"Huh?" Jiraiya stared at the clod of earth in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, his face full of confusion.
When did Mount Myōboku produce this?
He was a member of Mount Myōboku too; how come he didn't know!
Orochimaru and Tsunade also had confused looks on their faces.
Obviously, they didn't know what was going on either.
Sarutobi Hiruzen crumbled the clod, and dirt scattered onto the table.
Jiraiya pressed his finger on the powder, brought it to his nose to sniff, and after confirming repeatedly, said: "Teacher, this is actually just a clod of earth, right?"
"It is a clod of earth."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded: "But we are going to sell this clod of earth for the price of gold, or even several times the price of gold."
Jiraiya scratched his hair: "This... Teacher, although many nobles are indeed quite foolish, they aren't foolish to this extent, are they?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled.
"We are ninja who master chakra, holding the most cutting-edge technology in the Ninja World. Especially in the field of biotechnology and medicine, we have a generational advantage."
"Even if the raw materials are cheap, as long as technology endows it with irreplaceable scarcity value, coupled with precise matching functions and bound identity premiums, is turning stone into gold such a difficult thing?"
"This is technology pricing, not cost logic."
Hearing about the technology aspect, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
This was also the project Sarutobi Hiruzen selected after in-depth investigation.
It wasn't that he underestimated the heroes of the world.
Cloud's Nintaijutsu, Rock's Dust Release, Mist's Bloodline Limits, and Sand's Puppet Technique all had their own characteristics and were not devoid of innovation.
But the fields they excelled in were all military.
Regarding medical care related to people's livelihood, development was practically zero.
Compared to Konoha, which began developing biology from the time of the Second Hokage, they couldn't compare at all.
Coupled with Tsunade and Orochimaru, two geniuses in biomedicine, and the Nara and Akimichi clans with reserves in medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Monopolizing the 'noble healthcare' market would not be difficult.
Sarutobi Hiruzen further explained: "What do the so-called nobles want most?"
"Nothing more than a good body to continue their privileges, and a status symbol to show off to others. As long as we cover their needs, we don't have to worry about them not voluntarily sending money."
"The curative effect doesn't need to be rapid, but as long as there is an immediate physical sensation, coupled with good sales talk, they will pay."
"Immediate physical sensation represents efficacy, while subsequent gentleness doesn't mean poor effect, but slow nourishment, strengthening the foundation. It's a design language of no side effects, which instead appears more prestigious..."
Orochimaru nodded slightly as he listened.
It sounded a bit like the sales talk he usually used to fool his subordinates.
Tsunade's eyes lit up: "I roughly understand what you mean, Teacher!"
Tsunade had actually done similar things.
Because she loved gambling, sometimes she owed a lot of money at the casino. Some nobles would seize this opportunity to help her clear her gambling debts and then ask her for medical treatment.
Some nobles would also take the opportunity to ask for medicine. Tsunade would just use medical ninjutsu to treat them a couple of times, casually mold a mud pill for them, and the other party would be grateful enough to offer silver.
Jiraiya had once complained about Tsunade.
Even though he was Konoha's model worker plus a novelist, the speed at which he made money was far slower than Tsunade.
"You guys meet and research the specific efficacy in detail."
"I'm giving you the general idea."
"The core point is to establish a procurement cycle. The First, Second, Three Holy Lands, and so on that I mentioned are bound to the nobles' 'premium demand'."
Orochimaru smiled gloomily: "Very much in line with the thinking of those nobles..."
"If there are plenty of cheap materials with gimmicks, that would be best." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled:
"For example, harmless snake scales and the like. Deliberately adding one or two unbroken ones will make these nobles feel that our product is made of real materials."
"Konoha's reputation of having been wealthy in the past, plus the resource of the Three Holy Lands, must be utilized."
Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed at himself: "I am also a 'living advertisement'!"
"Even if other hidden villages follow suit in the future, with this moat, they won't be able to compete with us. Of course, this also requires the medicine you make to sufficiently grasp the pain points of these nobles."
"Raw material prices should be kept as low as possible. We are here to make money, not to really work hard for them."
Jiraiya nodded as if he understood, and said: "I don't know about other things, but for aphrodisiacs, Mount Myōboku has a kind of toad oil that works. I've been taking it all along..."
"That stuff is piled up in the back mountain so much it can only be burned. Big Sister gave me a lot..."
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with disdain: "You look quite strong, didn't expect you, sigh~"
"No, I'm taking it for health care, I'm not sick!" Jiraiya's face instantly turned completely red, and he was anxious to defend his dignity as a man.
"Alright, idiot, are you going to take off your pants to prove it?"
Orochimaru laughed somewhat loudly: "I'll credit you with a merit. You shouldn't have a problem negotiating the endorsement with Mount Myōboku, right?"
After receiving Jiraiya's affirmation, Orochimaru also said: "Ryūchi Cave has a large amount of snake slough, which has a calming effect. Using waste to feed those nobles is just right."
"As for Shikkotsu Forest, I don't know what waste can be utilized... After all, every slug is actually the main body of the Great Sage."
Tsunade smiled and said: "Actually, whether it's the Three Holy Lands isn't important. What's important is utilizing waste. Without spending excessive medical resources, we can still make this pill, right?"
"Teacher, no need to worry about this point. Those nobles without chakra can't handle the medicines used by ninja..." Tsunade expanded her thinking:
"This is a cost procurement advantage, but also a technical difficulty. We have to adjust according to their tolerance."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Tsunade a thumbs up.
Indeed, there is specialization in every field. Tsunade understood this aspect immediately.
"For the base of the pill, the Akimichi Clan's spinach pill can be used for reference. The Nara Clan's calming drink is also not bad..." Tsunade expanded her thinking; she had already started brainstorming.
"This time, Tsunade and Orochimaru, you two take the lead. Pay attention to the process of cooperation with the Akimichi and Nara clans this time."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said: "Tsunade, I know you've always wanted to form a medical corps, but you also know that having a pure medical ninja in a three-man squad is undoubtedly unrealistic."
"Not everyone has talent like yours, possessing both combat talent and medical ability."
Tsunade sighed and nodded.
She also knew that her proposal when she was young was well-intentioned but impractical.
In a clash between two three-man squads, if the medical ninja lacked firepower and also needed protection, they would undoubtedly fall into a disadvantage.
After all, the concept of a 'tank' didn't exist in the Ninja World. Situations of tanking while healing were almost non-existent; it was more about evasion and mobility.
"When the project officially starts, I will support you in selecting a member from each squad across the village to lead the medical department, and every Jōnin will receive emergency first aid training from the village."
Hearing this, Tsunade said loudly: "That's great! Leave it to me, Old Man!"
"Orochimaru, you are responsible for the pricing issue..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued assigning tasks: "Be clear on one point: we are only targeting the great nobles. We cannot use excessive ninja to engage in this project, affecting the normal operation of the village."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Orochimaru nodded. Ninja were essentially primarily combat units, and precious medical ninja also needed to be used for the daily maintenance of the hospital.
It was impossible to allocate a large amount of manpower to make medicine for these nobles.
With great nobles as the target group, the number of people would be small, the price high, and the manpower consumed would also decrease. Logically, it was also more consistent with the quality of this 'Three Holy Lands joint production' pill.
Scarcity was an indispensable part of this project.
Orochimaru even thought that if the pill successfully made a name for itself, they could even use this to infiltrate the enemy country's Daimyō Manor and obtain intelligence on the enemy's base camp.
Without even deliberately asking, some clues could reveal many trends.
"You must pay attention to this opportunity to cooperate with the Nara and Akimichi clans."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly:
"It's not just about getting funding from the nobles. Some technologies incubated from your cooperation this time, targeted optimization of ingredients and dosages, and enhanced functions, might not be impossible to migrate to the military field."
"Special effect 'Soldier Pills', agents with refreshing and pain-relieving effects, etc..."
"We must establish a higher strategic vision. This is conducting military technology pre-research and iteration, striving to achieve two-way technical benefits from a single R&D investment."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused: "For example, the medical tags you once mentioned... As far as I know, the difficulty lies in the storage and slow release of medical chakra, right?"
Tsunade nodded. Teacher really knew a lot:
"Yes. Compared to the explosive release of Fire Release chakra in explosive tags, making medical tags is difficult in both 'slow release' and 'storage'."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and said: "If we can successfully capture 'noble healthcare', then I think the advent of 'medical tags' won't be too far away."
"Once our pills gain the recognition of these great nobles, their dependents will naturally also generate demand."
"Closest to them are their women."
Tsunade looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen in confusion. Was there any relationship between the two?
"Break down the medical tag technology. First solve the smallest unit of medical chakra storage and slow-release technology to satisfy the needs of those noble ladies, which is so-called 'cosmetics'."
Sarutobi Hiruzen guided patiently: "And the recovered funds can be used for military R&D..."
Noble women, although their status was highly bound to and dependent on their husbands, did not mean they lacked spending power.
In the feudal system, the makeup and beauty of noble women were the calling card of a man's power and influence. It was equivalent to displaying one's strength to the outside world and was a necessary expense to maintain family decency and personal authority.
Just like repairing the mansion and arranging the ceremonial guard.
For themselves, beauty could also increase their bargaining power in marriage alliances, just like ninja strength.
Therefore, if there were 'super cosmetics' that could beautify them, the noble ladies would definitely not be stingy with the silver in their pockets.
Tsunade suddenly realized: "Not to mention noble women, even many female ninja have asked me about staying young..."
"That's right. These small and beautiful projects that won't use excessive manpower and can be converted between military and civilian use, once running, will bring huge benefits to the village."
Tsunade slapped the table, and her other hand slapped Orochimaru's shoulder heavily: "We two have to work hard!"
Orochimaru's face turned dark. This woman had no sense of propriety in her strikes, but he still forced a smile and said: "Naturally..."
He was also extremely covetous of this steady stream of future cash.
Doing research, improving and developing ninjutsu, apart from occasionally getting lucky, mostly required a large amount of manpower and material resources to pile up.
"Then what do I do, Teacher?" Jiraiya pointed at himself.
"For you..." Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered: "I heard you write books. How are they selling?"
Jiraiya said with a mournful face: "Not selling too well, I guess, but I believe it will definitely become a bestseller in the future!"
"Aren't those few emotional short stories you wrote anonymously quite popular?"
Orochimaru's expression was teasing: "How about changing tracks? Being too serious doesn't suit you..."
"What, smelly snake, how do you know what I wrote!" Jiraiya was like a cat with its fur standing on end: "Are you secretly in love with me to actually spy on my privacy!"
As everyone knows, one of the most awkward scenarios for a novelist is having relatives and friends see them write this kind of content.
"Don't underestimate my intelligence network..." Orochimaru raised an eyebrow mysteriously:
"Back to the topic, I think you are very talented in this area. Write about the pills and cosmetics we are going to make into your stories; this will be very beneficial for publicity."
Jiraiya asked suspiciously: "Am I really talented? To be honest, I feel what I write is too fake."
He stole a glance at Tsunade: "I don't have any romantic experience..."
"No, you do, Jiraiya."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes lit up, encouraging him: "Precisely because you haven't been in a relationship, you have a sci-fi-like yearning for that beauty!"
"Do as Orochimaru says, Jiraiya! Teacher looks forward to you becoming a renowned emotional novelist in the Ninja World..."
Jiraiya said with a bitter face: "Why doesn't that sound like a compliment, Teacher!"
"However, since it's for the village, I can only sacrifice this great lord's literary talent..." Jiraiya instantly switched from a depressed state to a confident one:
"First become famous by writing romance, accumulate fans, help the village, and then write serious literature to become a grandmaster of the generation!"
"Mn, decided, that's it!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
Even in the Ninja World, was there such a chain of contempt between novels and authors?
Truly realistic...
"Pick a pen name. Let me think, what would be good..."
Jiraiya muttered to himself: "Mount Myōboku Golden Toad Earth-Shaking Heaven-Splitting Sage? Shinobi Wilderness Romantic Ink Scroll Worldly Carefree Guest?"
"You are past the age of chūnibyō, Jiraiya... Acting like this, won't you lead your disciple, my grand-disciple, astray?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand in disgust and said faintly: "I think, just call yourself Young Master Ji!"
"This name is okay..." Jiraiya was stunned: "Sounds quite pure, actually suits me..."
"I'll be responsible for handling the Daimyō. You guys be responsible for the specific R&D..."
"For Konoha, Team Hiruzen reassemble, let's work hard together!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen extended his palm. Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were stunned at first, then knowingly stacked their hands together.
When they were young, they often did this.
"Team Hiruzen, let's go!"