In a sheltered area at the corner of the street, a simple small table was propped up on a bench.
Kushina took a big gulp of the new rice in the bowl, picked up a piece of stewed pork belly that was crystal clear and soft, and stuffed it into his mouth. He didn't bother to wipe the sauce on his cheeks.
"Hmm... this meat is amazing!"
She muttered vaguely.
Mikoto Uchiha sat aside and reluctantly handed her a handkerchief to wipe the stains from the corners of her mouth.
She raised her head and looked past the rising heat at the people queuing up for meals on the long street.
The eyebrows and eyebrows that had been tense for many days finally relaxed a bit.
"Fugaku and Security Force have been running around for several days, and even the toughest people can hardly stand it any longer."
She picked up the steaming hot soup and sighed softly, "But at least... no one will be hungry now Konoha."
In the shadow ten steps away, Ye casually threw a hot tinfoil bag over.
Kakashi raised his hand to catch it, peeled off the tin foil, and the aroma of hot roasted sweet potatoes spread in the cold air.
He pulled down half of the mask and took a bite. He paused slightly and looked down at the golden potato flesh. "It's so sweet. The sugar content is high, not like the wild variety."
"The improved version just released by Geothermal Farm."
Ye leaned against the mottled brick wall, and his eyes also fell on the big pot of thick soup in the distance.
Kakashi didn't say anything anymore, but ate the remaining sweet potatoes in silence.
"Daimyō Mansion, over there, they are probably still looking forward to Konoha starving to death all over the land."
The flying snow is getting tighter.
On the rooftop of Hokage Building, Minato Namikaze was wearing Hokage Haori, quietly overlooking the thousands of lights and fires dotted below.
He pulled out the copy of "Famine Decree" ordered by the Daimyō Mansion from his sleeve.
There was no Hand Seals. The Chakra that overflowed from the fingertips rubbed a little spark and ignited the paper with the gold seal of Daimyō.
The fly ash dispersed into the Konoha night sky along with the cold wind.
There was the sound of the door axis turning behind me.
Ye opened the door and went upstairs, throwing a special black communicator over.
Minato reached out to take it and pressed the button.
The sound of electric current was hissing, mixed with the salty sea breeze, and a series of heart-wrenching "clatter" sounds of gold coins colliding.
"Kirigakure Black Market is completely empty."
Obito's arrogant voice came from the other end, with excitement that could not be concealed.
"Explosive Tag raw materials, Chakra Metal, even the bulk cargo in the ditch, I had people dig deep and scrape it clean."
Minato lowered his eyes, and there was a hint of the solemnity of a person in power in his gentle voice.
"Well done. The granary in the village is now full, the food supply is sufficient, and we are not short of money either."
There was silence on the other end of the communicator for a moment, then Obito blew a loud whistle. "The sea breeze was worth it."
Ye walked forward, took the communicator, and directly issued the next order.
"Land of Lightning, continue scanning the goods over there."
"Twice the premium. As long as there are tangential military materials on the market, I won't leave any of them behind."
"I want them to realize that when they want to expand their army, they can't even buy a rusty Kunai with money."
"Understood."
Obito put away his cynicism, and the news became louder on the channel.
"Ye, according to this plan, are we going to take off all the underwear of the four major villages and bury them in a pit?"
"Leave the people and workshops behind, and then collect them after they are disabled."
Ye looked down at the dark night outside the village and whispered softly.
"We must first let them understand the price they will pay if they continue to play at this gambling table."
Communication is cut off.
Minato placed his hands on the cold guardrail.
"The standing stocks in the four major villages can last for a while."
"When they discover that the supply of follow-up materials is completely cut off, the arms production line will be paralyzed."
"So, give them a little false hope and let them send all their main forces to Konoha Gate."
Minato took a step forward, his eyes piercing the wind and snow, "When this battle is over, Shinobi World, it's time to change the rules."
Hundreds of miles away, in the capital, Daimyō Mansion.
The dragon in the hall was burning hot, and delicacies from the mountains and seas were piled on the long table.
The sound of silk and bamboo orchestras was overwhelming, and Dancing Girl, dressed in cool clothes, walked between the tables and smiled sweetly.
Daimyō stood at the top of the list, shaking the luminous cup in his hand, and loudly announced to the dignitaries in the hall with a red face:
"Everyone, just watch! In three days at most, Allied Forces from the four major villages will overwhelm Konoha's defenses!"
"I want to see with my own eyes how Minato Namikaze kneeled in front of the palace and begged me to give them a sip of swill!"
There was a fawning echo in the hall.
"Daimyō Your Excellency is wise!"
"Those vulgar warriors should have been beaten long ago!"
Daimyō laughed and drank the wine in one gulp.
He did not see that the wind and snow outside the window had covered the ruts used by the Daimyō Mansion to transport exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes through the back door, and also quietly buried the bones of several frozen and hungry people under the eaves.
At this time Konoha, the last pot of broth at the end of the long street was still tumbling.
Children wrapped in thick cotton coats held hot rice balls in their arms, cheering and running towards the warm light of their homes.
The vigilante Chunin, who had just returned from the border change, secretly had red eyes when he received a large bowl of hot noodle soup from the logistics department.
The same cold snow fell on two completely different banquets.
Daimyō is sitting in a splendid cage, dreaming of Konoha's eternal dream of starving to death everywhere and bowing his head to surrender;
Konoha, whose warehouses are full of food and grass and whose fangs have appeared, is quietly dormant in the wind and snow, waiting for Allied Forces from the four major villages... to deliver his life to his doorstep.
Move the time forward a little, Land of Water, Kirigakure Island Black Market.
In the thick fog that persists all year round, the salty and moist sea breeze whizzes through the intricate alleys.
Dilapidated wooden houses were built along the cracks in the reef all the way to the cliff.
Before daylight, the pier was already crowded with vendors dragging sacks, shouting and bargaining.
As Land of Water's largest Underground Black Market, most of the entire East Sea's armaments and prohibited materials must be passed through here.
Deep in the street, the heavy wooden door of the largest weapons store was kicked open with a bang.
Obito was wearing a bloated and luxurious white fox fur cloak, with a thick cotton pad stuffed in his stomach, and he looked like a rich businessman with a big belly.
His fingers were covered with heavy solid gold rings, and he waved the folding fan lightly in his hand, crossing the threshold with grand steps.
Behind him, four followers wearing faceless masks followed silently, each carrying a heavy black suitcase in their hands.
"Land of Water The biggest Black Market?"
Obito looked around, covered his mouth and nose with a folding fan, and sneered with disgust on his face, "You just stay in such a rotten wooden shed with air leakage?"
The room was filled with smoke, and several brawny men with shirtless tattoos were grilling fish around the brazier. They raised their heads fiercely when they heard this.
Behind the counter, a lean middle-aged shopkeeper was holding a pipe in his mouth and fiddling with the abacus without even bothering to raise his eyelids.
"Another warmonger?"
"Explosive Tag and related raw materials are not for sale."
The shopkeeper banged his pipe on the edge of the table twice, causing a few sparks to fly, and then glanced sideways at Obito's round belly.
"This boss, there has been a lot of trouble recently, and the officials are urgently urging me."
"The foreign sheep want to stockpile armaments here? Go out and turn left, go back to your hometown and try your luck."
Obito Not only was he not annoyed, the smile in the corners of his eyes actually deepened.
He didn't waste a word, but slowly raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Four followers strode forward, and ten heavy black suitcases smashed onto the thick solid wood counter without warning.
The counter let out an overwhelmed groan.
Obito Use the fan bone to pick open the three nearest box buckles.
There was a soft "click" sound and the box cover slid down.
In an instant, the darkness in the room was completely dispelled by golden light.
Palm-sized, extremely pure red gold is neatly stacked in the box, making people's eyes hurt from the glare.
Several strong men gathered around the brazier suddenly froze, and the sea fish that was roasted black in their hands fell into the charcoal ash with a clatter.
The shopkeeper's fingers on the abacus were frozen in mid-air. The pipe slipped down his chin and hit the instep of his feet, but he didn't even move his brows.
His eyeballs seemed to be stuck in the box due to the golden light.
Obito supports the counter with both hands, leans forward, and the fan bone makes a crisp sound on the gold brick:
"Three times the market price, I'll cover the cash in the warehouse."