"Huh?" Jiraiya stared at the clod of dirt in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, his face full of confusion.
Since when had Mount Myoboku produced something like this?
He was a member of Mount Myoboku too. How had he not known about it?!
Orochimaru and Tsunade were equally bewildered.
Clearly, they had no idea what was going on either.
Hiruzen Sarutobi squeezed the clod, scattering dirt powder across the table.
Jiraiya pressed a finger into the powder and brought it to his nose to smell. Only after repeatedly confirming it did he say, "Sensei, this is just dirt, isn't it?"
"It is dirt."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "But we're going to sell this dirt at the price of gold—perhaps even several times the price of gold."
Jiraiya scratched his head. "This... Sensei, while plenty of nobles are indeed stupid, they aren't stupid enough to fall for that, are they?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled.
"We are ninja who wield Chakra and control the Shinobi World's most cutting-edge technology. In biological medicine especially, we possess an overwhelming advantage."
"Even if the raw materials are cheap, as long as technology grants them irreplaceable scarcity, along with precisely matched functions and a premium tied to status, what is so difficult about turning stone into gold?"
"This is technology-based pricing, not cost-based logic."
The moment technology was mentioned, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
This was also the project Hiruzen Sarutobi had selected after thorough investigation.
It was not that he underestimated the heroes of the world.
Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu, Iwagakure's Dust Release, Kirigakure's Kekkei Genkai, and Sunagakure's Puppet Technique all had their own distinctive traits. It was not as if they were incapable of innovation.
But their proper fields all lay in military matters.
As for medicine related to civilian livelihoods, their development could practically be called nonexistent.
They were far inferior to Konoha, which had begun developing biology as early as the era of the Second Hokage.
On top of that, Konoha had two geniuses in biomedical science, Tsunade and Orochimaru, as well as the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan, ninja clans with accumulated expertise in medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Monopolizing the Noble Healthcare market would not be difficult.
Hiruzen Sarutobi further explained, "What do so-called nobles want most?"
"Nothing more than a healthy body to prolong their privileges, along with a status symbol they can show off to others. As long as we fulfill their needs, we need not worry about them voluntarily handing over money."
"The effects need not be immediate and dramatic. As long as they can feel something right away, and we have the right sales pitch, they will pay."
"An immediate sensation represents effectiveness, while the subsequent gentle effects do not mean the product is ineffective. They mean gradual nourishment, strengthening one's foundation, and a design free of side effects. That only makes it seem more prestigious..."
Orochimaru nodded faintly as he listened.
It sounded rather like the rhetoric he usually used to fool his subordinates.
Tsunade's eyes brightened. "I think I understand what you mean, Sensei!"
Tsunade had actually done similar things before.
Because she loved gambling, she sometimes owed substantial debts at casinos. Some nobles would seize those opportunities, settle her gambling debts for her, and then ask her to treat them.
Some nobles would even ask for medicine while they were at it. Tsunade would use Medical Ninjutsu to treat them a little, casually knead together a mud pill, and they would gratefully offer her silver.
Jiraiya had once complained about Tsunade.
Though he was Konoha's workhorse as well as a novelist, his money came in far more slowly than Tsunade's.
"You can put your heads together and carefully research the specific effects."
"What I'm giving you is merely the general direction."
"The key is to establish a purchasing cycle. Things like the First, the Second, and the Three Great Sage Regions that I mentioned are meant to tie into the nobles' desire for a premium."
Orochimaru gave a sinister smile. "It certainly suits the way those nobles think..."
"If there are large quantities of cheap materials with a good gimmick, that would be ideal." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.
"For example, harmless snake scales. If we deliberately leave one or two pieces uncrushed, those nobles will think our products are truly made from genuine ingredients."
"We need to make use of Konoha's reputation for having once been prosperous, along with the resources of the Three Great Sage Regions."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at himself. "I'm living proof too!"
"Even if other Hidden Villages imitate us later, with this moat in place, they will be unable to compete with us. Of course, that also requires the medicine you produce to truly hit these nobles' pain points."
"The price of raw materials must be pushed as low as possible. We're here to make money, not to work ourselves to the bone for them."
Jiraiya nodded as if he only half understood, then said, "I don't know about the rest, but there's a kind of toad oil from Mount Myoboku that helps replenish yang energy. I've been taking it all along..."
"There's so much piled up in the back mountain that it can only be burned. Big Sis gave me loads of it..."
Tsunade gave Jiraiya a disgusted look. "You look so strong, but I never expected you to... ah~"
"No, this is healthcare! I'm not sick!" Jiraiya's face instantly flushed crimson as he hurriedly tried to defend his dignity.
"Enough, idiot. How exactly do you intend to prove it? This isn't a bathhouse!"
Orochimaru laughed rather loudly. "I'll give you credit for this. You should have no problem negotiating with Mount Myoboku to endorse us, right?"
After receiving Jiraiya's confirmation, Orochimaru added, "Ryūchi Cave has large quantities of snake sheds with calming effects. We can make use of that waste and feed it to those nobles. Perfect."
"As for Shikkotsu Forest, I don't know what waste materials can be used... After all, every Katsuyu is actually part of the Great Sage's true body."
Tsunade smiled. "Actually, whether it comes from the Three Great Sage Regions isn't important. What matters is making these pills through waste utilization without consuming too many medical resources, right?"
"Sensei, you needn't worry about that. Those nobles without Chakra cannot handle the medicine used by ninja..." Tsunade's thoughts continued to branch out.
"This gives us an advantage in procurement costs, but it is also a technical challenge. We need to adjust things according to what their bodies can tolerate."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Tsunade a thumbs-up.
As expected, professionals understood their own fields at once.
"For the pill base, we can use the Akimichi Clan's Spinach Pill as a reference. The Nara Clan's Calming Drink is also good..." Tsunade continued brainstorming. She had already begun generating ideas.
"This time, Tsunade and Orochimaru, you two will take the lead. You must take the process of cooperating with the Akimichi Clan and Nara Clan seriously."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Tsunade, I know you have always wanted to establish a Medical Corps, but you also know that having a purely medical ninja in a three-person squad is undoubtedly unrealistic."
"Not everyone possesses your talent—both combat aptitude and medical ability."
Tsunade sighed and nodded.
She also understood that her proposal in her younger days had been well-intentioned, but impractical.
If two three-person squads clashed, and the medical ninja lacked firepower while needing protection, their side would undoubtedly be placed at a disadvantage instead.
After all, the Shinobi World had no concept of a "tank." There was almost no situation where one could heal while taking hits. Dodging and mobility were far more common.
"Once this project officially begins, I will support you in having the Medical Department select one member from every squad throughout the village, while every Jonin receives first-aid training from the village."
Upon hearing that, Tsunade loudly said, "That's wonderful! Leave it to me, Old Man!"
"Orochimaru, you will be responsible for pricing..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued assigning tasks. "To be clear, we are only targeting major nobles. We cannot use too many ninja on this project and disrupt the village's normal operations."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Orochimaru nodded. Ninja were fundamentally still a combat force, and precious medical ninja also had to be used to maintain the regular hospitals.
It was impossible to dedicate a large number of people to making medicine for these nobles.
By targeting major nobles, the customer base would be small and prices high, reducing the manpower required. Logically, it would also better match the quality expected of pills "jointly produced by the Three Great Sage Regions."
Scarcity was an indispensable part of this project.
Orochimaru was even thinking that if the pills successfully built a reputation, they could use this to infiltrate enemy Daimyo Mansions and obtain intelligence from the enemy's headquarters.
There would be no need to deliberately inquire. A few small clues could reveal many developments.
"You must pay attention to this opportunity to cooperate with the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly.
"Not only can we obtain funding from the nobles, but some of the technologies incubated through this collaboration—optimizing ingredients and dosages for specific purposes, strengthening functions—may be transferable to military applications."
"Special-effect Military Ration Pills, medicines that refresh the mind or relieve pain, and so on..."
"You need to establish a higher strategic perspective. This is military technology pre-research and iteration. We should strive to achieve two-way technological gains from a single research investment."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused. "For example, the Medical Tag you once mentioned... As far as I know, its difficulty lies in storing Medical Chakra and releasing it slowly, correct?"
Tsunade nodded. Her teacher really knew a great deal.
"Yes. Compared to the explosive release of the Fire Nature Chakra in an Explosive Tag, both slow release and storage are difficult when trying to create a Medical Tag."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "If we can successfully establish Noble Healthcare, then I don't think the birth of the Medical Tag will be far away."
"Once our pills gain the approval of these major nobles, their retainers will naturally develop demand as well."
"The people closest to them are their women."
Tsunade looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in confusion. What did those two things have to do with each other?
"Break the Medical Tag down and first solve the smallest unit—the storage and slow-release technology for Medical Chakra—to meet the needs of those noblewomen. That is, so-called cosmetics."
Hiruzen Sarutobi guided her patiently. "Then use the recovered funds for military research and development..."
Although noblewomen's status was heavily tied to and dependent on their husbands, that did not mean they lacked spending power.
In a feudal system, noblewomen's makeup, clothing, and beauty were calling cards for their husbands' power. They displayed the family's strength to outsiders and were necessary expenditures for maintaining family dignity and personal authority.
They were no different in nature from renovating a mansion or arranging ceremonial guards.
For the women themselves, beauty could also increase their bargaining power in marriage alliances, just as a ninja's strength could.
Therefore, if there were "super cosmetics" that could improve their looks, noblewomen would certainly not begrudge the silver in their pockets.
Tsunade suddenly understood. "Forget noblewomen—even many female ninja have asked me about staying young..."
"Exactly. These small but refined projects that do not consume too much manpower and can be converted between military and civilian use will bring enormous benefits to the village once they are up and running."
Tsunade slapped the table, then heavily slapped Orochimaru's shoulder with her other hand. "The two of us need to work hard!"
Orochimaru's face darkened. This woman had no sense of restraint, but he still forced a smile. "Naturally..."
He was also extremely tempted by this endless stream of future cash.
Scientific research, Ninjutsu improvements, and new development—unless one occasionally got lucky, most of it required massive amounts of manpower and resources to pile up.
"Then what am I supposed to do, Sensei?" Jiraiya pointed at himself.
"As for you..." Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered. "I heard you write books. How are they selling?"
Jiraiya looked miserable. "Not especially well, but I believe they'll definitely become bestsellers in the future!"
"Aren't those anonymously written short romance stories of yours quite popular?"
Orochimaru's expression was teasing. "Why not switch tracks? Serious Literature doesn't suit you..."
"What? Stinky Snake, how do you know what I wrote?!" Jiraiya bristled like an enraged cat. "Are you secretly in love with me? You've actually been peeking at my privacy!"
As everyone knew, one of the most embarrassing situations for a novelist was having relatives or friends discover them writing that sort of thing.
"Don't underestimate my intelligence network..." Orochimaru raised his brows mysteriously.
"Back to the point, I think you have talent in this area. Write our pills and cosmetics into your stories. It will be very beneficial for publicity."
Jiraiya asked suspiciously, "Do I really have talent? Honestly, even I think what I write is too fake."
He secretly glanced at Tsunade. "I don't have any romantic experience..."
"No, you do, Jiraiya."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up as he encouraged him. "It is precisely because you have never been in love that you possess a science-fiction-like longing for that beauty!"
"Do as Orochimaru says, Jiraiya! Your teacher looks forward to you becoming a famous romance novelist in the Shinobi World..."
Jiraiya wore a bitter expression. "Why does that not sound like a compliment, Sensei?!"
"Still, since it's for the village, I can only sacrifice my literary talent..." In an instant, Jiraiya went from depressed to confident.
"First, I'll use romance to become famous and build a fanbase to help the village. Then I'll write Serious Literature and become a great master of my generation!"
"Mm, decided. That's the plan!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
Even in the Shinobi World, was there such a hierarchy of contempt between novels and their authors?
How realistic...
"I should pick a pen name. Let me think, what would be good..."
Jiraiya muttered, "Mount Myoboku Golden Toad Heaven-Shaking Earth-Rending Immortal? Shinobi Field Romantic Ink Scroll Worldly Carefree Traveler?"
"You're already past the age for such adolescent nonsense, Jiraiya... Acting like this, won't you lead your disciples—and my granddisciples—astray?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand in disgust and said faintly, "I think you should call yourself Young Master Zi!"
"That name isn't bad..." Jiraiya froze. "It sounds rather pure. It does suit me..."
"I'll be responsible for winning over the Daimyo. You will handle the specific research and development..."
"For Konoha, Team Hiruzen shall gather once more. Let's work hard together!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi extended his palm. Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were initially stunned, but then understood and stacked their hands together.
When they were children, they often did this.
"Team Hiruzen, let's go!"
Before you continue