The situation in the ninja world had changed dramatically.
The Land of Wind had deployed an army of 3,000 ninjas to mass near the border of the Land of Fire, creating the appearance of being ready to attack at any moment.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire, Akamichi Tekkaze, who was in charge of the frontier forces, led 2,000 Konoha Shinobi to establish a defensive line at the border.
The two sides glared at each other.
And so the stalemate lasted for seven days.
Aside from some clashes between reconnaissance units, nothing significant had happened. Though each side claimed minor victories, none of it affected the overall situation.
Instead, the fiercest battles broke out in the small nations caught between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
Once again, a brutal war ignited between the Land of Ash and the Land of Rivers.
But since Simu had previously wiped out seven Jōnin from the Land of Ash in one go—nearly two-thirds of its elite forces—the Land of Rivers was now practically steamrolling its weakened rival.
However, Sunagakure sent in a contingent of puppet users, instantly turning the tide of the battle.
In response, Akamichi Tekkaze dispatched several squads to support the Land of Rivers after receiving their request.
In short, while the two major powers hadn't yet made direct moves against each other's territory, the small nations between them were already riddled with destruction.
Such was the cruelty of war for the minor countries.
And not just the Land of Rivers and the Land of Ash—other nations caught in the cracks, like the Land of Flowers and the Land of Rain, were also beginning to show signs of unrest.
But for now, none of this concerned Simu.
Taking advantage of the seven-day stalemate, he had already infiltrated the Land of Wind.
Staring at the endless yellow sand swirling through the air, he let out a faint sigh.
Only for a gust of wind to immediately blow a mouthful of sand into his throat.
"Bah! Bah! Bah!"
Simu quickly pulled up the collar of his trench coat and adjusted his hat.
"What a damned place," he muttered under his breath.
No wonder the Land of Wind was always itching to start wars.
Living in this hellhole would drive anyone insane.
This time, he was operating alone.
Originally, the Third Hokage wanted to assign a sensory-type ninja to accompany him, but Simu felt it would be more convenient to act solo.
He trekked through the yellow dunes.
It had to be said—walking through this environment for an extended period was no joke.
If it weren't for the monstrous physique he'd gained from being a Marine Admiral, Simu probably would've collapsed from dehydration by now.
After nearly two hours of trudging through the desert, he finally neared his destination.
Ahead stood a massive boulder protruding from the endless sand, large enough to build an entire town atop it.
And as luck would have it, the inside of this rock was packed with iron ore.
This discovery had been like striking gold for the Land of Wind.
They heavily fortified the area.
During the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, the Land of Fire had fought multiple times for control over the mine, but ultimately, the Land of Wind's natural desert adaptation allowed them to seize it.
They named it Black Iron Town.
Due to escalating tensions at the frontlines, the atmosphere in Black Iron Town was currently extremely tense.
Ninja squads came and went regularly, resting and reorganizing before escorting batches of freshly-forged weapons to the frontlines.
Thousands of miners worked around the clock in the mines.
The iron ore they dug up would be hauled to the smelting facility, melted down, and then taken to the forge to be turned into weapons, which were then delivered to the troops.
All of this under ninja escort.
The man in charge of guarding Black Iron Town was a Jōnin named Rossi.
He was the younger brother of the Third Kazekage, Salomon, and also a former apprentice of Chiyo—making him a formidable opponent in his own right.
At the moment, Rossi was sitting cross-legged in his office, staring coldly at the two Konoha ninjas standing before him.
"Are you serious?"
Rossi glared at them.
"Mito's got a lot of nerve."
"It was one thing for you to smuggle weapons during peacetime, but now? When our two nations are on the brink of war?"
"You really think I'd still sell to you under these conditions?"
His tone was sharp and firm, carrying a weight of undeniable authority.
Mito Duoya, the representative from Konoha, looked uneasy under Rossi's intense gaze.
If it hadn't been for a death order from Mitokado Homura, he never would've dared come to the Land of Wind at a time like this.
But he had no choice.
Under Homura's protection, the Mito family had been engaged in smuggling throughout the ninja world.
In addition to buying weapons from Black Iron Town and moving them through the Land of Destruction's underground channels to smaller countries, they had even tampered with Konoha's own arsenal.
After all, keeping the stockpiles unused was just a waste.
Thus, with Homura's tacit approval, large quantities of gear began leaking out to other countries.
But now that Konoha had suddenly gone to war, the holes in their armory reserves were immediately exposed.
If they couldn't make up for the shortfall quickly…
The Mito clan would face serious consequences from the Hokage himself.
At this point, the only supplier capable of filling the gap on short notice was the Black Iron Town.
But given that the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind were officially at war, there was no way Rossi would sell weapons to his enemies.
Just when Mito Duoya was beginning to panic, Rossi finally spoke.
"If you still want weapons now..."
"You'll have to pay extra."
A grin spread across Mito Duoya's face.
"How much more?"
"This is the price for betraying my own brother," Rossi said, opening his hand.
"At least five times the usual price."
"Five times?!"
Mito Duoya's jaw clenched.
Their usual smuggling profit margins were only threefold...
As a result, Rossi opened his lion's mouth—five times the usual price.
But he didn't care. He leaned back lazily in his chair.
"If you think it's expensive, don't buy it."
But if the Mito family didn't buy it, they risked being discovered by the Hokage…
Thinking of that, Mito gritted his teeth.
"I'll buy it!"
After discussing the quantity and price, Mito Duoya walked out of the office, leaving Rossi and another ninja behind.
"Master Rossi, are we really going to sell them weapons?" the ninja asked cautiously.
"Of course we are," Rossi replied without hesitation. "Why wouldn't we, if there's money to be made?"
"But..."
The ninja hesitated, unsure of how to express his concern.
Rossi smiled coldly. "Do you remember those defective weapons left behind from the last botched refining process?"
The assistant's eyes lit up.
"If they're desperate enough to buy anything, give them those."
"Yes, understood."
The assistant left immediately to make the arrangements.
He would have felt guilty if they'd sold proper weapons to Konoha—after all, many of their own relatives and friends were on the front lines in Sunagakure.
But selling defective goods? That was a different story.
These weapons looked flawless on the surface.
But after just a few intense clashes—like during a sword fight—they'd suddenly snap or crumble.
And when the Konoha shinobi found out...
The assistant sneered darkly.
Back inside the office, Rossi gave another order.
"Speed up the mining. We need more ore."
The assistant hesitated. "But... the miners are already only resting for six hours a day. If we push them harder, they won't be able to handle it."
Rossi shot him a cold glance. "Cut their rest down to four hours. If that's still not enough, start adding drugs to their food."
"It's a good trade—sacrificing their lives to save the lives of real shinobi."
"…Yes, sir."
Since the supervisor had made the call, the assistant didn't dare object.
As for the drugs Rossi mentioned—they were a new stimulant developed by the Sunagakure Research Institute. Once ingested, it made the user hyperactive, no longer needing food, water, or sleep.
They'd just work. Crazily.
Sure, their sanity would take a hit—but for miners on the brink of death anyway, that didn't matter.
The effect lasted for five days. Just long enough to squeeze out the last bit of use from them.
Most of the miners were civilians from the Land of Wind.
But for the sake of victory in war—some sacrifices were "acceptable."
Meanwhile, Mito Duoya felt much more at ease now that he had secured the deal.
He stood at the edge of Black Iron Town, leaning against the stone wall that overlooked the endless, desolate desert.
"It's really barren out here," he muttered, resting his arms on the edge.
A nearby Sand Shinobi glanced at him. After seeing the Black Iron Town token on Mito's uniform, he ignored him.
Then the wind began to pick up.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared on the distant horizon.
Mito rubbed his eyes hard and pointed.
"Did you see that? There's someone out there in the desert!"
The Sand Shinobi scoffed.
"A shadow? In this weather?"
"You think anyone would dare cross the desert alone? They'd be asking to die."
Even so, he looked in the direction Mito was pointing.
There was nothing there.
"Are you messing with me?"
The Sand Shinobi frowned in annoyance. Given the tension between their nations, they didn't like Mito to begin with—now he was acting weird on top of it.
Mito frowned as well. He was sure he had seen someone out there a moment ago.
High in the sky, Simu hovered quietly, Observation Haki fully activated and spreading over the entire Black Iron Town like a spiderweb.
"I didn't expect someone from the Mito clan to be secretly working with the Land of Wind…"
Mito Duoya was one of the guards who'd stood beside Mitokado Homura that night.
Looking back, it made sense now—how they'd tried so hard to scapegoat him and avoid the outbreak of war.
But that was irrelevant now.
Simu wasn't here to expose conspiracies.
He was here for one reason: to destroy the mine.
Suddenly, a golden light lit up amidst the swirling sand.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
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