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"Yes, sir." Itachi accepted the scroll, turned, and left the command post without any hesitation, heading out of the camp.

After Itachi left, Kazuki fell into thought.

Sunagakure was willing to take on heavy debt for the next phase of supplies. What about Kirigakure?

How long could Kirigakure hold out?

Kirigakure’s geographical environment meant they had a natural advantage when defending.

Anyone wanting to attack them had to transport men and supplies over vast distances.

The sea was Kirigakure’s home turf. For other villages to invade Kirigakure, the cost would be immense.

Conversely, when Kirigakure was on the offensive, their advantage became a disadvantage.

Then they had to transport supplies and men far from their village and country, fighting on foreign soil.

Even ignoring everything else, the transportation costs alone would give Kirigakure a headache.

The Land of Wind battlefield was a prime example. Kirigakure’s paper strength was greater than Sunagakure’s.

But when they traveled all the way to the Land of Wind, they found they had no advantage. Instead, Sunagakure used the environment and weather to torment them relentlessly.

It was possible that the war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure would end earlier than the one between Iwagakure and Kumogakure.

Once the stalemate dragged on and internal conflicts erupted, that would be when Kirigakure chose to end the war.

Yagura might even be ousted.

As for Iwagakure and Kumogakure, those two irreconcilable enemies, unless one defeated the other, the war would be long and drawn out.

It could even last for years.

Ōnoki wouldn’t easily admit defeat, and A wouldn’t be satisfied without crushing Iwagakure. The back-and-forth would prolong the stalemate.

For the next while, the Akatsuki would probably keep a low profile. They would only become active when they were ready to target the villages’ Tailed Beasts. Before then, it was unlikely they’d make a move.

Unless Obito was desperate to retrieve his Sharingan.

Besides Obito wanting his eye back, Kazuki couldn’t think of any other reason for the Akatsuki to draw attention.

The Sharingan... Take your time searching. I hope you find a nice surprise.

After Obito goes through heaven and hell to retrieve his Sharingan sealed in Kumogakure, only to discover it’s not his... his expression will be priceless.

Never mind. Why think about that? If Obito wants his eye back, he has to get past Kumogakure first.

Let Obito and Kumogakure have their battle of wits.

Imagining Obito possibly coughing up blood, Kazuki couldn’t help but smile. Can’t wait for that day.

Sleep, sleep. This weather is freezing.

With everything handled, Kazuki took off his coat, crawled back under the covers, and continued his nap.

The world-covering snow didn’t slow Itachi. Returning to the village alone, he arrived at dawn.

"Where is Lord Shikaku?"

Entering the village, Itachi approached an Anbu operative.

"Lord Shikaku is already at the Hokage’s administrative building, handling official duties."

"Thank you."

Itachi turned and headed straight for the Hokage’s building. He knocked on the Hokage’s office door.

"Enter."

With permission, Itachi opened the door and walked in.

"Lord Shikaku."

Itachi closed the door, placed the scroll on the desk, and said.

"This was sent by the Lord Advisor. Please handle it as soon as possible."

"...."

Trouble’s here.

Hearing that, Shikaku’s eyelid twitched.

Kazuki was stuck at the camp. Shikaku was handling all the village’s troubles, dragging Homura along to share the workload.

Now, before finishing the current tasks, new trouble arrived.

If he could, Shikaku would like to pretend he’d never seen Itachi or this scroll.

But he had no choice. He gloomily picked up the scroll.

Shikaku habitually reached for the backup code to open the scroll, only to realize it didn’t need a code at all – he could just open it.

Well, that was a waste. A bit embarrassed, Shikaku coughed, put on a serious face, and read the scroll.

After a few glances, Shikaku jumped up in shock.

"Is this a joke?"

He carefully read the list tucked inside the scroll, then gritted his teeth and slammed the desk.

"How could he so casually agree to Sunagakure’s terms? What if they can’t come up with the money later?"

Even at triple the price...

Hmm... that price is indeed tempting. And at current market prices. Calculating that...

Seems acceptable?

The only issue is the repayment period might be extended.

After reading to the end, Shikaku had calmed down. Only then did he understand why Kazuki had agreed to Rasa’s request.

Triple the price, at current rates.

Only a fool would refuse.

This was essentially an economic investment, albeit a somewhat risky one that could fail.

But investment depended on who was investing. If someone else invested, it might fail. If it was Kazuki...

Shikaku felt that if Sunagakure tried to welch, Kazuki would probably charge straight to their village to collect.

Either pay up, or I’ll tear down Sunagakure!

Take whatever’s valuable until the debt is cleared. Otherwise, never let them off.

Triple the price, at current rates – Shikaku admitted he was somewhat intrigued.

As long as the investment didn’t fail, even if it took years to repay, it would be a huge win!

"Ahem, Itachi, you’ve worked hard. I’ll prepare the supplies as quickly as possible and send them to the camp on time. Go back and tell the Lord Advisor the supplies will be no problem."

Looks like the Lord Advisor has pulled off another major success.

Itachi nodded slightly. He couldn’t stay in the village long.

Though he’d been awake all day, Itachi had no intention of resting. He needed to return to the camp quickly, then head to the battlefield to secretly protect Sasuke.

This was Sasuke’s first time on the battlefield, facing Iwagakure ninja. If Itachi didn’t watch over him personally, he couldn’t rest easy.

Though Uchiha Fū was leading Sasuke, and his safety was generally not a concern, what if they were ambushed or encountered an Iwagakure powerhouse like Ōnoki?

If Ōnoki targeted Sasuke, Fū couldn’t protect him.

Plus, Iwagakure excelled at group tactics and encirclements.