A grin spread across Yuto's face as he read the message on the mysterious communicator.
[Magical Girl]: I did it.
He could practically hear the smug, self-satisfied tone dripping from those three words. Leaning back in his chair, he tapped out a reply.
[Dumb Snack]: Congrats, old man.
The early morning light streamed into the main office, which was unusually quiet. The two women who were usually buzzing around were conspicuously absent.
Right—today was a massive sale day at the Land of Waves Grand Bazaar. They'd practically flown out the door. The peace was… nice.
[Dumb Snack]: It couldn't have been easy.
[Magical Girl]: It was manageable. My inner demon had some skill. But an inner demon is just an inner demon—ultimately, it can never take the main stage.
Yuto snorted. Classic Madara. Even in victory, he had to be extra.
[Dumb Snack]: As expected of you! Truly powerful!
He laid it on a little thick, just to see what would happen.
[Magical Girl]: Hmph! I don't need you to carry me in the rankings anymore. I'll do it myself!
Oh, this was getting good. Yuto pulled up the game's stats on his side. The record was… well, it was a bloodbath. A tragic, hilarious parade of loss after loss.
[Dumb Snack]: I just checked your match history, and it seems a bit… sad.
[Magical Girl]: Shut it! What am I supposed to do when all my teammates are idiots?!
Yuto chuckled. He could picture it: Uchiha Madara, the great and terrifying Shinobi legend, hunched over a screen, his face flushed red with gamer rage. It was a beautiful image.
The man was clearly embarrassed, but there was no way he'd ever admit he might be the common denominator in all those losses. Not a chance. That would wound his dignity.
Yuto decided to play along, his smile turning wicked.
[Dumb Snack]: It must be so tough for you, getting stuck with four idiot teammates on every single match.
[Magical Girl]: This game of yours… can't you scrounge up a few normal people for me?
[Dumb Snack]: I've tried my best! Maybe there just aren't many normal people in my world.
There was a pause. Yuto could almost hear the gears turning in the other man's head.
[Magical Girl]: I think you should bring this game over to the shinobi world.
[Dumb Snack]: Oh? How come?
[Magical Girl]: Let all those so-called 'powerful' shinobi see how terrible they are at controlling themselves as game characters!
Yuto burst out laughing, the sound echoing in the quiet office.
He had to cover his mouth. Was this guy for real? He was basically describing himself. The sheer, unintentional comedy was gold.
[Dumb Snack]: Not a bad idea, but it'd be pretty hard to pull off.
[Magical Girl]: You can teach me how! I'll handle it!
Yuto raised an eyebrow.
[Dumb Snack]: Well, it's not impossible… have you ever studied programming?
[Magical Girl]: What?
[Dumb Snack]: Programming! It's how you build the game. The code, the foundation. It's all gotta be written.
[Magical Girl]: How long does it take to learn?
Yuto leaned back, stretching.
'Let's see…'
[Dumb Snack]: Depends on talent. If you're gifted, maybe a little over a year of solid study before you can start. You'd have to begin with small, simple games to practice. Realistically, you're looking at five or six years before you could make something decent.
[Magical Girl]: Five or six years?!
[Dumb Snack]: Of course, it's too hard for one person. You'd need a team. Friends to help with the art, the design, the story line…
[Magical Girl]: Did you have friends helping you?
Yuto could sense the mounting frustration through the screen. He imagined Madara mentally running through a list of potential candidates. Hashirama? Probably too dumb. White Zetsu? Even worse. Everyone else? Probably beneath his notice.
He decided to go for the kill.
[Dumb Snack]: Nope. I made the Valley of the End all by myself!
[Magical Girl]: ??
[Dumb Snack]: I didn't have helpers, but I had cheats! Jealous?
[Magical Girl]: You little…
Yuto grinned. Got him. The man was prideful to a fault and couldn't stand being one-upped.
Time to change the subject before he actually got too pissed.
[Dumb Snack]: Now that you've gained this power, what's your next move? Going straight for that transmigrator?
The response was more measured this time.
[Magical Girl]: That was the original plan, but I just realized I can't deal with his Kyōka Suigetsu yet.
[Dumb Snack]: It's not actually that hard. Just don't look at the blade. Blindfold yourself with a cloth before the fight and go in blind! With your combat talent, I'm sure fighting blindfolded won't be a problem.
[Magical Girl]: Fighting blindfolded? I don't think it's enough on its own! I need more plans and strategies. Hashirama's Hollowfication is also a key part of this.
Yuto nodded to himself. The guy was arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. A direct charge wasn't always the answer.
[Dumb Snack]: Caution is a virtue, old man. Feel free to go all out!
[Magical Girl]: Drop dead! This isn't caution! It's called planning before acting! It's tactics!
Yuto just shook his head, smiling at the final burst of tsundere energy.
He closed the communicator and swung his chair around to face his computer. The fun was over; it was time for the actual work.
Reports filled his screen. Economic policies, education budgets, personnel shifts, blueprints for new district construction—being the boss was mostly just a ton of paperwork.
Thankfully, between his own past-life memories and a certain captain's… particular set of skills, he could manage it without pulling his hair out.
He scrolled through the data, a sense of quiet satisfaction settling over him.
"Things are really looking up," he muttered to himself, taking a sip of the orange juice on his desk.
One line in particular made him pause. Their mass-produced farmed beef was now selling all the way in the Land of Lightning. And it was doing so well that it was forcing the famous Wagyu beef to lower its prices.
A slow, genuine smile spread across his face.
'Now that's interesting.'
It looked so small, just a line on a spreadsheet, but to him, it was a victory. His plan was working. Flood the market with a cheaper, just-as-good alternative.
The Land of Lightning's prized Wagyu was a luxury product, each cow taking years to raise on some special magical grass.
Theirs? Factory farms and lab-grown feed. Dirt cheap to make.
But the taste was almost as good, and the price was a fraction. Of course, people were buying it.
The breeders in the Land of Lightning were panicking, slashing prices to compete, but Yuto knew it was a losing battle for them.
You can't win a price war against someone who isn't playing by the same economic rules. They'd bleed themselves dry trying to keep up, and eventually, they'd have to sell. And who would be there to buy up all those prestigious farms and bloodlines at a discount? He would.
He was already picturing the merger when a sharp, insistent beep cut through his thoughts.
He reached over and hit the accept button on his communicator. "What's up?"
The screen flickered to life, revealing Pakura's face. She looked tense, all business like.
"Leader, we have a problem in the Land of Wind," she said, her voice crisp and urgent. "We've detected large-scale abnormal chakra fluctuations at Buried Earth Hill…"
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