The outdoor New Year party ended.
Life returned to its usual state—
Ordinary and boring.
Konoha and the other four great shinobi villages continued searching the entire ninja world for the Sky Village.
The shinobi ran until their legs nearly broke.
Meanwhile, the five leaders sat inside the command tent each day, holding meetings, reporting progress, drinking tea, and exchanging their experiences as Kage.
Well—
The current progress remained at zero.
The Sky Village had hidden itself far too thoroughly.
All that remained was drinking tea and boasting—
Ahem.
Drinking tea and exchanging leadership experience.
However—
Uchiha Ren was in an excellent mood.
The other four Kage were not.
The outdoor party had encouraged communication among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The shinobi from the other four villages chatted with Konoha's shinobi in voices filled with envy.
As they continued speaking—
An unprecedented comparison of accounts began.
The shinobi from the other four villages were extremely curious about Konoha's treatment.
"What?!"
"The expenses you incur during missions can be reimbursed?"
"Yes. Konoha has its own military factories."
"After review, the village can reimburse up to half."
"We have to prepare everything ourselves!"
"You also receive mission allowances?"
"Even genin?"
"You get a Grace Bonus during holidays?"
"What grace?"
"Lord Hokage's grace, of course."
"Triple pay during New Year…"
"Hiss!"
"Why did you receive more than triple?"
"Lord Hokage gave everyone stationed here a Grace Red Packet yesterday."
"Every shinobi received one."
"Are your Kage really that stingy?"
"You're working away from home during New Year, yet they didn't even give you a red packet?"
"Uh…"
"Perhaps they forgot."
"You've even publicly released some A-rank ninjutsu?"
"Techniques that don't require hand seals?"
"You can release those publicly?!"
"Changing careers to become a medical-nin…"
"And learning medical ninjutsu is free?"
"Of course it isn't that simple."
"It's funded through a special program."
"You have to sign a contract and work for Konoha Hospital after completing your training."
"…"
The massive comparison after the outdoor party completely shattered the mentality of the shinobi from the other four villages.
Their loyalty toward their own villages plummeted.
The decline was so severe—
It was almost unbearable to watch.
Their eyes turned green with envy whenever they looked at Konoha's shinobi!
Especially because Konoha possessed a special permanent-residency system designed specifically to accept defecting shinobi.
This was no longer a sugar-coated artillery shell.
It was a sugar-coated nuclear bomb!
Had they not feared their villages' brutal methods for dealing with missing-nin, a considerable number of shinobi might have removed their forehead protectors that very day—
Carved a slash through the village symbol—
And done everything in their power to obtain Konoha permanent residency and wear Konoha's dog tag!
Naturally, Konoha's permanent residency was not easy to obtain.
Applicants had to provide proof of allegiance.
Intelligence.
Ninjutsu.
Or anything else of value.
Making a major contribution to Konoha would also work.
Living through hardship was not frightening.
A shinobi was, by definition, someone who endured suffering.
But even the most patient shinobi could not be expected to endure forever.
They weren't undercover agents.
Three years, followed by another three years?
When would these miserable days finally end?
The four Kage genuinely had no way to answer that question.
The lower- and middle-ranking shinobi began making their own calculations.
Remaining inside their miserable villages no longer seemed to offer any future.
Even higher-ranking shinobi such as jonin began wavering.
They genuinely possessed valuable things to offer.
Because the four Kage feared their subordinates would be affected by Konoha's sugar-coated nuclear bomb, they began dispatching more and more shinobi outside.
Hurry!
All of you, go search for the Sky Village!
They could not be allowed another opportunity to compare treatment!
If this continued, the four Kage feared entire organized units might defect together.
No matter how terrible the situation became, they still had to force themselves to attend meetings.
At the very least, they could not reveal anything unusual in front of Uchiha Ren.
Mosa, Ōnoki, and Suitō all wore false smiles.
Only the Third Raikage had a bitter expression.
Guided by his desire to watch entertaining suffering, Uchiha Ren decided to comfort him—
And display Konoha's superiority at the same time.
"Raikage, why have you been so gloomy?"
"Are you still worried about what happened back home?"
"Thank you for your concern, Hokage."
"Yesterday, I received another letter from Kumogakure."
"She was once a noblewoman."
"Now she is the widow of a jonin."
"I was a close friend of her husband."
"During the Sky Village's attack, she lost nearly every member of her family."
"Her husband."
"Her eldest son."
"Her eldest daughter."
"Now, only her infant son—less than a year old—remains."
"She was also severely wounded during the attack."
"The poisonous fumes filling the air caused additional injuries."
"She fell into a deep coma."
"After emergency treatment, she finally regained consciousness."
"However, because she remained unconscious, her son had no one to care for him."
"He could only be temporarily placed in a nearby orphanage."
"But the orphanage has always lacked funding."
"The village cannot provide any additional money."
"Too many of the children are already suffering from malnutrition."
The Third Raikage's voice trembled with tears.
Even Uchiha Ren could no longer smile.
That was genuinely horrifying.
"The Sky Village has lost all humanity!"
"They must be destroyed!"
"Agreed…"
"The Hokage is right!"
Uchiha Ren glanced at Ōnoki and Mosa, who were adding their voices from the side.
Don't merely shout!
Do something practical!
Back when the three of them jointly harvested Kumogakure's wealth, those two had earned plenty!
Disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting!
"Raikage, I feel the deepest sympathy for what your village has suffered."
"In the spirit of humanitarianism, Konoha will provide Kumogakure with assistance."
"We will contribute both money and manpower!"
The moment Uchiha Ren finished speaking, Mosa and Suitō stared at him in disbelief.
Wait.
Brother—
Are you serious?
"Konoha will dispatch rescue teams to Kumogakure to treat the injured."
"We will also urgently send a batch of daily necessities."
"Food."
"Medical supplies."
"And other essential materials."
"At the same time, Konoha reporters will be dispatched to conduct live coverage and expose the crimes of the Sky Village."
"We can also use this opportunity to establish the Ninja World Red Cross."
"It will collect donations throughout the ninja world and allow compassionate people everywhere to contribute."
"The organization will continue operating permanently and make its own contribution to peace in the ninja world."
Uchiha Ren spoke one sentence at a time.
The Third Raikage's eyes became moist.
He had never expected Uchiha Ren to extend a hand at a moment like this.
Konoha would genuinely provide both money and manpower.
It would even establish an organization across the ninja world.
The Red Cross.
What an excellent name.
For the peace of the ninja world.
"Lord Hokage, on behalf of all Kumogakure, I offer you our most sincere gratitude!"
The Third Raikage spoke from the heart.
For a moment, he completely forgot that Konoha had previously harvested Kumogakure.
"It is only right."
"Only right."
Uchiha Ren nodded repeatedly.
Spending a small amount of money to earn Konoha an excellent reputation across the ninja world was extremely worthwhile.
As for the Ninja World Red Cross—
Uchiha Ren had invented the idea on the spot.
It was the perfect opportunity to build the organization under the name of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
It was all for the peace of the ninja world!
What a wonderful banner!
The Five Great Shinobi Villages would contribute money.
Could the daimyō of the Five Great Nations refuse to contribute?
Once those daimyō paid, could the daimyō of the smaller nations refuse to follow?
Once the daimyō contributed, could the nobles and wealthy merchants refuse?
Once the nobles and merchants paid—
Then all those…
Konoha would be managing such a massive charitable organization.
Charging a management fee would be completely reasonable.
After all, personnel had to be dispatched to purchase and transport all the supplies.
What?
Detailed accounts?
Those were internal secrets.
Naturally, they would not be made public!
Ahem.
That was slightly too evil.
Forget it.
The accounts should be public.
Uchiha Ren felt his moral bottom line should not fall so quickly.
A charity that refused to reveal its accounts…
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
He still wanted to be considered a good person by ordinary standards.
He wanted to do at least a few good things for the ninja world!
Still—
A management fee had to be charged.
Even if it was only five percent, the number would be enormous when collected from the entire ninja world.
Moreover, this was not a one-time transaction.
It could continue indefinitely!
Use other people's money.
Earn a reputation for himself.
And still make a profit!
Amazing!
Why was he so intelligent?
He had created such a brilliant idea within moments!
While responding to the Third Raikage, Uchiha Ren praised his own intelligence internally.
"Since the Hokage has spoken, Iwagakure naturally cannot remain uninvolved."
"Sunagakure has always loved peace and cannot bear to witness…"
"Uh…"
"Kirigakure naturally also wishes to contribute to peace in the ninja world."
Since Konoha's Hokage had already acted—
Ōnoki, Mosa, and Suitō, who had been watching from the side, were forced to follow.
After all—
The three of them had only recently agreed with the Third Raikage to cooperate against Konoha.
Now Konoha, the village with the worst relationship with Kumogakure, had extended assistance.
If those three continued hesitating and pretending not to hear—
Wouldn't their alliance become a joke?
Ōnoki was relatively calm.
Iwagakure had already planned to spend money supporting Kumogakure.
Mosa and Suitō, however, smiled outwardly while cursing furiously inside.
Damn it!
Had they known this would happen, they would never have come here to drink tea and boast!
A catastrophic loss!
"Lord Hokage truly is the greatest philanthropist in the ninja world."
"You are the conscience of the ninja world!"
Suitō spoke through clenched teeth.
His tone carried unmistakable sarcasm.
"You flatter me."
"You flatter me."
Uchiha Ren responded casually.
He paid little attention to Suitō.
His mind was already working seriously.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, large numbers of Konoha merchants were already conducting business inside Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
The only continental village that Konoha merchants had yet to enter on a large scale was Kumogakure.
Uchiha Ren had to use this opportunity to open a path for them.
"Raikage, regarding Kumogakure's reconstruction…"
"Konoha's engineering teams possess the most advanced construction experience and building materials."
Uchiha Ren skillfully began promoting Konoha's services.
He intended to secure a massive contract for Konoha's construction workers.
They had entered the industry at the perfect time and stood directly upon the wind.
This was the golden age of civil engineering.
The moment they opened their eyes, they poured concrete.
They fell asleep listening to pile drivers.
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure have both used their services before."
"Every customer who lived in their buildings praised them."
"Kazekage. Tsuchikage."
"Isn't that right?"
After speaking, Uchiha Ren looked toward Ōnoki and Mosa.
Konoha's engineering teams had completed several major projects inside both villages.
"That is true."
"Indeed."
The two answered together.
"Then I thank the Hokage for his kindness."
The Third Raikage nodded.
As long as Konoha's prices were reasonable, outsourcing Kumogakure's reconstruction to Konoha's engineering teams was not impossible.
"Konoha's businesses cover many fields."
"For example, electrical grids and chakra trading."
"Konoha's merchants would be delighted to conduct business inside Kumogakure."
"They are all honest, law-abiding businessmen."
As Uchiha Ren continued speaking, he waved his hand and summoned members of the Nara Clan serving under him.
They immediately drafted several commercial cooperation agreements on the spot.
The efficiency was extremely high!
This was exactly what they needed to learn!
Ōnoki and the others watched in amazement.
No wonder Konoha earned so much money.
From the Hokage to the ordinary shinobi beneath him—
Every one of them understood business!
"Lord Hokage truly is a commercial genius."
"You also possess such capable subordinates."
"Iwagakure must learn from Konoha!"
"Agreed!"
"Same here!"
"Well said!"
The moment Ōnoki began praising him, flattery followed from every direction.
Uchiha Ren found it extremely pleasant.
Who disliked hearing compliments?
Especially when the people praising him were Kage of equal status!
"Hokage, would you be willing to offer us some guidance regarding business?"
The Mizukage suddenly looked toward Uchiha Ren and asked.
He had been drinking tea and somehow lost money because of Konoha.
That money could not be wasted!
He had to use this opportunity to learn something valuable from the Hokage.
"It is very simple!"
"If you want to conduct business, then conduct large-scale business!"
"Konoha has never intended to earn money from poor people!"
"Then whose money should we earn?"
"Whoever has money!"
"You must also earn it while standing upright!"
Uchiha Ren believed he had explained it clearly enough.
If the four men before him still failed to understand—
Then they deserved to remain poor for the rest of their lives!
"Hokage, listening to a single speech from you is better than reading for ten years!"
Ōnoki understood the meaning and blinked while praising him.
"Profound!"
Mosa raised his thumb.
"Hard!"
Suitō immediately followed.
"Really?"
"Lord Hokage is both profound and hard!"
"You flatter me!"
"You flatter me!"
Uchiha Ren waved dismissively.
Had these wooden-headed fools finally awakened?
Afterward, the Third Raikage accepted the commercial agreements and planned to take them back for examination.
He did not dare sign them recklessly.
It wasn't that he distrusted Konoha.
Well—
He absolutely distrusted Konoha.
He had already fallen into one enormous pit before!
Compared with those commercial contracts, the Third Raikage cared more about when Uchiha Ren's promised aid would arrive.
No matter what happened—
They had to survive the winter first.
Winter in the ninja world was extremely difficult.
"Lord Hokage, when can the assistance you mentioned be implemented?"
The Third Raikage asked about the promised aid.
Only after Uchiha Ren provided the first funds would the other three villages follow.
"Raikage, within one week, you will see Konoha's aid supplies arrive in Kumogakure."
Uchiha Ren confidently gave a specific deadline.
To obtain something, one must first give something.
Uchiha Ren understood that principle better than anyone.
He never went back on something he had promised.
Of course—
Promises made to Senju Tobirama were an exception!
As everyone knew—
Uchiha Ren was an Uchiha.
And an Uchiha never kept a promise made to Senju Tobirama!