Naruto's Review : First Viewer is Senju Tobirama?

It has been twelve years since the Third Ninja World War in the time and space of the Third Hokage.

Twelve years is enough time for the major ninja villages that were affected by the war to recover.

Of course, no one wants to give up the hard-won peace and start a new round of war.

However, with the announcement of the alliance between Cloud and Stone, an invisible war has already begun.

At this moment, the ninja world is like an unlit gasoline barrel.

It only takes a small spark, and this barrel will explode.

In the Hokage office, the Fifth Hokage Jiraiya looked at the information in his hand and sneered disdainfully.

"Cloud and Stone think they can force us with this kind of tactic? They're being a bit too naive."

The intelligence showed that Cloud and Stone officially announced they would stop exporting their signature goods to the Land of Fire.

For example, Cloud's specialties: alcohol and beef, as well as other daily necessities.

Stone's specialties: various gems and ores, among other industrial goods.

The purpose of the two villages was clear—they wanted to force Konoha to hand over the Resurrection Technique with this kind of tactic.

With such methods, the Fifth Hokage Jiraiya said he wasn't worried at all.

"Shikaku, do we still have enough food?"

Shikaku, the leader of the Jonin group, part-time Hokage secretary, and part-time village strategist, nodded.

"After our large-scale purchases over the past two months, we have no shortage of food or daily necessities. If we want to endure, we can last against Cloud and Stone for a long time. Plus, the Land of Fire is originally a major food producer. Cloud won't succeed with this tactic of trying to stop food sales to us."

"But...?"

Shikaku glanced at Jiraiya, his expression slightly helpless.

"But... the lack of industrial materials like iron ore will affect the combat power of our ninjas."

"Then, can we contact Sunagakure and Kirigakure to buy the things we need from them?"

"We can, but the price may be higher than usual."

"That's fine. As long as they don't take advantage of the situation and raise the price too much, it's okay."

"Understood."

"Alright, then. Go ahead and make the arrangements."

"Yes."

As Shikaku walked away, Jiraiya couldn't help but smile as he thought about the methods of Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

Konoha can't buy from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, but can they not go to Sunagakure and Kirigakure?

Although the price may be a little higher and the quality might not be as good as from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, it's enough to break the restrictions those two villages have placed on Konoha.

Moreover, if they can't buy from Sunagakure and Kirigakure, can't he still buy from the Second Hokage?

Living people need traveling quotas, but materials like iron ore don't need them.

As long as they have enough storage scrolls prepared, he can buy enough to cover the village's needs for several months in one go.

The only problem is that storage scrolls are difficult to make and are quite expensive.

Buying in bulk would cost a lot more money than buying from Kirigakure or Sunagakure.

Therefore, buying materials from the Second Hokage was Jiraiya's last resort.

Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't bother the Second Hokage.

"Now, let's see what other methods Kumogakure and Iwagakure have."

Kumogakure and Iwagakure do indeed have follow-up plans.

They also knew that blocking the materials wasn't very reliable; this step was just to show their attitude, telling Konoha that they were about to target them. The smaller ninja villages, who had been sitting on the fence, could now start picking sides.

At the same time, it was a warning to Konoha: this time, they were serious. If they were sensible, they would hand over the resurrection technique to avoid things getting ugly for everyone.

"As we expected, Konoha didn't give much of a response."

"And our people saw that Konoha sent two delegations abroad. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be heading to Sunagakure and Kirigakure."

"Alright, inform Iwagakure to begin the next phase of the plan."

In the village of Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage A, waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to get to work.

Meanwhile, in Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, did nearly the same thing as A.

"I wonder if Konoha can still hold steady after our joint efforts with Kumogakure."

Standing at a high point, Onoki was confident in the success of Konoha's resurrection technique.

"Not good, Hokage-sama, Kumogakure and Iwagakure have made their move."

Several days passed, and just when Jiraiya started to doubt the actions of Kumogakure and Iwagakure—thinking they were making a lot of noise but no real impact—a new report arrived.

"Don't panic, Shikaku. Let me see what new tricks they're up to."

Jiraiya picked up the report and began reading it.

But as he continued reading, his expression grew worse.

"Do they want to die?"

With a loud slam, Jiraiya angrily slapped the report on the table and said, "They really are something else. In order to steal missions, they've drastically reduced the fee required to issue a mission. This move is truly insane!"

The number of available missions is not unlimited. If one village takes a mission, that means there's one less for other villages.

And the main source of income for ninjas comes from completing missions.

If there are no missions, not only will the ninjas lose their source of income, but the village will also suffer.

If Jiraiya doesn't handle this properly, it will cause a huge mess.

"What about Kirigakure and Sunagakure? Kumogakure and Iwagakure are clearly fighting for missions. I don't believe Mei Terumi and Chiyo will just sit back."

"We might have to wait a bit longer for the reports from Kirigakure and Sunagakure. But I believe, since Kumogakure and Iwagakure dared to make this move, they must be confident they can convince Kirigakure and Sunagakure not to interfere. It's probably just some exchange of benefits."

"You make a good point."

Jiraiya nodded, acknowledging the words spoken by Shikaku.

Seeing that Jiraiya agreed with what he said, Shikaku continued, "So, we can't place our hopes on the Hidden Mist and Hidden Sand. We can only find a way to break the situation ourselves."

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

"I have a few, though they're not fully developed."

"Go ahead and say them."

"Alright."

Shikaku fell silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts before speaking, "First, if they want to engage in a price war, then Konoha can do the same. We can set our prices at the same level as theirs. I believe that with the strength of our Konoha ninjas, customers will choose us if the prices are the same."

"…But if we fight them with a price war, isn't the cost a bit too high?"

Jiraiya was not the fool that Orochimaru had described him to be.

He could clearly see both the strengths and weaknesses of Shikaku's suggestion.

The advantages aside, the drawbacks were something Jiraiya found hard to accept.

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