One Hundred Sets of New Equipment, Investigating People's Livelihood

Everyone turned their attention to Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi. At that moment, both the members of Konoha headquarters and the Rock District had the same thought in their minds: Kitsuchi was incredibly powerful.

They didn't take Ōnoki's angry outbursts to heart. If it meant Konoha would adopt new weapons, what did it matter if Ōnoki cursed them?

Uchiha sensed something was wrong. Although he was now the captain of the Rock District, his heart was in Konoha. He knew clearly where his roots were and what they were.

In his mind, Uchiha Kō was not only a qualified Hokage of Konoha, but also someone who had a very strict control over military affairs, and he was well aware of the improvement that this new type of equipment would bring to ninjas.

With this equipment, Genin can Chunin, Chunin can fight a jonin, and while a jonin can't defeat Kage Level shinobi, they can hold their own against them and not be at a disadvantage for a short time.

This equipment is a military secret. If he were Uchiha Kō, he would never have given it to the Rock District members. Although the Rock District is now called the Konoha Rock Division, its predecessor was Iwagakure.

The new equipment has only been around for a little over a year, Konoha's own personnel are barely enough for their needs. How could they possibly equip other units with it?

Uchiha Kō's expression changed upon hearing Kitsuchi's words, now showing scrutiny and contemplation. When he heard Ōnoki reprimand Kitsuchi, he laughed again. Did these two, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, really think he, Uchiha Kō, was a child?

However, I heard that Orochimaru has already developed newer equipment, but he lacks the funds. If he could sell the old equipment, all the proceeds would be invested in the production of the latest equipment.

Uchiha Kō suddenly spoke up with a laugh, "I think Kitsuchi has a point. Aren't these devices made for people to use?" After he finished speaking, the whole place erupted in uproar.

Even Rock District's own people didn't have high expectations for Uchiha Kō's new equipment, because the quality and capabilities of this equipment were too powerful. If they had developed it, they certainly wouldn't have let people from other villages get their hands on it.

Uchiha was equally shocked. He didn't understand Uchiha Kō's behavior; it seemed somewhat puzzling. Could it be that Uchiha Kō had grown old and senile?

That shouldn't be happening!

Upon hearing this, Ōnoki's eyes lit up, and he looked at Uchiha Kō with longing in his eyes. The new equipment was something that not only he, but also the other three Kage had heard of and were very envious of.

But Uchiha Kō's next words calmed them down. "However, as you all know, the cost and R&D expenses for new equipment are terrifyingly high, so I plan to price it at ten million per set. That's already the cost price. I wonder if Captain Kitsuchi and Ōnoki Tsuchikage can afford it?"

Kitsuchi and Ōnoki were stunned, and even the Rock District below gasped. No wonder, no wonder Konoha's new equipment could provide such a great combat boost!

Just hearing the cost price is enough to make one's scalp tingle. Apart from Konoha, which village could have such financial resources, they really can't think of any other village that could afford this amount of money!

Kitsuchi looked at Ōnoki, Ōnoki face was grave. It wasn't that he couldn't afford the money, but he was wondering if it was worth it for this set of equipment!

Uchiha Kō looked at the silent Ōnoki and Kitsuchi, a smirk playing on his lips. Cost price? Wasn't that something he could just ask for? All the skilled craftsmen were being kept under surveillance in Konoha.

Besides himself, the blacksmith, and Orochimaru, only Orochimaru knew the true price of this equipment. Would Orochimaru really reveal the cost price as 100,000 taels? Was he insane?

Meanwhile, Konoha's latest equipment, an upgraded version of the new equipment, has been developed. The cost is one million ryo per set. Even if Konoha were to equip all its ninjas with the full set, it would be a huge financial blow, and the village is currently struggling to raise funds.

Now, Rock District Kitsuchi's words are like a godsend, and even if Rock District can't take all the new equipment this time, the news that Konoha is selling new equipment will spread throughout the Ninja World.

At that time, every village will try to get a share of the pie. Some villages may even think of buying a few sets, studying them, and then mass-producing them.

But that's impossible. To prevent the technology from leaking out, Orochimaru set up restrictions on the equipment, which would automatically incinerate if it was severely damaged.

Ōnoki gasped, looking into his son's eyes, and said firmly, "Lord Hokage, we, the Iwagakure, need one hundred sets of the new equipment!"

One hundred sets!!! One set is worth ten million, ten sets are worth one hundred million, and one hundred sets are worth one billion taels of silver! Sure enough, after the war, the economic strength of each village developed rapidly.

Ōnoki gritted his teeth and took out 1 billion yen to buy equipment, also out of respect for his son. His son wanted to equip the Anbu with new equipment, so how could he, as a father, refuse?

However, Iwagakure's funds are limited, so they can only prioritize buying for their best Anbu and cannot provide this new set of equipment to everyone.

These were just a hundred new outfits, yet they caused the Rock District ninja present to breathe heavily and their eyes to turn bloodshot. They looked at the headquarters' Anbu, at the handsome outfits and appearances, and began to fantasize about wearing these clothes on the street, receiving admiring glances from everyone.

Uchiha Kō nodded. "Alright! In that case, Lu Ming, make a note for Rock District Tsuchikage Ōnoki: one hundred sets of new equipment. After we receive the money, we'll collect the equipment from them!"

Nara Rokumei nodded. Although he didn't know why his Hokage would do this, selling equipment to other departments, as his partner of thirty years, he understood that Uchiha Kō must have a deeper meaning in doing so, and it was definitely beneficial to Konoha.

Nara Rokumei took out a carbon pen and began writing in his notebook. "Rock District has purchased one hundred sets of the new technological ninja tools at a price of ten million taels of silver per set!" Then he took out the Hokage seal and handed it to Ōnoki.

After glancing at it and confirming that it was correct, Ōnoki took out the Rock District seal from his pocket and stamped it.

Uchiha Kō smiled at them, "Tsuchikage, the purchase agreement has been signed. Now you can rest assured, right?"

Ōnoki cupped his hands and smiled, "Lord Hokage, I have always trusted Konoha. Rest assured, the direction you're pointing is the path we, Rock District, should take!"

These past three years of wasted time have also allowed Ōnoki to learn some of the unique Konoha culture that Uchiha Kō brought to this Ninja World, such as cupping hands, bowing, and certain etiquette.

Uchiha Kō nodded. "Does Minister Kitsuchi have anything else to say?" Uchiha Kō's gaze towards Kitsuchi had changed at this moment. If he didn't know that Huang Tu was Ōnoki's biological son, he would have doubted whether Kitsuchi was even one of Konoha's people!

Kitsuchi shook his head, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for your Lord Hokage, for selling us, the Rock District, with your new equipment!"

Uchiha Kō waved his hand and then said, "Since I've come to Rock District today to discuss people's livelihood issues, in addition to the income and account books you've presented, I also need to personally go to the streets of Rock District to see for myself the true state of people's lives, and whether it's as you say, where no one picks up lost items on the road and doors are left unlocked at night!"

After saying that, Uchiha Kō stood up and stepped down from the main seat. He said, "Everyone, follow me. Let's see how the villagers of Rock District are doing!"

The next Konoha Anbu Ninja all stood up and stood guard beside Uchiha Kō. Ōnoki reacted quickly and immediately ordered the Iwagakure ninja to follow behind, Kitsuchi led the way!

After receiving his father's instructions, Kitsuchi got up and walked towards Uchiha Kō. After explaining his purpose to Uchiha Kō waved his hand. "No need for a guide. Since this concerns people's livelihood, families should be randomly selected!"

Kitsuchi Tu felt a little panicked because although most people in Rock District could eat, there were still some slums and poor areas within the Rock District.

The information reported to Konoha was definitely concealed, and these places were removed from the accounts. Now that Uchiha Kō has really started investigating, it would be good if they were lucky and didn't find the slums.

What if they find out? How are they going to explain this? He sent the message to Ōnoki froze for a second or two, then closed his eyes in despair and replied on his phone, "Forget it, let fate decide. At worst, I'll just get a scolding."

The problem of slums has persisted for centuries. Although countries are now recuperating and their economic strength is constantly increasing, the problem of people's livelihood cannot be solved overnight!

Hopefully, when they actually find out about the slums, Uchiha Kō will be able to understand their plight!

Uchiha Kō randomly selected five locations for inspection. He has already inspected four and found them to be quite good. The villagers are simple and honest, their lives are prosperous, and they eat only white rice.

Kitsuchi Tu breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the Lord Hokage didn't draw the slums. These four places are decent enough; they're not exactly wealthy, but they're certainly not bad either.

Hopefully, after the last inspection location is announced and the inspection is completed, the Lord Hokage can head home!

However, what you least want is what comes your way. Uchiha Kō looked at the map in his hand and asked, "Where is this Little River Ditch Village?" He turned to Kitsuchi.

Kitsuchi Tu's heart skipped a beat. Xiaohegou Little River Ditch Village was one of the three major slums in Iwagakure, with only one ditch as their usual water source.

He started sweating profusely and swallowed hard. He wanted to take Uchiha Kō to another village to cover things up, but then he remembered that every village entrance had a surface marked with words.

He abandoned the idea because if he took Uchiha Kō to another village and Uchiha Kō discovered that he was being fooled, the problem would be even more serious!

At that point, it won't just be a governance issue; it will also concern Rock District's reputation and whether Uchiha Kō can trust Iwagakure again.

After a moment of mental preparation, Kitsuchi took a deep breath. "Lord Hokage, please follow me!"

Seeing the troubled look on Kitsuchi Tu's face, Uchiha Kō immediately understood that life in this place might not be so good!