[#]: sider Reviewing!

  [#]: Enjoy!!

  ...

  [Konoha's Ninja Vilge lunged into darkness as a store was suddenly attacked by bandits.]

  [Soon after, the store owner announced over the inter, "For the safety of our ers and to avoid any trampling is, you may take the items in your hands for free as pensation for this unfortuack. Please exit the store in an orderly manner." Upon hearing this, the vilgers left the store in a calm and orderly fashion.]

  [When Konoha's reinforts arrived, the store owner was shocked to find the cash registers filled with bills ranging from huo tens of thousands of ryō. It turned out that after the annou, the stious vilgers of Konoha had estimated the value of the goods they held ahe appropriate amount of money behind before leaving. What a civilized, harmonious, ho, polite, and friendly ninja vilge!]

  [An anonymous official ented on this, saying, "The strength of a ninja vilge is not determined by the number of powerful ninjas it has, but by the values of its people. Clearly, Konoha has achieved this, as even when given the opportunity to take goods for free, they still chose to pay! If I were a ninja, I would feel genuine happiness in proteg such kied people!"]

  …

  …

  "Lord Fourth Hokage, Gojo Kaigetsu rep as per your orders."

  Gojo Kaigetsu ehe Hokage's office, standing straight with his hands csped behind his back, fag the blond man in front of him, who was dressed in ceremonial robes.

  "Kaigetsu, I've told you before, just call me Minato in private."

  "That wouldn't be appropriate, Lord Hokage. When w, we should address each other by title."

  Minato Namikaze waved his hand, refusing to unicate with Gojo Kaigetsu in a superior-subordinate manner.

  After finishing the first article in the magaziled Iroha, Minato raised his head with a peculiar expression, looking at his former rade and friend.

  He couldn't help but ask, "Kaigetsu... Is this the 'Invasion of the Freat Nations' pn you requested 3.5 billion ryō for? From a ceptual standpoint, it seems feasible…"

  Minato hesitated, aware that as the Hokage, he o sider the bigger picture and avoid favoritism, even with someone like Gojo Kaigetsu. 3.5 billion ryō was no small amount, and he needed a pelling reason to approve it.

  Gojo Kaigetsu nodded solemnly. "Yes, this is my pn. I've already paved the way for distribution routes to the major nations. Wind, Water, Lightning, ah. Due to time straints, the smaller nations' els will be established ter. All we need now is moo make it happen."

  "Also, the article on the front page was written by me, while the rest are standard pieces. But even this much is suffit."

  "I'm ed that if we push too hard, it might alert the other four ninja vilges."

  Gojo Kaigetsu tapped his temple with his index finger. "All reted articles are already written and stored in my mind, ready for weekly or monthly publication. By the time the freat ninja vilges realize what's happening, it will be too te."

  Minato houghtfully, refraining from discussing the funding immediately. Instead, the straightforward man voiced his curiosity:

  "The store mentioned in your article, whie is it?"

  "If they made such a decision during a rogue ninja attack, I believe as Hokage, I should reward them."

  "And this anonymous official, which Fire try minister is it?"

  Minato's suggestion was well-iioned. Rewarding the store owner would set a positive example for Konoha's ordinary vilgers and ninjas, encing good behavior.

  However...

  Gojo Kaigetsu shook his head. "Iy, there is no such store in Konoha, nor is there any official. The eory is fabricated by me."

  Minato was stunned, even more surprised.

  Fabricated?

  Does that mean... it's a lie?

  Of course, as the Hokage and a rational adult ninja, he didn't ask such a trivial question. Instead, he waited quietly fojo Kaigetsu to tinue.

  Gojo Kaigetsu poio the cover of Iroha, which he had personally designed. "The main purpose is to attract merts from the other freat nations."

  "Ninja wars are fought not only with the strength of high-level ninjas but also with the eic capabilities of each vilge."

  "And eic capabilities require a rge amount of money."

  "I've dohe math. Besides the support we receive from the Fire try's daimyo, the missions issued by Fire try merts have nearly saturated... The secutive wars have created a huge deficit in Konoha's finances."

  "We're spending more than we're earning, and that 't tinue. We o attract fn iment!"

  Minato, being a quick thinker, immediately uood.

  Based on Gojo Kaigetsu's expnation, Minato couldn't help but take another look at the article titled The Atta Konoha's Store.

  "So, the ultimate goal of this article is to portray Konoha as the perfect pce for busio outsiders?"

  "A perfect business enviro, with ho and stious vilgers, and the trust of fn merts..."

  Under Gojo Kaigetsu's influence, Minato had picked up some unusual terms. His bright blue eyes sparkled as he envisiohe grand future Kaigetsu had painted.

  Setting aside national grievahe essence of being a ninja is just another job. Ordinary ninjas o eat, to earn money by pleting missions.

  If Gojo Kaigetsu's pn succeeded, the missions from the other freat nations would drastically decrease, meaning fewer earnings for their ninjas... Over time, the eic lifeblood of the freat ninja vilges would be drained by Konoha.

  Of course, this is areme sario. Basic missions will always exist to sustain the vilges, but growth would be impossible.

  As Kaigetsu said, it's now the beginning of the 51st year of Konoha.

  War is a gold-dev beast, where one exploding tag costs thousands of ryō. Even a vilge as rge as Konoha struggled after the Sed and Third Ninja Wars.

  The current ninja world cks godlike figures, and the era where super-powerful ninjas are everywhere hasn't yet arrived. Among active ninjas, no os who single-handedly destroy aire vilge.

  Kage-level ninjas are the absolute peak, with Jonin representing the vilge's strength, in as the bae, and Genin as... valuable on fodder.

  A few more shuriken, a few more exploding tags, and perhaps the oute of a ninja war could be ged, redug casualties. Training a mature ninja takes time. Konoha has reached the point where even teenagers must go to the battlefield...

  Minato would never want his own child to step onto the harsh ninja battlefield at such a young age.

  He put down Iroha, and with a serious expression, pced his hands on Gojo Kaigetsu's shoulders, meeting his gaze:

  "If that's the case, in Gojo Kaigetsu, I approve your 'Invasion of the Freat Nations' pn!"

  "The 3.5 billion ryō will be transferred to you within one w day."

  "This will be a harsh and long-term pn, but if it succeeds... Kaigetsu, you will bee a hero of Konoha!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu smiled and nodded. "The better Konoha is, the better I'll be."

  The solemn and sacred task was handed over, and the atmosphere in the Hokage's office rexed.

  Minato looked at his friend, teasing him, "Kaigetsu, I think you're more suited to be Hokage than I am. How about I hand over the position to you, and you bee the Fifth Hokage?"

  "Don't joke around!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu replied seriously, "Minato, you are the Hokage!"

  "Is that so... Kaigetsu, don't regret it ter!"

  ...

  ?Review the Fanfic?