Ryuji had originally planned to quickly build the Mechanical City before Sunagakure was drawn into the Third Shinobi World War, enabling Sunagakure to become a victor in this war by utilizing this ultimate weapon.
But without money, everything was just talk.
So, how to find the money?
Ryuji pinched his chin, lost in thought.
He remembered that after the Third Shinobi World War, because Sunagakure lost more battles than it won, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind began to doubt their capabilities. Consequently, he drastically cut their military budget and assigned most national missions to Konoha.
Sunagakure fell into a financial crisis and had to downsize its military, nearly becoming a small Shinobi Village.
It was only a series of policies implemented by Rasa that barely managed to preserve Sunagakure's status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
First, he reduced the number of Shinobi trainees, shifting towards elite education.
Second, he used the Gold Dust Technique to mine gold, using it to subsidize the village's military expenses, allowing Sunagakure to barely maintain the strength of a great village.
If Rasa were sent to mine gold, it might alleviate some of the financial pressure.
However, after further consideration, Ryuji dismissed this idea.
The money Rasa earned from mining gold was barely enough to subsidize the village's military expenses. How could it possibly alleviate the financial pressure of building an entire city?
It might solve an immediate crisis, but it wouldn't be of much overall help.
So, what other methods could generate money quickly?
Selling arms?
Ryuji considered it briefly but also rejected this plan.
Although his mind held much knowledge not belonging to this era or world, enabling him to create weapons far ahead of the current times, and although this war-torn era didn't lack a market for them...
However, Sunagakure was also a player in this conflict.
If weapons were sold to enemies, who then turned around to attack them, it would be utterly foolish.
Afterwards, Ryuji considered many other schemes but ultimately rejected them all.
The truth was, the amount of money needed to build a flying steel city was simply too vast… so vast that even the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations, would struggle to bear it. Any individual or alternative plan would only be a drop in the bucket.
"It seems I'll have to slow down the construction pace. If we really encounter something, we'll just deal with it as it comes, 'when soldiers arrive, use generals to block them; when water arrives, use earth to cover it,'" Ryuji sighed helplessly.
He wasn't Zhuge Liang, after all, and couldn't anticipate every single detail.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic."
Having accessed the Sea of Consciousness and understood Ryuji's current mood, the Third Kazekage said, "Sunagakure likely won't be drawn into war for several years."
Ryuji was taken aback. "What makes you say that?"
"Konoha has sent envoys to Sunagakure."
"Konoha's envoys... What did they come for?"
"To solidify the alliance between our two villages. They tested the waters today and were very deferential in their approach."
"I see!"
Ryuji lowered his head, deep in thought.
After Sunagakure's defeat by Konoha in the Second Shinobi World War, a ceasefire agreement was signed, and later an alliance was established.
Although the agreement stated both sides were equal, due to the defeat, Sunagakure resembled more of a subordinate to Konoha.
Coupled with the disparity in strength, it was abnormal for Konoha to proactively send people to solidify the alliance, especially while lowering their own stance.
Unusual events always have underlying reasons.
Ryuji quickly thought of something and asked, "Is someone targeting Konoha?"
"There's no relevant intelligence yet, but we can roughly guess."
"Kumo, Iwa, Ame and Kusa alliance?"
"Correct."
Whether in this world or Ryuji's previous life, all reasons for war boil down to two types.
First: Being too powerful oneself, dissatisfied with the current state, seeking to plunder other nations to further strengthen oneself.
Second: Internal problems arise that require war to resolve.
The Kumo, Iwa, Ame and Kusa alliance attacked Sunagakure not only because the timing seemed good but also because they had a need for war.
But they lost this battle. They didn't achieve their desired goals through war.
Therefore, they would inevitably continue the war.
For the combined forces of these four Shinobi Villages, other small countries and Shinobi Villages simply couldn't satisfy their needs.
Only other Shinobi Villages among the Five Great Shinobi Villages would suffice.
Sunagakure is located in the desert, occupying a geographical advantage, but the land is barren.
Attacking Sunagakure, even if successful, yields rewards disproportionate to the effort.
Kirigakure is far away on an island nation beyond the mainland, has long isolated itself from outside contact, and has little interest relationship, making it an unlikely target.
Finally, that leaves only Konoha.
The Land of Fire, where Konoha resides, possesses the most abundant and fertile land in the entire Shinobi World. Its citizens enjoy the highest standard of living globally and generate the most mission commissions in the Shinobi World.
If they could defeat Konoha, or at least fight to a stalemate, gaining a reputation among the Land of Fire's citizens not inferior to Konoha's, thereby securing some commissions from them, it would be a guaranteed profitable venture.
"Presumably, Konoha's leadership foresaw this situation. That's why they proactively approached us to establish good relations, to prevent us from adding stones when they're down."
"Exactly, that's what I think too." The Third Kazekage nodded slightly. "We can take this opportunity to extort Konoha thoroughly. Although it still might not be enough for the Mechanical City, combined with Rasa's gold mining, it could significantly ease the financial pressure."
"Most importantly, we don't have to worry about being drawn into the flames of war in the short term. We can focus on building the Mechanical City without concern."
In the past, Sunagakure would never have accepted Konoha's goodwill.
Because to grow stronger, they needed to invade the Land of Rivers.
But now things were different.
With the Infinite Water Circulation System, obtaining fertile land was no longer the only path forward.
Therefore, choosing to gain benefits and then watching from the sidelines was undoubtedly the best option.
"No, we shouldn't extort Konoha." Ryuji rejected this suggestion.
"Hmm?" The Third Kazekage hesitated for a moment, then said, "Interactions between nations don't allow for mercy. How can we let go of such a rare opportunity?"
"It's not about mercy towards them. There's something more important than money."
"More important than money... Fertile land?" The Third Kazekage couldn't help but smile. "They would never give us land. After all, nothing has happened yet. Konoha hasn't reached the point of ceding territory."
"Not land. It's knowledge."
"Knowledge?"
"Konoha's education system, Konoha's medical system. I'm not talking about superficial aspects, but the core fundamentals."
The other four great Shinobi Villages all learned from Konoha by establishing Shinobi Academies, but none truly replicated it fully.
In the original work, Gaara, through his relationship with Naruto, introduced Konoha's complete education system.
In less than two years, Sunagakure's overall strength more than doubled. (A/N: I'm not sure how strength can double in less time than it takes to graduate, but that's the original setting)
And Konoha's medical system was a key factor in their victory in the Third Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure leads the Shinobi World in poison research, but medical capabilities... hah!
"I want to reach a concrete agreement with the Konoha's envoys. Have them send experts to impart relevant experience and knowledge, or send our people to study and learn from them directly."