"What did you say?"
"I can't hear you."
Tsunade stood beside Uchiha Hikaru. The high-speed rotation of the Gatling gun's barrel and the deafening roar of bullets tearing through the air completely drowned out A's voice.
Only after the entire five-hundred-round ammo belt had been emptied—white smoke curling from the overheated barrel—did A finally set the Gatling gun down with obvious reluctance, his face full of regret.
"This thing is insane to use~!"
"I fired so fast I didn't even feel it. How many rounds did I just shoot?"
Looking at the spent shell casings scattered across the ground at his feet, A asked instinctively.
Uchiha Hikaru raised one hand, spreading all five fingers.
"Five hundred rounds."
A raised his brows, clearly skeptical at first—but then he recalled the sensation just now.
That violent, continuous recoil…
Hikaru definitely hadn't been joking.
And there was no reason for him to lie.
"Five hundred rounds?"
"Then how much does one ammo belt cost? This kind of thing must be insanely expensive to use."
"But the lethality is terrifying."
Turning back toward the firing direction, A saw that the target had been completely shredded. Even the pile of rocks behind it had been pulverized, ochre-colored dust billowing into the air from afar.
Tsunade poked Hikaru's arm, curiosity written all over her face.
"How much is it?"
She knew these things existed, but she'd long since handed all firearm-related matters to her second grandfather, Orochimaru.
She just needed to stamp approvals and sign off.
"Fifty ryō per round."
A waved his hand immediately.
"Fifty ryō? That cheap?"
"Will Konoha sell these?"
"If you do, Kumogakure can place a bulk order."
At that moment, Rasa spoke quietly from the side.
"Raikage… one round is fifty ryō. The burst you just fired cost twenty-five thousand ryō."
"From what I can tell, the materials are refined iron, similar to kunai-grade alloys. I truly don't understand how Konoha managed to keep the price this low."
"It's basically cost price."
Uchiha Hikaru nodded. Rasa was absolutely right.
All of Konoha's ammunition was now produced through fully automated mechanical lines—no manpower required. As long as there was chakra supply and power from the plants, production ran nonstop.
All thanks to Scorpio's tireless contributions over the past two years~ (￣▽￣)
"It is cost price," Hikaru said calmly.
"Because Konoha never planned to sell these externally."
"We brought you here only because we'll be using them in the upcoming war."
"I intend to divide the allied shinobi forces into three armies."
"They will depart from the Land of Hot Springs, Nadeshiko Village, and the Land of Lightning."
"We'll form a three-pronged encirclement—like a cheese sandwich—cutting off the Moon Kingdom's escape routes entirely."
"At that point, Konoha's firearm units will be embedded into each army, advancing at the very front and conducting sweeping operations."
Hearing this, A's earlier thoughts vanished instantly.
What replaced them was a clear realization of just how vast the gap between Konoha and Kumogakure had become.
From now on, it wouldn't just be Kumogakure—no village in the ninja world would be able to surpass Konoha.
That possibility was practically zero.
Not to mention how devastating these firearms were on the battlefield—even Kumogakure didn't have the financial capacity to mass-produce weapons like this.
It was hard to imagine how much Konoha had invested into developing them.
As for Ōnoki…
The old man had long since given up resisting.
Ever since that commission discussion in Fushiko Village, Uchiha Hikaru's genjutsu had become his recurring nightmare—inescapable, unforgettable.
Now, every time he saw Hikaru, he no longer had the courage to oppose him as he once did.
Besides, ever since aligning with Konoha, Iwagakure had visibly improved over the past two years.
So why fight it?
Even if he felt uncomfortable inside, as long as Iwagakure lived better than before, he didn't care.
"I agree with Guild President Uchiha Hikaru's proposal," Ōnoki said slowly.
"If Konoha's firearm units are embedded in all three armies, they can deliver a preliminary barrage before close engagement."
"That would significantly reduce allied casualties."
"Truly well-intentioned~"
Hikaru smiled. At that moment, Tsunade suddenly remembered something else—something that hadn't been shown yet.
"Hikaru, what about that thing?" she asked.
"Is it finished already?"
"It's ready," Hikaru replied calmly,
"but it's not convenient to demonstrate right now."
"When the war begins, you'll see it naturally."
"Consider it… a small surprise."
Originally, if Tsunade hadn't brought it up, no one would have thought much of it.
But now, everyone felt an unbearable itch of curiosity.
Even Nagato looked at Hikaru with interest.
"Is it a firearm even more destructive than that Gatling gun?"
Hikaru didn't keep them in suspense.
"Yes," he answered directly.
"It's a combat vehicle called a tank."
"It's equipped with a cannon and can move freely. Effective range: roughly three thousand meters."
"It's a weapon of mass destruction."
"There's also artillery—longer range, but difficult to reposition. On the battlefield, unless you locate the enemy first, it's hard to aim effectively."
"It lacks the flexibility of a tank."
At that moment, A had only one thought in his mind.
Let me try it.
Just once.
The Gatling gun alone had already driven him wild—if he got to drive a tank or fire a cannon…
Wouldn't that be even crazier?!
Sure enough, men had zero resistance to either cold weapons or hot ones. (≧▽≦)
After that, Hikaru let them test sniper rifles, pistols, shotguns, and other firearms—each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Every demonstration left them stunned.
Once again, they could only sigh inwardly.
Konoha truly is a cradle of geniuses.
Not just shinobi—but technological prodigies as well.
After the demonstrations, the group finalized the deployment of the three allied armies and special units.
The final structure was decided as follows:
First Army — Long-range ninjutsu combat unit
Captain: Nagato
Vice-Captain: Konan
Second Army — Medium- and close-combat unit
Commander-in-Chief: Kitsuchi
Deputy Commander: Akatsuchi
Third Army — Special combat forces
Captain: Darui
Vice-Captain: C
Surprise Attack Unit
Captain: Kakashi Hatake
Mission: Launch an assault from the eastern coastline of the Land of Hot Springs into Moon Kingdom territory
Intelligence Unit
Leaders: Inoichi Yamanaka, C, and Ao
Responsibilities: Battlefield intelligence transmission and command relay
Perception Combat Unit
Members: Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Kushina Uzumaki, Mito Uzumaki
After careful consideration, Uchiha Hikaru decided to deploy the four fully resurrected legends into this war.
Especially with Hashirama's overwhelming combat power, Tobirama's unparalleled mobility, and the combined sensory abilities of Mito and Kushina—
They were the perfect team for battlefield mapping and enemy detection.
The pieces were set.
The Fourth Ninja World War was no longer a distant future.
It had truly begun.