I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 150: Trade Routes and the Grain Economy War

Kyoichi didn’t back down in the slightest.

He respected the Third Raikage and even admired the Fourth’s decisiveness—but when it came to Kumogakure, if you didn’t show your fists, they’d only think you were weak.

Like when they kidnapped Kushina.

And later, Hinata.

“You—!”

A’s face darkened with fury. He almost exploded on the spot, but then his father’s words echoed in his mind:

Don’t be impulsive…

Stay calm.

He took a deep breath, forced down the rage in his chest, and said, “Don’t worry. In Kumogakure, we call things what they are. I know exactly who deserves my grudge.”

“Good. I hope we’ll have a chance to cooperate in the future.”

“Hmph. That chance will never come.”

A replied coldly. But just then, the ANBU captain whispered something into his ear.

A’s face turned bright red. He immediately shot a glare of pure fury at the ANBU captain.

But after a long moment…

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he forced out a painfully twisted smile. “I hear you’re good at medical ninjutsu? Would you… be willing to help us here in Kumogakure?”

At first, A thought swallowing his pride would be the hardest thing.

But…

After saying the first sentence, he realized it wasn’t so bad.

Compared to his pride, the lives of his men were clearly more important.

Pride…

Didn’t matter.

He didn’t just change his tone—he even bowed slightly to Kyoichi and Minato, as if he’d completely forgotten they were part of the group that had ganged up on his father.

It wasn’t tolerance—it was simply a matter of principle. Like Kyoichi had said, the primary responsibility for the attack on the Third Raikage clearly lay with Ōnoki. Kyoichi and Minato had merely gone with the flow.

“This is just a shadow clone…”

Kyoichi was surprised.

He’d only said something polite out of formality. He hadn’t expected the Kumogakure to actually express interest in cooperation.

But then he remembered—

In the anime, Tsunade and Shizune were once invited by A when they were near the Land of Lightning. The situation was different, but A really was the kind of man who could bow his head for the sake of his subordinates.

Minato remained silent.

Honestly, he’d thought walking away without a fight was the best-case scenario. He never imagined that not only would they avoid a beating, but they’d even end up in talks with Kumogakure.

The outcome…

He was genuinely stunned.

“Can’t your real body come? If you're worried I’ll do something, I’m willing to be held hostage in exchange!”

“Raikage-sama!”

“If you don’t object, we’ll proceed on these terms. If you have other conditions, feel free to bring them up. Compensation will absolutely not be an issue.”

A spoke decisively.

Kyoichi thought for a moment, then said, “I’m fine with providing medical aid. My real body doesn’t need to come. As for conditions… I want the Land of Lightning to repair the roads and ensure the safety of merchants from the Land of Fire and Konoha.”

“Huh? That’s your condition?”

A looked surprised…

Honestly—

He didn’t get it.

Because clearing bandits and maintaining infrastructure were internal affairs of the Land of Lightning. Even without Konoha’s request, they were things he would’ve done anyway.

As for merchants…

Land of Fire merchants usually preferred going to the Land of Hot Water. Goods would be routed through there before reaching the Land of Lightning—the Land of Fire merchants were generally too lazy to come here directly.

What was the point?

He was genuinely confused. After some hesitation, the blunt Raikage, who didn’t want to take advantage, awkwardly asked, “Can I ask why? Because that condition…”

The ANBU captain facepalmed in silence.

They’ve already named such a modest condition—how are you still asking why? What if he rethinks it and asks for more?

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But…

Since A had already said it, the captain couldn’t stop him now.

“Well… let’s just say I don’t want middlemen skimming off the profits. Anything beyond that comes with a fee.”

Kyoichi smiled.

The Land of Lightning wasn’t exactly blessed with fertile land. Otherwise, Kumogakure wouldn’t have been built up in the mountains—

It’s not that they didn’t want to build on flatlands, but the terrain simply didn’t allow it.

Of course…

This did lead to the Kumo-nin climbing mountains every day, which naturally built their stamina. Their physical prowess was stronger than that of most other villages.

However…

Their local specialties were rare in the Land of Fire.

First, alcohol.

The Land of Lightning had many hot springs and mountains. The terrain and water quality were distinct from other countries. Their locally brewed sake tasted far better than anything in the Land of Fire and was considered a luxury.

Second, beef.

Their highland cattle produced beef with a price far beyond that of other regions. More importantly—

Even if you had money, you might not be able to buy it.

And that was just the stuff you could buy from the Land of Lightning. The real key was selling your own goods into their market—which tied into one of Kyoichi’s future plans.

“If you insist, then… fine.”

A hesitated…

But in the end, he nodded.

Though he didn’t understand what Kyoichi was aiming for, no matter how he looked at it, accepting this condition didn’t seem to harm the Land of Lightning in any way.

“I don’t know medical ninjutsu. To avoid misunderstandings, I’ll go explain the situation to the others—don’t want them to worry.”

“Of course. Thank you both for coming.”

A gave a light bow.

Minato formed a hand seal and dispelled his shadow clone.

——

At the border of the Land of Lightning, Kyoichi, Minato, and Orochimaru had just finished watching Kirigakure’s drama unfold. Now, they were walking along the coast toward the Land of Hot Water.

Halfway there—

Minato suddenly paused, a strange look appearing on his face.

“Your clone’s feedback?”

Orochimaru sensed the fluctuation in chakra and guessed the clone had returned its memories.

But…

Why was there only one?

“Yeah. The body was sent back. The Kumogakure made it clear they wouldn’t blame Konoha for the Third Raikage’s death. They even asked Kyoichi for help treating their wounded.”

Minato slowly explained the situation.

Kyoichi and Orochimaru listened attentively—after all, Kyoichi’s own shadow clone hadn’t dispelled yet, so he had no idea what had transpired.

“Was there a deeper meaning behind the condition?”

Orochimaru frowned.

He was smart, but not omniscient. He couldn’t figure out why Kyoichi had made such a low-demand request. It seemed like a waste.

But Kyoichi understood immediately.

After all, it was his own plan—how could he not?

“Kyoichi, what’s your real reasoning?” Minato asked directly.

He knew Kyoichi always had a purpose. He wouldn’t ask for something like that without a hidden agenda.

“It ties into a technique I want to develop. If it succeeds, Konoha will never lack medicinal herbs, grain, or vegetables again.”

“You’re researching Wood Release?”

Orochimaru’s eyes lit up.

Herbs, grain, vegetables—

All were plants.

He instantly thought of his own notes on Wood Release.

“You could call it that, but I think it’s more accurate to say it’s ‘Grass Release.’ I’m not aiming for power—just for plant growth. The weaker the jutsu, the lower the chakra requirements.”

Kyoichi explained.

What he wanted to recreate was Kazematsuri Moegi’s “Green Technique.”

Orochimaru fell deep into thought.

Wood Release chakra did have plant-growth effects.

If it worked, it could allow rapid cultivation of crops, herbs, vegetables—Kyoichi’s plan was to mass-produce them and export them abroad.

There was definitely something deeper here, but Orochimaru had little background in economics. No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t quite see the full picture.

He frowned and asked, “If you’re growing medicine and food, then selling it to the Land of Lightning… wouldn’t that still benefit them?”

“Just because something benefits the other side doesn’t mean it’s a bad move. We use ninjutsu to create value. We make money, feed people at home and abroad, and besides—”

At this point, Kyoichi extended a hand and activated a chakra sensory technique.

Once he confirmed the area was safe, he continued, “The Land of Lightning is full of mountains. Some valleys are even struck with lightning year-round. There’s little arable land. If our crops are plentiful and cheap, and trade goes on long enough—who’s going to keep farming in their own country?”

“Ah!!”

Orochimaru’s eyes lit up. That flash of insight finally clicked.

Grain!

During war, ninja eat soldier pills to stave off hunger—but those are made from medicinal ingredients and grain. Their high price stems from the value of the raw materials.

If Konoha controlled that production…

They really could dominate the Land of Lightning’s food supply.

However—

Letting those bandit-like Kumo-nin stay well-fed might not be such a good thing. He thought for a moment and asked, “Kyoichi-kun, that can’t be all, right?”

“Of course not. The Land of Lightning is famous for its cattle. Once we open trade routes, we’ll import their cattle and beef. When demand rises, more people will raise cattle—and when you raise cattle, someone’s gotta grow the grass.”

Kyoichi laid out his simple idea.

Nothing complex—just leftovers from what business tycoons had already figured out in his past life. But in the ninja world, it was novel. At least, Orochimaru had never considered it.

He licked his lips and nodded. “It’s all clear now. It’s a cycle. Unless Kumogakure realizes it from the start, they’ll slowly fall into the trap!”

Savage.

This…

Was sharper than any blade.

It wasn’t war, but it might as well have been—if you controlled the food supply, would the Kumogakure dare to make a move?

“The only prerequisite,” Kyoichi added, “is that we can hold our own against Kumogakure. Otherwise, they’ll just go to war and take what they want. So in the end, your fists still need to be strong.”