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Many of the high-ranking officials in the Hidden Mist Village were so furious that their noses were practically crooked.
Although there was no military alliance agreement between the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Leaf Village, the fact that the Leaf was providing support to the Hidden Sand Village at a time like this was simply wrong.
After all, the war had originated from the assassination of the Wind Country's daimyo in the Wind Country itself, and everyone in the Water Country, from top to bottom, believed that the Hidden Sand Village was responsible.
Even the Wind Country's daimyo himself had packed up and fled, which only served to cement the Sand Village's guilt in the eyes of the world.
At a moment when any sensible village would be scrambling to distance itself, the Hidden Leaf Village was actually daring to do business with the Sand.
Was this a sign that they didn't take the Hidden Mist Village seriously at all?
After a heated argument in their high-level meeting, the Mist Village immediately dispatched an envoy delegation to the Hidden Leaf.
They hoped that through diplomatic negotiations, they could force the Leaf to terminate all support to the Sand Village.
The Hidden Mist Village moved quickly.
The Hidden Rock Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, meanwhile, chose to remain silent, though both Ōnoki and the Raikage A were thoroughly baffled by the Leaf's maneuver.
By all rights, with the Sand Village's guilt now all but confirmed, every other village should be racing to cut ties with them.
What was the Hidden Leaf thinking, still trying to conduct trade with the Sand?
If the Sand had only purchased some ordinary supplies from the Leaf—from the Fire Country—that would have been one thing. The Mist Village wouldn't have much to say beyond a few complaints.
The problem was that the Sand hadn't just bought a bunch of everyday goods; they had acquired a massive stockpile of war-preparedness materials. That was where things started to smell downright fishy.
War was on the verge of breaking out, and yet the Hidden Leaf was supplying the Sand with a huge batch of strategic reserves.
Was this a declaration that they were siding with the Sand Village?
Regarding this audacious move by the Leaf, both the Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud Villages convened their own high-level meetings to discuss the matter.
They all wanted to figure out exactly what the Leaf's objective was.
After poring over the details and debating back and forth, they concluded that the Leaf didn't actually seem to be taking the Sand's side.
If they truly intended to back the Sand, they wouldn't have publicized the transaction details, letting the entire ninja world know that the Sand had purchased a large quantity of war materials from the Leaf.
Could it really be… just for the money?
The moment Ōnoki and A realized this possibility, they felt it was utterly absurd.
What kind of timing was this? The Hidden Leaf still had the leisure to turn a profit?
If the war escalated out of control, there was a real chance the Leaf itself would get dragged into the fray.
And yet, at such a critical juncture, they were bold enough to sell off strategic reserves. That took guts.
Ōnoki and A could both confidently say that they wouldn't dare pull a stunt like this.
But the Hidden Leaf had done it.
Not only did outsiders fail to understand, but even many within the village itself were scratching their heads, unable to grasp the intent behind this operation.
To prevent internal grumbling and the spread of rumors, Tsunade simply called a high-level meeting.
She decided to have Kazuki explain the purpose of selling the war materials right there in front of everyone.
That way, no one would have to waste time speculating wildly.
In the conference room, more than a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on Kazuki and Tsunade.
Tsunade rubbed her slightly sore wrists and said irritably, "Stop staring at me like that. From now on, Kazuki will explain why the village is selling off its war-preparedness materials."
With Tsunade's words, everyone's attention shifted entirely.
Under the watchful gaze of the room, Kazuki spoke up and asked, "According to the intelligence gathered by the Anbu, skirmishes between the Anbu forces of the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Mist Village have already begun. That means the outbreak of war is not far off. In recent times, how severely have the various industries in the village been affected?"
War was a contest of strength, but intelligence was equally vital.
Thus, the Hidden Mist Village would first dispatch a large number of Anbu operatives to infiltrate the Wind Country and gather all sorts of information.
The Hidden Sand Village, in turn, would send out Anbu squads to intercept and eliminate those infiltrators.
Even though the horns of war had not yet sounded, the shadowy clashes between the two villages' Anbu had already ignited.
Of course, the people seated in the conference room weren't there to listen to military briefings.
"There has been a certain impact," everyone exchanged glances, and in the end, it was the elder statesman Homura Mitokado who stood up to answer. "Although the war hasn't officially started, the effects are already significant. Some merchant caravans are even considering suspending operations. Compared to making money, they're more worried about being caught in the crossfire of the war. Furthermore, the trade routes from the village to the Wind Country and the Water Country have essentially been cut off. Once the war fully erupts, the situation will only worsen."
"What about the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Rock Village?" Kazuki continued to press.
Homura gave him a deep, measuring look before answering honestly, "There's been some impact there as well. All the villages have heightened their alerts, which has dealt a considerable blow to the trade routes."
"So the village's economy has taken a substantial hit."
The war was between the Hidden Rock and Hidden Sand Villages, but its ripples were spreading across the entire ninja world.
Not only was the Hidden Leaf affected; no village could escape the fallout. The Hidden Cloud Village, which relied heavily on tourism as its economic backbone, was suffering the most.
"Then, has there been any recovery in the commercial economy?" Kazuki asked.
"There has been…" Homura had a rough idea of where Kazuki was going with this.
Kazuki raised a hand to signal that Homura didn't need to continue and could sit back down.
Once Homura was seated, Kazuki finally spoke, "The village's economy has been impacted by the war, but certain sectors have actually entered a state of hyper-operation. This is the direct result of our transactions with the Hidden Sand Village. By selling at a premium of at least fifty percent, we've acquired massive quantities of ore. Do any of you think we've come out at a loss?"
Of course not…
Not only was it not a loss—the Hidden Leaf had profited enormously.
But the issue was that what we were selling was war-preparedness materials!!!
Over in the Hidden Mist Village, they were practically up in arms about it.
Before the envoy delegation heading to the Hidden Leaf had even arrived, the liaison officers stationed at the daimyo's residence had already rushed to complain to the Fire Country's daimyo.
"Let's set aside for a moment whether the war was deliberately provoked by some hidden enemy or whether the Hidden Sand Village started it themselves. All we need to remember is this: in the short term, the war will not reach the Fire Country, will not reach our Hidden Leaf Village. That's enough. As for the Hidden Mist Village—what business is it of theirs what the Hidden Leaf sells? If they want to fight a war, does that mean they get to forbid the people of the Hidden Leaf from eating? If they're unhappy about it, they can come buy from us too! As long as they're willing to pay the premium, the Hidden Leaf will sell to them as well!"
"…"
Inside the conference room, many people were rendered somewhat speechless by Kazuki's blunt words.
Though his phrasing was crude and direct, the meaning was crystal clear.
He didn't care how the war had started. The Hidden Leaf's economy was suffering, and if one sector was hit, he would compensate by boosting another.
It was that simple.
If the Hidden Mist Village didn't like it, they could send their own buyers. The Leaf would sell to them all the same!
As long as they were willing to pay the inflated price, the deal was on.
Of course, the Leaf wasn't after their money—the village wasn't short on cash. What the Leaf needed were other resources.
"Let me put it even more bluntly," Kazuki continued, choosing to be deliberately harsh. "If every decision the Hidden Leaf makes has to take other people's feelings into account, then I can guarantee you this: before the war even reaches us, we'll already be tightening our belts and living in poverty. Some of you might think the impact is minor, but don't forget— the Hidden Leaf is home to a vast number of ordinary villagers."