Ryuji's conjecture was quickly confirmed.
It wasn't that Sunagakure's intelligence department was so incredible that they obtained relevant information immediately after receiving orders.
Rather, materials for the Mechanical City transported from the Land of Earth, Land of Rain, Land of Fire, Land of Grass, and other directions were all intercepted and seized.
If it happened in one place, it could be coincidental. But so many places simultaneously? That was enough to indicate other Shinobi Villages in the world were jointly targeting Sunagakure.
"Have these guys lived long enough?!"
Upon learning the news, the Third Kazekage angrily slammed the desk repeatedly.
After successive major victories, his confidence had greatly inflated. Several villages, having experienced major wars, with strength less than half their peak... Even if united, he was confident of victory.
But precisely because of this, it indicated the opposing alliance wasn't just those few.
Ryuji remained very calm, instantly analyzing the hidden information. "Whether it's Onoki, Sarutobi Hiruzen, or the current leaders of Amegakure and Kusagakure, none are fools. Without sufficient confidence, they wouldn't make such provocative moves likely to incite war."
Hearing this, the Third Kazekage also instantly understood.
He punched the desk angrily. "So Kumogakure and Kirigakure are also involved."
"Perhaps many medium and small villages too." Ryuji chuckled lightly. "Although Sunagakure has grown stronger, we haven't done anything making the entire Shinobi World feel threatened. How could they unite so quickly? Remember, they were recently locked in life-and-death struggles, each harboring deep hatred."
"You mean someone behind the scenes united them?"
"Correct." Ryuji nodded slightly. "That person could unite four great villages recently at war. Uniting some medium and small villages isn't impossible either. We must prepare to face all Shinobi Villages except the Land of Iron."
"Hisss!"
The Third Kazekage couldn't help but suck in a breath.
Despite Sunagakure's successive victories and rapid growth over half a year, possessing the unimaginably advanced Mechanical City, he still found it hard to picture facing the entire shinobi world alone.
At least, with Sunagakure's current strength, no glimpse of victory was visible.
"Don't worry."
As if sensing the Third Kazekage's concern, Ryuji consoled, "We have the Mechanical City. As long as the enemy can't fly on a large scale, we're already in an unbeatable position."
'Right! We have the Mechanical City.'
'If a united Shinobi World attack truly occurred, we could relocate everyone onto the Mechanical City in advance.'
Thinking this, the Third Kazekage also couldn't help but sigh in relief.
But then came frustration.
Clearly stronger than ever, yet living more constrained lives than before… truly unbearable!
He looked at Ryuji, mouth opening and closing before finally deciding, "...Ryuji, can we only endure like this?"
"Would enduring help?" Ryuji snorted twice, counter-asking, "You don't think they went through all this trouble to unite just to block our material transport, do you?"
Of course not.
Before the Floating Continent's completion, such actions were understandable.
But the Floating Continent was built, serving as an aerial strategic base. Blocking subsequent equipment construction couldn't change the existing situation.
So, blocking subsequent construction was just preparation for the later major war.
The Third Kazekage's mind was agile; he quickly understood, his expression turning grave.
"If the Allied Shinobi Forces attack, is moving everyone onto the Mechanical City our only option?"
Currently, only the 'Sky Ladder' of the Floating Continent was complete. Various Mechanical City's facilities and buildings hadn't started construction. If villagers collectively moved up, they'd only have tents.
If attacked by something like a Bijudama, those living there would have no safety guarantee.
Thus, if this happened, Sunagakure would pay a heavy price.
"Don't worry!" Ryuji said calmly. "They united with such effort; their ambitions are definitely not small. At least not just strategic victory but completely erasing Sunagakure from the Shinobi World. But to utterly destroy Sunagakure, they'd need flight transport for their allied forces. They don't have that yet, so they won't attack in the short term..."
Here, Ryuji suddenly thought of something, frowning tightly.
If it were other villages, dealing with the Mechanical City would require flight transport or weapons.
But Kumogakure was different; they possessed a Chakra Cannon capable of blasting the moon.
If Kumogakure deployed that cannon, could the Floating Continent withstand it?
According to The Book of Raziel, the Floating Continent equipped with Ugo's Rings possessed defensive power comparable to a planetary continent, plus recovery abilities ordinary continents lacked.
But it didn't specify how large a continent.
If it were a continent like Australia from his previous world, the Chakra Cannon with moon-blasting power had a high probability of shooting down the Floating Continent.
If it were a continent like Eurasia-Africa-America, then naturally, no fear (the difficulty of blasting the moon is similar to blasting Australia).
'Better prepare two strategies, just in case.'
"What's wrong? Any issues?"
Seeing Ryuji fall silent mid-sentence, deep in thought, the Third Kazekage couldn't help but ask.
"Thought of a problem." Ryuji nodded lightly. "Kumogakure currently does have a weapon capable of shooting down the Mechanical City, but it's likely non-replicable. I'll find a way to handle it."
"And what were you originally going to say?"
The Third Kazekage trusted Ryuji's abilities. Since he said he could handle it, he didn't press further, instead asking about the original point.
"I mean, the Allied Shinobi Forces might have obtained methods for manufacturing flight transport, hence secretly allying."
Why obtained manufacturing methods instead of flight transport?
Their actions showed this.
If they had flight transport, they wouldn't ally secretly but openly, then lead troops to attack.
Therefore...
"In the short term, the Allied Forces won't attack Sunagakure." Ryuji said. "They need time to manufacture flight transport. Meanwhile, we can use this time to complete the Mechanical City fully."
"Precisely because of this, they seized subsequent construction materials for the Mechanical City!"
Hearing Ryuji's words, the Third Kazekage suddenly understood.
He felt both relieved and frustrated.
Relieved that Sunagakure still had time to prepare; frustrated because the Allied Shinobi World blocked routes, preventing material transport for subsequent construction.
As if sensing the Third Kazekage's distress, Ryuji consoled, "Don't worry. I just signed a contract with shipping company owner Gato. He'll be responsible for the Mechanical City's subsequent materials."
"Really? That's excellent!"
The Mechanical City's raw materials were mainly procured from the Land of Iron and Land of Artisans.
Land transport required fixed routes; the sea did not.
The sea was vast and boundless. The Land of Wind had such a long coastline, with countless shipping routes for transport.
Moreover, Gato, responsible for transport, was a ruthless, unscrupulous merchant with connections in both legal and illegal circles, having many avenues.
As for whether he might extort or retaliate against Ryuji...
Well, considering Gato's short-sightedness, that was highly probable.
If it really happened, Ryuji would make him regret being born into this world.
"Flight transport capable of moving Allied Shinobi Forces... Whether a military base like the Mechanical City or numerous small transport vehicles, neither could be manufactured quickly. We likely have three to five years of development time."
Here, Ryuji paused, then continued, "This timeframe, if we omit non-essential structures and facilities like entertainment districts, three years should be enough for completion. By then, with the fully realized Mechanical City, we can fear no enemy."
Yes, fear no enemy.
Because Ryuji's ultimate purpose for building the Mechanical City was to deal with the moon.