Then Kumogakure couldn't advance another inch.
It wasn't because Konoha had suddenly become unstoppable on the front lines. Konoha was simply sticking to one strategy: "Are you coming or not? If you don't, I'll throw Explosive Tags at you!"
Oh, you're rattled? You're attacking now? Then come see how rock-solid our defense is!
Their entire strategy boiled down to one word: turtle.
Well, the main reason was that Senju Tobirama had returned to Konoha, leaving command of the front lines in the hands of Shimura Danzō and the others.
They would rather do nothing than make a mistake, so hunkering down had become the standard strategy.
Of course, it made perfect sense.
Faced with Konoha's defensive fortifications and all those Earth Style Barriers that were obviously traps, the shinobi of Kumogakure weren't stupid enough to charge in.
So both sides were left awkwardly deadlocked.
They tried a few probing charges, but each time they were blasted back.
The people of Kumogakure were getting rattled. Damn it, how do you have so many Explosive Tags?
Actually, they didn't have that many. Yuya bought Explosive Tags by the bundle. Each bundle held a thousand tags and cost five million Ryo, with discounts for larger orders.
Now he could even trade goods from Konoha's Food Processing Plant—food and drinks—for Explosive Tags and other ninja tools.
Of course, when Yuya bartered, his canned food and drinks were priced at 90 percent of their regular price.
But these were special times, so people still had to buy what they needed.
One bundle of Explosive Tags per month was mandatory. If they didn't have any, they could go make some! Did they want to earn money or not?
Some ninja tool families had started to grumble.
They'd realized that selling Explosive Tags...
Really didn't bring in money as fast as selling drinks and canned food!
Just look at those Canned Fish. Each can cost 150 Ryo, and each bottle of soda cost 100 Ryo. Didn't seem like much, right?
But on Konoha's Commercial Street, the moment either product hit the shelves, it sold out!
What about their Explosive Tags?
Sure, they were making money during wartime, but what about after the war?
With Ninja News now widely circulated, everyone knew that Kirigakure and Sunagakure weren't going to join the war. Both villages were making a killing selling goods in Konoha.
But Canned Fish and drinks...
Those weren't just products. They were practically money-printing machines.
That strange black drink that made you burp after a sip tasted odd the first time, but the more you drank, the more hooked you got.
Now plenty of people felt awful if they went a day without it.
Even though the shop limited each person to one bottle, the drink still sold out as soon as it appeared. Some people resold theirs for 110 Ryo and pocketed a profit of 10.
Where could you even go to complain about that?
They heard the Food Processing Plant was going to expand production. Wouldn't profits just keep climbing?
With ten steel mills and one Food Processing Plant, a lot of people were now wondering just how much money Senju Tobirama had.
And Senju Tobirama, the very man they were wondering about, was glaring furiously (though his eyes were red to begin with) as he roared at Yuya, "What do you mean?! I asked you for a hundred million Ryo and you refused, but the supplies you approved for me are worth more than that!"
Yuya glanced at the document, then nodded when he saw the figures on the next page. "The numbers are right. Just tell me whether you want them or not. There's definitely no money, but I'll make sure you have all the supplies you need."
Senju Tobirama gritted his teeth. "Can't you just let me pay the shinobi on the front lines?! Who wants all these supplies?"
Yuya smiled. "Don't say that, Uncle. Those muscle-brained idiots from Kumogakure definitely want these supplies. Anyway, forget about getting cash directly from me. I'm not giving you money, but I have no problem providing supplies."
Senju Tobirama said, "So why is that? Why won't you give me money?"
Yuya gave Senju Tobirama a sidelong glance. "Is the war over?"
"No."
"Will you pay them again after this?"
"Of course! I'll pay them again after this, and they'll need even more money once the war is over!"
Yuya rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and briefly explained the concept of inflation to Senju Tobirama.
Senju Tobirama lowered his head in thought. "You mean if I hand out too much money, the prices of everything will rise too... But wouldn't that mean we'd make more money?"
Yuya fell silent, then sent Senju Tobirama straight out the door.
Damn it, if you don't understand, stop making stupid suggestions!
A hundred million this time, two hundred million next time, then a huge payout after the war. If tens of billions of Ryo in cash flooded the market, wouldn't prices shoot through the roof?
If you want Konoha's currency to collapse, go ahead. I'm still not giving you the money.
The standard unit of currency in the Naruto world was the Ryo. There were both banknotes and copper coins.
The five nations of Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning added their respective national symbols to the back of the original Ryo banknotes.
That made the banknotes the currency of their respective countries. They were still denominated in Ryo, but could only be used within their own country.
The smaller countries, on the other hand, used the standard Ryo banknotes, which had no national symbol on the back.
For example, the back of Konoha's banknotes bore Konoha's symbol.
The Ryo used by other small countries could be used internationally. Generally speaking, the exchange rate between those Ryo and the Ryo issued by the Five Great Nations was one to one, and they were interchangeable.
But if a small country printed money recklessly and wrecked its economy, the Five Great Nations would adjust the exchange rate or simply ban banknotes without a national symbol on the back.
The Naruto world did have people who understood economics. They could recognize the dangers of printing money recklessly and take precautions.
But without formal study, their understanding only went so far.
Konoha had the ability to print money, but Yuya couldn't be bothered to use it.
He understood better than anyone what would happen if they printed money without restraint.
At least until Konoha's population began to boom, he had no intention of using his authority to print money.
After Senju Tobirama was shown out, he came back not long after, shamelessly rubbing his hands together as he said, "Nephew, look, we've made so much money... Can't you give me at least a little?"
Yuya looked at Senju Tobirama. After a moment, he let out a cold laugh and pulled out the stack of papers he'd taken from the Uchiha Clan's house earlier.
He pulled out two sheets and handed them to Senju Tobirama.
Senju Tobirama took them, puzzled. The moment he read them, his face turned green.
[Estimated cost to build Konoha's first hospital for ordinary citizens]
[Estimated cost to build its first school for ordinary citizens.]
Then came a long list of details: materials, construction, the land that would need to be cleared, compensation for relocating people, hiring doctors and teachers after completion, salary arrangements, annual enrollment, student numbers, and an estimate that it would take decades to break even...
It was all laid out clearly.
Senju Tobirama skipped straight past the details and looked at the long string of zeroes at the bottom.
Senju Tobirama fell silent.
A moment later, he handed the two sheets back to Yuya and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.
But just a few seconds later, he came back and called out from the doorway, "Forget the money. Send the supplies to the front lines without cutting corners."
Yuya smiled faintly. Now that was what you called having someone right where you wanted him.
A few days later, just as Senju Tobirama was getting ready to return to the front lines and resume arguing with the muscleheads from Kumogakure, a representative from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth arrived.
He had just one purpose:
Bro, help me out.
Before you continue