"How far from self-sustaining are we here, when they're not interfering?" Chouji assumes the answer is 'very.' He wouldn't mind being part of a village dependent on imports and such, but he and his comrades aren't involved in the system here. The idea of enclosure and utter dependence upon a foreign government makes him uneasy. Especially given the political unrest Shikamaru is telling him about.

Nodding again at the explanation of corruption, Chouji ventures, "Or like roots grow out of sight under the ground, where the leaves can't see them." Considering events in their own village, this twist on the metaphor is all too apt.