The room fell silent. All the Kusa shinobi stared at the Uzumaki elder in stunned disbelief. Even Kado, head of the Chinoike clan, looked at Elder Youjin with shock and admiration. 'Well done, well done! Impressive! To think you could say it like that! '
"You're right, Elder Youjin," the embarrassed Kusa shinobi admitted. "I was being old-fashioned. Your criticism is fair."
The other Kusa shinobi quickly snapped back to attention, breathing a sigh of relief and nodding in agreement. "No wonder the lord insisted on making Elder Youjin the academy head despite the opposition. He's truly a cultured man!"
"That speech was eye-opening! It really made me think! Yes, we're just learning. What's wrong with that?"
"The elder speaks well!"
"Just like our lord said."
"The lord's words ring true!"
"As expected from our lord!"
Charlie noticed how the Kusa shinobi's attitude had suddenly shifted and wasn't quite sure how to respond. But there was no doubt, Elder Youjin had won everyone over with his words.
Honestly, when he pushed to appoint a newcomer as academy head, many in the village were against it. But there was no other choice. This group of veteran Kusa shinobi, they all pretty much understood the situation.
Only he had truly reassured Charlie; the rest had made him worry they might spoil the younger generation. But now, those worries seemed unfounded. Becoming an elder in a shinobi clan wasn't something simple. 'We really should send Mujie to learn from him!'
Charlie sighed and pulled a proposal from his chest pocket with a serious expression. "Everyone, take a look at this!"
The room fell silent, curiosity piqued. On the paper was the title: "The shinobi World Blind Box Project Proposal."
"Blind boxes? What's that about?" people wondered aloud.
Charlie smiled, clearly pleased with their reactions. Blind boxes or Gatcha were a quick way to make money, second only to selling intelligence and autograph books. Originally, the "Shadow Gamble" project was designed to attract the wealthy Tsunade, but she never showed up. Instead, Jiraiya, the so-called "Saint," appeared.
Since they couldn't bring Tsunade in, Charlie decided to take the project to the people. Despite the Kusagakure's bad reputation, their skills in reconnaissance and counterintelligence were impressive. There was no reason they couldn't jump on the blind box trend.
After all, in later generations, people were willing to pay thousands for fast-food toys just to keep up with trends. How could blind boxes featuring figurine of top strong shinobi or Mr.Inevitable's classic characters fail to attract buyers?
Of course, there was one catch: copyright. Although the shinobi world of this era wasn't too concerned about it, the future was uncertain. Other villages might get jealous and forbid the Kusagakure from using their shinobi's likenesses.
That's why Charlie planned to seize this moment to aggressively acquire copyrights. This would secure Kusawood Studios' future growth. To further strengthen the studio's position, he had another script prepared, titled "The Sannin Stir Up Kusawood!"
Charlie pulled out another proposal, glancing at the group of Kusa shinobi lords, many of whom seemed only half-interested. He sighed inwardly.
"Forget it, I'll take care of the arrangements. Also, we need a shinobi to act as an ambassador to other countries. This mission is critical, not just for opening foreign markets, but also to secure copyrights."
The room exchanged looks. After a moment, Ryūji raised his hand and said thoughtfully, "I'm not sure why the lord's so focused on buying those copyrights, but if it's about going abroad, there's no doubt… Mujie is the best choice."
"…"
He was definitely the right pick. Since the Land of Grass began its reconstruction, Mujie had been managing relations with neighboring countries. Though a bit eccentric, he was reliable in this area.
Thinking of Mujie's dedication, even while studying hard in prison, Charlie nodded with a mix of resignation and approval. "It's him."
"We'll get him out soon. But about the new movie…"
"The Sannin…"
"You want them to star in a movie? Would they even agree? You have to understand, the Land of Grass is poor and can't afford big names like that." Before he could finish, there was a knock at the door.
A Kusa shinobi knocked and quickly came in, looking worried, like he had urgent news. Everyone turned to see what was going on. Before anyone could ask, the shinobi blurted out, "We just got word from the excavation team. The community service guys, the Sannin from Konoha, and Jiraiya's summoned animals have gone completely berserk!"
"???"
Since becoming the lord of the Land of Grass, Charlie faced some unexpected challenges, especially with someone like Jiraiya around. "This Jiraiya guy is really giving us a hard time!" Charlie muttered, frustration clear in his voice.
Jiraiya, his clothes torn and face smeared with dirt, awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Then, folding his arms and resting his chin on his hands, he suddenly grew serious. "If I told you this was just an accident, would you believe me?"
Charlie's skeptical silence said it all.
Looking back at his time in the Land of Grass, Jiraiya realized how suspicious his actions must have seemed. First, he'd gathered some intelligence, then he inadvertently disrupted the spring planting, and now he'd even messed up the farming efforts. But honestly, it really was an accident.
That morning, overwhelmed by the work, he'd summoned Gamabunta for help, thinking the giant toad's strength would get the job done quickly. At first, Gamabunta was hesitant, after all, he was one of the three great toad sages, a respected figure from Mount Myoboku. Doing grunt labor wasn't really his thing.
But after Jiraiya appealed to their bond, Gamabunta sighed and agreed to help.
Unfortunately, Jiraiya hadn't anticipated what would happen next. Gamabunta was enormous and, well, toads hop. Plus, he wanted to finish the job fast, but the small hoe provided by the Land of Grass wasn't made for someone his size.
So, he grabbed a giant cleaver and started hopping wildly across the fields, chopping everything in sight. By the time Jiraiya realized the chaos, it was too late, Gamabunta was on a rampage, ignoring all Jiraiya's commands. The villagers were terrified and scattered in panic.
Soon, the shinobi of the Land of Grass showed up and managed to subdue Gamabunta. So, really, it was just an accident.
Charlie flipped through a file with a serious look. "Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, arrived here a month ago," he noted, clearly weighing the situation carefully.
"My only reason for coming to the Land of Grass was to visit Mr.Inevitable! I swear, I meant no harm," Jiraiya said urgently.
But Charlie wasn't convinced. He raised an eyebrow and ignored Jiraiya's denial. "Your purpose is still unclear. Soon after you arrived, you secretly met with the top lords of the Kusagakure and covertly bought intelligence."
"Wait, wait! That was Mujie who approached me first! And all I bought was a book!" Jiraiya protested.