The next day, in the morning.
The sun had just risen above the horizon.
When Haruki arrived, the square was already bustling with people. The residents of Nibi no Utsu gathered there, their faces beaming with a new kind of radiance.
The square had been meticulously arranged.
On the high platform was a long wooden table. The table was covered with clean coarse cloth. A large stack of rough, white paper, and several writing brushes and ink sticks were placed on top of the said table.
To one side of the long table, three sealed wooden boxes were prominently placed. Above each box, only a slit wide enough for one hand to pass through was left.
The words "Mediation," "Livelihood," and "Sanitation" were written in thick ink on each box.
These were the important tools for today's assembly—the ballot boxes.
Among the crowd, the ninjas had shed their usual sharpness from missions, dispersing around the venue to guide and maintain order.
When the golden glow of the morning sun finally completely bathed the square, illuminating everyone's faces clearly and brightly, Haruki, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan walked to the front, behind the long table.
Haruki did not speak immediately. Insread, he slowly scanned the dense crowd below with a calm, powerful gaze. His gaze met countless eyes filled with eagerness, trust, and anticipation.
The clamor in the square naturally subsided.
"Good morning, everyone." Haruki's voice rang out, carrying a steadiness that belied his age.
"Good morning, comrade Haruki!"
The masses enthusiastically extended their hands to greet Haruki.
Haruki followed his heart and showed a brilliant smile.
"Today, we stand here to convene the First Workers' Representative Conference of Nibi no Utsu."
As Haruki's words fell, they immediately triggered thunderous applause.
Haruki shyly extended his hand to motion for quiet. The applause gradually subsided.
"A few days ago, we distributed land and houses, solving the fundamental issue of survival."
"But what we want is not merely to survive. What we want is a new life of dignity, order, and happiness."
The masses listened attentively to Haruki's speech.
What Haruki said was exactly what they were thinking in their hearts. He had voiced their innermost thoughts. Everyone loved listening to Haruki speak.
Haruki continued, "For Nibi no Utsu to develop better and better, we need people to take the lead in handling our common affairs and to solve the problems we will inevitably encounter in our daily lives."
Haruki patted the three ballot boxes and said to everyone, "Therefore, today's assembly is to elect the most fair, most enthusiastic, and most willing comrades among us to serve everyone."
"We must ensure that the method of election is fair. It should be just and capable of reflecting the true wishes of every comrade."
Haruki paused slightly, then slowly announced the election rules.
"First, broad nomination!"
"Anyone can stand up and nominate a candidate you deem suitable, or even nominate themselves!"
"But please note, you must explain your reason for nominating or self-nominating. What aspect of service do you believe they can do well for everyone? The nominated person also has the right to refuse on the spot."
"Second, public review!"
"For every candidate nominated, we all have a pair of eyes, and we all have a standard for judging right and wrong. Anyone can ask them questions, and also add to their merits."
"The comrades we want to elect are good comrades who can withstand scrutiny and gain everyone's recognition."
"Third..."
...
"Before the election, I want to tell everyone a rule."
"The term of office for each elected person is tentatively set at one year."
"After one year, we will reconvene the assembly for everyone to evaluate their work and decide whether to re-elect or replace them."
"If, during the term, it is found that they act unfairly or abuse their power for personal gain, at any time, as long as more than one-third of the comrades jointly propose it, an extraordinary assembly can be convened to initiate impeachment proceedings."
After Haruki finished speaking, the people below were dumbfounded.
[Ding!]
[System detected Nibi no Utsu Resident A's faith value +1000.]
[Ding!]
[System detected Nibi no Utsu Resident B's faith value +1000.]
[Ding!]
[System detected Nibi no Utsu Resident C's faith value +1000.]
...
[Currently, 50,000 faith points have been collected. Your Cursed Spirit Suguru's rank has risen to 74%.]
After the shock, the crowd quickly erupted into a fervent discussion.
They had never imagined that an election could be so fair, so transparent.
Being the first to be their own masters, everyone felt incredibly excited.
"Good! This is great!"
"Fair! We will all respect the people elected this way!"
"Voting is good. No one will know who voted for whom, so we can choose the one we truly believe is best."
Haruki was worried they wouldn't understand the rules, so he simplified them.
Seeing that everyone understood, he waved his hand and said, "Then, I announce that the First Workers' Representative Conference of Nibi no Utsu officially begins!"
"Now, we proceed to the most important election segment of this assembly."
Applause and cheers immediately erupted like thunder.
Today was destined to be a day that would go down in the history of the entire Ninja World.
Kojiro personally led the supervisory team to inspect the ballot boxes for sealing, then publicly opened the voting slots.
Muramasa directed the samurai and ninja to organize people to line up neatly to receive paper, write the names of the person they wanted to be elected, and then sequentially walk past the three ballot boxes, dropping the papers with the names into the respective boxes.
The entire process was solemn and quiet.
People's expressions were serious, and they carefully held the papers with the names.
Everyone followed the rules and cast their precious votes, including Haruki, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Among the four of them, they did not know whose names the others had written down.