Konoha: Rebuild the glory of the Uchiha!

"I can't give up like this. I must make a name for myself in the futures market!"

Kakuzu recalled how, during the past few days when he was in the trading hall, those investors who had made a fortune all looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

If they weren't afraid of their own strength, they probably would have jumped right in to mock them!

Humiliation lingered in Kakuzu's heart. Why could these leeks make money, but I couldn't?

He had once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage and survived. Every ninja knew the First Hokage's strength, so the significance of surviving after attempting to assassinate him was self-evident!

One of a kind in the ninja world!

Failure is never shameful; fear of failure is!

After figuring things out, Kakuzu once again plunged into the futures market. With his brilliant mind and Uchiha Nan's "leek-harvesting" techniques, Kakuzu actually continued to make money.

There were no tricks involved; it was simply a matter of catching a bull market. The various rises, corrections, and minor drops were all carried out methodically under Nara Shikagawa's manipulation.

Nara Shikamaru possesses exceptionally high intelligence, and coupled with Konoha's intelligence advantage, he manipulates the market with remarkable ease, his rapid progress astonishing even Uchiha Nan.

Nara Shikamaru was born for this!

After witnessing Nara Shikagami's abilities, Uchiha Nan entrusted the entire futures trading plan to him with peace of mind. At first, Uchiha Nan was able to keep the pace of the process in order.

But later on, once the plate was opened, it was beyond Uchiha Nan's control; as an Uchiha, he was better at cutting people.

The peaceful days did not last long, and the war that Uchiha Nan least wanted to see began.

As planned, Iwagakure launched a surprise attack on Konoha's base, causing the Konoha army to collapse and retreat dozens of miles. Of course, this was all an act.

Konoha is facing a two-front war, or even a three-front war. Although Kumogakure has signed a peace treaty, Uchiha Nan is still worried. Those black-clad guys have abnormal thought processes and might give Uchiha Nan a surprise.

In order to reduce the financial burden, Uchiha Nan decided to shorten the battle lines. Konoha has an intelligence advantage and has already learned about the enemy's battle plan in advance. This advantage must be taken advantage of.

Konoha's intelligence department was more powerful than Uchiha Nan had imagined. For this, we have to thank Senju Tobirama. Heaven knows how he managed to plant so many spies within Iwagakure.

Lure the enemy deep into our territory and stretch their supply lines!

The Iwagakure people saw hope in annihilating Konoha, and the Second Tsuchikage could not possibly give up this opportunity.

Konoha Operations Conference Room

"Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan. Uchiha Tomita has successfully completed the interception mission and welded the Iwagakure troops to this place."

Uchiha Nan pointed to a forested area on the ninja world map. Uchiha Tomita had built a defensive structure there, firmly anchoring it in place. The elite of Konoha's defense line gathered here, taking advantage of the terrain to launch a head-on attack on Iwagakure.

Originally, the Iwagakure, which was on a smooth march towards Konoha's hometown, experienced the bitter taste of pride leading to defeat. Their troops simply couldn't advance, as if their previous victories were a result of the enemy deliberately luring them forward.

But that is indeed the case.

The drawbacks of the previously unstoppable advance are now becoming apparent: the supply lines are too long, and the daily expenses are driving Tsuchikage to the point where he's so anxious he wants to tear his bandages to shreds.

Explosive tags, kunai, shuriken, soldier rations

Treat the wounded and purchase medical supplies.

Various bills were laid out in front of Tsuchikage Mu like a flowing stream.

Uchiha Nan was determined to fight the Tsuchikage here without any further losses. At worst, he could sell some futures, even if he earned less. The battle lines were already stretched so thin that Iwagakure's losses had been two or three times that of Konoha, and this number was still increasing.

But now we can't advance or retreat. We've already fought to this point, are we just going to slink back like this?

Even if the Tsuchikage himself couldn't accept it, his subordinates certainly couldn't, and they were just waiting to kill Konoha to gain military merit.

It looks like another war of attrition is about to begin!

The two ninja squads traversed the forests and hilly woodlands, taking down each other's defensive strongholds one by one, employing every means possible, including assassination, ambush, and poisoning.

These experienced ninjas were engaged in an incredibly brutal battle. The war had only just begun when it was already showing signs of intensifying. A Jonin could die silently by the side of an inconspicuous rock, a situation no one wanted to see.

Uchiha Nan was also helpless about this, but that's war, and the enemy Konoha faced at this time was not so easy to deal with.

"How is the situation in Mist Village?"

Uchiha Nan turned to inquire about information from Kirigakure, as they were the most crucial element in this war and determined its outcome.

"The Kirigakure warships have been repaired and set sail three days ago. They should have already docked by now. We'll have to wait until tomorrow for more details."

Mito Uzumaki picked up the intelligence report and reported it to Nanami Uchiha. Despite their many conflicts, with a formidable enemy at hand, they both chose to forget their previous unpleasantness.

"That's it"

"Closely monitor intelligence on Kirigakure and report any news immediately!"

On a shore of the Land of Fire

"What's the intelligence situation with Iwagakure?"

As soon as Hozuki Gengetsu set foot on land, he couldn't wait to inquire about information about Iwagakure, as he hadn't been having a very pleasant time lately.

The Konoha ninjas, in coordination with the Uzumaki clan, had been harassing their fleet on a small scale, using the same tactics: bombing the ships but not the people.

They used only shadow clones. Even a ninja couldn't withstand such a long period of time using up shadow clones. But the Uzumaki clan is no ordinary ninja. Their racial talents include a large amount of chakra and high health, which really disgusted Hozuki Gengetsu.

Hozuki Gengetsu couldn't help but worry about logistics. If things continued like this, Kirigakure might not be able to outlast Konoha.

It's more reliable to go fight Iwagakure.

"Iwagakure has led their army deep into enemy territory; now they are caught between a rock and a hard place."

Hozuki Gengetsu received the intelligence and reviewed the recent battles between Iwagakure and Konoha. Despite being an outsider, Hozuki Gengetsu astutely discovered Konoha's strategy.

Luring the enemy deep into our territory, stretching the battle lines, we're preparing to wage a war of attrition to wear down Rock Shadow!

Any ninja who has fought knows that a war of attrition tests a ninja's endurance. There is constant fighting, and a comrade who was fighting alongside you just a few days ago may die next to you the next second.

To be honest, Uchiha Nan didn't want to use such tactics, but unfortunately, his strength didn't allow it. He didn't have the combat power of a Six Paths cultivator, and his Mangekyou Sharingan wasn't permanent; using it too much would make him go blind.

Hozuki Gengetsu recalled the Uzumaki clan's latest disgusting tactics. He feared that if Kirigakure were to engage in battle with Konoha, it would inevitably be bogged down in attrition, and its logistical front would be constantly harassed by the Uzumaki clan, ultimately suffering the same fate as Iwagakure.

Hozuki Gengetsu didn't know whether Konoha could withstand the strain of fighting on two fronts.

However, Hozuki Gengetsu knew that his own Kirigakure would be severely weakened. The strong warriors of Konoha had not yet been mobilized, and only the Sage of Six Paths would know the final outcome of the bloody battle with Konoha.

After careful consideration, Hozuki Gengetsu became even more determined to crush Iwagakure. This time, he was determined to achieve some results. Konoha was a tough nut to crack, so it was better to target Iwagakure, the softer one.

Hozuki Gengetsu couldn't help but feel excited. He imagined leading the Kirigakure army in a huge circle to outflank the Iwagakure forces from behind. He thought the Tsuchikage Mu would have quite a few expressions on his face.

It's a bit of a shame, though. The Earth Shadow was wrapped up like a mummy, with his face completely covered, so we probably can't see his expression.

"Let's go! Konoha is powerful, and Iwagakure is currently being bleed out by Konoha. Let's launch a surprise attack on Iwagakure!"

Hozuki Gengetsu immediately gave the order, turning his gun around and heading straight for the back of Iwagakure!

The Hidden Mist Village's unusual attack direction left the Leaf Village's defensive ninjas completely baffled. "Your direction is wrong!"

Why are they heading towards Iwagakure?

The next day, Uchiha Nan received information about Kirigakure and immediately convened a strategy meeting in excitement. Others might not know Kirigakure's thoughts, but how could Uchiha Nan not know?

This meant they had set their sights on Iwagakure. Uchiha Nan's battle plan had finally worked, and the timeline of the ninja world continued to move in the same direction.

Instead of giving Kirigakure and Iwagakure a chance for a direct confrontation, they waged a war of attrition against them, wearing them down until the three villages were reduced to their last drop of blood.

Iwagakure's triumphant advance, penetrating deep into the heart of the Land of Fire, was met with a sudden and immobile retreat by Konoha.

If Hozuki Gengetsu weren't stupid, he would have avoided this situation. The fight had already progressed to this point, and there was no way he could go back. If he didn't want to return empty-handed, he had no choice but to head north and launch a surprise attack on Iwagakure!

War Room

Looking at the map and intelligence, Mito Uzumaki was completely baffled, unable to fathom Hozuki Gengetsu's strategic intentions.

"The direction of Kirigakure's attack is too strange, completely deviating from our defensive range."

"Do we need to further adjust our battle plan to intercept the Fog Shadows?"

Mito Uzumaki was somewhat uncertain. According to the direction of Kirigakure's attack, the original defense plan would need to be greatly adjusted, as there were too many weak points in the defensive line along Kirigakure's advance direction that could be easily breached by Kirigakure.

"No need, just use Fog Concealment to get past!"

"The ambush mission is just for show; Kirigakure's target is Iwagakure!"

Uchiha Nan confidently issued orders: Konoha's battle plans needed to be studied and planned by the higher-ups. Every battle plan required a vote by raising hands, and only plans approved by a majority would be implemented. This was considered an unspoken rule within Konoha: everyone raises their hands to vote, and if the battle failed, everyone would share the blame.

Of course, the Hokage can disregard this unspoken rule, but the consequences of a failed battle plan must be borne by the Hokage alone. Even Tobirama Senju rarely used this right. War is dangerous and a single failed battle can greatly damage the Hokage's authority.

"Absurd! How can we decide on a battle plan when we haven't even gathered enough intelligence yet!"

Mito Uzumaki retorted with dissatisfaction, and this situation has occurred once again, just like the previous so-called futures proposal!

Mito Uzumaki objected several times, but Uchiha Nan dragged him away each time. In the end, he even listed the futures proposal as a separate project and handed it over entirely to Hyuga Takuma and Nara Shikamaru, forbidding anyone else from interfering.

This is blatantly treating the safety of Konoha like a joke. Uchiha Nan has allocated 10 billion yen as project funding in one go, which is a third of Konoha's last budget.

No one except Nara Shikamaru, Hyuga Takuma, and Uchiha Kusunoki knows exactly how much money was spent on this damn project.

"Mito Uzumaki, the safety of the entire Hidden Leaf Village rests on my shoulders, not yours!"

"Uchiha Nan, you'll regret this!"

"Enough, Mito Uzumaki, I am the Hokage!"

Uchiha Nan gave a look to the ANBU member beside him, who skillfully lifted Uzumaki Mito up and then asked her to leave the operations room.

This has happened more than once or twice; they've gotten used to it.

Uchiha Nan once again acted arbitrarily, using the Hokage's authority over the remaining Konoha high-ranking officials, and the plan was naturally approved again.

With Uchiha Nan's orders carried out, the Kirigakure army marched unimpeded. Konoha's defenses were merely for show; they would throw out two or three shuriken every time they met, and then immediately retreat.

Hozuki Gengetsu originally thought he would have to pay a price to get around to the flank of Iwagakure's base, but he didn't expect it to be so easy.

Hozuki Gengetsu wasn't stupid; he saw that Konoha was holding back. This time, Iwagakure wouldn't be able to escape even if they grew wings.

The food in Iwagakure isn't as juicy as in Konoha, but just one bite is enough to fill you up.

at the same time

The battle in the futures trading hall was even more intense than before, its ferocity rivaling that of a ninja war.

The only difference is that ninja wars burn with blood and flesh, while futures wars burn with money.

For more than a month, under the instructions of Nara Shikamaru, Shiro has made occasional appearances to guide public opinion, and each appearance has been used to predict the rise in price on the eve of the rise.

Nara Shikamaru would also deliberately sell off, letting the market react quickly and predicting the decline in advance.

Give these leeks a little treat now and then, so that it's easier to harvest them later.

Soon after, Nara Shikahara received information from Uchiha Nan that the final harvest was about to begin.