The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. "So every nation has scarce resources, while the Land of Fire is rich in resources and self-sufficient. That's why the other nations are all eyeing us greedily!"
Nawaki nodded in admiration. "Teacher Sarutobi, you're brilliant!" Sarutobi was secretly pleased. This kid was much better at talking than Jiraiya.
After flattering him, Nawaki continued, "Every nation has scarce resources, but in turn, some of their other resources are abundant. For example, the Land of Wind produces gold and poison in abundance; the Land of Earth is rich in various metal ores; and the Land of Lightning, though covered in mountains, produces precious medicinal herbs such as ginseng, as well as special minerals like thunderstones. All three of these nations lack food and timber. The Land of Water produces plenty of food and medicine but has no mineral resources at all, so it imports all its metals.
"The Land of Fire lies at the heart of the routes connecting the nations. If we transport the resources each nation lacks there and sell them at a high price, then buy up their surplus goods at low prices and bring them back to the Land of Fire, we can make enormous profits!
"Over time, it won't take long for the other nations to get used to trading with the nearby Land of Fire instead of traveling over mountains and rivers to reach more distant countries. Then the Land of Fire will become the economic center of the Shinobi World, and the economies of all the nations will depend on us to function normally.
"If we impose a unilateral border blockade and economic sanctions against a nation, its economy will completely collapse after a while. Without the funding provided by its country, its ninja village won't last long before being defeated—or even surrendering without a fight!
"That's the economic strategy I had in mind. What do you all think?"
"Excellent! A defeat without a fight—what a grand strategy! Not only can it bring in funds to strengthen Konoha, it can also effectively keep the other nations in check and reduce our casualties. I think this plan is very practical. What do you all think?" The Third Hokage praised Nawaki's strategy enthusiastically, and Danzo and the other elder advisors all nodded in agreement.
"Clan Head Nara, what do you think?"
In response to the Third Hokage's question, a young man in his twenties with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle nodded. "It's a remarkably well-crafted strategy. The Senju clan head is truly brilliant! I'm just curious about the Finance Department and taxation you mentioned earlier. Would you mind explaining?"
Nawaki smiled modestly. "You're too kind, Clan Head Nara. The Finance Department is something I came up with—a department to collect business taxes from the merchant caravans and shops within Konoha. That would give Konoha an independent source of revenue, so we wouldn't have to worry about the Daimyo controlling us financially. However, Konoha shouldn't break with the Daimyo too soon. Until then, we can accept the funds he provides while using the tax revenue to improve the Ninja Academy, expand enrollment, and offer financial aid to commoners who can't afford tuition. After they graduate, they can repay their loans with the rewards they earn from missions. That's just a humble suggestion. What do you think?"
"The plan is tightly connected at every step and has no theoretical flaws. I think it's worth a try, Lord Third," the Nara Clan Head agreed.
The Third Hokage nodded. "What do you all think?"
"We support Clan Head Senju's proposal!"
Before anyone realized it, Konoha's High Command had acknowledged Nawaki as the head of the Senju Clan. In other words, from that day on, Senju Nawaki—a mere Genin—had officially become part of Konoha's High Command in his capacity as clan head.
For now, though, his status and position could only be known within the High Command and couldn't be made public. His grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, would serve as his public representative.
"As for the Finance Department..." The Third Hokage hesitated before saying, "Lady Mito will be in charge of it officially, but Nawaki will handle its actual management. No one is more familiar with financial affairs than he is right now. Once he's truly grown up, he can formally take over the department!"
Perhaps the High Command genuinely admired Nawaki's talent. Perhaps it was the power of his Wood Release kekkei genkai. Or perhaps it was because most of them were related to the Senju Clan. Whatever the reason, the High Command was astonishingly unanimous this time.
Even Danzo, who loved to oppose the Third Hokage, nodded in agreement with his appointment.
Major strategies and personnel appointments, which should have taken repeated discussions at High Command meetings to finalize, had reached a consensus with ridiculous ease.
When the meeting ended, the High Command members suddenly realized they weren't in the Hokage's office at all, but in a corner outside the training grounds. Only then did they notice that Nawaki's words had captivated them so completely that they'd ended up discussing matters of absolute secrecy in an open, unguarded location.
Fortunately, the people nearby had already left. Everyone present was an elite ninja, so there was no chance anyone had overheard them. Besides, enemy spies would never have guessed that Konoha's High Command would discuss a secret strategy in a place like this.
Coming back to their senses, the High Command members finally remembered how it had all started: with a chance encounter with the three-year-old Senju clan head, and a challenge from Shimura Danzō.
Why had everything gone so smoothly? Why had they believed the plan of a three-year-old child? Was it really only because his plan was flawless? Or were they wary of the power of the Wood Release kekkei genkai that had yet to fully mature? Or was it the legacy of the First and Second Hokage, the support of the Third Hokage and Mito behind Nawaki, and the faint, tenuous bonds of blood?
All those reasons were merely additional weights on the scale. The true deciding factor was profit! By joining the Konoha Consortium, each clan would gain a great deal of money! It was real money, something they could see and touch. From then on, the ninja clans would unite around the consortium established by the Senju Clan, forming a community of shared interests. Perhaps that would be even stronger than blood ties—at least for the Hyuga and Uchiha.
And once the Administration Department was established, Konoha could use tax revenue to free itself from the Daimyo's control, gradually expand the Ninja Academy, increase the number of ninja, and eventually control the Land of Fire, or even the entire Shinobi World. All of these plans would increase the High Command's power and influence!
Nawaki's plans brought everyone benefits and no drawbacks. All they had to give up was the Finance Department, an unimportant support division.
For the Senju Clan, already fabulously wealthy, it was merely the icing on the cake and couldn't upset the balance of power within the village. The greatest beneficiaries would ultimately be the civilian ninja—in other words, the Hokage Faction. Seeing this clearly, no one objected, from the elder advisors to the smaller clans.
The Hyuga and Uchiha clans believed that with sufficient funding, their people could rely on their kekkei genkai to maintain their dominant positions in Konoha. No matter how numerous the civilian ninja became, they wouldn't threaten their status. And now that Nawaki, a Wood Release kekkei genkai user, had appeared, the Senju Clan's power once again surpassed theirs. The First Hokage had been dead for less than twenty years, and the older generation in their clans still remembered the terrifying power of Wood Release all too well!
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