Uchiha Ren interlaced his fingers and lowered his head in thought.
The Sky Ninja Village's strength could not be underestimated.
That damned air superiority was genuinely difficult to deal with.
Sky Ninja did not need overwhelming strength. As long as they could control chakra and had a little maneuvering ability, even mere genin could soar through the nine heavens, throw grenades down at the ground, bombard everything wildly, then pat their backsides and leave.
For Konoha to defeat such an enemy would not be easy.
Not only that, Konoha would need to send a ninja army across several countries for an expeditionary war. The logistics pressure alone would be enormous.
This kind of war burned far too much money.
On top of that, Konoha still had to supply the entire Land of Rain.
If Konoha continued sitting steadily in the ninja world, watching the tigers fight from the mountain, it could still sustain the situation.
But once Konoha personally entered the battlefield, things would become difficult to predict.
The moment Konoha joined the war, people's hearts would definitely begin to fluctuate. From Konoha to the Land of Fire, a series of chain reactions would appear. Commoners would rush to buy supplies. Merchants would seize the chance to hoard goods.
Prices across the Land of Fire would instantly surge.
If Konoha still wanted to support the entire Land of Rain afterward, its costs would soar.
Especially now that Sunagakure had intensified its attacks against the Rain Village, while Kirigakure was also close to the Land of Rain border, ready to attack Amegakure at any moment.
The Land of Rain was truly facing internal and external troubles.
Most importantly, the Rain Village could not fall yet.
Its historical mission had not ended.
This was truly somewhat troublesome.
He had to reduce the cost of this war.
And it had to be settled quickly.
For the Zero-Tails alone, the Mental Sauna Room project was not worth launching such a large-scale campaign—
A village-destruction-level war across several countries against a "friendly" ninja village.
If that were the only goal, this deal would be somewhat unprofitable.
But the Mental Sauna Room and the Sky Ninja Village's technical personnel were truly too tempting.
Now, he also had to help the Land of Rain share pressure on two fronts.
He needed a solution that satisfied both sides.
One that could reduce combat costs while helping the Land of Rain share the burden.
Some time passed.
Uchiha Ren's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.
From the second drawer of his desk, he pulled out an old agreement.
The Yugakure Agreement!
Article Three, Section Two clearly stated—
Those who disrupt the peace of the ninja world shall be jointly attacked by the Five Great Ninja Villages!
Although this agreement was no different from toilet paper, the Kage of the five great ninja villages had genuinely signed it.
It had full legal effect.
"The Sky Ninja Village's attack is no ordinary evil. It has completely destroyed the peace of the ninja world. Konoha must raise the banner of justice, form and lead the Five Great Ninja Village Coalition, and jointly crusade against the Sky Ninja Village."
The reason was ridiculous.
But that was not important.
As long as it worked.
When the time came, Konoha would urgently convene a Five Kage Summit, form an allied ninja army, and completely destroy the Sky Ninja Village.
At the same time, this would let everyone in the ninja world see the true situation.
In the ninja world, Konoha's words mattered more than the daimyō's.
The daimyō could not gather a five-village ninja coalition.
But Konoha could.
The Sky Ninja Village had attacked Kumogakure's home base. Kumogakure had already become a mad dog. It would definitely fight the Sky Ninja Village to the death.
If Konoha was willing to extend a helping hand and help Kumogakure exterminate the Sky Ninja Village, they would absolutely be willing in their hearts.
As for Sunagakure, Uchiha Ren was confident he could persuade Mosa to respond to this Five Kage Summit.
Iwagakure—if Onoki still wanted to renew the old relationship with the Third Raikage, he had to join this coalition. With Konoha and Sunagakure jointly applying pressure on Iwagakure, there should be no problem.
As for Kirigakure, the meeting result would be four against one.
Presumably, Suito would know how to behave.
Uchiha Ren thought it over carefully and felt there was nothing wrong with this plan.
It could reduce wartime expenses.
The Five Great Ninja Villages jointly attacking the Sky Ninja Village could also quickly eliminate the "evil" Sky Ninja Village.
While the Five-Village Coalition destroyed the Sky Ninja Village, the Rain Village would also have time to ease its internal conflicts.
"Otouto, I already have a complete plan."
"Continue gathering front-line intelligence. If there is an emergency on the front line, just have White Zetsu notify me. Running back and forth between both sides is far too hard on you."
Uchiha Ren rose from his chair and walked to Black Zetsu's side.
As he spoke, he stroked Black Zetsu's smooth, slick head, a gentle smile hanging on his face.
"Elder Brother, I… I understand."
Black Zetsu rubbed against Uchiha Ren's hand.
Warmth flowed through his heart.
My elder brother truly is such a gentle person.
"Be careful."
"Mm."
Black Zetsu looked at Uchiha Ren reluctantly, then turned into a puddle of black liquid and seeped into the floor.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Otouto, why do you still dislike using the front door?
Uchiha Ren silently complained in his heart, then summoned Nara Shikato.
He planned to inform Nara Shikato in advance about Konoha's next move.
Although Uchiha Ren had calculated extensively and intended to drag the other four great ninja villages onto the war chariot to reduce war costs and jointly destroy the "evil" Sky Ninja Village, no matter how one looked at it, this was still a costly war.
It also required preparing an emergency Five Kage Summit, followed by war mobilization.
The matters involved were extremely complicated.
Naturally, Uchiha Ren would not personally exhaust his mind and body over them.
He was only responsible for initiating and leading the project.
Everything else naturally needed a qualified subordinate to share the Hokage's burdens.
Nara Shikato was the best candidate.
"The Sky Ninja Village attack Kumogakure?"
"You want to convene an emergency Five Kage Summit?"
"You also want to form a Five-Village Coalition to destroy the Sky Ninja Village?"
After hearing Uchiha Ren's plan, Nara Shikato immediately asked three questions in a row.
"Don't get so excited. Calm down first. How about a cup of iced cola?"
Uchiha Ren skillfully took out iced cola, letting Nara Shikato calm down and stop making such a fuss.
"Hokage-sama, why is this so sudden?"
"What does the Sky Ninja Village attacking Kumogakure have to do with Konoha?"
Nara Shikato was full of confusion.
He could not understand why Uchiha Ren wanted to do this.
"Hmm…"
Uchiha Ren fell silent for a second or two, considering whether he should tell Nara Shikato about his Mental Sauna Room goal.
If only he had not let Kakuzu leave just now.
With the scapegoat absent, he could not be the first to bring up this matter himself.
"It is to answer the First Hokage's Will of Fire!"
"For the peace and justice of the ninja world!"
"For democracy and freedom!"
"Freedom!"
Uchiha Ren skillfully picked up the Will of Fire as a shield.
But Nara Shikato was not a child.
Hokage-sama had always refused to rise early without profit.
Those slogans could fool Konoha villagers, but not him.
"Fine. It is for the Sky Ninja Village's technology and its large group of research scholars."
Facing Nara Shikato's "sincere" gaze, Uchiha Ren finally stopped continuing and began speaking "truthfully" with a serious face.
"You understand Konoha's intelligence on the Sky Ninja Village clearly."
"Compared with ninjutsu, they possess extremely advanced technology. For example, machine tools and CAD are all technologies Konoha urgently lacks."
"The Technology Department Minister is currently handling multiple research projects alone and truly lacks enough hands."
"Some research projects span too widely, causing certain projects to progress slowly."
"There is also the aerial fortress and the Sky Ninja forces. These technologies are extremely important to Konoha's future development."
"If Kumogakure seizes them first and fully digests the technology, Konoha's future will be in danger!"
"Only these?"
"Nothing else?"
Nara Shikato listened to Uchiha Ren and nodded.
Indeed, they could not allow Kumogakure to destroy the Sky Ninja Village alone and obtain the Sky Ninja Village's technology.
But Nara Shikato still felt that Uchiha Ren was hiding something.
"Of course there are other goals. For example, helping the Land of Rain share pressure. Sunagakure and Kirigakure have already gathered heavy forces to besiege the Land of Rain. Konoha must help the Land of Rain share that pressure as much as possible."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Nara Shikato sensibly stopped asking further.
Hokage-sama was far-sighted and naturally had his own considerations.
As a subordinate, digging too deeply was a very dangerous behavior.
"Nara Shikato, I will make the following deployments!"
"The Fourth Column, Sixth Column, twelve elite ANBU jonin squads, and the Land of Fire standing army corps will reinforce the Land of Fire's defenses."
"The Second, Third, and Fifth Columns, along with the Uchiha direct corps, will be responsible for striking the Sky Ninja."
"The First Column, the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Columns, and Konoha's remaining defensive forces will continue staying behind in Konoha on standby."
"Repeat it back to me!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
"I will repeat it now!"
Nara Shikato had a very good memory.
Uchiha Ren only said it once, and he remembered it.
"Hokage-sama, should we take this opportunity to harvest another wave of crops?"
Nara Shikato offered a suggestion to Uchiha Ren.
Since Konoha was already preparing to personally deploy troops, they might as well take advantage of this opportunity to harvest another wave.
The Ninja World Financial Company had already spread throughout the Land of Fire.
Over the years, it had continuously expanded, opening branches in the capitals and major cities of most countries across the ninja world.
Relying on Konoha's commercial layout built over several years, its overwhelming strength, and its network of relationships in the Land of Fire court, the types of futures handled by the futures company were no longer limited to pig iron alone.
There were dozens, even hundreds of categories, covering all industries of the Land of Fire and even affecting prices across the entire ninja world.
Especially the Land of Fire's pig iron business.
This had been Konoha's first bucket of gold.
Over the years, Konoha had continuously swallowed the Land of Fire's pig iron companies and purchased large iron mines, becoming the industry's trust and the largest banker in pig iron futures.
Now that the ninja world situation was unpredictable and gambling dogs were everywhere, it was the perfect time to harvest crops!
"Good idea!"
Uchiha Ren nodded in agreement.
So much time had passed.
The wallets of the crops must have grown full again.
If he didn't harvest them, it would be a waste.
"Hokage-sama, Hatake Sakumo should still be in Konoha, right?"
"His reputation is extremely loud now."
"As long as Hatake Sakumo appears personally to endorse it, combined with hired commentators creating momentum and publicity through new media like television and radio, it will definitely drive the ninja world's investors insane!"
"…"
Nara Shikato brought up Hatake Sakumo.
He wanted Hatake Sakumo to leave the mountain once again.
Hatake Sakumo had acted twice in a row, harvesting countless traffic across the ninja world.
At least in the investment world, his name was already thunderous.
He even possessed founder-level status.
The two major projects he had operated both plunged an entire country into chaos.
Logically speaking, Hatake Sakumo's reputation should stink beyond measure.
Yet the two major projects he had managed shared one trait—
As long as one was not greedy, one could absolutely earn until their bowl overflowed.
While he gained piles of bounties, he also gained many fans.
If Hatake Sakumo showed his face again, with Konoha's capital scale and Nara Shikato's deep operational skill, they would definitely be able to play the market in the palm of their hands.
They could repeatedly harvest crops and cut down the newly grown crops across the Land of Fire and the ninja world to the roots.
"Hiss…"
"This doesn't seem good."
Uchiha Ren very much wanted to agree immediately.
But Hatake Sakumo had just maxed out the hatred of the Land of Lightning.
If he continued drawing another wave of hatred from the Land of Fire and the entire ninja world…
Could Hatake Sakumo really continue surviving in the ninja world?
"Hokage-sama, Konoha shinobi must contribute to Konoha."
"Konoha personally entering the war means the war situation will escalate."
"Not only the Land of Fire, but prices across the ninja world will fluctuate violently."
"With Hatake Sakumo's enormous traffic, this wave of crops will definitely produce an astronomical amount of money."
"It might even cover most of Konoha's military expenses this time!"
"Hatake Sakumo's small sacrifice can save Konoha a massive sum."
"And he won't necessarily die."
"As long as he doesn't leave Konoha for the rest of his life, the probability of death isn't high."
"I've seen his blade technique. It really is extremely sharp."
Nara Shikato tried his best to persuade Uchiha Ren, hoping he would order Hatake Sakumo to cooperate with his action.
"Sigh. What can be done… what can be done…"
"This is all for Konoha!"
"Then we can only trouble Hatake Sakumo."
"Oh, right. Remember to have Kakuzu deliver this order."
"He and Hatake Sakumo are very familiar, and Kakuzu has rich verbal skills. He should be able to persuade Hatake Sakumo."
"Let Hatake Sakumo suffer a little more. He can bear the infamy."
"When the time comes, if Hatake Sakumo gets married, I'll be his wedding witness and let the ninja world know Hatake Sakumo is under my protection!"
Uchiha Ren took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Tears he had held back.
He finally resolved to let Hatake Sakumo leave the mountain again.
Although Sakumo had only just descended the mountain, that was not important.
As long as he could contribute to Konoha.
If Uchiha Ren personally acted as Hatake Sakumo's wedding witness, it should make the harvested crops restrain themselves a little.
Probably.
"As ordered, Hokage-sama!"
Joy appeared on Nara Shikato's face, and he quickly left the Hokage office.
He had heard Kakuzu was about to leave for the Land of Waves to discuss a major business deal.
He was about to depart soon.
They could not let him leave like this.
Time passed slowly.
The sunset descended.
Clouds on the horizon were dyed brilliant fiery red.
Light pierced through gaps in the clouds, forming soft beams.
Kakuzu had already packed his luggage and was preparing to set out immediately, heading to the Land of Waves to negotiate a series of major businesses such as bridge construction and canned-food factories.
Nara Shikato stopped Kakuzu just in time.
"Shikato, if you have something to say, say it quickly."
"I'm heading to the Land of Waves to discuss several major business deals."
"I already bought tonight's ship ticket."
"If I'm late, I can only refund it."
"And refunds only return half the money."
"You'll have to pay me for that."
Kakuzu was somewhat impatient.
If Shikato came over at this time, it would definitely delay him.
"Forget the Land of Waves for now."
"I have a major business deal I need to entrust to you."
"What business?"
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