No Money, Plenty of Supplies

And so, Kumogakure could not advance a single inch.

It was not that the Konoha front lines had suddenly undergone a massive power-up, but rather that Konoha was sticking to one strategy: Are you coming or not? If you aren't, I'm going to start throwing Explosive Tags at you!

Oh, you're frustrated? You're launching an offensive? Then take a look at our rock-solid defense!

The core philosophy was simple: turtle up.

Well, in truth, it was mostly because Senju Tobirama had returned to Konoha, leaving the command of the front lines in the hands of Shimura Danzō and the others.

They would rather do nothing than make a mistake, so the "turtle" tactic became the mainstream approach.

Of course, this made a lot of sense.

Facing the fortresses defended by Konoha, with their various Earth Style Barriers that clearly screamed "trap," the ninjas of Kumogakure weren't stupid enough to charge in.

And so, both sides were stuck in an awkward stalemate.

They tried a few probing charges, but they were all blown back.

The people of Kumogakure were getting frustrated. Damn it, why do you have so many Explosive Tags?

In reality, there weren't that many; Yuya bought Explosive Tags by the bundle—one thousand tags per bundle, costing five million Ryo, with a discount for bulk orders.

Now, he could even trade Konoha's Canned Fish and beverages directly for Explosive Tags and other ninja tools.

Naturally, for barter trades, Yuya would value his canned food and drinks at ninety percent of their normal price.

But these were special times, so whatever needed to be bought had to be bought.

One bundle of Explosive Tags per month was mandatory. You don't have any? If you don't, get to work! Don't you want to make money?

This had caused some complaints among the ninja tool clans.

Because these clans had also realized that selling Explosive Tags...

It really didn't make money as fast as selling drinks and canned food!

Look at those Canned Fish; one can for 150 Ryo, one bottle of drink for 100 Ryo. Doesn't sound like much, right?

But in Konoha's Commercial Street, these two items sold out the moment they hit the shelves—sold out instantly!

And their Explosive Tags?

They certainly made money during wartime, but what about after the war?

Now, thanks to the popularity of the Ninja News, everyone knew that Kirigakure and Sunagakure were unlikely to join this war; both villages were selling their goods in Konoha like crazy.

But things like Canned Fish and drinks...

That wasn't just selling goods; it was a money-printing machine.

That strange black soda that made you burp after a single sip felt weird at first, but the more you drank, the more addictive it became.

Now, many people felt terrible if they didn't have a bottle a day.

Even with the shop's policy of limiting customers to one bottle each, it still sold out immediately. Some people would even resell them for 110 Ryo, making a 10 Ryo profit.

Where could you even go to argue against that?

Word was that the Food Processing Plant was going to expand production, so wouldn't the profits only grow from there?

Ten Steel Mills and one Food Processing Plant—many people were now curious exactly how much money Senju Tobirama had.

And the Senju Tobirama they were curious about was currently glaring with red eyes (though they were red to begin with) and roaring at Yuya: "What is the meaning of this?! I asked you for one hundred million Ryo and you refused, but the supplies you've approved for me are worth far more than one hundred million!"

Yuya looked at the paper in confusion, then nodded after seeing the number at the bottom: "The figures are correct. Just tell me if you want them or not. I don't have the cash, but I have plenty of supplies."

Senju Tobirama gritted his teeth: "Can't you just let me issue a payment to the ninjas on the front lines?! Who cares about your supplies!"

Yuya laughed: "Uncle-Master, don't say that. Those muscle-headed idiots from Kumogakure would definitely want these supplies. In short, don't even think about getting cash directly from me. I can't give you money, but supplies are no problem."

Senju Tobirama: "So why is that?? Why are you unwilling to give me money?"

Yuya glanced at Senju Tobirama: "Has the war ended?"

"No, it hasn't."

"If I issue it this time, will I have to issue it again later?"

"Of course! I'll definitely have to issue it again after this! We need to pay them even more once the war is over!"

Yuya rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and simply explained the concept of inflation to Senju Tobirama.

Senju Tobirama lowered his head in thought: "You mean that if I issue too much money, it will cause the prices of those goods to rise... but wouldn't that mean we would make even more money?"

Yuya fell silent, and finally, he just kicked Senju Tobirama out.

Damn it, if you don't understand, don't offer blind suggestions!

One hundred million this time, two hundred million next time, and then throwing money around like a fool after the war—if billions of Ryo in cash flooded the market, wouldn't prices just skyrocket?

If you want to crash the Konoha currency, go ahead and do that, but I am certainly not giving you the money.

The universal currency unit in the ninja world is the Ryo, available in both paper and copper coins.

The five nations—Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning—add their own national element to the existing "Ryo" paper currency.

This makes the banknotes representative of their own country; while the unit is still the Ryo, they can only be used within their own borders.

As for the other small nations, the paper currency they use is the universal "Ryo," which lacks any national insignia on the back.

For instance, the currency used here in Konoha bears the Konoha emblem on the reverse side.

The Ryo used by other small nations is internationally accepted; simply put, under normal circumstances, the exchange rate between this "Ryo" and the "Ryo" of the Five Great Nations is one-to-one, making them interchangeable.

However, if a small nation prints money recklessly and collapses its own economy, the Five Great Nations will adjust the exchange rate or simply ban the use of any "Ryo" that lacks a national mark.

The world of the Hokage still possesses economic experts who understand the dangers of printing money at will and are capable of implementing preventive measures.

It is a pity, however, that without systematic study, that is as far as they go.

Konoha possesses the ability to print money, but Yuya simply cannot be bothered to use such power.

He knows better than anyone what the consequences of printing money without restraint would be.

At the very least, he will not exercise his authority to print currency until Konoha's population experiences an explosion in growth.

After Senju Tobirama was kicked out, he returned shortly thereafter, shamelessly rubbing his hands together and saying, "Nephew, look at how much money we've made... surely you can spare a little~"

Yuya looked at Senju Tobirama, sneered after a moment, and then pulled out the stack of papers he had previously taken from the Uchiha residence.

He pulled two sheets from the stack and handed them to Senju Tobirama.

Senju Tobirama took them with a puzzled expression, but his face turned green the moment he looked at them.

[Estimated costs for building Konoha's first hospital accessible to all common citizens.]

[Estimated costs for building the first school accessible to all common citizens.]

Then came the long list below: materials, construction, the land that needed to be cleared, compensation for displaced residents, the recruitment of doctors and teachers after completion, salary arrangements, annual enrollment figures, the number of people, and the projected decades it would take to break even...

Everything was written clearly.

Senju Tobirama skipped over all of that and went straight to the long string of zeros at the bottom.

Senju Tobirama fell silent.

A moment later, he handed the two sheets back to Yuya and turned to leave without a hint of hesitation.

However, a few seconds later, he returned, standing at the doorway to say to Yuya: "Forget the money. Just make sure you send the supplies to the front lines without any deductions."

Yuya smiled slightly. What does it mean to have someone under your thumb?

A few days later, just as Senju Tobirama was preparing to return to the front lines to continue bickering with those muscle-bound men from Kumogakure, a representative from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth arrived.

They had only one goal:

"Big brother, take me with you."