Chapter 50. Bah! How Shameless!
Chapter 50. Bah! How Shameless!
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The Ninja World War had finally arrived.
It hadn't been long since the Chunin Exams ended, yet Kumogakure launched a war from the north, accusing Konoha of violating "ninja virtues." Not long after, Kirigakure declared war across the sea for the same reason.
How laughable!
Since when did ninjas care about virtues?
A ninja who completes their mission is a good ninja!
That Uchiha kid may have unusual techniques, but in the end, it's just taijutsu. Let's not forget there are far more dangerous forbidden techniques out there. The accusations were nothing but excuses for war.
If not, then what if Konoha forced the Uchiha boy to commit suicide? Would that stop the war?
Impossible.
At the same time, rumors about the disappearance of the Third Kazekage spread inexplicably across the ninja world, dragging Konoha into the turmoil.
After all, the Third Kazekage had vanished without a trace, leaving most ninjas to suspect that Konoha had secretly orchestrated it. After all, Konoha had the strength to do so.
Thus, war was unavoidable.
In the Hokage's office, a meeting was held yet again.
Sarutobi Hiruzen rested his hands on his chin, his expression unusually grim as he glanced at his trusted advisors. After some deliberation, he asked, "So… we're out of funds?"
The room fell into silence.
Two advisors sighed helplessly, while the 510 million man raised an eyebrow. He didn't want to attend the meeting anymore.
I want to go back to my den!
After a brief pause, Utatane Koharu nodded with a troubled look, then hesitated and shook her head. "It's not that we're completely out of funds. But over the past few years, someone has been secretly hoarding explosive tags, kunai, and shuriken, driving up their prices. As a result, the funds from the daimyo's office are barely sufficient."
"I see…" Hiruzen rubbed his temples in frustration, letting out a sigh. "No wonder."
After all, explosive tags, kunai, and shuriken were essential supplies. While kunai and shuriken could be reused if undamaged, explosive tags were single-use items and quite expensive. Ninjas typically avoided using them unless absolutely necessary; otherwise, the cost of a mission could exceed the team's payout.
Normally, explosive tags were abundant, and their prices remained stable. Additionally, with no wars in recent years, the village should have stockpiled plenty.
Yet now, they were gone.
Or completely sold out?
Who pulled off such a stunt?
Another village?
Would their daimyo really allocate so much money, risking their village's operational funds and potentially reducing their ninjas to eating gruel?
This war… was a trap from the start!
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep puff of his pipe, pondering. He turned to Mitokado Homura and asked, "How are our reserves in the logistics department?"
"It's not enough to meet the minimum distribution for each ninja," Mitokado Homura replied, shaking his head. "I've already instructed the staff to ramp up explosive tag production, but at this rate, we might not last long."
After all… it's wartime!
During wartime, resources were stretched thin. Most ninjas would be deployed, leaving few to focus on making explosive tags. Buying from smaller villages—where ninjas weren't involved in the war and could quietly produce tags—would be exorbitantly expensive.
"Can we trace who's been hoarding the explosive tags and kunai?" Hiruzen asked, frowning. "Is it the work of other villages?"
If it is, that would be troublesome.
They'd have plenty of explosive tags, while Konoha had none.
"So far, we don't know," Mitokado Homura admitted. "Their actions have been extremely covert. They began purchasing a few years ago, initially in small amounts, gradually increasing over time."
"Are there no other solutions?"
"Launch a raid on smaller villages—"
"Absolutely not!" Koharu interrupted sternly. "Doing so now would only create more enemies for Konoha."
All this fuss over some explosive tags?
No matter how you look at it, it's just not worth it!
"Indeed," Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed with a wry smile. "That approach doesn't align with Konoha's ideals of peace." After a brief pause, he added, "Are there any other solutions?"
"We either track down the person hoarding explosive tags or… buy them ourselves," Mitokado Homura suggested helplessly. "If all else fails, we can temporarily reduce the allocation of explosive tags for each ninja, just to keep things going until we stabilize."
"And the money…" Hiruzen frowned deeply.
"This time, it's a bit unexpected. The funds from the last daimyo's contribution… are already insufficient," Mitokado Homura hesitated before continuing, "Can we ask for additional funding from the daimyo…"
He trailed off, the suggestion left hanging in the air.
"I'll write to ask about it later," Hiruzen sighed bitterly, taking another puff of his pipe. "But I doubt it'll be possible."
After all, it hadn't been long since the last contribution. The original funds should have been enough, but the situation had escalated too quickly.
"We still need to find other solutions."
At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, seemingly recalling something. He looked up at Shimura Danzo, who had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire time. "Danzo, you—"
Before he could finish, Danzo raised an eyebrow, glancing at the bounty notice on Hiruzen's desk. Then, with a cold expression, he interrupted sharply, "Shut up, Hiruzen!"
"Don't be so tense, Danzo! I didn't mean anything by it, I just—"
"Bah! You just want my body! How shameless!"
"I didn't! I'm not! You misunderstood!" Hiruzen protested, looking aggrieved.
"I did not misunderstand!" Danzo stood abruptly, abandoning his attempt to stay invisible. He stormed toward the door, declaring, "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
With that, he slammed the door behind him as he left.
"…"
Hiruzen opened his mouth to speak but, seeing the closed door, shook his head with a wry smile. "Ah…"
His sigh was filled with helplessness and the frustration of being misunderstood.
After a moment, he glanced at the other two, who were staring at the ceiling. He hesitated. "Are your necks… uncomfortable?"
"It's the stress from the war. It's made me a bit tense, and I haven't been sleeping well lately," Utatane Koharu replied.
"Me too," Mitokado Homura added, casting a glance at Koharu, who remained expressionless. As expected of her! She always knows what to say!
"I really didn't mean anything by it," Hiruzen said with a bitter smile, looking at them. "Danzo is our comrade! How could I do something like that?"
"...Homura and I both believe in you," Koharu replied after a glance at the bounty notice on the desk. "Hiruzen, you're not the kind of ninja who would sacrifice a comrade for profit!"
"Thank you for trusting me." Hiruzen's heart warmed, and his smile returned as he took another puff of his pipe. "I only wanted Danzo's Root to investigate who's been hoarding explosive tags. I didn't expect him to misunderstand so badly…" He sighed again. "I'll explain to him later. For now, prioritize the allocation of explosive tags to the most critical areas and prepare for any changes in the war. I'll also write to the daimyo about the situation. That's the best we can do for now."
"Understood! Konoha will never lose!"
"Thank you for your efforts."
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the two leave and, once the door closed, let out a long sigh. He glanced at the bounty notice on the desk, took another puff of his pipe, and muttered to himself, "A mere five hundred million… would I really do such a thing?"
Danzo…
He actually stopped trusting his best friend just because of a little more than five hundred million!
Sarutobi Hiruzen clutched his chest.
He felt deeply heartbroken!
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Uchiha Yuto shivered inexplicably, sensing a chill in the air. He took a sip of the hot tea Hyuga Suzune had poured for him and then turned his attention back to the interface before him.
[Congratulations! You have progressed from a grassroots entrepreneur to a beginner entrepreneur.]
[The next stage of your entrepreneurial journey has officially begun.]
He had finally upgraded!