However, Uchiha Takashi didn't think about this problem for long, because he used this excuse to stay home and slack off, but something happened that forced him to come to the office to work.
"Chieftain, new news has arrived from the front lines: the Land of Fire has imposed a resource blockade on us..."
Uchiha Takashi listened to these words without any change in expression. Resource control was within his expectations, but he hadn't anticipated that the arrival would be a little late.
In his estimation, the Uchiha should have faced resource blockade a few days after the founding of their nation, but it took almost half a year for the blockade to begin. The Land of Fire's reaction was rather slow.
"What kind of supplies did they mainly blockade?" Uchiha Takashi asked.
The Uchiha clansman pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and said, "They've mainly blocked iron ore, Chakra Metal ore, silver ore, gold ore, and a range of other minerals, as well as grains and other crops. The control over grain is the strictest, almost completely cutting off our possibility of smuggling grain from them."
Uchiha Takashi chuckled twice. Even a fool could tell who came up with this idea: the Senju Clan.
After all, the people of the Land of Fire wouldn't do something like cutting off their food supply. You have to understand, in this era, the grain trade is the most profitable business besides salt and iron.
And most importantly, it's not illegal. Those high-ranking officials from the Land of Fire are all eager to make a deal with the Uchiha to exchange for money.
Therefore, it's highly unlikely that the higher-ups of the Land of Fire would suggest using a broken beam to prevent the Uchiha from doing something like this. The only exception would be the Senju Clan, who have a deep-seated hatred for the Uchiha.
Ah, but thinking about it this way, the reason the food blockade was delayed until now is most likely because of interference from other people in the Land of Fire.
If I'm not mistaken, the Senju Clan should have proposed a resource blockade against the Uchiha from the beginning, but it was stopped by the Land of Fire nobles who wanted to make money.
It's only now, after all this time, that we've finally gotten past the nobles of the Land of Fire, and it's time to officially impose a blockade on the Uchiha.
The Senju Clan's goal was clear: to cripple the Uchiha through resource blockade, ultimately leading to their annihilation by trapping them in a desperate situation of resource scarcity.
After all, a large portion of the resources of Shinobi World clans come from the Land of Fire. It's difficult for them to survive independently without the Land of Fire, which is one of the reasons why the Daimyo of the Land of Fire controls ninja clans.
However, a complete blockade is difficult to achieve; at most, a few key elements can be subject to the strictest blockades to ensure minimal outflow. Clearly, the Senju Clan is targeting food supplies, aiming to plunge the Uchiha Clan into a food crisis.
However, the Senju Clan miscalculated; the Uchiha Clan, after so much time and effort, had already prepared for all of this.
The farmland cultivated by the Uchiha now not only achieves 100% food self-sufficiency, but also produces enough grain to be exported.
As for other various minerals, the mines controlled by the Uchiha Uchiha also provide them with the strategic resources they need.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, a complete blockade of supplies is impossible; imports can still be achieved through various private channels, including the black market and smuggling.
As long as there are still high-ranking officials in the Land of Fire who want to make money, the Uchiha will continue to import these supplies from the Land of Fire, only at a higher price.
But this was no big deal for the Uchiha. Price wasn't an issue; anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem.
"Any other intelligence? Is there anything unusual about the Senju Clan's army? Are they planning to make a move?" Uchiha Takashi asked.
The Uchiha clansman shook his head. "There haven't been any unusual movements yet. According to reports from the front lines, the Senju Clan seems to have no intention of making a move and is staying hidden in their stronghold."
Uchiha Takashi nodded. It was normal for the Senju Clan not to launch a preemptive strike; after all, the Uchiha's strength on paper was currently equal to that of the Senju. The Senju would definitely resort to other means to bring about the Uchiha's annihilation.
But they will eventually realize that this path is wrong. They will discover that the Uchiha is perfectly capable of being self-sufficient and continuously growing stronger. However, by the time they realize this, it will be too late.
Uchiha Takashi seized this window of opportunity; it wouldn't take long, just one or two years, to allow the Uchiha Clan to gel and coordinate with the other clans.
They figured out how to use gunpowder, then mass-produced it and issued it to the army.
After the internal reforms of the family are completed, the country becomes more stable and has a stable output.
That was the time when the Uchiha clan launched their attack on the Land of Fire!
Uchiha Takashi: "Is there anything else unusual?"
The Uchiha clan member thought for a moment, then said, "Uh, we seem to have heard that the Uzumaki Clan is dissatisfied with the Senju Clan Senju Clan's policies and is currently at odds with them."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Takashi's eyes lit up. "Tell me more details."
The Uchiha clansman pursed his lips and said, "This information wasn't provided by intelligence personnel; it's just hearsay. It seems the Uzumaki Clan suggested the Senju Clan secede from the Land of Fire and learn from us in establishing a nation, but the Senju Clan refused."
Then rumors started circulating that the Uzumaki Clan was preparing to break away from the Senju Clan and learn from us to establish an independent nation.
I've heard that the Uzumaki Clan has sent people out to search for a location to establish a kingdom, but this is just hearsay, and we don't know if it's true or not.
Uchiha Takashi was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand. Sending some people to keep an eye on the Uzumaki Clan is very likely not a rumor; the Uzumaki Clan really wants to break away from Jian Guo."
Uchiha Takashi hadn't forgotten that the Uzumaki Clan in the original story was the only ninja clan to establish its own country; the Land of Whirlpools, located next to the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, was home to the Uzumaki Clan.
Although it was later destroyed, it did indeed exist and was recognized by the Land of Fire.
Furthermore, the Uzumaki Clan established their nation after the ninja village system was established. Given the option of having ninja villages, the Uzumaki Clan still chose to establish a nation.
Therefore, in Uchiha Takashi's view, the rumor that the Uzumaki Clan wanted to establish an independent country was not actually a rumor.
After all, the Uzumaki Clan has a history of establishing a nation, and seeing the Uchiha clan do so, it's hard to guarantee they won't follow suit.
"You mean the Uzumaki Clan might actually learn from us?" the Uchiha clansman asked in a low voice.
Uchiha Takashi nodded. "That's right. We'll keep an eye on them for now. We need to know as soon as we get any news, and it would be best if we could sabotage them from the shadows."
Uchiha Takashi didn't intend to stop the Uzumaki Clan from establishing a nation. After all, if the Uchiha did it, other clans would inevitably follow suit, ultimately disrupting the existing Shinobi World order.
However, Uchiha Takashi wanted to postpone this time because the longer it went on, the greater the initial advantage the Uchiha could gain, and the more they could reap the benefits of establishing their nation first, making it easier to achieve final victory in the later chaotic battles.