Shortly after, Kodo stood. "I'll be taking my leave then! Sorry for the trouble!"
"No trouble at all! After all, its a thirty-million ryo deal! See you next time!" Mujie smiled, escorting their honored guest out the door.
Watching him leave, Mujie sighed deeply and shook his head, muttering, "So this must be what the lord meant… scientific ninjutsu is the greatest productivity, huh? Ive seen it now, making thirty million in no time!"
Meanwhile, at the research institute, Charlie arrived and watched Elder Youjin busy at work. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Charlie asked, "Can we start mass production now?"
Youjin frowned and replied, "Some equipment can be mass-produced, but only people with strong chakra control can make the chakra capacitors and miniature scrolls. If we train specialized shinobi for this, large-scale production could be possible soon.
The problem is…" He hesitated, looking concerned, "the Land of Grass doesnt have enough skilled manpower."
Before he could finish, Charlie waved his hand confidently. "Don't worry, I'll figure out the manpower issue!" Then, as if remembering something, he added, "By the way, what about that sealing technique you were working on?"
Youjin smiled and said, "Oh, That's done. It wasn't too difficult, the Uzumaki clan already has similar techniques, so I just made some modifications. But…" He paused and looked uncertain.
"will this actually bring in money?"
Just then, a cheerful figure hurried over. "Lord!"
Charlie recognized Mujie and smiled knowingly. Turning to Elder Youjin, he said, "Of course! Looks like he's already started taking orders!"
When the huge order worth 30 million ryo finally arrived, everyone couldnt help but be surprised. They hadnt expected such a big profit, just like their lord had promised.
Sure, there were some minor tricks involved in the deal, but for the Kusa shinobi, it was nothing new, they had even sold fake intel before, so this was easy by comparison.
Still, when they heard that Iwagakure was willing to pay such a huge sum to "build friendly relations" with the Kusagakure, everyone understood what the lord was really hinting at: war might actually be coming.
Knowing that war was probably inevitable worried some of them, but as their lord stressed, developing the Land of Grass had to be their top priority right now. So, the country stayed calm.
Apart from a few select Kusa shinobi who knew war was looming, the news wasn't spread widely. Behind the scenes, however, Kusagakure quietly began preparations.
At the same time, Charlie decided to get ahead by building a factory early, thinking about the future uses of chakra capacitors and miniature scrolls. This order might have been a lucky break, but with war on the horizon, few shinobi would focus on anything that didn't directly boost their fighting power.
Still, after the Third Great shinobi War, the world would enter a new period of peace and rapid development. The Land of Grass needed to take the lead in technology and dominate the market before that happened.
Even if other great nations caught on later, the reputation of Kusa-made tech would already be Well established among the shinobi. Creating a high-end, high-quality brand early on was essential.
Plus, taking advantage of the upcoming war to produce scientific shinobi tools and sell military gear was smart business. While other countries fought their battles, the Land of Grass could quietly focus on trade.
This time, though, they decided not to sell intelligence to avoid stirring panic in the shinobi world. After the Iwagakure agreed to the deal, part of the 30 million ryo was set aside to build the factory, and the rest was poured back into research.
Scientific ninjutsu was their greatest strength. Everything was in place now, the only real problem might be a shortage of manpower.
As for the rest, they could leave matters concerning Iwagakure to that guy Mujie, he would surely handle everything properly. Charlie jotted a note on the document, then looked up at the two Uzumaki men standing before him, both grinning like a couple of kids: Elder Youjin and Youma.
The Uzumaki clan was deeply grateful to have been accepted by the Land of Grass. Now that they could finally contribute to their new home as shinobi, their hearts were filled with joy.
"This batch doesnt need to be rushed for production," Charlie said. "Its fine if the shipment is delayed a bit; I Don't think Iwagakure will mind."
Hearing this, Youjin and Youma blinked in surprise, hesitated, then frowned and lowered their voices. "lord, are you planning to... double-cross them?"
"What kind of talk is that? The Land of Grass does honest business!
We would never do something like double-crossing, which goes against shinobi ethics!"
Charlie stared seriously at them. "Its just that making the tractors is technically difficult, and the Land of Grass places extra emphasis on production quality, so taking a few extra years is normal."
Now wasn't the time to hand over the goods. If they did it now, Iwagakure would probably just ignore them anyway. Once peace officially returned, they could pull the product out again, hold a grand handover ceremony, do some publicity, maybe even advertise!
After all, this was a high-tech product that Iwagakure had ordered ten units of. What a great advertisement! But if they showed it off now, wouldn't that just openly reveal to Konoha that Kusagakure might be siding with Iwagakure?
Before the war even started, they'd gain a reputation as fence-sitters. Who would want to do business with them then? Not afraid of betrayal?
Even if Konoha suspected it already, there was no proof yet. Timing was everything.
"Military tech and civilian tech have to be separated. The exported products tech needs modifications. This will be a good time to test that."
"Understood!"
After the two Uzumaki elders left, Charlie finally exhaled, leaned back in his chair, and sipped his hot tea, murmuring, "I wonder what Mujie is planning... He wouldn't really lead them into a trap, would he?"
***
"Look over here, right ahead is the border where the Land of Grass meets Iwagakure! The terrain here is tricky and dangerous, surrounded by mountains that make it secluded and hard to spot. Its one of the rare natural wonders in the Land of Grass."
As he spoke, a group of Iwagakure shinobi exchanged cautious glances. They all knew about Kannabi Bridge, a crucial pass linking the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, right inside the Land of Grass.
With its complicated geography and tough rock formations, it was the perfect spot for secret missions. During the unrest in the Land of Grass, mountain bandits had taken refuge there, using the rough terrain to avoid many raids, until the Kusa Lord himself stepped in to lead the effort to wipe them out.
If the village lord had to get involved personally, that said a lot about how important and dangerous the place was. It was secluded and complex.
Yet, the Iwagakure shinobi glanced silently at the Kusa advisor leading them, Mujie. He carried a small flag with the character for "Kusa" and wore a hood pulled low over his head as he walked, giving them a tour.
'What was going on here? Werent they supposed to be moving quietly? Was this kind of openness really safe?'