Minghui's expression grew serious as he slowly explained what had happened.
"It's like this, Teacher Sakumo. We originally planned to go to the northern commercial street today to buy ninja tools, but when we got there, we found that all the offensive tools, like kunai and shuriken, had already been snapped up." Minghui's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
Koichi picked up where he left off. "We weren't willing to give up, so we went to another commercial street, but unfortunately, the offensive tools there had also all been bought. Only some defensive tools were left."
Sakumo's brow furrowed slightly. He rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then asked quietly, "Did you find out who bought so many offensive tools?"
Minghui shook his head. "The shopkeepers only said it was a mysterious caravan, but they didn't give us any details. According to them, it happened yesterday."
"The new batch of standard-issue weapons hasn't been made yet, so our trip today was a waste," Koichi explained helplessly from the side.
Hayato offered his own theory. "The caravan's behavior is so strange. Buying offensive tools in such large quantities—there's probably a Hidden Village behind it."
"We thought so too, but they've already left, and we have no other way to get information about them." Minghui nodded slightly, agreeing with Hayato's judgment.
Sakumo nodded, his expression grave. "Your guess isn't unreasonable. They bought so much that they're clearly preparing for war. Which Hidden Village is plotting in secret?"
He pondered for a moment, then continued, "It's unlikely to be one of the Five Great Nations. They have no need to be so secretive. It was probably a smaller country, but if so, wouldn't this exhaust its wealth? What are they trying to accomplish?"
Koichi suddenly seemed to remember something and interjected, "Oh,