A few days later.
Yagura received some good news—
The first payment from Sunagakure had arrived!!
Money, no—
Gold bars in the account!
A few days ago, a fleet loaded with the stockpile of war supplies that Kirigakure had secretly accumulated over the years set sail eastward.
There was no attempt to hide it.
With such a massive shipment, keeping it secret wasn't even an option.
Kirigakure, which had long adhered to a policy of isolation, was now suddenly engaging in large-scale maritime exports. Naturally, this drew the attention of intelligence agencies across various nations.
Under heavy guard by Sunagakure's shinobi, the cargo was successfully delivered and unloaded. The sight of the goods left intelligence operatives—and, by extension, the leaders of their respective nations—stunned.
Shinobi uniforms, soldier pills, shuriken, kunai, explosive tags…
A whole arsenal of war supplies.
Was Kirigakure truly planning to sit out of the war?
With the Mizukage dead and nearly the entire generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wiped out, Kirigakure's influence had fallen to an all-time low.
Upon receiving this intel, the Third Tsuchikage and Third Raikage refrained from reacting too strongly. The signs had been there for a while, and the key question now was—what would Sunagakure do with this massive stockpile of war supplies?
Once the goods were received, Sunagakure honored their part of the deal without delay. Ship after ship, laden with desert gold, arrived at Kirigakure's shores.
There was so much gold that even space-time storage scrolls couldn't contain it all.
A significant portion had to be transported by land, with caravans moving in an unbroken line into the village.
It was a spectacular sight.
With the Sunagakure trade successfully completed, all that was left was to wait and see how things unfolded.
...
Having settled a major affair, Yagura finally stepped out of the Mizukage's office in a good mood.
The moment he heard of the shipment's arrival, he, along with Kisame and Ringo Ameyuri, made their way to the village gates.
In the shinobi world, transportation technology for land routes lagged behind maritime transport.
Steamships, powered by coal, already existed for ocean travel. However, there were no trains yet for land transport—likely because shinobi could simply run faster.
For now, transportation relied heavily on livestock.
Given the urgency, Kirigakure had mobilized every available draft animal.
The convoy included ox carts, horse-drawn wagons, and even donkey carts, all hauling massive four-wheeled carriages.
The line stretched as far as the eye could see.
Fortunately, Kirigakure was perpetually shrouded in mist, with little sunlight.
If the bright summer sun were beating down on those carts full of gold, the sheer reflection alone might have blinded the crowd—including Yagura himself.
Literally blinded—not just metaphorically.
Right now, though, it was only the figurative kind of dazzling.
So much gold.
Blending into the crowd, Yagura discreetly gave a thumbs-up.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, truly was an exceptional shinobi—far more competent than a mere Genin from Konoha.
His worth had been acknowledged.
All around them, villagers had gathered along the main streets of Kirigakure, watching the spectacle with astonishment.
"My god! I've never seen so much gold before. Where did it all come from?"
"You don't know? The Acting Mizukage sold off the village's war stockpile to Sunagakure. This is the payment for those supplies."
"Wait… Selling off war supplies? Does that mean we're really not going to war?"
"Almost certainly. The Acting Mizukage has never supported war."
"That's a relief. I support the Acting Mizukage. No more war."
"Yeah, same. Ever since the Kazekage died, I've been wondering—why should we fight a war for him?"
"But if we win, there could be significant rewards."
"Win? Let's talk about that when we actually have a chance. The war hasn't even started, and we've already lost six out of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. How are we supposed to fight?"
"Exactly. And even if we win, the benefits will go to the higher-ups. What do we get? If we're lucky, we just won't have to pay extra war taxes."
"Well, this gold is still…"
Yagura adjusted his hat, lowering it over his face as he silently withdrew from the crowd.
...
Seeing the direction Yagura was heading, Ringo Ameyuri grimaced and made an exaggerated gagging motion, clutching her stomach.
"You're going back to work?!"
Despite her immense gratitude to Yagura for entrusting her with the Thunder Swords—allowing her to become a Jonin and a new member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—she still had limits.
Sitting in an office all day, doing absolutely nothing but paperwork, was unbearable!
"Yeah. I had some ideas."
Getting out for some fresh air had been the right decision.
Yagura mused for a moment before saying the words Ringo Ameyuri feared most.
"I need to draft a plan."
"No, no, no! Take a break!!"
Whenever Yagura came up with a plan, the entire administrative office suffered—for at least three days.
She didn't have to do paperwork herself, but even just standing around all day was exhausting!
Dashing in front of Yagura, she spread her arms wide to block his path.
"You finally came outside! The weather is nice! Let's stay out a little longer!"
Yagura chuckled.
"That dramatic, huh?"
He knew Ringo Ameyuri's impatient nature—she must have been going crazy stuck in the office.
Turning to Kisame, who had remained silent, he asked, "What about you?"
Kisame flashed a mild smile.
"I'm fine." He was more of the silent, brooding type.
Ringo shot him a glare. "You're no help!"
She turned back to Yagura, her tone almost pleading.
"Come on! Let's forget about work for now! Let's get some ramen!"
Yagura spread his hands.
"That would be… a little odd."
"Fine, dumplings then!"
"It's not about the food."
Yagura cut her off with a raised hand.
"If you're tired, take the day off. I understand."
He had a lot on his plate. Even stepping out for this long had required careful planning.
But while he meant it, no subordinate could just go home while their superior kept working.
That was what an inhuman boss would do.
And Yagura wasn't just their boss—he was their comrade. He worked more than any of them, and he was younger than all of them.
Ringo Ameyuri looked at his face—he'd lost some weight. She remembered how, just six months ago, she could squeeze his cheeks with ease.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
It's gone! The chubby cheeks are gone! Damn it!
She gave up.
"Fine! Fine! Let's go back!"
If he was going to be a workaholic, then she'd just have to accept her fate.
Yagura didn't tease her any further, instead hurrying back to the Mizukage's office.
...
Inside, the village elders and finance officers were busy calculating the first batch of payments from Sunagakure, determining its conversion to cash and how it should be allocated.
"Yes. Prioritizing expenditures is the right approach," Yagura said as he sat down.
Then he tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention.
"I want full transparency. Make the spending records public."
Elder Genshi nodded.
"Understood. That is the right decision."
"Also… there's something else we need to start working on."
Yagura picked up his brush and swiftly wrote down his latest plan—
The Water Nation's Five-Year Infrastructure Project.
This war would be their golden opportunity for growth.
And Yagura was going to make sure Kirigakure took full advantage of it.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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