Hearing Tōdai's question, the Third Raikage and the others immediately turned their gazes toward Yuzuru.
What Yuzuru had just said sounded good on the surface, but as Tōdai pointed out—would the other villages really be that stupid?
Would they still fight among themselves knowing full well that the Hidden Cloud was currently the strongest village in the ninja world?
Not to mention buying shuriken, explosive tags, and other ninja tools from them…
Even the Third Raikage felt that, no matter how clever he was, he would never do something that foolish.
Seeing the skepticism in everyone's eyes, Yuzuru's expression remained unchanged, his face still carrying that confident smile.
After gathering his thoughts, he spoke slowly.
"It's very simple to solve the problem you're worried about."
"If they don't attack Konoha, then we'll attack them."
"If they don't buy our ninja tools, we'll attack them."
"Whether to unite and plunder the fertile lands of Konoha or to go to war with the strongest ninja village in the world—I don't think that's a difficult choice to make."
The corner of Yuzuru's lips curved upward.
The highest form of strategy in this world was one where everyone knew your intentions but still had no choice but to step into your trap.
After hearing Yuzuru's explanation, everyone fell silent again.
Good grief, was this just strong-arming and forced trade?
But somehow… there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it.
Compared to uniting to attack Konoha, who would really want to go to war with the Hidden Cloud Village?
After all, it had only been a few years since the Ninja Alliance's failed invasion of the Cloud.
The Third Raikage gave Yuzuru a firm slap on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Yuzuru, I'm more and more grateful that I did whatever it took to keep you here."
"Otherwise, if I had to face someone like you as an enemy, I'd never sleep again."
Hearing this, Tōdai, A, Mabuma, and the others all nodded in agreement.
Even setting aside Yuzuru's strength, the sheer cunning he displayed was terrifying.
Behind that bright, charming smile hid a mind darker and more scheming than anyone could imagine.
Moments later, the Third Raikage made his decision.
"Then we'll do as Yuzuru said—put everything into ninja tool production!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tōdai accepted the order and left, while the rest joined the Raikage for drinks.
If the plan succeeded, the Land of Lightning would surely surpass the Land of Fire and become the most prosperous nation in the world.
———
———
Konoha Village.
Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the intelligence scroll to the floor, shouting in fury, "Beasts! Those bastards from the Hidden Cloud have no humanity at all!"
Seeing Hiruzen so enraged, Shimura Danzō couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hiruzen, what happened this time?"
In his impression, Hiruzen had always been calm and composed, rarely showing his emotions.
So why did he always lose control whenever it came to the Hidden Cloud?
"See for yourself!"
Hiruzen snapped, tossing the scroll over to Danzō.
After a quick glance, Danzō's eyes darkened, and he nearly exploded on the spot.
The Hidden Cloud wanted to sell them ninja tools—then threatened that whichever village, Konoha or the Hidden Sand, bought fewer would be considered their enemy!
Was this business?
No—it was extortion!
Ever since they had forcefully seized the Uchiha clan's assets within the Land of Fire, Konoha had been looted again and again over the years.
Every time they managed to save up some money, the Cloud would come knocking.
Those bastards really did treat Konoha like their personal ATM!
"Hiruzen, what are you planning to do?" Danzō asked grimly.
They couldn't give them money.
That would be the same as funding their enemies!
Hiruzen stayed silent for a long moment before finally gritting his teeth.
"Let's buy!"
There was no other choice.
While they were still managing against the Sand Village for now, if the Cloud joined the war, things would turn disastrous.
If they handled this poorly, Konoha might even be divided up entirely.
At those words, Danzō fell silent as well.
He was furious—but powerless.
It was humiliating.
After a while, he muttered, "Hiruzen, with all the compensation we've already paid, and the war with the Sand… we're running out of money."
Hiruzen sighed. "This time, we'll have to rely on ourselves."
"The cost of purchasing ninja tools from the Cloud will be borne by the Sarutobi clan, the Shimura clan, the Utatane clan, and the Mitokado clan."
When the two were finished discussing, the office fell silent once again.
After a long pause, Danzō asked in confusion, "Hiruzen… when did things end up like this?"
"When we first took control of Konoha, we were so full of confidence. We didn't even put villages like the Cloud in our eyes."
"But now they're trampling on our pride, and every day we're breaking our backs paying reparations…"
"When did everything start to fall apart?"
Hiruzen's eyes dimmed, and he didn't answer.
In truth, they both knew the answer—everything changed when the (the fire nation attacked! T/N: Jk!) Uchiha clan left Konoha.
A mistake they'd come to regret.
If only they'd realized sooner and crushed the Uchiha while they were still within the village, they wouldn't be in this miserable state today.
But now it was too late.
They couldn't touch the Uchiha anymore—instead, they had to bow their heads and smile to them.
How bitter it felt.
———
———
Land of Lightning.
Nearly a hundred Anbu escorted carts full of gold and silver into the Hidden Cloud Village.
The one receiving them was Fugaku Uchiha.
Before Fugaku could even speak, the leading Anbu stepped forward with a fawning smile.
"Lord Fugaku, sorry to have kept you waiting. We've come to purchase ninja tools."
Fugaku ignored him and sat down leisurely. "I don't like talking to people who wear masks."
Hearing that, the Anbu quickly removed theirs.
Beneath the mask was a smile so eager it almost hurt to look at.
"Lord Fugaku, we're just too used to wearing them, please forgive us. And if I may say—Lord Fugaku looks even stronger than before."
Hearing those flattering words, Fugaku felt indescribable satisfaction.
Back when the Uchiha clan was still in Konoha, these Anbu had always looked down on him, their noses pointed to the sky.
Every time he had to deal with them, it ended in frustration.
But now…
The once-proud Anbu who had treated the Uchiha with contempt were bowing before him, their smiles plastered on their faces, not daring to show a hint of arrogance.
This time, it was their turn to smile for him.