A Little Surprise from Xiao

Lin Feng waved his hand lazily inside the cave, and the Water Mirror image before him dissipated.

There was no longer any need to look at Uchiha Obito's face, filled with pain and resentment.

A tool, blinded by love, only needed a new goal, a new "hope," to be firmly tied to his war chariot.

Resurrect Rin?

This was merely a grand promise Lin Feng had casually made.

But for Obito at this moment, it was the only straw he could grasp while drowning.

As for when this grand promise would be fulfilled, it would depend on Obito's future performance.

"Done."

Lin Feng stretched, his bones emitting a series of crisp sounds.

He picked up the tea on the stone table and took a leisurely sip.

"Now, the prototype of the Akatsuki organization has been established."

Nagato, Konan, Kakuzu, Sasori, plus the newly subdued Kisame, and Obito, whose fate he had forcibly altered.

This team had already begun to take shape.

"However, it's not enough."

Lin Feng tapped his fingers, his Rinnegan emitting a faint purple glow in the dimness.

He needed more talented individuals with special abilities to fill his commercial empire that spanned the entire Ninja World.

Obito's line was temporarily stable, and Konoha was also in a state of utter chaos due to his series of operations. Next, it was time to let the entire Ninja World feel the "goodwill" of the "Akatsuki" organization.

"Kisame."

He spoke softly.

A tall figure appeared silently at the cave entrance; it was the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage, Kisame Hoshigaki.

He knelt on one knee, his attitude extremely respectful.

"Lord Madara."

"Has the succession document been sent out?" Lin Feng asked without turning his head.

"As per your instructions, it has been sent through Kirigakure Village's highest encrypted channel to the Four Great Shinobi Villages of Konoha, Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and Sand Village, as well as the neutral Land of Iron," Kisame's voice was steady and powerful.

Lin Feng nodded, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He could imagine the wonderful expressions on the faces of the other four Kage when they saw this document.

A shinobi village, one of the Five Great Nations, publicly announcing the establishment of diplomatic relations with a powerful rogue ninja organization.

This was unprecedented in the history of the Ninja World.

It was no different than throwing a giant rock into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves.

"Very good." Lin Feng put down his teacup, pondered for a moment, and then said.

"There's one more thing."

"Please instruct me, my Lord!"

"Promote our 'Tailed Beast Bonds' throughout the entire Ninja World," Lin Feng's voice carried an undeniable authority. "I want the nobles and Daimyo of those great nations to become 'shareholders' of Kirigakure Village."

"Let them know that investing in Kirigakure Village is investing in the future. And making an enemy of Kirigakure Village is making an enemy of their own money bags."

Kisame's body trembled slightly.

Although he still didn't quite understand these complex economic concepts, he could feel the confidence in Lord Madara's words, a confidence that controlled everything.

This was a far more terrifying power than simple military conquest.

"Yes!"

"Also, how is the execution of Kirigakure Village's Five-Year Industrial Revitalization Plan progressing?"

A smile of excitement appeared on Kisame's shark-like face as he reported, "After you left, according to your system's plan. Currently, the Yuki Clan of Kirigakure Village has established a nationwide cold chain transportation team, using Ice Release to create high-strength freezers and employing sealing jutsu to preserve goods.

They have already begun supplying fresh seafood from distant waters to the nobles of the Land of Fire and transporting frozen seafood to the Land of Earth, actively expanding trade routes. Through careful management of nobles in various regions, a transportation network encompassing the Five Great Nations is gradually being established.

Concurrently, large cold storage facilities are being constructed in port cities, charging a certain storage fee. In just over a month, Kirigakure Village's financial situation has greatly improved. Furthermore, the Yuki Clan, by leveraging their initiative, has actively explored other applications of Ice Release.

For example, they plan to have multiple Ice Release ninja cooperate to rapidly freeze bridges of ice between islands during winter or emergencies, significantly reducing cargo transportation costs and time. This service can be charged per use to merchant caravans.

The Kaguya Clan has also discovered several new rich mineral veins in the mining areas, using tools produced by themselves. Regarding their own bones, based on your detailed analysis, they have converted the combat attrition of the 'Dead Bone Pulse' into high-value strategic materials, establishing a detailed 'Bone Recycling' system.

Bones shed by ninja during combat or training can be handed over to the village and exchanged for contribution points based on quality. These bones have extremely high density and are excellent materials for manufacturing surgical scalpels and special chakra conductors, which can be sold at high prices to hospitals or research institutes in other villages, creating more economic income.

They have also expanded into the field of orthopedic medical development, establishing specialized hospitals within the village where Kaguya ninja serve as physicians. They can accurately sense bones and perform non-invasive reduction or reshaping of comminuted fractures or bone deformities. Once this 'Kekkei Genkai Bone Setting Technique' gains fame, patients from all over the Ninja World will flock to them, driving the medical tourism industry.

The development direction of the Hozuki Clan currently lies in deep-sea exploration and water treatment. Their Hydrification Technique makes them the only group capable of operating underwater indefinitely.

Their main development directions currently include two aspects:

First, deep-sea mining and salvage: Forming a 'Hozuki Mining Team' to dive into trenches inaccessible to other ninja, mining chakra metal veins, or salvaging artifacts and treasures from ancient shipwrecks.

Second, large-scale seawater desalination projects: Hozuki ninja absorb large amounts of seawater, then filter and purify it through Hydrification Technique, outputting pure fresh water. This service can be sold to water-scarce island nations or provide supplies for long-distance voyages, effectively controlling the 'precious resource' of the Land of Water and facilitating subsequent ocean exploration."

Here are some commercialization plans for other Kekkei Genkai when conditions are ripe, for example:

Nether Release: Set up "Chakra Charging Stations" at ports. When merchant ships dock, ninjas absorb their reserve chakra using Nether Release, then charge vessels that need to activate sealing tools or ninja tools, collecting service fees.

Boil Release: Utilize high-pressure steam to develop geothermal power generation, high-temperature sterilization, or make a big splash in the hot spring tourism industry, transforming battlefield ninjutsu into a leisure industry.

Melt Release/Lava Release: Used for land reclamation, developing special building materials with high strength and seawater resistance, becoming rule-makers in the real estate industry of island nations where every inch of land is precious.

"It's gratifying," Kisame's tone became somewhat excited, "Lord Kakuzu, through the finances of the enriched village, has procured the latest smelting technology and equipment from the Land of Iron. The steel output of Kirigakure Village... has tripled!"

"Utilizing Earth Release ninjas for road expansion and house construction, and attempting power generation with existing Lightning Release ninjas, the attempts to use ninjas for economic development are still ongoing."

"Hmm, not bad."

Lin Feng nodded, unsurprised by this.

Binding interests through financial means, stimulating the economy through infrastructure, leveraging the advantage of a large number of existing Kekkei Genkai ninjas to deeply cultivate areas of the Ninja World that are still blank. This market is still a blue ocean, a perfect time to achieve great things. Facing this kind of dimensional reduction attack, for this Ninja World that is still stuck in a feudal, small-scale agricultural economy and only focuses on war, it is an unsolvable overt scheme.

Who would go against money?

As long as Kirigakure Village can continuously create wealth, the nobles of those so-called Five Great Nations will eventually rush to cooperate. The ninjas of other great nations can only passively learn. Let me initiate the first industrial revolution of the Ninja World!

With a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other, advancing on both fronts, how can great things not be accomplished!

Iwagakure Village, Tsuchikage's Office.

Two-Tails Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, was holding a recently received piece of intelligence, his short stature trembling with anger.

"Bastards! This is utter nonsense!"

He slammed the document in his hand onto the desk with a loud "bang."

"Those fools at Kirigakure Village, have their brains been soaked in water? Allying with a group of rogue ninjas? What are they trying to do? Drag the entire Ninja World into war?!"

Standing opposite him was his son, Kurotsuchi.

Kurotsuchi picked up the document and, after reading it, also frowned deeply.

"Father, things may not be that simple. The intelligence states that the Third Mizukage abdicated due to illness. We've never heard of this newly appointed Fourth Mizukage, Kisame Hoshigaki. This looks more like a... coup."

"A coup?" Onoki snorted, "Even if it's a coup, they wouldn't be foolish enough to defect to 'Akatsuki'! What kind of group are they? A bunch of desperate outlaws! Kirigakure Village is inviting a wolf into the house!"

"Perhaps," Kurotsuchi mused, "they were forced. That 'Akatsuki' might be far more powerful than we imagine."

Onoki's expression turned grim.

He thought of the top-secret intelligence from Konoha not long ago regarding the Nine-Tails Incident.

Uchiha Madara had been revived and possessed the Rinnegan.

At the time, he had scoffed at this news, believing it to be a smokescreen released by Konoha to cover up internal conflicts.

But now...

"Could that 'Akatsuki' really be related to Uchiha Madara?" Onoki muttered to himself.

If that were the case, the nature of the matter would completely change.

That figure, who was like a god or demon in his youth, and the words he left behind:

"You are too naive, Onoki. In this world, only strength is useful. There are no alliances, submit to Konoha's power."

Kumogakure Village, Raikage's Office.

"Bang!"

With a loud noise, the sturdy office desk was smashed to pieces by a fist of bulging muscles.

Fourth Raikage Ay, with lightning flashing all over his body, his furious aura made the air in the entire room feel thick.

"Kirigakure Village is provoking us! They are declaring war on the order of the entire Ninja World!" Ay's roar was like rolling thunder.

"Yo, big brother, calm down," Killer B, standing beside him, maintained his usual flippant demeanor, humming an out-of-tune rap, "The angrier the enemy, the calmer we must be, yo!"

"Shut up!" Ay glared at him, "At a time like this, and you're still singing your broken songs!"

"I believe that behind this matter, it's very likely related to Konoha," Secretary Mabui, standing nearby, calmly analyzed, "Don't forget, the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident was a rogue ninja from Konoha. Now Kirigakure Village is allying with a rogue ninja organization. Could there be a connection between the two?"

"You mean Konoha is secretly supporting 'Akatsuki'?" Ay's brow furrowed even tighter.

"We cannot rule out this possibility," Mabui pushed up her glasses, "Konoha's Namikaze Minato is too cunning. We must prepare for the worst."

Ay fell silent.

Although he had a fiery temper, he was not brainless.

The Ninja World was about to change.

He took a deep breath and made a decision.

"Mabui, order the Kumogakure Anbu to strengthen their vigilance and provide stronger protection for the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. From now on, Killer B will be inseparable from me!"

"Intensify intelligence gathering and organization regarding Konoha. Use Konoha's detention of the Kumogakure delegation as a pretext to exert diplomatic pressure on Konoha!"

"Yes," Mabui acknowledged and left.