Sky Curtain: Short Video Commentary on Konoha Villagers

In terms of military discipline, Kumogakure implements a militarized management system centered around the successive Raikage.

How intense is this level of management?

[With two tailed beasts in hand, there's absolutely no question of them going berserk; they can even produce a standardized training model for perfect Jinchuriki, with fixed training locations and facilities.]

[Because of the two dark-skinned athletes, the rogue ninja can't even leave the village.]

[Without rogue ninja, the village's formidable fighting force was preserved.]

[What's even more amazing is that later in the story, the Hidden Cloud Village even manages to develop an electromagnetic laser cannon.]

While others were still using cold weapons, they had already evolved into using firearms.

The Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village.

The villagers of Yunyin Village are all incredibly skilled.

"Hahahaha! Did you hear that?! This is the true strength of Cloud Village!"

"Military-style management! Perfect Jinchuriki! No rogue ninja! Electromagnetic laser cannons! Which village can compare?!"

"Our Cloud Village is amazing!"

Konoha Village, on the street.

The villagers looked up at the praise for Yunyin in the sky, their faces growing increasingly grim.

A middle-aged man spat, "Pah! What's so great about those dark-skinned barbarians from Yunyin! They're just strong and have a lot of men!"

The person next to him sighed, "But they're just stronger than us... Look at our Konoha, we're always fighting amongst ourselves."

The moment these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for a moment.

Then, someone couldn't hold back any longer.

"Our Konoha is no worse than theirs! If it weren't for those idiot leaders causing trouble all the time, would Konoha have to fear Kumogakure?!"

"Exactly! The Uchiha clan was so powerful back then! And what happened? They were wiped out by their own people!"

"And then there was the Nine-Tails' attack! The Fourth Hokage was so strong, and he was just gone! Wasn't it because of the inaction of the higher-ups!"

"That old bastard Danzo is still stabbing his own people in the back! All he does is spy on his own people all day long!"

"If Konoha didn't have all this mess, we wouldn't be able to handle even five Kumogakure villages, let alone one!"

The sound grew louder and more excited, spreading from the streets to the alleys, and then from the alleys to the Hokage Building.

In the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, listening to the increasingly loud cursing outside the window, and his hand holding the pipe paused slightly.

Then he sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Sigh, these troublemakers, they're at it again."

Jiraiya leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and watched him with schadenfreude.

"Old man, listen to this, what they said isn't wrong."

Hiruzen glanced at him and said, "Stop making sarcastic remarks."

"I wasn't just being sarcastic."

Jiraiya shrugged.

"I'm telling the truth. Look at Konoha now. How many people are still capable of fighting? The older generation is failing, and the new generation hasn't even grown up yet. There's been a gap in the supply chain."

The sky continued to fall.

Secondly, and most importantly, is the issue of interests.

War is a continuation of interests. Although the Hidden Cloud Village has repeatedly provoked Konoha, it is actually nothing to Konoha itself, and it is not at all to the point that a military war is needed to wear each other down.

The five villages are essentially mutually restraining; minor skirmishes are acceptable, but they won't escalate into open conflict.

After all, there are other villages around that are eyeing us covetously. If we force a war, both sides will suffer heavy losses, and a third party will reap the benefits.

This is a situation neither Konoha nor Kumogakure wants to see.

Konoha Year 48, Hokage's office.

Nara Shikaku looked at the words on the sky and slowly nodded.

"Tianmu is right. War is never about saving face, but about interests."

He looked at Minato, his tone becoming more serious.

"Fourth Hokage, this is precisely why Konoha was able to maintain restraint during the many conflicts when the Third Hokage was in office."

"It's easy to defeat Kumogakure, but what happens after that? Iwagakure is watching from the sidelines, and Sunagakure is watching from the sidelines as well. The moment we show signs of fatigue, they will pounce on us immediately."

Minato Namikaze remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said.

"I understand. Maintaining the status quo is the best option between Konoha and Kumogakure."

Kushina Uzumaki listened from the side and pouted.

"I understand the logic, but are you just going to let it go like this after they kidnapped me?"

Minato gently patted her shoulder, his tone reassuring.

"Kushina, personal grudges are a small matter; the survival of the village is a big deal. We will remember this debt, but not now."

Kushina snorted, but ultimately said nothing more.

Iwagakure Village, Tsuchikage's Office.

Onoki floated in mid-air, his hands behind his back, his expression deep.

His gaze remained fixed on the sky for a long time.

Heitu stood to the side and asked, "Grandpa, does Tianmu's statement make sense?"

Onoki nodded slowly. "Of course that makes sense. Why do you think I fought Konoha back then? Was it because I hated them? No. It was because our interests clashed with those of the Land of Fire, and we had no choice but to fight."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"But what happens after the war? Both sides are severely damaged, and neither side benefits. Truly intelligent people don't easily drag a war into the end."

"So, Grandpa, what are your thoughts now?"

Onoki glanced at her and uttered two words.

"Let's wait and see."

Konoha Village, on the street.

Several elderly ninjas squatted in the corner, looking at the words on the sky and nodding in agreement.

"That makes sense. What's the point of war? It's to live a better life. If we end up fighting ourselves, isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

"Speaking of which, during the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure took advantage of the chaos to gain so many benefits; they practically won a fortune."

"Sigh... So, Tianmu is right. As long as things don't escalate, let the minor squabbles go."

...

I feel this will be the first book to reach a million words.