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He would also let his mind wander, wondering if there was some conspiracy at play.
For instance, strange thoughts like the village sending them to their deaths, and other similar bizarre ideas.
If we dismiss the possibilities of children's innocent remarks or temporary nervous ramblings, and given that more than one child expressed such views, it was clear they had been influenced.
This warranted an investigation.
Although spies were a perpetual problem—constantly investigated, rounded up, arrested in batches—the work had to continue. They still needed to be rooted out and apprehended.
If left unchecked, over time, it would inevitably lead to significant trouble.
"Yes, Lord Advisor."
The Anbu ninja accepted the order and immediately began arranging the investigation.
What even Kazuki didn't anticipate was that the Anbu's investigation would actually uncover a group of spies.
Within just a few days, a considerable number of people were arrested.
When the list of identities landed on Kazuki's desk, it made his eyelids twitch, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Well, I'll be damned!"
'I was just taking precautions, having the Anbu investigate as a safety measure, and ended up stumbling upon a spy nest?'
But thinking about it, it made sense!
After all, who among Konoha's residents would have nothing better to do than instill in their children the idea that graduation meant going to the battlefield, that graduation equated to sacrifice and death?
Only spies would resort to such tactics, spreading disinformation to bewitching people hearts while simultaneously collecting and probing for intelligence.
"You had people arrest a bunch of spies?"
Arresting a few spies wouldn't usually draw Tsunade's significant attention.
But arresting over a dozen people in just a few days felt off, even if they were all low-level spies.
Thus, Tsunade came to Kazuki's office.
"What if I said it was all a misunderstanding? Would you believe me?"
Not only Tsunade, but even Kazuki himself was somewhat bewildered.
'I was just taking precautions, trying to prevent the village's new generation from being led astray, so I ordered an investigation. And what happens? We end up uncovering a whole bunch.'
Even if they were just ordinary spies, it wasn't easy for them to successfully establish themselves in Konoha.
Arresting over a dozen at once was a significant blow to the spy industry.
Kazuki explained what had happened at the Ninja Academy. After listening, Tsunade looked at him with a strange expression.
After a moment's hesitation, Tsunade directly teased him:
"I think you should pay more attention; perhaps you can sweep clean a large number of spies within the village."
An unintentional move led to the arrest of so many. If a thorough investigation were conducted, could any spy remain rooted in Konoha?
'You really dare to think that!'
Kazuki was left utterly speechless.
The reason so many spies were caught at once was precisely because education is a fundamental area, making it a prime target for spies.
Try another department, and you'd be lucky to catch one or two spies even after a full investigation.
"Tsk, the Cloud Village really remains unrepentant."
Looking through the spies' profiles, Tsunade snorted discontentedly:
"It seems we need to take this issue seriously. The fact that they sent so many spies indicates the Cloud Village is still watching us closely. Given the opportunity, they wouldn't hesitate to launch a war."
Out of the more than ten spies captured, over half were from the Cloud Village. How could that not raise alarms?
Even if these spies had been planted during the Third Hokage's tenure, it was enough to show that the Cloud Village's ambitions hadn't faded.
Kazuki, however, wasn't too concerned about this. While the Cloud Village planted spies in Konoha, Konoha also had plenty of spies within the Cloud Village.
In fact, planting spies in the Cloud Village was easier than in Konoha, as their village's economy heavily relied on tourism and commodity sales.
"Remaining vigilant is necessary, but taking it too seriously isn't warranted. These spies have been embedded for quite some time. In the past, the Cloud Village certainly wouldn't have minded picking a fight with us. But now? The likelihood is very small."
"Oh?"
Tsunade was somewhat surprised:
"Are you so sure the Cloud Village won't move against the village?"
Why else?
Kazuki spread his hands:
"The Raikage has a bad temper, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. If our strength were weak, he certainly wouldn't mind taking action. But if our strength is formidable, even the hot-tempered Raikage would become quite docile.
Moreover, the Cloud Village is even more concerned about the Akatsuki organization than we are. Therefore, I determine that the probability of the Cloud Village launching a war against us is very low. On the other hand, we need to pay attention to the Rock Village."
"Why? Ōnoki's ambitions shouldn't be greater than the Raikage's. Compared to the stronger Cloud Village, the Rock Village shouldn't be foolish enough to act."
"What if they are forced to fight?"
"What do you mean?"
"See for yourself."
Kazuki handed the materials he had compiled to Tsunade. Puzzled, Tsunade took them and began reading carefully.
In her view, the probability of the Rock Village attacking Konoha was far lower than that of the Cloud Village, primarily because the Cloud Village possessed extremely strong economic and military power.
It was precisely because of this substantial confidence that the Cloud Village dared to target Konoha.
In contrast, the Rock Village was somewhat lacking.
This isn't to say the Rock Village's strength was insufficient, but rather that, compared to the Cloud Village, it fell a bit short.
The materials Kazuki compiled detailed the economic and military power distributions of both the Rock and Cloud Villages.
In terms of military strength, the Cloud Village was slightly stronger than the Rock Village. If using the official Naruto star rating, the Cloud Village's military and economy would both be at five stars.
The Rock Village's military strength would only rate four stars, and its economy was even worse, at a mere three stars.
Conversely, Konoha's military strength could also reach five stars. If including some hidden trump cards, it might even hit six stars or beyond. As for the economy, it barely managed four stars.
"Not bad statistics."
Looking at the materials in her hand, Tsunade couldn't help but give Kazuki a look of praise.
"Although the summaries are a bit vague, the statistics are well done. Compared to the Cloud Village, the Rock Village's overall strength is indeed somewhat weaker."
"Now add this one."
Kazuki handed the final document to Tsunade. After a quick glance, her expression changed immediately.
This document contained the ratios of military expenditure to total budget and the population proportions for the Rock Village, Cloud Village, and Konoha.
In terms of the proportion of budget allocated to military development, Konoha spent the least, the Rock Village was second, and the Cloud Village was first.
Regarding total population and ninja ratio, Konoha ranked first, the Cloud Village second, and the Rock Village third.
If the issues weren't apparent from just looking at military strength and economy alone, adding this document made the problems clear.
The Rock Village had some serious issues.
Can you imagine? The Rock Village, with a middling population and economy, ranked first in the proportion of spending on military development?
"The Rock Village's spending on military development is somewhat excessive, even distorted."
Tsunade had to admit that the Rock Village's development model was flawed.
"You're absolutely right. Such a military development model does make the Rock Village appear powerful, but their own economy cannot sustain it for long. Continuing down this path will inevitably lead to problems."