customs and heartwarming stories from various nations in the shinobi world.
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Such writing was undoubtedly novel and impactful for Yugito, allowing her to experience life beyond the perspective of a ninja.
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She nodded in satisfaction and, with the book in hand, made her way to the cashier to pay.
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In front of and behind her, a long queue had formed. Many of those waiting shared a commonality: they all held copies of "Iki."
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A villager with dreadlocks and dark skin, engrossed in the magazine, suddenly started dancing and chanting incomprehensible words:
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"Very good. Iki, makes my inspiration spin~"
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…
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…
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Yugito''s purchase of the magazine was a microcosm of a phenomenon sweeping the entire shinobi world.
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Similar scenes played out among the ninja class across the Four Great Nations.
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Initially, the merchant class hadn''t paid much attention to this small magazine. However, things changed when nobles, even royalty, within their respective nations started carrying or mentioning "Iki" during important gatherings.
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Catering to one''s preferences.
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This simple principle applied everywhere. To understand the new interests of these greedy, pot-bellied nobles and the latest market trends, merchants also joined the ranks of "Iki" purchasers.
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For a time, the most discussed topic among the merchant class of the Four Great Nations became-
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"Have you read the new magazine, ''Iki''? My noble friends are all reading it."
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The more it was discussed, the more attention it garnered, leading to increased admiration for the friendly civilians of Konoha and the Land of Fire.
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Like a gentle rain seeping into the earth, the influence was subtle yet pervasive.
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Konoha villagers = Citizens of the Land of Fire = Friendly and well-mannered potential customer base. This peculiar equation quietly embedded itself into the stereotypes of many merchants.
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Of course, many merchants who had prior dealings with Konoha villagers denounced this as a conspiracy by the "cunning and despicable Konoha people."
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However, such voices were drowned out by the dominant narrative, becoming insignificant ripples in a vast ocean.
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Thus-
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Gojo Kaigetsu''s plan to invade the Four Great Nations achieved its initial phase of victory.