Nightfall.
The skies over Kirigakure at night weren't as bright as those over Sunagakure. Everything was shrouded in thick mist, dim and hazy.
"Sigh~"
Black Zetsu's upper half looked up at the sky, gazing blankly upward.
"So blurry... I can't even see Mother anymore."
"If you ask me, Lady Kaguya's probably over in Sunagakure right now." White Zetsu's main body, also looking up, spoke with exasperation. "You should be looking that way instead. And... what about the business deal that Kazekage proposed?"
"Well, we were already rejected. What else can we do?" Black Zetsu lowered its head, wearing the same helpless look. "We'll just have to be honest about it."
Obito didn't approve of trading with Sunagakure, claiming that for now it was better to lay low and avoid drawing attention to their true identity.
With control over Kirigakure, making money wasn't that hard.
At this stage, they didn't need that much money anyway.
The only real setback was that Nagato hadn't stepped into the spotlight per Madara's original plan, which forced them to adjust and waste time revising everything.
"When I get back to the village, I'm going to present the secret ninjutsu techniques of Kirigakure to Mother. She'll definitely be pleased!"
"Didn't that Kazekage tell you to stop offering ninja techniques to Lady Kaguya?"
"That's... not a big deal. I'll just have White Zetsu copy an extra set."
"..."
White Zetsu side-eyed its other half with a deadpan stare.
After a moment of silence:
"What about the Shinobi World 4WD Grand Prix? According to that guy, he seems to want all Five Great Shinobi Villages to participate."
"No need to bother. If we can do it, we do it. If not, then forget it," Black Zetsu replied casually. "Our real priority is still Mother~"
"Aren't you worried he'll be mad?"
"Nope. He needs intel from White Zetsu. He won't go too far."
"Good... I don't know why, but he gives me the creeps."
"He is a terrifying one," Black Zetsu said with a bitter smile. "From what we've heard, when Shukaku was released, he held it down with one hand."
"And he didn't even use his specialty—Magnet Release."
"How strong he really is, I'm not sure. But it doesn't matter. Mother is the strongest."
From a certain point of view, that Kazekage was likely an enemy. A dangerous one, too—someone who might already know their secret. After all, Black Zetsu's goal was to bring Kaguya back into the shinobi world... and that Kazekage was the leader of Sunagakure.
Moments later, Black Zetsu's eyes sharpened with resolve.
"Mother is the strongest. Without a doubt."
"You're right." White Zetsu nodded in agreement, then frowned slightly. "Aside from Kirigakure, we've also set up distribution in other parts of the Land of Water. I doubt he'll sabotage everything just because of Kirigakure. Without intel from us, Sunagakure wouldn't have developed so fast."
"Oh, right—are you going back to Sunagakure later?"
"Yeah. I still need to give Mother her gift."
The original deal with the Kazekage was that once the Kirigakure matter was settled, they'd get fifty percent of the profit from the Land of Water. But since Obito refused, Black Zetsu had to drop the whole thing.
With Kirigakure off the table... they'd only be getting ten percent now.
He was sure that damn Kazekage had done it on purpose. Maybe he'd already figured out what was going on in Kirigakure—that's probably why he was so generous up front.
Still, there was a condition:
White Zetsu's intel had to be shared.
"Too bad... I wanted to make more money for Mother. Now there's barely anything."
"Ten percent is still pretty good," White Zetsu muttered, rolling his eyes. "It's not like Lady Kaguya can do much during the day anyway. And let's be real—there's not a whole lot to spend on in Sunagakure."
Then, more seriously:
"So when are we heading back? What about Kirigakure? If we're gone too long, what will Obito say?"
"Just have one of the White Zetsu clones report to him. If something urgent comes up, we'll come back," Black Zetsu replied after some thought. "Mother's more important!"
As for Obito...
Not a big deal. He was still stirring up chaos in Kirigakure and likely didn't even have the time to care about them.
...
Land of Wind – Sunagakure
With economic development, Sunagakure's nights had become much livelier, especially after the electricity infrastructure was completed. Streetlights were installed throughout the village at regular intervals, so even at night, Sunagakure no longer seemed as dark as before.
Still, most goods were made for export. Only a small fraction was sold locally, and most of their food and meat had to be imported.
Their internal economy hadn't quite caught up.
Sure, Advisor Chiyo had done a decent job raising a few pigs, but large-scale livestock farming still wasn't profitable in the desert.
To really push development in the tertiary sector, business had to be part of the plan.
Recently, Sunagakure underwent some renovations. New shops opened, selling all sorts of quirky goods. Hotels had been built too, so it was about time to start planning the food logistics.
That's why food distribution was already being handled in collaboration with Danzo. As the Land of Fire had the highest production of meat and grains, Danzo—Konoha's shadow—was the natural partner.
Better to do business with someone you were already working with, rather than bring in strangers.
Plus, Danzo wasn't charging outrageous prices. Fair enough. No need to go sourcing food independently.
In fact, over time, even that "Shinobi of Darkness" had started to resemble a real businessman. When it came to profit, he now negotiated seriously and fought for his own interests.
Give it some time, and he might even start raising pigs himself when he realizes how profitable it is.
That said, Sunagakure couldn't depend entirely on other villages for food. If something went wrong, what then?
As commercial activity increased, various regulations had to be improved too. Like the workplace rules—those needed fixing.
Sure, it was fine for now while things were tough and everyone was pulling together. But later, if people started getting exploited, internal conflict was inevitable.
After all… the Kazekage wasn't some heartless corporate boss.
And a good commercial environment would help the people of the Land of Rain integrate as well.
With all this in mind, Rasa smiled softly while holding a drowsy Temari in his arms.
"Looks like we'll need to hold a village meeting soon."
But just then—
"I will also participate."
A cold voice suddenly came from beside him.
"???"
Participate what?
A meeting?
Rasa turned to see Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, her face expressionless as always.
"I will participate in the Shinobi World 4WD Grand Prix," she said flatly, looking him in the eye.
"…"
You've got to be kidding me.
Rasa froze.
What the hell is she up to now?!
Kana, come get your ancestor—NOW!
Your immortal ancestor is bored again and clearly looking for trouble.
The 4WD Grand Prix is in the morning, damn it!
What's she even planning to do—race with a chakra-powered supercar?