As everyone knows, oil is a breeding ground for germs.
But in this world, there is no United States, nor is there a U.S. embassy. However, if there's no U.S., there can be the Land of Grass. It was all arranged.
But a "permanent member" like the Land of Wind was not a tiny nation like the Land of Grass. In the Land of Grass, an outsider like Dog Egg could simply show up, choose a piece of land, and declare himself king! Even when the entire royal family of the Land of Grass was wiped out, no one would come to protest. The most they would receive were a few toothless international condemnations.
If he tried this in the Land of Wind, the other four great nations would probably form an alliance to attack him the very next day. At that point, the whole world would turn against the "civilized world," wouldn't they? Is that a good thing? No, it's not!
Therefore, a direct land grab was too brazen. He had to at least put a nice spin on it, find a reason, like claiming they had laundry detergent, and then send in the troops. But this was only a last resort. Naruto felt that this wasn't a job for Dog Egg Uzumaki; it was best if he handled it himself.
Oil fields! And a huge oil field at that! When the world realized the value of this resource, a scramble for it, and even war, would surely follow!
But if Naruto handled it, it would be different. He didn't believe anyone in this world would dare to seize the property of Naruto Uzumaki. When they did, they wouldn't be facing "Sunlight Naruto" but "Naruto 'I Don't Eat Beef' Uzumaki!" My sword is never not sharp!
With this thought, Naruto gave a soft "Hmm" and looked out the window again, a look of confidence on his face. "I know. Don't worry about this; I have a plan."
"Yes, yes! Boss!" Dog Egg nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and the weight on his chest was finally lifted. It seemed the threat of being recalled had been temporarily averted.
He grew a little bolder, scratching his messy red hair and leaning in, asking cautiously, "Boss, what are you doing here? Weren't you busy running for Hokage? Why are you personally here in the Land of Grass to supervise work?"
He hadn't dared to ask earlier, as he had been intimidated by Naruto's presence. A dreadful thought popped into Dog Egg's mind. Could the boss be here to...
"Huh?" Naruto raised an eyelid lazily. "Didn't I mention it in the group chat?"
"Mention what? No... I didn't see it, Boss!"
Naruto thought for a moment, realizing he hadn't checked the group chat in days. "Oh, I probably forgot."
So, he briefly recounted his experiences from today. From losing the Hokage election, to the matter with Danzo, to his father being the Fourth Hokage, to his two-day vacation, to the gift for the Land of Lightning, the Two-Tails, the Raikage, and the Eight-Tails.
"BANG!"
Dog Egg slammed his hand on the wall and roared, "Boss, I'll go gather my troops right now, invade the Leaf Village, and bring that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi to you so he can kneel and apologize!"
"Hey, calm down," Naruto sighed helplessly. "Our age is indeed an issue; it's hard to convince people. But, well..." A sly, fox-like grin appeared on his lips. "I already have a plan. As for you, as a 'SimCity' player, you should worry less about politics. Go hurry up and build our 'Night City.' If I can't be Hokage, I'll build a new Leaf Village in the Land of Grass! Got it?"
Under that all-knowing gaze, all of Dog Egg's aggression vanished instantly. He shrunk his neck. "Oh, yes, Boss! Building the city is important! Building the city is important!"
Dog Egg calmed down and processed the information storm the boss had just unleashed. The boss was indeed the boss! He had killed one of the Five Kage, the Raikage, in the Land of Lightning, as if it were a casual, trivial matter. And here he was, killing a mere daimyo in the tiny Land of Grass, trembling in fear of being recalled. The gap between them was truly massive!
But Dog Egg's keen sense for war was not overshadowed by this gap. He furrowed his brows, his voice filled with gravity. "Boss, your actions will cause huge waves in the ninja world! War... is probably unavoidable!"
Naruto's expression was calm, and he neither confirmed nor denied it. War? This was not unexpected. He had foreseen it the moment he decided to "kill" the Raikage, Ay. Later, when he took the Eight-Tails, Gyuki, with him, he knew the consequences were a huge thunderclap that would detonate the entire ninja world! Why?
The Land of Lightning was one of the five great nations! Its foundation was the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, the two divine artifacts that secured its borders. The Raikage, Ay, was the pinnacle of Cloud Village's power and the spiritual pillar of the entire Land of Lightning. In one day, all three were lost. The Land of Lightning was now like a toothless tiger! The consequences were obvious.
In a ninja world that followed the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest, when a behemoth suddenly lost the absolute power that matched its territory and resources, it was never met with mercy and peace! There was only one outcome—war!
War was the only iron rule for the powerful to reshuffle and redistribute interests! The people of this world believed in using war to reallocate resources. Even the slightest imbalance had to be fought over until every last "Indian" (scratched out) genin was exhausted! Otherwise, after the Nine-Tails attack, when the Leaf Village was severely weakened, the Land of Earth wouldn't have immediately torn up their treaty and sent their troops straight to the Land of Fire. The Land of Lightning wouldn't have followed suit, taking advantage of the chaos. As for the other two nations? One was in isolation and was consumed by internal strife in the "Village of the Bloody Mist," unable to look outward. The other was licking its wounds from the Third Great Ninja War and was in the same situation as the Leaf Village—it had no Tailed Beasts to use!
Otherwise, the Leaf Village would have been carved up and feasted on by the four great nations, and the Fourth Great Ninja War would have broken out long ago. Therefore, "war," as the ultimate means for great nations to reallocate resources and establish a new order, had long been an unspoken consensus among the five great nations!
The crisis in the Land of Lightning was far more severe than the Nine-Tails attack. The outbreak of war was almost a foregone conclusion! Unless the other four great nations were feeling generous. But was that even possible?
Naruto knew this would be the result, but he chose to do it anyway because the times had changed! In the past, Naruto had tried his best to avoid war because he hadn't yet set up his chessboard. However, things were different now. He was already invincible, had several clones, and his manufacturing clones were everywhere.
For others, war was a disaster and a calamity. But for Naruto, it was a golden opportunity! Panacea, a necessity, would see explosive growth! His clones could also take advantage of the chaos to get into key positions and acquire resources. It was all a huge benefit. This time, Naruto Uzumaki would no longer be a bystander but the strongest player on the chessboard!
"Boss! Look!" Dog Egg's eyes suddenly lit up as if he had thought of something. He pointed to the somewhat empty new city outside the window. "Our 'Night City' is great in every way, but it lacks people! It's too quiet and deserted!" He rubbed his hands, a flattering smile on his face, and leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Don't you think, with a war about to break out, we could... take advantage of the chaos and grab some people from those war-torn areas?"
Naruto didn't even raise an eyelid. He knows me well. He just glanced at him and, in a flat tone, pointed out Dog Egg's true intention. "What? Are you tired of playing 'SimCity' and want to switch to 'Hearts of Iron'?"
"Uh..." The smile on Dog Egg's face instantly froze. He shrunk his neck. "No, no... I was just... making a small suggestion."
"No," Naruto said decisively, leaving no room for argument.
The light in Dog Egg's eyes was extinguished, and his shoulders slumped. Seeing his crestfallen look, Naruto uncharacteristically softened his tone, as if a "boss teaching you how to do things" moment. "You want people? Look at the bigger picture!"
"Think about the United States during the two World Wars! The wars were raging in Europe, but its homeland was safe and sound, separated by an ocean! What was the result?" Naruto lightly tapped the table with his finger. "All the top scientists, engineers, and artists from Europe fled to the U.S. with their brains, their technology, and their gold bars!"
"Why?" he asked and answered himself. "Because it was safe! Stable! It was the only beacon in a chaotic world!"
Naruto leaned forward slightly, his eyes burning as he stared at Dog Egg. "Now, where is your 'Night City'? Right in the center of this ninja continent that's about to become a powder keg! Not across some ocean!"
"When the Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, Land of Earth, and even the Land of Fire are all in a state of chaos and bloodshed..." He emphasized his next words. "If only this place, only Night City, is still brightly lit, orderly, free from war, free from the threat of death, with enough food and enough Panacea, where do you think those civilians, merchants, and even skilled people with no place to go will run to?"
"Do you still need to 'grab' them?"
"They'll come rushing in themselves, with their families in tow, crying and trying to break down the doors to get in! By then..." A look of certainty appeared on Naruto's lips. "Your problem won't be a lack of people; it'll be a lack of space! You won't be able to fit them all!"
Then, he remembered the military force he had prepared for the Land of Grass: the 108 heroes and 1,080 jonin. This force was powerful enough to take on any great nation. "And what did I give you this military force for? Their core mission is to, at all costs, keep the war out of the walls of 'Night City'! You have to use this power wisely!"
"As long as you ensure 'safety,' people? They'll come flocking in! You won't be able to stop them!"
Dog Egg's eyes lit up, and he was filled with excitement. He could almost see the magnificent sight of a sea of people pouring into the new city!
"But, Boss..." Dog Egg scratched his messy red hair, a conflicted look on his face. "It's not that I don't want to assign those guys as city guards..." He counted on his fingers with a serious expression. "You don't know, but our 'Night City' can do a year's worth of work in a month, all thanks to them! The Earth Style users? Their speed at digging ditches, filling hollows, and compacting foundations is faster than a hundred excavators combined! The Water Style users? Mixing concrete, pressure-testing pipes... they come with their own high-pressure water guns! The Wind Style users? Cleaning dust, cutting with precision... they're as steady as a rock! The Lightning Style users? Welding steel bars, laying circuits... they come with their own plasma cutters and welders; they're as fast as lightning! And their strength! Their stamina! They're like walking, multi-functional construction machines! The kind that come with their own power source, infinite battery life, and smart controls! You're telling me to have them put down their hammers and steel bars to stand guard at the city gates?" Dog Egg threw his hands up and shrugged dramatically. "Isn't that a waste of talent, Boss?! Their skills are completely wrong for the job!"
"???" Naruto, who had just picked up his soda to drink, froze mid-air. The corner of his mouth twitched, and three black lines seemed to appear on his forehead.
What the hell?! The "108 heroes," the elite ninjas I gave you, have all been turned into "human cranes" and "walking cement mixers" by you?! Is this how these people are supposed to be used? No wonder the progress was so fast! No wonder...
"Wait a minute!" Naruto slammed his cup down, his eyes as sharp as knives. "If it's all being done by free manufacturing clones, why are the project costs so high? You've already spent several hundred million Ryo! Where did all my money go?"
"Uh, well," Dog Egg's eyes darted around nervously. He subconsciously wrung the corner of his clothes. "The main thing is, uh, the Panacea... the consumption is a bit high." His voice grew softer and softer. "Think about it, Boss. They work around the clock, and their chakra consumption is huge. They're only able to keep up this 'infrastructure maniac' pace because of the Panacea... And this stuff is incredibly effective! The guys are cheering and shouting while they work! The efficiency is off the charts! The money... was well spent!"
Naruto was silent for a full three seconds. He slowly raised his hand and rubbed his throbbing temples. Finally, he looked at the red-haired Dog Egg, who had a look of "I did it for construction! I'm not wrong!" and squeezed out a single sentence from between his teeth.
"Dog Egg, Dog Egg, you are a genius!"
Upon further reflection, this path, while a bit wild, was surprisingly on the right track! Wasn't this the kind of transformation he envisioned for ninjas in a future peaceful world? When war was no longer the main theme, ninjas should transform from killing machines on the battlefield into super-productive tools for building homes and serving the people! They could open up mountains, build bridges and roads, do precision manufacturing, and even... accelerate crop growth?
And looking at Night City, it was already putting on a good show of "ninja re-employment" under Dog Egg's accidental guidance. Excellent! Keep going! Continue to explore!
However, the consumption of the Panacea was a bit frightening. But then he thought, didn't this prove that the Panacea's market potential was far greater than just for the battlefield and for training?! When ninjas become "chakra workers" doing high-intensity, long-duration, and delicate "production ninjutsu," the demand for chakra replenishment and mental rejuvenation would be constant, continuous, and massive! The Panacea could transition from a "strategic resource" and "training aid" to a daily necessity for the "ninja blue-collar worker." Just like workers need rations when they go down into a mine, and programmers drink coffee when they work through the night. How could a ninja bricklayer do without the Panacea? The market... the thought of it was terrifying.
It was a win-win! No! It was a multi-win! It was like the First Emperor of Qin touching a live wire—they were winning so much it was electrifying!