A coastal city in the eastern part of the Land of Fire.
Menma, who had left the village for the first time in this world, was now dressed in simple attire, strolling through the port area of the city.
"Sir! Do you need workers? I can do anything!" Along the streets near the docks, unemployed commoners were desperately seeking work.
Most of them were dressed in rags, their faces sallow and thin, their eyes filled with both fear and longing as they watched the passersby… especially those dressed in luxurious clothing.
Having traveled all the way from Konoha Village, Menma had seen far too many ordinary people displaced and suffering because of the war.
At this point, the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning was nearing its end. The Ninjas from both nations were locked in a stalemate within the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Water.
Though minor skirmishes still occurred occasionally, both sides remained relatively restrained.
Moreover, since Kumogakure had already sent envoys to Konoha Village for 'peace talks', the war was about to end, so the coastal cities of the Land of Fire were gradually regaining their pre-war prosperity, with merchant ships coming and going… many of which even came from the Land of Lightning.
The Ninja World was far from peaceful.
Beyond the wars between the great nations, bandits and outlaws ran rampant. The entire civilization of the Ninja World remained stuck in a feudal era, with a rigidly hierarchical social structure composed of 'Daimyos, nobles, merchants, Ninja, and commoners'.
Yes, even though Ninjas possessed combat abilities far surpassing ordinary people, their social status was only on par with merchants… and most of the time, they were even hired by merchants to earn rewards.
Ninjas, who specialized in combat and killing, were only slightly higher in status than commoners.
Of course, there were also Rogue Ninja or Missing-nin who would kill merchants and seize their wealth by force.
This usually happened to small-scale merchants. Large merchants typically had noble backgrounds, making them untouchable for ordinary Ninjas.
After all, if a noble were killed by a Ninja, it would alarm the highest ruler of the nation, the Daimyo, and the entire noble class of the country would pool money to place a bounty on that Ninja.
All to maintain the nobility's rule.
This bizarre social structure had persisted for nearly a thousand years.
During his time in the Limited Tsukuyomi World, Menma had studied this social structure in his spare time and found it utterly baffling.
Though many things in the Limited Tsukuyomi World were the opposite of reality, the social structure remained unchanged. Ninja, despite possessing supernatural powers, had almost no involvement in national governance.
A strange symbiotic relationship had formed between nation's power and Ninja. Ninja never sought to seize political control, and the nation never tried to replace Ninja Clans or Villages.
Menma walked into a small seaside restaurant.
"Welcome, sir! Just one person?" The waiter greeted him warmly, not looking down on him just because he appeared to be in his teens.
Come to think of it, the social structure of the Ninja World was quite strange. Some large cities had rapidly advancing technology, while other places seemed stuck in ancient times.
In the [Naruto Manga and Anime], classical architecture sometimes appeared alongside modern buildings. In some movies, even aircraft carriers made an appearance.
Menma took a seat by the window, where he could see the ships docked at the port, and pulled out two bills, waving them slightly, "One ramen set, hold the naruto. Also, are there any merchant ships heading to the Land of Lightning lately? The safer, the better."
As a Ninja, Menma obviously didn't need to hitch a ride on a merchant ship. He was just using this as an excuse to find out who the most powerful merchant in the area was.
The waiter eagerly took the two thousand-Ryo bills and enthusiastically replied: "The safest would definitely be Gato-sama's shipping company! They even have Samurai and Ninja escorts."
Although Ninjas are the mainstream in this world, Samurai have not disappeared.
Not to mention the samurai of the Land of Iron, even most other nations have wandering samurai, many of whom work as yakuza, enforcers, or bodyguards.
After all, in the original setting, Ninja generally do not interfere in ordinary people's disputes, and Ninja Wars try to avoid involving civilians as much as possible.
But once war breaks out, things become hard to control.
The two thousand-Ryo bills, minus the cost of the meal, meant the waiter would pocket at least a thousand Ryo as a tip.
The monetary system in the shinobi world is complex, with nearly every nation having its own currency. The Land of Fire, as the strongest of the Five Great Nations, has the most stable currency.
According to the manga's setting, 1 Ryo = 1 yen.
In Chapter 150: The Training Begins, Jiraiya gave Naruto three thousand-Ryo bills to go have fun… about 3,000 yen, which is less than 30 Dollars.
"Gato, huh?" Hearing that name triggered a deep memory in Menma's mind.
"Yes, Gato-sama is a big merchant who has emerged in recent years!" The waiter, grateful for the generous tip, eagerly explained.
"Rumor has it that Gato-sama has noble backing from the Land of Fire. His fleet sails freely in these waters… even during the war these past two years, his business barely suffered."
Menma listened quietly.
He roughly recalled that it was currently Year 54 of Konoha Calendar, and there are still nine years before Naruto graduates and the story begins in Year 63.
By then, Gato would become one of the wealthiest men in the Ninja World and was able to employ S-Rank Missing-nin like Zabuza on a long-term basis.
After all, Zabuza was a ruthless S-Rank Missing-nin who attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. While he failed, he still escaped unscathed. A high-level Jonin who could fight Kakashi to a standstill wouldn't come cheap.
Menma vaguely remembered that an S-Rank mission's reward was around one million Ryo.
Moreover, Zabuza has Haku by his side, whose abilities were at least Jonin-level.
If not for Naruto tapping into the Nine-Tails' Chakra, he wouldn't have stood a chance against Haku.
Once the waiter left, Menma rested his chin on his hand, gazing out the window at the bustling docks as he pondered the purpose of this trip.
His previous elimination of the White Zetsu around the orphanage could only solve the problem temporarily. If he wanted to completely stop the White Zetsu from monitoring him, the best way would be to move to a neighborhood in the center of the village close to the Hokage Building, or a neighborhood close to the Hyuga Clan's territory.
With the Anbu's Ninjas and the sensory team in the Konoha Building, as well as the perspective ability of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, White Zetsu and Obito would definitely give up their surveillance of him.
But the problem was that Menma's true body was just a three-year-old child. Living alone was impossible, let alone moving near the Hokage Building or the Hyuga Clan's territory.
Not only would it require money, but also some influence.
Therefore, Menma planned to find a merchant to act as his pawn, preferably one with noble connections in the Land of Fire.
The plan was to have this merchant settle in Konoha Village, then adopt him under the guise of charity, allowing him to move out of the orphanage.
As for why he didn't just find a noble of the Land of Fire to adopt him directly, it was mostly to avoid unnecessary complications.
If he wanted to live near the Hokage Building or the neighborhood around the Hyuga Clan's territory for a long time, it is best not to use Genjutsu to control his pawns. They needed to serve him willingly.
And in that case, nobles, who had spent centuries thinking of themselves as superior, were unsuitable candidates.