"Not bad…"
"Hahahaha!"
"So that's how it is."
"So that's what was happening…"
"That brat Uchiha Ren really was hiding something."
Uchiha Madara continued muttering to himself.
From time to time, he would suddenly burst into the trademark wild laughter of an Uchiha.
Clearly, his mind had become completely immersed in the words written within the books.
"What a strange old Uchiha."
"Well…"
"Whatever."
"I just made several hundred thousand ryō!"
Kakuzu watched Uchiha Madara read while occasionally erupting into crazed laughter and immediately concluded that he was simply a mad old man.
Still, for the sake of money, Kakuzu couldn't be bothered to care.
He had earned several hundred thousand ryō merely by lending out a few books.
This deal had been unbelievably profitable.
Kakuzu happily counted the banknotes, carefully stored them away, then hurried off to meet the representative from the Land of Waves.
Those people were truly impoverished.
To reduce the bridge's expenses, they had even needed to crowdfund the travel costs for their negotiation representative.
It had taken them this long just to reach Konoha.
What a miserable situation.
Kakuzu had to squeeze them thoroughly.
Regarding ownership of the bridge, Konoha had to secure at least thirty percent.
Forty percent would be even better.
Any more than fifty percent, however, would make negotiations difficult.
Thinking this, Kakuzu soon met the representative.
The Land of Waves delegate sat stiffly inside Kakuzu's office, nervously examining his surroundings.
Clearly, he had already witnessed Konoha's prosperity.
Was this paradise?
Kakuzu observed the representative's expression and felt a surge of pride.
Then he quickly moved to the main subject.
He pulled a proposal from the drawer, expertly took out a portable calculator, and rapidly calculated the costs and returns.
Finally, he raised five fingers and spoke in a tone that allowed no argument.
"Fifty percent ownership."
"That's too much!"
"Impossible!"
"This bridge belongs to the Land of Waves!"
"Your bridge?"
"Without Konoha's assistance, I can tell you clearly that even after another twenty years, you still won't be able to build it."
"It will remain nothing more than a drawing forever."
"You lack sufficient funding."
"Your technology is incomplete."
"You cannot even deal with the wandering shinobi around the Land of Waves."
The representative's lips trembled.
He stammered, unable to respond.
Everything Kakuzu said was true.
Without Konoha's help, the bridge would not be completed until Naruto's era.
"Old man, you need to think further ahead."
"Sign this agreement, and Konoha will become the Land of Waves' greatest support."
"You've already seen everything here with your own eyes."
"Konoha is the future."
"All right…"
"I'll sign."
Kakuzu nodded with satisfaction.
There was barely a ripple in his heart.
Doing business with Konoha behind him was simply too easy.
Where should he go next?
It was probably time to find the little white-haired one.
Why had he spent the past few days attending matchmaking meetings?
He had even skipped the futures project meeting.
Truly lazy.
Little white-haired one—
You are still the protagonist of this futures operation!
You are still the center!
You need to stand tall!
This is an opportunity to earn enormous profits!
—
News that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had negotiated peace and formed another alliance once again exploded across the ninja world's trending topics.
Konoha Television harvested another massive wave of attention and continuously followed the latest developments.
At the same time—
Magazines and tabloids under Konoha, along with countless low-quality gossip papers throughout the ninja world, were all frantically chasing traffic.
Once attention became sales—
It became money!
Who cared whether the news was true?
First, create an enormous, shocking title and slap it across the cover.
The entire ninja world was eating gossip.
For more than ten consecutive days—
With the assistance of countless tabloids, all kinds of rumors and scandals spread across the ninja world.
Some even began using bait-style storytelling.
After all, reality itself had become too absurd.
One moment, two shinobi villages had been fighting to the death, each desperate to destroy the other.
Within a single day, they had shaken hands and reconciled at lightning speed.
The two villages even released a joint declaration stating that everything that had happened before was merely a misunderstanding!
That was the charm of money.
It allowed people to speak nonsense with their eyes wide open.
Ōnoki and the Third Raikage behaved like biological brothers born to different parents.
Standing before the cameras, they refused to mention any of their previous filth or backstabbing.
Instead, they dragged the Land of Rain issue back into the spotlight.
For the peace and future of the ninja world, Iwagakure and Kumogakure were willing to set aside disputes, forget past grudges, shake hands, and move forward together—
Until Amegakure was destroyed.
At last, they could destroy Amegakure!
The daimyō throughout the ninja world finally breathed sighs of relief.
All of them had been closely monitoring the conflict between Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
How could the two great shinobi villages waste their strength fighting each other instead of using it against the rebels in Amegakure?
Now, everything had finally returned to the correct path.
What wonderful news!
Far away in Amegakure—
Hanzō of the Salamander stared at the intelligence report in his hands, his face turning green with fury.
The situation had only just begun to improve.
How had it suddenly become a Four-Village Allied Shinobi Force attacking the Land of Rain again?
Hanzō vented violently inside his office.
He even smashed his favorite potted plant.
In the end, he lowered his head in defeat and accepted reality.
"Konoha, save me!"
Hanzō decided to request assistance from Konoha.
Amegakure needed more support.
The conditions for aid could be negotiated further!
As long as Amegakure survived—
There was nothing that could not be discussed!
Before long, Uchiha Ren received Hanzō's request for assistance.
Konoha.
Hokage Building.
"Hanzō of the Salamander is panicking again, just as expected."
"Shikato, handle this."
"We have more work."
"This time, let Kakuzu continue negotiating."
"Move quickly."
"The Sky Village will attack Kumogakure soon."
"We need to use this opportunity to secure several major deals with Hanzō."
After receiving the request, Uchiha Ren summoned Nara Shikato and assigned the matter to Kakuzu without hesitation.
After all—
Kakuzu had always been Uchiha Ren's most reliable underling.
When Kakuzu handled something, Uchiha Ren felt completely reassured.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Amegakure could not be allowed to fall.
But when it was time to carve flesh from it, Konoha would never show mercy.
Fight.
Keep fighting!
Sell every resource in the Land of Rain to Konoha in exchange for precious assistance!
Uchiha Ren thought this inwardly.
At that moment, his mood was excellent.
Everything happening in the ninja world remained within his calculations.
Nothing had exceeded his control.
Hmm…
Why did he suddenly feel like an extremely evil mastermind hiding behind the scenes?
An illusion.
It was definitely an illusion!
He was a Hokage who carried out the Will of Fire!
Uchiha Ren discarded the chaotic thoughts and continued processing the documents on his desk.
After signing his name more than two hundred times, he finally completed the day's work.
Time to leave!
He should go and check on Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna.
Although Uchiha Ren had made thorough preparations and the two had already spent some time adapting to each other—
He still couldn't trust them completely.
Underground laboratory.
More than forty Uchiha Izuna shadow clones were buried in books.
They were studying the precious knowledge Senju Tobirama had accumulated, covering numerous different fields.
Several other clones followed Tobirama and assisted with experiments.
How harmonious!
A satisfied smile appeared on Uchiha Ren's face.
He quickly passed through the outer laboratory and went directly to the innermost room.
Only Orochimaru was inside.
He was staring intently at an experiment on the table.
Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna were nowhere to be seen.
"Orochimaru, you're here too."
"Why are you alone?"
"Hmm…"
"Hokage-sama, Teacher and Lord Izuna started arguing in that room."
"They've already been inside for half an hour."
After hearing Uchiha Ren's voice, Orochimaru raised his head and answered.
"They started arguing again?"
"What was it about this time?"
Uchiha Ren was curious, though not surprised.
Those two were living beneath the same roof.
It would have been stranger if they got along peacefully.
"It seems to concern a confidential experiment."
"They disagreed over an experimental problem."
"Neither could convince the other, so they each conducted a separate experiment."
"In the end, Lord Izuna was correct."
"Afterward, Lord Izuna said that Teacher looked down on others and that all his years of research had been wasted."
"He also said…"
"Something about the Uchiha being invincible."
"Teacher refused to accept it."
"Then the two of them…"
Orochimaru explained what had happened.
The smile on Uchiha Ren's face grew wider.
Had Uchiha Izuna already revealed his talent after such a short time?
"All right."
"I understand."
"Continue with your work."
Uchiha Ren waved his hand and allowed Orochimaru to return to his experiment.
Then he walked toward the room where Tobirama and Izuna were arguing.
The instant Uchiha Ren entered, Uchiha Izuna's eyes lit up.
He spoke impatiently.
"Descendant, Senju Tobirama is unbelievably stubborn!"
"Even now, he refuses to admit that his scientific talent is nothing special."
"He spent so long thinking about such a simple problem, and his final conclusion was still wrong!"
"If not for me—"
"Shut up!"
"You were merely lucky!"
"I made a temporary mistake!"
Facing Uchiha Izuna's mockery in the field he valued most, Senju Tobirama argued with a bright red face.
He was clearly burning with humiliation.
"Lord Izuna, your research career has only just begun."
"No matter what, Senju Tobirama is still your senior."
Uchiha Ren immediately stepped forward and spoke on Tobirama's behalf.
There was no doubt about Tobirama's ability.
Besides—
No matter what happened, Senju Tobirama was still Uchiha Ren's favorite nuclear-powered donkey.
Tobirama snorted.
He was pleased with Uchiha Ren's words.
At the same time, he looked at Uchiha Izuna with a slightly smug expression.
"Defeated loser, you solved one insignificant problem and already dare boast before me?"
"I'm telling you now—"
"You still have a long way to go!"
Uchiha Izuna was about to argue.
But Uchiha Ren immediately continued.
"However, Lord Izuna has given me an enormous surprise!"
"I believe that one day, you will make contributions equal to Senju Tobirama's."
"You may even surpass him!"
"Descendant, now that is something I enjoy hearing."
Uchiha Ren served as the mediator.
Uchiha Izuna had progressed rapidly and displayed talent no worse than Senju Tobirama's.
For Uchiha Ren—
This was an enormous profit.
He repeatedly moved between the two sides and finally calmed their emotions.
For Uchiha Ren's sake, Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna each gave a cold snort before leaving the room and returning to their workstations.
When the laboratory finally regained its peace, Uchiha Ren let out a long breath.
Those two old men were truly difficult to handle!
Time to go home.
—
One week later.
Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure.
The blue sky and white clouds remained the same as always.
After the devastation caused by Blue Sky Project Corporation, everyone in Kumogakure—
From the shinobi clans to ordinary villagers—
Had been thoroughly harvested.
Their savings had been emptied.
Large debts remained.
The Third Raikage had personally led the shinobi army out to seek revenge.
Meanwhile, the subordinates left behind in the village suffered collapsing morale.
Some had even chosen to flee.
Faraway Konoha continued recruiting powerful individuals from across the ninja world.
As long as someone possessed sufficient value—
Skills.
Intelligence.
Useful abilities.
They could pass an assessment, receive Konoha permanent residency, and become a glorious citizen of Konoha!
Their own leader was an idiot.
Completely unreliable.
Perhaps they should simply leave.
Fortunately, the situation had finally begun to improve.
The Lightning Daimyo and Earth Daimyo had both bled money.
They took turns providing emergency funding to Kumogakure, giving the village—already on the verge of collapse—a much-needed injection of strength.
The imperial disaster-relief funds were finally arriving!
After endless suffering—
Sweetness was finally—
Sweetness…
Still hadn't arrived.
The relief money had been released.
But arguments over its distribution had already continued for several days.
How should it be divided?
Distributing money had always been a technical skill.
No.
It was practically an art.
The junior grand secretary had failed to understand the art of dividing money.
Out of a total of three million taels, he had given only one million to Perfected Immortal Feiyuan.
That mistake had provoked disaster.
In the end, the Daoist ruler declared:
"All of this money belongs to me!"
Then he firmly decided to begin the campaign against Yan.
Every department in Kumogakure claimed poverty.
Well—
They weren't merely pretending.
They truly were poor.
The shinobi clans demanded greater subsidies to recover as much as possible from what the Ponzi scheme had stolen.
There were also ordinary shinobi.
Countless victimized villagers.
Everyone wanted money.
The Third Raikage remained silent during the meeting.
He allowed the senior officials to argue.
He no longer had the dignity or authority to decide how the funds should be distributed.
From a certain perspective—
He was the chief culprit.
Had he not fought two brutal battles and risked his life at the front, his own subordinates might already have cut him down.
Only because the village remained in wartime could he still sit in the Raikage's seat.
The senior officials present and the Third Raikage himself had already reached an unspoken understanding.
Once the matter concerning the Land of Rain was resolved—
The Third Raikage would voluntarily resign and accept responsibility.
It would be better to leave with dignity and decisiveness.
If matters escalated to the point where he had to be forced from power, both sides would lose face.
However, despite arguing for several days, they still had not agreed on how to distribute the money.
One thing, however, was already certain.
The ordinary villagers at the bottom of Kumogakure and the lowest-ranking shinobi would receive the least compensation.
Their fists were the smallest.
Still, life could continue.
Kumogakure could afford to distribute one piece of flatbread per person each day.
As long as everyone endured several more years, tightened their belts, and survived another prolonged period of hardship—
Everything would eventually improve!
That was how Kumogakure's propaganda department presented it.
Although—
They seemed to have said the exact same thing several years earlier.
Still, everyone had to drink the motivational soup.
After all, nobody wanted to abandon their homeland and travel far away.
That was the final choice made only when there was no other option.
At least Kumogakure still provided one meal.
Of course—
It provided nothing except that meal.
Only a minority of villagers and shinobi could truly make the decision to abandon everything, cross several countries, secretly reach Konoha, and become traitors.
Once they arrived in Konoha, they would understand—
That decision had been the greatest decision of their lives.
Because the little airplanes were coming!
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