The hall was dead silent.
Kazuyama's words had completely laid bare everyone's cards. These were the trades that sustained each clan. If they were redirected to support the village, what would the clans live on?
For a while, all eyes locked onto Kazuyama—but he didn't care in the slightest.
After all, if this came down to thick skin, no one here could beat him.
"What's the problem? We're all part of the same big Konoha family, aren't we?"
"If everyone contributes a little, we can get through this rough patch together."
"Hey hey hey, Chōza, what's with that look? Your clan's barbecue joint is famous, isn't it?"
"Shikaku, don't scratch your head. Your clan's antlers? Top-notch stuff."
"And you, Advisor Danzō—don't stare at me like that. All those rare treasures you've stockpiled in Root? Just one of them would do."
Completely unfazed, Kazuyama started calling everyone out by name under the weight of their collective gaze.
Minato was at a loss for words. He thought, Kazuyama, are you seriously suggesting this out loud?
Destabilizing the financial base of every major clan? No way they'd go for that.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two advisors were stunned. They couldn't believe how bold Kazuyama was.
"Kazuyama, maybe think this over. This kind of proposal is too risky."
Minato had no choice but to speak up. If this kept going, it might spark internal conflict.
But Kazuyama couldn't care less. In fact, he kept going—only this time, what he said made everyone stop and reconsider.
"What? You thought I was telling you to hand over your assets directly?"
"Seriously, what's going on in your heads?"
The jab hit home—everyone's faces turned dark.
"Take the Akimichi Clan, for example. Why not open shops across the Land of Fire?"
"That barbecue of yours is amazing! Why not expand?"
"Shikaku, your family's antlers? You could sell them to neighboring countries. Nobles and officials love that stuff!"
"Shibi, those bugs your clan raises? You'd be swimming in cash selling them as medicinal ingredients."
"Why do you keep limiting your thinking to inside the village?"
"Step outside the walls—there's money everywhere."
The hall fell silent once again. Everyone was stunned.
That idea... actually sounded kind of promising...
Hiruzen puffed his pipe, eyes narrowing. He'd always known Kazuyama's thinking was unconventional.
But this? Having the big clans of Konoha expand their businesses outside the village?
Where did he even come up with this?
"This idea... is actually viable..."
"Our Nara Clan raises deer mainly to support our livelihood."
"But if we expand into the whole Land of Fire—maybe even the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Hot Water—the potential is huge."
"Of course, the manpower cost would be high, but the profits would rise too."
"But Kazuyama, how do you plan to deal with the manpower issue?"
The question shifted the room's focus back to Kazuyama. Everyone looked to him as Shikaku finished speaking.
Kazuyama just rolled his eyes at him.
"Is that 200 IQ of yours just for decoration?"
"Do you really need to ask such a simple question?"
"We've got so many ninja in the village—what are you afraid of? Once the missions are posted, won't they rush out to take them?"
"The village can still afford the mission payouts, right?"
Exactly. What does the village have the most of right now? Ninja.
Even though we just came out of a major war, there were still plenty of shinobi in the ranks.
Using them to escort cargo? No problem at all!
It would both keep the ninja occupied and help expand the village's economic reach. It really wasn't a bad plan.
"Not bad. This is a solid plan. Kazuyama, I didn't know you had such a good head on your shoulders."
"Using the village's available manpower for real work... tch, only someone like you would think of that... Well, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
Minato let out a sigh, but thinking back to Kazuyama's sly grin and scheming expression, he had serious doubts that this was all for the village's sake.
This guy clearly just wanted to drag everyone else into the mud with him.
"What do the clan heads think?"
"Feel free to speak. This concerns the whole village, and we all have a responsibility."
Even though the plan had been laid out, Minato still had to hear from the clan leaders—after all, they were the village's backbone.
"I agree. I'll start preparations once I'm back, and when the time comes, I'll issue the related missions at the mission hall."
"But the upfront costs—those will need to be covered by the village."
"I do have one concern though: how will we divide the profits from all this later?"
"If we're setting up businesses all over, what's the split?"
Shikaku was the first to speak up, voicing exactly what the other clan heads were already thinking. Sure, they were part of Konoha—but they also had to think of their own clans.
Otherwise, well, look no further than the Senju and Uzumaki Clans.
"We'll need to discuss that further."
"I'll work with the advisors to come up with a fair plan later."
"Of course, that's assuming everyone agrees with Kazuyama's proposal."
Though most of them weren't exactly thrilled with Kazuyama's idea, no one could deny it—there weren't any better options on the table.
If they didn't take action soon, the village's economy would nosedive.
And no one—not the village, not the clans—wanted that outcome.
"Alright. We'll go with Kazuyama's proposal."
"Kazuyama, got any more bright ideas?"
Shikaku stopped scratching his head and stared straight at Kazuyama, as if daring him to come up with another suggestion that dragged everyone down equally.
Kazuyama squirmed under his gaze, laughing awkwardly.
"Haha... no, that's it. This idea's enough."
"So, when does this meeting end? I'd like to get back and start prepping."
"Oh, right—Fugaku, have Uchiha Shisui meet up with me later. Since we'll be heading out on a mission together, best to meet early."
Kazuyama knew better than to push too hard—any more and the clan heads might actually eat him alive.
It was one thing if his Gekkō Clan was tiny, but the other clans had numbers on their side.
"Then it's settled. Everyone, return and begin preparations."
"This will be a hard winter for the village. Let's get through it together."
"Kazuyama, stay behind a moment."
Minato officially ended the meeting—but that last sentence made Kazuyama instantly feel like a kid back in school, being told to stay behind by a teacher.
It sent a shiver down his spine.
Once the others left, only Minato and the advisors remained in the spacious meeting room.
Of course, that included those two old rivals: Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura.