"Alright, Lord Hokage!"
Nara Luyuan stood there helplessly, regretting that he had chosen this time to find Uchiha Nan.
The Lord Hokage of Konoha wanted to discuss serious matters, so naturally he couldn't leave Tsunade and Uchiha Hikari, these two "idle people," to fool around here.
" Lord Hokage, remember to come with me to train this afternoon!"
" Uchiha Nan, you have to come with me to see the moon tonight!"
"Hmph!" (Double the volume!)
Uchiha Nan watched the two "little devils" leave the office. These two girls were really quite troublesome.
But it's not a big problem.
Tsunade is just a little girl, and she admires me, plus a little bit of teenage rebellion.
Dealing with her was too easy; she herself posed no threat.
Although Uchiha Hikari is incredibly strong, she is essentially a tsundere Uchiha brat.
Uchiha Nan thought the two of them were like clay chickens and earthenware dogs, worthless and insignificant!
"Speak, Lu Yuan, what urgent matter do you need me for so urgently?"
Uchiha Nan turned to look at Nara Luyuan, only to see Nara Luyuan suppressing a laugh.
"Cough cough cough"
A few coughs brought Nara Luyuan's expression back to normal.
Nara Luyuan even has time to sit back and watch the drama unfold!
As expected, the workload isn't saturated enough; we need to increase Nara Luyuan's workload significantly.
Nara Luyuan regained his composure, as if he hadn't seen anything at all, and solemnly picked up the intelligence report in his hand.
" Lord Hokage, I'll get straight to the point. Konoha won't have enough food next year."
Damn it!
Is it those grain merchants trying to sabotage us again? I've said it so many times, Konoha is no longer the Konoha of the Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju era.
Faced with such scum, just kill them first, don't worry about the Daimyo! If the Daimyo has any objections, I'll personally go to the Land of Fire and have a heart-to-heart talk with him!
Uchiha Nan his fist on the table. " Konoha killed so many people in the Land of Fire, how can there still be reckless fools who want to test the sharpness of Konoha's blades?"
" Lord Hokage, this time it has nothing to do with the grain merchants. Well, you can't say it has nothing to do with them. They're definitely going to hoard grain and sell it at high prices!"
But the main reason is that the grain harvest was truly poor.
The Land of Fire is located in a fertile region, but it is still prone to natural disasters. Ultimately, it is still an agricultural country, completely dependent on the weather. Floods occur in the south and droughts plague the north. This is the Ninja world, which possesses natural energy. The power of nature is not something that ninjas can easily exploit. Even a ninja of Hashirama Senju's caliber is helpless in the face of natural disasters.
The aftermath of the First Shinobi World War was not yet over; large areas of the Land of Fire were also struck by plague.
"According to Konoha's own intelligence, as well as intelligence from the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire, due to the poor harvest in the Land of Fire, the price of grain will soar next year, and may even continue for two or three years. Although wealthy merchants are afraid of death, the profits from hoarding grain during this period are enough to make them risk their lives."
So, Lord Hokage, we need to prepare early!
"Okay, let me think about it."
Uchiha Nan frowned slightly, feeling a bit of a headache.
Generally speaking, industrial development must come at the expense of farmers. Rapid industrialization only exacerbates this situation.
Capitalist industrialization will inevitably lead to a violent confrontation between capital and agriculture. In this Hokage world with its extraordinary power, the outcome is already predetermined.
The pace of industrialization in Konoha has reached an unbelievable level.
Not only in Konoha, Land of Fire, industry had already been established long ago.
In the original timeline, the industrialists of the Land of Fire Land of Fire able to transform it into an industrial nation in just a few decades. Now, thanks to Konoha, the Land of Fire's industry is developing even faster than in the original timeline.
Uchiha Nan knew that Konoha and the Land of Fire would eventually face a food shortage, and was trying to use new technologies to alleviate the food crisis, such as chemical fertilizers and the production of protein blocks from new types of grain seeds.
The size of Konoha cannot be satisfied by a mere protein block factory; the bulk of the problem still needs to be solved by food.
To pursue profits, one must minimize the cost of grain.
The cost of transferring this part is unavoidable!
Uchiha Nan pondered a strategy, recalling the actions of Kuma, the elder brother of Earth.
Establishing collective farms within the Land of Fire?
I'm afraid that's not feasible. If we really did that in the Land of Fire, the insects would really jump up and fight Konoha to the death.
Now is not the time.
"Why don't we buy cheap food outside, or just rob it outright!"
" Land of Fire is short of food, and the situation in the entire Ninja world isn't much better. It's perfectly normal for bandits to appear in places where food is scarce."
My neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns; my neighbor is my granary.
A living person can die from holding their pee, but we Konoha are warlords!
" Lord Hokage, do you mean the Land of Rice Fields?"
Uchiha Nan's eyes lit up. The Land of Rice Fields was a great place, the largest grain exporter in the Ninja world. Uchiha Nan had personally witnessed the vast expanse of Kurotsuchi in the Land of Rice Fields during his missions.
The soil was so fertile that even Uchiha Nan's DNA trembled!
To this day, the Land of Rice Fields still doesn't have a proper ninja village. According to the original timeline, it wasn't until decades later, when Orochimaru defected Konoha Land of Rice Fields, where he colluded with Daimyo Land of Rice Fields, that the Land of Rice Fields officially had a proper ninja village— the Otogakure.
" Lu Yuan, I think those vast tracts of Kurotsuchi in the Land of Rice Fields are being wasted! Those insects have absolutely no idea how to farm!"
"Nobody knows more about farming than me!"
Uchiha Nan spoke with absolute certainty, but Uchiha Nan Nara Luyuan n't believe a single word she said.
Farming?
What are you farming!
Is that land for us ninja gentlemen to cultivate?!
" Lu Yuan, what do you think we should do now?"
Uchiha Nan looked up at Nara Luyuan Nara Luyuan and asked for his opinion.
"Go to the Land of Rice Fields, kill the resistance fighters, and then bribe the surrender faction!"
Alright, you've graduated!
Uchiha Nan nodded. A ninja must be skilled at using his strength!
"Does the Lord Hokage want to replicate the Land of Grass's model in the Land of Rice Fields?"
Uchiha Nan nodded, but Nara Shikamaru poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
" Lord Hokage, are you unaware that Konoha's finances are already strained?"
"Um?"
Uchiha Nan thought there was something wrong with his ears; how could Konoha be short of money now?
Nara Luyuan smile. Although Konoha earned a lot, the money it spent was like water flowing away. Konoha had recently opened a large number of new industrial factories, and the initial investment was so large that Nara Luyuan didn't dare to sign off on them. He had Uchiha Nan sign off on them instead.
Besides the new industrial factories, the existing factories also need to expand, leading to a surge in costs. In addition, there are subsidies for Sunagakure, the Konoha- affiliated fruit company requiring substantial initial cash flow, the expansion of the Ninja world trade system needing significant funding, and the upcoming Ponzi scheme plan requiring another large sum of start-up capital.
"Okay, stop talking, I understand."
Uchiha Nan was defeated by Nara Luyuan's incessant nagging. Konoha's foundation was ultimately too weak. Its initial start-up capital was only a little over 100 billion ryo. Although its development momentum was fierce, Konoha's size could no longer support this momentum.
Simply put, Konoha had been starving for too long and ate too fast, so they're now stuffed. If they keep eating like this, they'll die from overeating.
But the food problem still needs to be solved. It's so frustrating that we can't cultivate the vast Kurotsuchi of the Land of Rice Fields.
" Lord Hokage, representatives from the industrial sector of the Land of Fire have come several times, throwing around money and wanting to invest in Konoha's industries. Should we cooperate with them?"
Let me think about it.
Uchiha Nan had a good impression of the industrial faction, who had long been dissatisfied with the nobles and Daimyo standing above them. They were all frustrated in the power arena, and had been forced to change tracks, only to be surprised to find that the new track was a broad and prosperous road.
The industrialists instinctively despised the Daimyo and nobles, believing that those insects who could climb to high positions simply by being born into the right family were incapable of rapidly expanding capital and making the Land of Fire great again!
You feudal lowlifes, I'm begging you, come up with some capitalism! This feudalism is just too lame.
In a sense, Konoha and the industrialists are natural allies. And sooner or later, Konoha and the industrialists of the Land of Fire will be as close as if they were born of the same mother.
Konoha's recent actions have indeed been too conspicuous, and the Daimyo's dissatisfaction is growing daily.
According to intelligence, a Daimyo nobles in the Land of Fire are urging the daimyo to establish a new Konoha in the Land of Fire!
They want to establish a new ninja village to oppose Konoha.
The ninja forces scattered throughout the Land of Fire are not weak. If they were to be united into a single village to compete with Konoha, as long as those scoundrels were willing to spend money, building a village comparable to Konoha would not be difficult at all. Money and ninja combat power are directly proportional. Mid-to-low-end combat power can be easily armed and used to fight against Konoha. The only problem is high-end combat power.
However, internal strife has led to Konoha's impending conflict with the Land of Fire, which would have been a huge loss for them.
Who would destroy their own base? Konoha still needs to do business!
Konoha is now so powerful that it suffocates the entire Ninja world Ninja world, making it hard for them to breathe. They have openly overthrown a country— the Land of Grass. Yet, not a single Daimyo or ninja village dares to voice their condemnation.
The other four ninja villages will undoubtedly support "Little Konoha." They are willing to do anything to weaken Konoha, whether it's cooperation or betrayal.
Even an ally like Sunagakure might betray them, pooling together high-level forces from several ninja villages to cause internal strife in Konoha and bleed Konoha.
Without even a second thought, those shameless ninja villages are capable of doing something like this.
Konoha really needs the "frustrated" industrialists from the aristocratic circles.
"Notify the representatives from the Industry Bureau to come to Konoha as soon as possible to cooperate. Konoha has a big business deal to discuss with them!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
After Nara Luyuan left the office, Uchiha Hikari and Tsunade walked in. The two girls had puffed-up faces, clearly having just finished a fierce fight in the next room.
The two sides are evenly matched; the outcome is still undecided!
Uchiha Nan worked for a while, then skipped work to go out and slack off.
Training Ground
"Let's agree on the rules: no hitting faces, no pulling hair, and no tearing clothes!"
Uchiha Nan sat leisurely on the grass, while Uchiha Hikari and Tsunade were dueling in a "ninja" style, trying to decide the winner.
Uchiha Hikari was toying with Tsunade like a cat playing with Tsunade.
In terms of strength, Uchiha Hikari is far superior. Not to mention the Mangekyō Sharingan, even using the three-tomoe Sharingan would be considered bullying Tsunade.
" Tsunade, can you no longer dance?"
"Hate the fate of not having the Sharingan!"
" The Uchiha are invincible!"
Hahahaha!!!!
Uchiha Hikari laughed loudly, sporting the same hairstyle as Madara Uchiha, and their laughter was remarkably similar.
The Uchiha clan is naturally inclined to laugh!
" Uchiha Nan needs immense power; you are far too weak!"
After speaking, Uchiha Hikari delivered the final blow to Tsunade, ending the battle cleanly and decisively.
Tsunade sat on the ground, tears welling in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to cry.
She had always been considered a genius among her peers, and this was the first time she had been beaten so badly by a girl "about the same age".
Uchiha Hikari looks young, but she is actually an ancestor who is several hundred years old. Uchiha Hikari also possesses a beauty that surpasses the strength of her current version.
It's perfectly normal that Tsunade couldn't Teuchi.
"One day, I will beat you!"
Tsunade got up from the ground, looking defiant.
"I'm waiting!"
Uchiha Nan stepped between the two, temporarily ending their "war." This could be considered healthy competition, as Tsunade was indeed too complacent and lacked a goal to strive for.
He was a genius in his own right, and possessed unparalleled family power, so he could afford to waste his energy on researching gambling techniques.
If she had figured out some tricks, that would have been fine, but Tsunade's luck is practically a bug in the system.
He usually loses at gambling, but after a major setback, his luck turns around!
Uchiha Nan spent an afternoon training with Tsunade. Tsunade, who had suffered a major setback, became serious and made rapid progress.
After a busy afternoon, Tsunade found her target and vowed to defeat Uchiha Hikari. She went back and found Mito Uzumaki, and they had extra training that night.
Tsunade's sudden change to being so ambitious and focused on training brought a smile to Mito Uzumaki. However, it was rumored that Tsunade was jealous of Uchiha Nan and was working hard to defeat her rival, Uchiha Hikari.
Mito Uzumaki was not so happy. In fact, she was furious and grabbed her cane, ready to settle the score with Uchiha Nan.
That damned Uchiha Nan finally set his sights on Tsunade.
However, Tsunade stopped Mito Uzumaki; she needed to train hard and couldn't waste a single moment!
" Tsunade, Grandma will help you become stronger!"
Mito Uzumaki accepted this reality with tears in her eyes. It's a good thing, I suppose. At least Tsunade is truly motivated and willing to train hard.
"Grandma has researched a new Sealing Jutsu, the Yin Seal... Although it's still in its early stages, Grandma believes in your talent. She'll definitely be able to learn it."
"Can he defeat Uchiha Hikari?"
"Grandma has a special way to deal with the Uchiha."
Mito Uzumaki pulled out a scroll with a line of large characters written on it, "The inherently evil Uchiha must be destroyed!"
"This is a secret scroll left behind by Tobirama, which specifically records the combat techniques needed to fight the Uchiha, as well as specialized counter -Ninjutsu and psychological warfare."
"Okay, okay, Grandma, I'll learn this!"
"Long live Second Grandfather!!!"