Won the fight, going back for money

After harvesting their crops last year, Konoha and Kumogakure resumed their standoff.

However, since Iwagakure and Kirigakure were locked in conflict, both sides weighed their options and decided to temporarily set aside their dispute to see how things played out.

Senju Tobirama knew exactly what Kumogakure was thinking; those muscle-brained idiots were surely hoping that once Iwagakure won, they would join forces to continue their assault on Konoha.

Senju Tobirama felt no panic at all. He hadn't feared their three-way alliance before, so why would he fear them now, even if Iwagakure won and the two of them teamed up?

Time passed until late summer, and Kumogakure and Konoha began their verbal sparring once again.

Kumogakure: "You Konoha bastards! Your daddy's wheat is ripe, so I'm going home to harvest it. Once I'm done, I'll come back and hack you to death!"

Konoha: "You muscle-brained idiots of Kumogakure! Your grandpa's rice is ripe too, so I'm going home to harvest it! You just wait! Once I'm finished, I'll finish you off!"

With that, both sides prepared to retreat temporarily.

However, just then, the results of the war between Kirigakure and Iwagakure emerged.

The Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage had perished together. Now that both sides had withdrawn, it was clear that they needed to elect a Third Tsuchikage immediately to stabilize the situation.

The moment Senju Tobirama received this news, he ordered all Konoha ninja to stop their retreat and launch an all-out attack.

This was a golden opportunity.

With the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure gone, Iwagakure would be unable to assist Kumogakure in battle until they elected a Third Tsuchikage.

Even after a successor was chosen, they would likely endure a period of internal strife.

If he, Senju Tobirama, couldn't seize such a perfect opportunity, he would have no excuse.

Kumogakure naturally understood this as well, so when Konoha's forces advanced to engage, Kumogakure was already prepared.

But being prepared did not mean they could win.

Thus, more than a year into the war, Konoha finally secured its first substantial, major victory.

However, because the Kumogakure ninja retreated into the Land of Iron, which bordered the northeast of Konoha, the situation became complicated. That country had no ninja; all its combatants were samurai with formidable strength. Senju Tobirama wasn't foolish enough to start a fight in the Land of Iron and offend its General, so he could only greet the General cordially before withdrawing.

Although the Land of Iron knew they had been used by Kumogakure, they certainly could not allow Konoha to wage war within their borders.

Therefore, the Land of Iron could only make a mental note of this, and they would surely give Kumogakure a heavy price to pay later.

Yuya learned of Konoha's first substantial victory that very day.

He immediately launched a propaganda offensive, saying not a word about how Konoha had been hammered by the alliance of Iwagakure and Kumogakure for the past year, nor about how Kirigakure had stabbed them in the back.

He focused solely on the fact that they had won this time.

Consequently, the next day, the Ninja News sold out once again, and the entire village of Konoha was immersed in a sea of excitement.

Yuya seized this opportunity to announce that all shops in Konoha managed by the village would offer a 20% discount.

This triggered another wave of joyful, massive spending. Yuya's mouth curled into a wide grin; he wasn't afraid of them not spending money, he was only afraid of them acting like hamsters and hoarding it.

Spending is good; spending drives Konoha's GDP and increases economic circulation. Yuya understood the consequences of stagnant economic circulation all too well.

This carnival lasted for a week.

During this week, not only were the villagers of Konoha celebrating, but people from Kirigakure and Sunagakure were also purchasing heavily. (Of course, strategic supplies like grain and ninja tools were naturally excluded from the discounts.)

After all, Yuya's discount was a genuine one, unlike those "Double 11" or "Double 12" sales from his past life, where they would hike the prices up before discounting them, only for you to realize it was actually more expensive than usual!

What kind of discount was that? And they expected that to stimulate consumption? They were treating ordinary people like fools.

Yuya would not treat these commoners like fools. The prices were clearly marked, and after a week, they would return to normal—whether you bought them or not was up to you.

Thus, a shopping frenzy ensued.

Yuya couldn't help but regret not thinking of opening a department store.

However, after taking a closer look at the current map of Konoha, Yuya fell into deep thought.

There was no land left.

Or rather, if one didn't count the residential areas of the major clans, Konoha's land was already very tight.

To be safe, Yuya had previously converted the civilian housing in the urban area from single-story structures into three or four-story buildings. Even though each civilian still only occupied one floor, they definitely gained in terms of usage specifications and land value.

Moreover, this created at least two-thirds more housing for people to live in.

This gave Yuya the confidence to recruit people from the outside.

But now, looking at the plot of land in front of him—not even large enough to build a major supermarket—Yuya sighed.

His thinking was sound, but reality always slapped him in the face in unexpected places, telling him that his previous plans had been too idealistic.

It seemed he would have to wait for his martial uncle to return and discuss this matter with him.

On another note, regarding Senju Tobirama.

Naturally, he couldn't pull those ninja back from the front lines just yet.

After all, until a ceasefire agreement was signed, you couldn't expect the other side not to sneak in a surprise attack.

However, Senju Tobirama himself could return.

He brought only two people with him on this trip: Kagami Uchiha and Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Truth be told, as the only man within the Uchiha clan trusted by Senju Tobirama, he truly valued Kagami Uchiha highly.

Well, come to think of it, that makes sense; Kagami Uchiha was the key for Senju Tobirama to solve the Uchiha clan's problems.

How could he not value him?

The three of them headed toward Konoha together. To be honest, Senju Tobirama had only one main purpose for returning this time.

To ask for money.

It was one thing to not give it before, but now that such a massive victory had been secured, it would be unreasonable not to provide the funds.

Senju Tobirama had planned it all out perfectly, but before they even reached Konoha, while still on the outskirts, he came to a sudden halt.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kagami Uchiha stopped right along with him.

Then, the three of them saw a caravan—a convoy consisting of dozens of carriages—heading toward the gates of Konoha.

Although the gates of Konoha were quite wide, it was impossible for so many carriages to pass through at once.

Not to mention that there were ninjas stationed at the gates to inspect identities.

Thus, what Senju Tobirama and his companions witnessed was the spectacular sight of dozens of carriages backed up at the entrance of Konoha.

"These people... what are they doing coming to Konoha?" Senju Tobirama furrowed his brows. Although they appeared to be dressed as merchants, what if they were actually ninjas from other nations in disguise?

No, I must speak to Yuya about this matter, no matter what.

Senju Tobirama prepared to enter Konoha with the other two.

However, before they could even cross the high walls surrounding the village, they heard a series of sharp, urgent warning cries.

Then, swish, swish, swish, swish, four figures appeared right in front of them.

"Halt! Who dares to force their way into Konoha?! Oh, Lord Hokage?!"

The four ninjas who had suddenly appeared all bore the fan crest on their backs.

"Ahem, stand down, stand down." The Uchiha squad leader in the lead said to Senju Tobirama, looking embarrassed. "Apologies, Lord Hokage. Because there have been many spies and ninjas from other countries trying to break into our village lately, we've been on high alert."

The squad put away their weapons and spoke to Senju Tobirama.

Senju Tobirama became interested. "Spies and ninjas from other countries... hmm... tell me more."