"Ha?" Jiraiya stared at the lump of earth in Hiruzen's hand, his face full of confusion.
"When did Mount Myōboku start producing something like this?"
He himself was a member of Mount Myōboku—how could he not know about it?!
Orochimaru and Tsunade also wore puzzled expressions.
Clearly, they did not know what was going on either.
Hiruzen pinched the lump of earth, letting crumbs of soil scatter across the tabletop.
Jiraiya pressed his finger into the powder, brought it up to his nose to smell it, and only after repeatedly confirming did he say, "Sensei, this is actually just a lump of earth, right?"
"It is a lump of earth."
Hiruzen nodded. "But we intend to sell this lump of earth at the price of gold—even several times the price of gold."
Jiraiya scratched his head. "Uh… Sensei, sure, quite a few nobles really are foolish, but they aren't foolish to that extent, are they?"
Hiruzen chuckled softly.
"We are ninja who wield chakra and command the most cutting-edge technology in the shinobi world. Especially in the field of biological medicine, we possess an overwhelming, gap-level advantage."
"Even if the raw materials are cheap, once technology grants them an irreplaceable scarcity of value—combined with precisely matched functionality and identity-bound premium pricing—turning stone into gold is hardly difficult."
"This is pricing by technology, not by cost logic."
The moment technical matters were mentioned, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
This was also a project Hiruzen selected after in-depth research.
It was not that he looked down on the heroes of the world.
Kumogakure's ninja taijutsu, Iwagakure's Dust Release, Kirigakure's bloodline limits, and Sunagakure's puppet techniques all had their own distinctive features; it was not as if they were incapable of innovation.
But the fields they applied them to were all in the military sphere.
As for medical care related to people's livelihoods, development could almost be said to be zero.
Compared with Konoha, which had been developing biology since the time of the Second Hokage, they were far from comparable.
In addition, there were two geniuses in biomedicine, Tsunade and Orochimaru, as well as two ninja clans, the Nara and the Akimichi, who had reserves in medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Monopolizing the "noble health care" market would not be difficult.
Hiruzen further explained, "So-called nobles—what is it they want most?"
"Nothing more than having a good body to sustain their privileges, and also having a status symbol they can show off to others. As long as we cover their needs, we needn't worry that they won't proactively bring us money."
"The therapeutic effect does not need to be rapid, but as long as there is an immediate bodily sensation, and as long as we coordinate our sales pitch well, they will pay."
"An immediate bodily sensation represents an effect, and the subsequent gentleness is not because the effect is poor; it is slow nourishment, it is strengthening the foundation and nourishing vitality, it is design language with no side effects—on the contrary, it looks even more like status…"
Orochimaru listened and gave a slight nod.
It was somewhat like the kind of pitch he usually used to fool his subordinates.
Tsunade's eyes lit up. "I think I more or less understand what you mean, sensei!"
In fact, Tsunade had done similar things before.
Because she enjoyed gambling, there were times when she owed a considerable amount of money at casinos. Some nobles would seize this opportunity—after helping her settle her gambling debts, they would then ask her to treat them.
Some nobles would also take the chance to request medicine. Tsunade would first use medical ninjutsu to treat them a little, then casually pinch together a mud pill and give it to them, and that alone would make the other party so grateful that they would hand over silver willingly.
Jiraiya had once complained about Tsunade.
Despite being Konoha's model worker and also a novelist, the speed at which he made money was still far slower than Tsunade's.
"As for the specific effects, you should get together and study them in detail," Hiruzen said.
"What I'm giving you is the general line of thinking."
"The core point is to establish a procurement cycle. What I mentioned about the First, Second, and the Three Sage Regions is about binding the nobles' 'premium demand.'"
Orochimaru gave a gloomy smile. "That fits those nobles' way of thinking very well…"
"If there are large quantities of cheap materials that also have a good gimmick, that would be best," Hiruzen said with a smile.
"For example, harmless snake scales and the like. If we deliberately leave one or two unground pieces mixed in, it will make those nobles feel that our products are made of real, solid materials."
"Konoha's reputation of having been prosperous in the past, combined with the resources of the Three Sage Regions, needs to be put to use."
Hiruzen pointed at himself. "I'm also a 'living advertisement'!"
"Even if other hidden villages imitate us later, with this moat in place, they won't be able to compete with us. Of course, that also requires that the medicines you produce can truly hit those nobles' pain points."
"The price of raw materials needs to be pushed down as much as possible. We're here to make money, not to actually put in real effort for them."
Jiraiya nodded, half understanding and half not, and said, "I don't know about anything else, but Mount Myōboku has a kind of toad oil that's good for vitality and physical conditioning. I've been taking it all along…"
"That stuff is piled up in the back mountain to the point it can only be burned. The old lady there stuffed a lot of it into my hands…"
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya with disdain. "You look pretty sturdy, but I didn't expect you to be, tsk~"
"No, this is health care! I'm not sick!" Jiraiya's face instantly turned beet red, and he hurriedly tried to argue for his dignity.
"All right, idiot—how exactly do you plan to prove it? This isn't a bathhouse!"
Orochimaru laughed a bit loudly. "I'll credit you with a merit. Negotiating endorsement with Mount Myōboku shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
After receiving Jiraiya's affirmative answer, Orochimaru also said, "Ryūchi Cave has large quantities of shed snake skins with calming effects. Taking them for waste reutilization and giving them to those nobles to consume would be just right."
"As for Shikkotsu Forest, I don't really know what waste materials there can be used… after all, every slug is essentially part of the Great Sage's main body."
Tsunade said with a smile, "Actually, whether it comes from the Three Sage Regions or not isn't important. What matters is waste reutilization—being able to make this pill without consuming too many medical resources, right?"
"Sensei, there's no need to worry about that point. Those nobles without chakra can't handle the medicines used by ninja…" Tsunade let her thoughts branch out.
"This is an advantage in procurement cost, but it's also a technical difficulty—we need to adjust it according to what they can endure."
Hiruzen gave Tsunade a thumbs-up.
Sure enough, there was specialization in every field—when it came to this kind of matter, Tsunade grasped it immediately.
"As for the base of the pill, the Akimichi clan's Spinach Pills can be used as a reference, and the Nara clan's calming drink is also good…" Tsunade let her thoughts spread; she had already begun brainstorming.
"This time, Tsunade and Orochimaru, the two of you will take the lead. You need to place importance on this collaboration with the Akimichi and Nara clans."
Hiruzen continued, "Tsunade, I know you've always wanted to establish a medical unit, but you also know that having a purely medical ninja in a three-person squad is undoubtedly unrealistic."
"Not everyone has talent like yours—both combat aptitude and medical ability."
Tsunade sighed and nodded.
She also knew that her proposal when she was younger had good intentions, but did not align with reality.
When two three-person squads clash, if the medical ninja lacks firepower and still needs protection, then without a doubt they will instead fall into a disadvantage.
After all, the shinobi world has no concept of a 'tank.' Situations where one can heal while taking hits are almost nonexistent; what exists far more is evasion and mobility.
"Once the project officially starts, I will support you in leading the medical department across the entire village—selecting one member from each team, and having every jōnin receive the village's emergency treatment training."
Hearing this, Tsunade exclaimed loudly, "That's great! Leave it to me, old man!"
"Orochimaru, you'll be responsible for the pricing issue…"
Hiruzen continued assigning tasks. "Make one thing clear: we are targeting only the great nobles. We cannot use too many ninja on this project, as it would affect the village's normal operations."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Orochimaru nodded. At their core, ninja still belonged to the combat sequence, and the precious medical ninja also had to be used to maintain the daily operation of the hospital.
It was impossible to allocate a large workforce just to make medicine for these nobles.
By targeting great nobles as the core audience—with fewer people and higher prices—the manpower consumed would be reduced. Logically, this also better matched the quality positioning of a "Three Sage Regions co-branded" pill.
Scarcity was an indispensable part of this project.
Orochimaru even thought that if the pill successfully built its reputation, this point could be leveraged to infiltrate the daimyō residences of enemy countries and obtain intelligence from their core bases.
There would be no need to deliberately inquire—mere hints could already reveal many movements.
"You need to place importance on this opportunity to cooperate with the Nara and Akimichi clans."
Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"It's not just about extracting funding from the nobles. Some of the technologies incubated through this collaboration—targeted optimization of ingredients and dosages, enhancement of functions—may well be transferable to the military field."
"Special-effect 'Soldier Pills,' potions with effects such as refreshing the mind and relieving pain…"
"We must establish a higher strategic vision. This is about conducting advance research and iteration in military technology—striving to achieve a single R&D investment with dual technological returns."
Hiruzen paused for a moment. "For example, the medical tags you once mentioned… as far as I know, the difficulty lies in the storage and slow release of medical chakra, right?"
Tsunade nodded. Her teacher really did know quite a lot.
"Yes. Compared to the explosive release of Fire Release chakra in explosive tags, if you want to make medical tags, both 'slow release' and 'storage' are difficult problems."
Hiruzen said with a smile, "If we can successfully secure the 'noble health care' market, then I think the day medical tags appear won't be far off."
"Once our pills gain the recognition of these great nobles, their retainers will naturally develop demand as well."
"The ones closest to them are their women."
Tsunade looked at Hiruzen in confusion. What did these two things have to do with each other?
"Break medical tags down," Hiruzen said patiently. "First solve the technology of storing and slowly releasing medical chakra at the smallest unit, to meet the needs of those noble ladies—what we call 'cosmetics.'"
"And then use the funds that flow back for R&D in the military field…"
Noble women, although their status was highly bound to and dependent on their husbands, did not mean they lacked purchasing power.
Within a feudal system, the grooming and beauty of noble women were a man's calling card of power—an outward display of strength—and a necessary expense to maintain family prestige and personal authority.
It was the same in nature as repairing a manor or acquiring ceremonial trappings.
For them personally, beauty could also raise their bargaining power in marriage alliances—just like a ninja's strength.
So if there were a kind of "super cosmetic" that could enhance their appearance, noble ladies would certainly not begrudge spending the silver in their purses.
Tsunade suddenly realized. "Not just noblewomen—even quite a few female ninja have asked me about staying youthful…"
"Exactly. These small, refined projects that don't require mobilizing too much manpower and can be converted between military and civilian use—once they're up and running, the benefits to the village will be enormous."
Tsunade slammed the table, then brought her other hand down heavily on Orochimaru's shoulder. "The two of us really have to do a good job on this!"
Orochimaru's face darkened. This woman really had no sense of restraint with her strength, but he still forced a smile. "Naturally…"
He, too, was extremely tempted by the steady stream of cash this would bring in.
Whether it was scientific research or ninjutsu improvement and development, aside from the occasional stroke of luck, most of it required piling on vast amounts of manpower and material resources.
"Then what about me, sensei?" Jiraiya pointed at himself.
"As for you…" Hiruzen pondered. "I've heard you write books—how are the sales?"
Jiraiya pulled a long face. "They're not that great, but I believe they'll definitely become bestsellers in the future!"
"Aren't those anonymously written romance short stories of yours quite popular?"
Orochimaru said teasingly. "Why not switch tracks? Being too serious doesn't really suit you…"
"What? You damn snake—how do you know what I've written!" Jiraiya bristled like an angry cat. "Are you secretly in love with me, spying on my private life?!"
As everyone knew, one of the most embarrassing moments for a novelist was having this kind of content seen by relatives or friends.
"Don't underestimate my intelligence network…" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow mysteriously.
"Back to the point. I think you're very talented in this area. Writing the pills and cosmetics we're making into your stories would be extremely helpful for promotion."
Jiraiya asked suspiciously, "Do I really have talent? To be honest, even I think what I write feels too fake."
He snuck a glance at Tsunade. "I don't have any romantic experience…"
"No, you do, Jiraiya."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up as he encouraged him. "Precisely because you've never been in a relationship, you have a science-fiction-like longing for that kind of beauty!"
"Do as Orochimaru said, Jiraiya! Your sensei is looking forward to you becoming a well-known romance novelist in the shinobi world…"
Jiraiya pulled a pained expression. "Why does that not sound like a compliment at all, sensei!"
"But since it's for the village, I'll just have to sacrifice my own literary talent…" In an instant, Jiraiya shifted from dejection to confidence.
"I'll make a name for myself writing romance first, build up a fanbase and help the village—then I'll write serious literature and become a master of my generation!"
"Mm, it's decided. That's the plan!"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
Even in the shinobi world, was there a hierarchy of disdain between novels and authors?
How realistic…
"I should pick a pen name. Let me think—what would be good…"
Jiraiya muttered to himself. "The Golden Toad of Mount Myōboku, Heaven-Shaking, Earth-Rending Sage? The Wandering Romantic of Shinobi Paths, Ink Rolls Across the Mortal World?"
"You're already past the age for that kind of edgy nonsense, Jiraiya…"
Hiruzen waved his hand in disgust and said quietly, "Just use something simple. How about Young Jiraiya?"
"That name isn't bad…" Jiraiya froze for a moment. "It even sounds pretty pure—kind of fits me…"
"I'll handle the daimyō. You just focus on the concrete R&D work…"
"For the sake of Konoha, the Sarutobi team reunites. Let's work together!"
Hiruzen extended his palm. Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were startled for a moment, then understanding dawned, and they stacked their hands together.
When they were young, they often did this.
"Sarutobi team—let's go!"