Never before had the Hokage Guard Team seen the Third Hokage this furious. They were so scared they barely dared to breathe.
"Why is the village still fighting?"
"Before the New Year, Lord Hokage gave a speech saying we would soon win the war."
"Why is the war still deadlocked after so long?"
The war they had thought would end quickly had fallen into a stalemate once again with the Land of Wind Daimyo's support. Sunagakure gritted its teeth and held on, and so did Konoha.
As time passed, the effects of the war continued to spread. Voices opposing the war began to emerge in the village, growing ever louder even without anyone stirring things up behind the scenes.
"Jingyi, everyone is opposing the war."
Kushina carried a large bag in her hand and looked up at Jingyi beside her.
"How much did you spend on all that?"
Jingyi lowered his head and asked Kushina a very simple question.
Kushina glanced at the bag in her hand and tried to calculate from memory. "Maybe... around five thousand ryo?"
"How much would those same things have cost before the war began?"
"About..."
Kushina was a little dazed. Although she liked shopping and buying things, she had never paid much attention to their exact prices.
Seeing her confusion, Jingyi had no choice but to give her the answer.
"Less than three thousand ryo. In other words, after the village had endured several years of war, the price of the same goods had nearly doubled. And the war affected more than just daily necessities. Many people's incomes and wages had been affected as well."
"This will greatly increase the pressure on most villagers' lives."
"I see."
Kushina only half understood.
Jingyi continued, "Besides the increased pressure of daily life, more and more ninja