Time passed hour by hour. Two months later, the Fourth Kazekage, accompanied by a small group of guards, traveled to a small country to negotiate with its leader over resource allocation, which had become the central topic of discussion. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Construction in the Sand Village was still progressing with tremendous energy. However, construction naturally required essential materials, and the Sand Village’s surrounding environment was relatively barren.

Even basic materials like wood and iron ore needed to be purchased and transported from other countries, making the procurement process extremely cumbersome.

To ensure the project’s progress would not be disrupted by external complications, Yuji had personally set out to meet with the leaders of several small countries directly.

Some of these countries had prominent Daimyo figures, while others had only nominal leaders from aristocratic families without significant formal standing.

Fortunately, over the past two years the Sand Village had benefited enormously from the pharmaceutical industry, opening its market and forging partnerships with many small kingdoms.

This had given the village access to medicinal resources and enabled other forms of trade with various powers throughout the region.

Furthermore, even more significant was the reputation and standing that the Sand Village’s Kazekage personally carried.

Given his status and the fame that had accumulated around his name, even the leaders of these small countries did not dare to delay or be difficult. As long as he stepped forward personally, basic transactions could be concluded smoothly.

Of course, the most important underlying factor was that as the ninja world war intensified, the value of the Sand Village’s medicinal resources had begun to reveal itself in ways that went far beyond the original pharmaceutical trade arrangements, and had started to thoroughly permeate every level of the ninja world’s calculations.

The Sand Village’s absolute monopoly on the industry was becoming more apparent with every passing month.

After experiencing the practical benefits that the Sand Village’s medicines provided, small countries and ninja villages had gradually come to accept a degree of dependence, not daring to easily antagonize the Sand Village for fear of losing their supply.

As the spread of the ninja world war gradually began affecting more small countries and villages and civilian casualties increased, every force undoubtedly needed the Sand Village’s medicinal products even more desperately to maintain their basic survival rates.

The Sand Village’s most valuable asset was proving itself not only on the battlefield but in the most easily overlooked dimension of ordinary life.

"Lord Kazekage. The three generals of the Land of Iron have replied. They say they will act in accordance with your request. The village is to manufacture a special batch of weapons, and they are also preparing to send the first shipment of minerals to the Land of Wind.

The only obstacle is the Land of Iron’s geographical location. The fighting in Konoha’s surrounding territory shows no sign of weakening, so the delivery time will likely be longer than anticipated."

The guard walking beside him retrieved a letter from a small messenger bird that had landed on his arm, glanced at its contents, and delivered the report.

"Understood," Yuji nodded.

The dealings with the Land of Iron were being conducted entirely through indirect communication channels. He would not personally go there to negotiate.

After all, in this era, his identity as Kazekage was quite sensitive. If he revealed himself too easily, it would attract the enemy’s attention to his movements. Even his meetings with the leaders of these smaller countries were conducted in secrecy, and he made every effort to keep information contained and prevent leaks.

Because of the need for caution, his accompanying guard consisted of only four people total: one Sand Village Jonin, one Special Jonin, and two Chunin.

He glanced at the guard who had delivered the report. A familiar face.

It was Baki, the future Jonin of the Sand Village and one of the senior clan figures. He was the man who would kill Gekko Hayate during the combined Sand Village and Sound Village surprise attack on Konoha.

Baki was one year younger than Yuji and Sasori. He had known Baki since their time at the ninja academy, though they had not interacted particularly closely back then.

The other young Chunin was Yura. In the original story, Yura had been controlled by Sasori through a technique and turned into a spy operating within the Sand Village. His future capabilities were also considerable, eventually reaching Jonin level.

Both of these two were considered promising young talents within the Sand Village. Because they were plot characters, Yuji had deliberately arranged for them to be assigned to positions near him.

"These small countries may lack significant military strength, but the fact that they have managed to establish and maintain a foothold in the ninja world naturally has its reasons," Yuji said with a slight chuckle.

"A few years ago, although I also traveled through the ninja world during my time earning money through gold exchanges, I did not spend much time genuinely understanding these countries and their underlying capabilities. Now, having engaged with them directly through negotiations, I have come to understand that some small nations play very important roles in the ninja world that are easy to overlook."

"Lord Kazekage, are you referring to the technological level of those small nations?" the Jonin beside him said with a smile. "They do seem more advanced than our Sand Village in certain areas."

"That is correct," Yuji nodded.

"The Great Ninja Wars were ultimately fought by the Five Great Ninja Villages to establish the overall balance of power, and they lasted for many years. Because of this, our focus was almost entirely on improving military capability, and we simply did not have the time or energy to develop other fields."

"But these smaller countries, even among themselves, are not all the same."

"Although they understand the impact of war, as long as they are not truly drawn into it, they still have time to utilize their particular abilities and develop their own strengths.

Furthermore, given their background, no matter how much they develop their military power, they cannot realistically compete with the great ninja villages. It is even more unrealistic for them to try.

Therefore, to stand firm in this world, they must have something unique to rely on. Frankly, the industries of our Sand Village are similar in nature. Even if one only produces excellent everyday items, once they become widespread throughout the ninja world, profit follows naturally."

The Jonin beside him nodded.

"You are absolutely right."

The more Yuji thought about it, the clearer his understanding became.

In the original story, later generations had seen the appearance of technological items like televisions, household appliances, and various other scientific and technological products throughout the ninja world.

Some of these developments, along with the broader advancement of science and technology in this world, had been significantly contributed to by parties that were not the Five Great Ninja Villages.

It was actually more likely that smaller countries and villages had driven much of this progress. Perhaps these nations were not large and their populations were not substantial, but their scientific and technological level in certain areas far surpassed that of the great ninja villages.

They possessed relatively outstanding scientific and technological talents, and many achievements had been first researched and developed among them before spreading throughout the wider ninja world.

These small countries and ninja villages were somewhat like small-scale enterprises distributed throughout the ninja world, each contributing something unique. Perhaps after a period of focused effort, they would research and develop new products that brought changes to the world around them.

However, for a world stage fundamentally dominated by warfare and military power, unless these small countries and villages could develop products that directly integrated into and enhanced military systems, simple everyday items and tools would have limited strategic impact.

Some specialized technological items were too expensive and too complicated to manufacture at scale. Even if the core technology was not protected, their practical exploitable value was minimal compared to the Sand Village’s pharmaceuticals.

The pharmaceutical industry was a strategic resource. An absolutely essential and indispensable consumable that every fighting force in the world needed. Nothing these small nations produced could compare to that category of value.

"This truly is a diverse world," Yuji said quietly. "Even small nations and villages have origins and traditions that are quite ancient. My attention has always been focused on the major ninja villages, so I instinctively overlooked these smaller nations and villages.

But now, looking at them more carefully, the fact that they have spread and survived to this point is also a result of their own unique characteristics."

"It is not as simple as it first appears."

He stroked his chin and thought silently for a moment.

"After the village is completely resettled and stabilized, we could hire people from these nations to come to the Sand Village and teach their crafts and techniques. Leaving their skills and knowledge behind in the Sand Village would still be a worthwhile outcome."