Packing the goods took forever—there was just too much. Dodai, finally over the sting of spending so much money, walked over to Kazuyama Gekkō to ask about recent events.

"You mean the bandits?"

"No idea. My caravan's been robbed three times. Those thugs are ruthless—they didn't even leave me the carts I used for deliveries."

"Now I can only pile everything up in town. It's a bit safer that way."

Kazuyama Gekkō's act was flawless. Even an elite like Dodai was completely fooled. When he heard about the bandits, Dodai's face darkened. He nodded and said firmly:

"Don't worry. Kumogakure will be cracking down on the bandits in the Land of Lightning soon."

"They've run wild long enough. It's time to deal with them."

"How long until everything's loaded?"

His biggest worry was still the supplies. The longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for the village. But looking at cart after cart of goods, he was helpless. There was just too much. It would take at least half a day to load everything.

"Half a day, and that's with extra help. You know, a lot of workers refuse delivery jobs these days."

"Money's important, sure, but life's more important."

"With Kumogakure hiding from the world, we can't even hire guards."

That last jab nearly made Dodai explode, but what could he do? The ninjas couldn't return to the village, and the ones dispatched had all been captured. This bitter pill, he could only swallow alone.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again. The village is back to normal now."

"Oh? Really…?"

Kazuyama Gekkō's sarcasm was sharp enough to leave Dodai speechless. Which "normal" village buys this much at once? What, does he think everyone else is blind?

"Alright. I'll leave a squad here as guards. I'll head to other towns with the rest. You've got plenty here, but it's still not enough."

"Oh, I see. Then once everything's loaded, we just send it straight to Kumogakure, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, boss."

Kazuyama Gekkō watched Dodai's departing back, laughing inside. Why? Because the moment Dodai turned, the reward he'd been waiting for finally came.

[Ding! Host detected plundering Kumogakure's supplies and reselling them at several times the price. Greedy merchant! Shameless plunderer! Titles can no longer capture the host's villainy!]

[Therefore, the system grants host: Genjutsu +5!]

The reward was small, but Kazuyama Gekkō was satisfied. In times like these, any bonus was welcome. He glanced at the team Dodai brought—Kumogakure was being extra cautious this time, sending fifty ninjas. Fifteen stayed behind, showing just how badly the robberies had rattled Dodai.

Normally, one squad was enough for an escort mission. This time, they sent five.

"Shisui, you keep helping them load the goods. I'm going to take a break."

Kazuyama Gekkō smiled at Uchiha Shisui as he gave the order, then walked toward the shops. Knowing his teacher's ways, Shisui understood—he was heading to another town to wait for the next batch.

And honestly? Watching him scam people like this was kind of fun. Shisui looked over the stack of receipts in his hand. Could making money really be this easy?

In the days that followed, Kazuyama Gekkō gave Dodai a harsh lesson—though Dodai himself had no idea. Across four towns, Kazuyama Gekkō managed to squeeze over ten billion taels out of Kumogakure.

"Sensei, this isn't right!"

"I worked so hard, and you only gave me thirty million taels! My shop alone sold for over three hundred million!"

The squad had regrouped in a mansion to divide the spoils taken from Kumogakure. But Kazuyama Gekkō was infamous for being stingy, miserly, tighter than tight. Trying to get him to share was like pulling teeth.

Sure enough, from a haul of over ten billion taels, Obito Uchiha, Uchiha Shisui, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi each got a mere thirty million. Way too little! Not nearly enough!

"Kid, are you never satisfied?"

"This wasn't some private job! No!"

"We did this for the village! For the village's benefit!"

"Be glad you got anything at all. Stop complaining!"

"I still have to hand the rest over to the village!"

Kazuyama Gekkō spoke with righteous conviction, but his hands were lightning-fast as he stuffed the money into his pouch. Of course, some of it would go to the village. But how much? That was another story.

When speaking to his students, the "village's interests" were always the priority. But if Minato Namikaze asked, the answer would be very different.

"No, Sensei, that's still too little."

"Can't you add more? How about fifty million?"

Obito wouldn't give up, still fantasizing about prying some extra cash from his teacher. But reality was cruel—Kazuyama Gekkō sent him flying with a swift kick.

"Get lost. Play a few more days, then get ready to head back."

"Huh? Just like that? We're not going to cause Kumogakure more trouble?"

This time, it wasn't Obito complaining first—it was Rin Nohara. The young girl had just discovered this new thrill, and she hadn't had enough. Ending it now felt too soon.

"Uh… Rin, Kumogakure's already suspicious. If we push it, they might wipe us out completely."

"Take what you can and leave—that's the smartest move."

Kazuyama Gekkō's words pulled Rin back to reality. You had to know when enough was enough.

For the next few days, they enjoyed themselves in the Land of Lightning. After coming all this way, how could they head back without having some fun? That was Kazuyama Gekkō's thinking too—he also needed to confirm Kumogakure's movements.

Since the supplies had been brought back, the village had regained its footing. The Fourth Raikage dispatched ninjas across the Land of Lightning, launching a full-scale assault on the bandits. It was clear this incident had enraged him.