Naruto: IHCS Ch. 128

Shiratori's words were not yet finished. He had another piece of news to announce.

"Tomorrow morning!"

"When the sun rises, I want everyone, every household, to send at least one representative to gather here in this square!"

After his words fell, doubt spread across the faces of the crowd.

"Come back here? For what?"

"Is there something left unfinished?"

"I don't know!"

"But if Shiratori says so, there must be a reason!"

"That's right!"

The square buzzed with chatter.

Then his powerful voice rose again, answering everyone's doubts:

"Tomorrow, right here in this square, we will hold the very first Workers' Representative Assembly of Aomine!"

"Workers' Representative Assembly?"

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"Yes! The Workers' Representative Assembly."

His gaze swept the crowd, and he nodded solemnly. When the crowd quieted down, he spoke again, "Now we have homes, we have land, and life will keep getting better. But quarrels between neighbors are inevitable, public sanitation needs to be taken care of, collective safety must be maintained, the old, weak, and lonely need support…"

"These scattered matters that affect everyone's interests, we must solve them ourselves."

"Our affairs, we decide for ourselves!"

"Our problems, we resolve ourselves!"

"So, at tomorrow's meeting, we will hold an election."

"From all the people of Aomine, we will elect those who are fair-minded, warmhearted, and willing to serve the people, and form a 'Workers' Council for Consultation and Deliberation'!"

Nobody had ever heard such a fresh term before.

For a moment, everyone froze.

They looked at each other, their faces full of doubt.

Of course, Shiratori knew they didn't understand the meaning of this phrase.

Before explaining, he had to stress one thing.

"They are not officials! Still less are they masters who will ride on the people's backs!"

He paused, then spoke the core truth with gravity, "They are the servants of the people. Attendants who serve the masses. Their power is given by us, only so they can handle affairs more conveniently. Their responsibility is to help mediate disputes, organize sanitation, assist in distributing collective resources, and reflect our difficulties and opinions."

"They have no privileges, only more toil and dedication!"

"If they do poorly, act unjustly, or put on the airs of an official, we can dismiss them at any time through the assembly and replace them!"

"Tell me, everyone, isn't this good?"

Too good!

So good that people could hardly believe it was real.

But when they thought about how it was Shiratori who proposed such a method, they felt it was only natural.

Only he could come up with such a good idea! Only he truly cared for them!

After a brief silence came thunderous shouts of agreement.

"This is how it should be!"

A rush of heat filled everyone's chest. This was a brand-new experience like nothing before!

Looking at the faces flushed with excitement and hope, Shiratori smiled with satisfaction. The seed of socialism had truly taken root, on this land, and in the hearts of these people.

At this moment, he truly wished he could salute in the direction of his motherland.

He cleared his throat and once more revealed his warm, approachable smile.

"Good. Now, return to your homes."

He waved to the crowd still reluctant to disperse.

"Go back to your homes! Sleep well tonight! Tomorrow morning, gather here in the square, and together we will elect people to serve us, and together we will discuss our own future."

Smiles of joy shone on everyone's faces.

They turned back again and again to look at Shiratori on the platform, their eyes full of trust and gratitude.

Thinking of tomorrow's Workers' Representative Assembly filled their hearts with excitement and anticipation.

"Unbelievable!"

As he lay in bed preparing to sleep, Shiratori suddenly heard Yahiko's voice.

Konan nodded earnestly. "Yes! We've changed so many people! We're about to change the whole of Aomine!"

Konan was full of excitement.

Shiratori glanced at her and thought, tomorrow, he must propose that Konan sleep in her own room.

They were getting older, it wasn't proper to keep sleeping all together.

Konan, after all, was a girl. Boys and girls should have boundaries.

Yahiko was nearly at puberty, how could they keep sleeping together?

Not appropriate. A matter of propriety. It must be corrected.

"It's because of you! You're the one who led us to achieve this!"

Yahiko looked at Shiratori, his gaze burning.

With his eyes closed, Shiratori said, "It's because all of us did this together."

Yahiko froze, then smiled. "You're right! It's the result of all of us working hard together!"

He closed his eyes. Tomorrow was sure to be a beautiful day.

---

Early in the morning.

The sun had just leapt over the horizon.

By the time Shiratori arrived, the square was already bustling with noise and excitement.

The residents of Aomine who had gathered here wore on their faces a new kind of radiance.

The square had been carefully decorated.

On the high platform stood a long wooden table, covered with a clean rough cloth. On it lay a thick stack of coarse but pristine white paper, along with several brushes and ink blocks.

To one side of the table, three sealed wooden boxes were placed in plain sight.

Each box had only a slit wide enough for a hand to slip through.

On the boxes, written boldly in black ink, were three words: "Mediation," "Livelihood," and "Sanitation."

These were the key instruments of today's grand assembly, the ballot boxes.

Among the crowd, the ninjas, having shed the sharpness they carried during missions, now scattered around the venue, guiding and maintaining order.

When the golden light of the rising sun finally poured fully over the square, illuminating every face clearly, Shiratori, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan stepped up behind the long table at the front.

Shiratori did not speak immediately. Instead, his calm yet powerful gaze slowly swept across the sea of people before him.

His eyes met countless others, eyes filled with warmth, trust, and expectation.

Naturally, the noise in the square subsided.

"Good morning!"

His voice rang out, steady and mature, far beyond his years.

"Good morning, Shiratori!"

The crowd waved eagerly and greeted him.

Following his heart, he broke into a bright smile.

"Today, we stand here to convene the very first Workers' Representative Assembly of Aomine!"

His words were immediately met with thunderous applause.

He bashfully raised his hand, pressing downward slightly. The applause gradually faded.

"In the past few days, we have distributed farmland and houses, solving the basic issue of survival. But what we seek is not merely to survive, we seek a new life of dignity, of order, and of happiness!"

The people listened intently to his speech.

What he spoke was exactly what they had been thinking in their hearts.

He voiced their innermost desires. Everyone loved hearing him speak.

"If we want Aomine to develop and prosper, then we must have people to take the lead in handling common affairs and in solving the inevitable problems of daily life."

He patted the three ballot boxes with his hand.

"So today, at this assembly, we will elect from among us those who are the most fair, the most enthusiastic, and the most willing to serve the people!"

"We must ensure that the process of election is fair. It is just. It reflects the true will of every single person here."

He paused slightly, then slowly announced the election rules:

"First: Open nominations!"

"Any of you may stand up and nominate a candidate they deem suitable, or they may even nominate themselves. But please remember, you must state your reasons: why you believe this person can serve the people well in some way. The nominee, of course, has the right to decline on the spot."

"Second: Open evaluation!"

"For every nominee, we all have eyes to see and standards to judge right from wrong. Anyone may raise questions about them, or add words in their favor. The people we choose must be those who can withstand scrutiny and earn the recognition of all."

"Third…"

"Before the election, there is one rule you must know.

Each elected person shall serve for a term of one year.

After one year, we will convene the assembly again to review their work, and decide whether they will be reappointed or replaced.

If during their term, we find them unjust or corrupt, then at any time, so long as one-third of you jointly demand it, we can call an extraordinary assembly and initiate a recall!"

When he finished, the people before the stage were dumbfounded.

After their initial shock, the crowd quickly burst into heated discussion.

Never had they imagined elections could be so fair, so transparent.

For the first time, they truly had the right to govern themselves, every heart trembled with excitement.

"Great! This is wonderful!"

"If we choose our leaders this way, we will all be convinced!"

"Voting is the best! No one knows who I voted for, so I can truly pick the one I believe is best!"

He had worried that the people might not understand the rules, so he had simplified them. Seeing now that everyone understood, he waved his hand grandly.

"Then I hereby declare the First Workers' Representative Assembly of Aomine officially begun. Now, we proceed to the most important part of this assembly, the election."

Applause and cheers roared like thunder.

Today was destined to be a day forever recorded in the history of the shinobi world.

Kojiro personally led the supervisory team to inspect the seals on the ballot boxes, then opened the slots before everyone.

Muramasa directed the samurai and ninjas to organize the people into orderly lines. They stepped forward to collect their paper, wrote down names, then walked past the three ballot boxes in turn, dropping their slips inside.

The entire process was solemn and silent.

Faces were serious as hands carefully held the slips with names written upon them.

Everyone followed the rules, casting their precious vote.

This included Shiratori, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

Even among the four of them, none knew whose name the others had written.