This Is the People's War

Strictly speaking, the Blood Identification Machine should be considered military equipment.

Anything involving military production generally required large quantities and came with high prices.

Of course, it also carried corresponding risks and had to be supervised by the ninja forces.

"Have them make some samples first."

Muzan needed to test the machine's accuracy. The factories in the Naruto World were still at a relatively low industrial level, and he did not dare place complete trust in them. If a large batch was produced with even the slightest deviation, it could be fatal.

Under normal circumstances, Muzan could have waited for a while, but war did not wait for anyone—especially that mob from the Hidden Cloud Village! No one knew when they would launch their next attack.

"What are you two doing? Why are you being so mysterious?"

Obito was the only one who could not understand their conversation. He had not even known Konoha had factories!

"You should go back to training. Try to surpass me soon. And stop asking such idiotic questions—they might leave a bad impression on Rin."

Faced with Muzan's merciless blow, Obito only hated that he was not strong enough. Otherwise, he would show Muzan the terror of the Sharingan.

"Just you wait!"

Muzan could not train for the time being. He had more important matters to handle.

Muzan and Shanjian He arrived at the factory together. It was indeed backward at first glance, but fortunately, its half-mechanical, half-manual methods meant grinding parts would not be a problem.

"This stuff is still far too primitive. Once the war ends, we must carry out a technological revolution."

At its core, ninja warfare stemmed from a lack of resources. If resources could be obtained through proper means, no one would risk their lives to start a war.

"Senior Shanjian He, I'll be relying on you during this time."

Muzan did not know that some of the parts he produced had been sent to Root. As the Root hidden beneath Konoha, it had never lacked funds, because many parts of Konoha were controlled by Root.

Half of the nearby factories were operated by Root.

The first batch of parts reached Danzo's hands. Unfortunately, he did not have the blueprints. For the most crucial assembly process, Muzan had told no one anything!

"So this is why they came back."

Ever since his previous attempt to recruit Muzan had failed, Danzo had not been angry. He had been considering how to win Muzan over—or, like Orochimaru, establish a good cooperative relationship with him to consolidate Danzo's position!

"I refuse to believe there is nothing you need."

Looking at the parts in his hands, a vicious scheme formed in Danzo's mind. When the time came, only he would be able to help Muzan. After all, Danzo was the true boss behind the factories.

Muzan still had no idea that a conspiracy was unfolding right beside him.

Making the machines was not difficult. The real trouble was assembling them.

These people needed to be arranged with utmost care. After all, Muzan would be relying on this for a living in the future, so those selected had to be trustworthy.

Within Konoha, only his father's former subordinates could manage it, which would reduce the risk.

"In a while, I'll need to trouble Teacher Nobi Wei."

Only he could contact Sakumo's former subordinates. Moreover, Muzan intended to develop his own faction, and there was no better way than building it with his father's subordinates.

"The factory's first batch of components will take a week to produce."

This was what worried Shanjian He the most. The machine existed to identify blood, but they needed to encourage villagers to donate blood. Otherwise, no matter how sophisticated the machine was, it would be useless.

There was also the issue of transportation. Blood needed refrigeration and sterilization, which would waste even more time.

And they were precisely lacking in time.

"What worries me now is how to expand the blood bank!"

Konoha's people generally believed that donating blood harmed the body. Combined with the temporary weakness afterward, that rumor seemed to have been confirmed.

Before the Blood Identification Machine, the hospital had not dared transfuse blood carelessly.

Naturally, there had not been much demand for blood. But things were different now! The arrival of war meant casualties would multiply, and with the machine's assistance, they would certainly need vast quantities of blood.

Listening to him, Muzan fell into thought. This was indeed a fatal problem. If it was not handled properly, everything they had done would be meaningless.

"Set up two incentives for blood donation."

"First, anyone who donates blood can receive three times the amount for free from the medical center if their family ever needs blood."

"Second, promote the benefits of blood donation throughout the village. Ordinary people who donate blood should receive a reward. Special times require special policies."

Because of the ninjas, many families had countless ties to ninjas, and some even had ninja relatives. No one could guarantee they would not be injured. With free blood transfusions available, they would not have to spend a fortune buying blood.

"These are only methods of encouragement. Whether they work will depend on you."

Shanjian He quietly listened to Muzan's suggestions. These were all ways to stimulate blood donations, but whether they succeeded depended on the executor's ability. Suddenly, Shanjian He felt the burden on his shoulders grow even heavier.

"Don't worry. I won't let you down."

The machines could not be completed anytime soon, but blood donation had already begun. Advertisements posted by Konoha Hospital drew the attention of many people.

"What is Konoha Hospital doing? What does 'one person donates blood, the whole family is honored' even mean?"

"Forget it. The last time I donated blood, I felt completely drained. My wife even thought I'd been fooling around outside."

"Wait! Look at the notice below. They're paying money too!"

The mention of money immediately drew much attention, especially from Konoha's ordinary residents. With the war beginning, prices in Konoha had risen as well, and money had become less valuable.

If they could truly earn some income, they would not mind having another source of it.

Ordinary people with ninja family members were even more proactive, rushing to the front of the line. Their relatives were carrying out missions on the battlefield, and if they were truly injured, they could receive free blood.

For a time, a wave of blood donation swept through Konoha.

Aside from the villagers at the bottom, the Third Hokage, as one of Konoha's rulers, understood even better what this represented.

What he saw through the crystal ball disturbed the Third Hokage's usually calm expression. This was fundamentally different from previous wars.

It was called a Shinobi World War because the participants were all ninjas. Even if one village perished, to the nation it only meant losing some mercenaries who carried out missions; the impact was not particularly severe, much less on the common villagers.

Even someone as powerful as a Kage Level expert still had to obey the daimyo.

The root cause was that the definition of ninja had gone wrong. Ninjas who did not engage in production could not survive after leaving society.

"I have a feeling the Third Ninja War will change because of Muzan! It will no longer be a war fought only by ninjas."