Mizogure glanced behind him.
A gentle-looking kid with short white hair, a quiet red-haired boy with a delicate appearance, and a pale young man with long black hair who always wore a faint smile.
Shaking his head with a sigh, Mizogure muttered, "I can't believe I went out of my way today, and now so many people are trying to hitch a ride!"
Were these folks like him—drawn out by rumors of job recruitment in Amegakure?
If that's the case...
Was the information real?
If it was... and if there were too many people, what would he do?
He was old, not a ninja, couldn't read, had no real skills—compared to these young folks, he was at a clear disadvantage in every way.
The thought brought a worried look to Mizogure's face. He was happy if the news was true—he could return to the village and spread the word, let others come and find work. But he was also anxious... what if they were too late? What if he was too old and there were no spots left for him? What then?
Free meals and wages... it all sounded too good to be true!
"Aiyaa~ hope it's not a hoax~"
Just then—
"Uncle Mizogure, is something wrong?" Kabuto, always tactful and kind, smiled at the older man driving the cart and asked gently, "If you need help, feel free to say so. I might be able to assist."
Though Kabuto's face was warm and sincere, his eyes discreetly swept over the two who had recently boarded the cart. From their posture and calm demeanor, it was obvious—they were not ordinary people.
Anyone traveling alone at such a time, without joining a caravan or hiring ninja protection, wearing clothes of quality, clearly well-nourished, and exuding a serene confidence... unlike Uncle Mizogure, who was nervous and deferential.
They could only be...
Ninja.
Especially the eerie one with long black hair—Kabuto, trained as a medical-nin, could even catch a faint scent of blood from him. The wounds had likely been treated, but still...
As for the red-haired one...
That aura... it's familiar.
A puppeteer, perhaps?
Only those who worked long-term with wood would carry the scent of sawdust like that.
Were they from Sunagakure? Or perhaps... rogue ninja?
Then again, maybe just craftsmen who worked with timber. Kabuto couldn't be sure—he didn't have enough information yet.
Still, even while casually chatting with Mizogure, he didn't dare lower his guard. If they really were ninja, by now they had probably figured out his identity as well.
To keep things subtle, Kabuto adjusted his glasses and smiled again. "By the way, Uncle Mizogure—you mentioned something about Amegakure recruiting workers? Could you tell us more?"
"Ah, well..." Mizogure scratched his head, looking unsure. After a while, he shook his head helplessly. "I just heard it from someone else. You see, we haven't seen many people along the way, right? Supposedly most of them have already gone there. I heard they're short on manpower, and that both ninja and civilians can find work over there. But as for the details... I don't really know."
"Short on people?"
Kabuto frowned slightly, deep in thought.
That can't be... Rumor had it the rest of the Land of Rain was still in chaos, overrun with refugees. How could they possibly be short on people? And accepting civilians too?
Were they preparing for war and needed cannon fodder?
Otherwise... why gather so many people?!
Even if they had as many factories as Sunagakure, it wouldn't be enough.
We're talking about an entire country's population!
"Uncle Mizogure, are you sure it was Amegakure recruiting?"
"That, I—"
Before Mizogure could finish—
"Sunagakure~" the eerie young man with long black hair licked his lips, eyes narrowed into a smile. "I heard that the Land of Rain has already formed a partnership with Sunagakure. As for why they're recruiting so many people... well, I'm quite curious too~"
The moment he spoke—
The red-haired boy and Kabuto both froze in surprise.
A beat later, both of them narrowed their eyes, the corners of their lips curling into subtle smiles.
So it was Sunagakure, huh~
This just got a lot more interesting.
"Ah? Sunagakure? The Sunagakure from the Five Great Ninja Villages?" The clueless Uncle Mizogure blinked in realization and nodded. "No wonder Amegakure suddenly has money—turns out they're working with Sunagakure~."
He shook his head with admiration.
"As expected of one of the Five Great Nations—rich as always!"
However...
Wrong! You've got it all wrong! Sunagakure is broke~ ×3
The three ninja smiled quietly at the naive old man.
...
Maintaining a village—let alone an entire country—was putting an enormous strain on Sunagakure's resources.
Fortunately, most of the people in the Land of Rain were cheap labor. They didn't require much in terms of wages. In fact, many citizens were satisfied just having enough food to eat.
Such simple, hardworking people...
Rasa's expression remained calm, but inside he winced. With a grand flourish, he stamped "Approved" on the latest batch of paperwork. A large portion of the revenue they brought back this time would be sent directly to the Land of Rain to keep things running there.
Don't be fooled by the low average wages in the Land of Rain—they were still significantly lower than Sunagakure's. But...
The population was huge.
The sheer number of people meant the total costs quickly surpassed what Sunagakure spent on its own village.
Now, not only the Momu mining area but also the region managed by Yahiko... both sides required Rasa to cover salaries. That's why lately, he hadn't even been able to afford a ten-pull on the gacha—nearly all funds had been redirected toward infrastructure and operations!
Still, as things gradually stabilized in the Land of Rain, if the entire country really did end up working for Sunagakure...
"I've got to find a way to make more money."
Otherwise, if he couldn't even pay wages, things would get ugly.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally approved the funding request that Advisor Ebizō had secretly pushed through.
That old bat was in the middle of a critical phase of his research—it was best not to choke off his funding now.
"Hopefully, the merchant caravans sent to other nations will return with funds soon..."
With those words, Rasa stretched his back and stood up. Glancing out the window at the night sky, he murmured to himself, "It should be about time."
Ever since he started worrying about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—the ultimate maxed-out character—developing a divine consciousness and crushing the Children of Prophecy six times in a row, he had specifically warned Kana:
[For the sake of the shinobi world, I beg you! Don't teach her ninjutsu anymore! Give thousands upon thousands of people in the shinobi world a chance to live~]
But the night was long, and Kaguya didn't need to sleep.
After all, she'd slept enough during the day—what was the point of more sleep?
So, even though Kana didn't quite understand the reasoning, she took Rasa's instruction seriously. From then on, she stopped teaching the super-genius Kaguya Ōtsutsuki any more ninja techniques or combat strategies.
Instead... she focused on one of the essential skills every housewife should have—
Yes, exactly what you're thinking.
Tonight, as someone who knew the situation with Kaguya clearly, his entire family had been dragged by that ever-scheming Uzumaki Kana to attend her ancient ancestor's mysterious debut performance.
Kana, seriously—what the hell were you thinking, teaching your own ancestor this stuff?
Why not start with something simple? Flower arranging, drawing, sand play, playing house, or dressing up dolls—safe hobbies like that, wouldn't those have been fine?
And so...
[Black Zetsu, your... your mom might know how to cook now. Are you happy?!]