Hokage Tower

"Eh, Kaigetsu, what brings you to my Hokage office today?" Minato Namikaze asked playfully, looking at Gojo Kaigetsu standing before his desk.

As a Hokage advisor, receiving an advisor's salary, yet rarely appearing in the Hokage Tower, such severe dereliction of duty was rare in the shinobi world.

If not for the strong bond between Minato and Gojo Kaigetsu, the overwhelming number of impeachments would have inevitably led to the dismissal of his advisor status.

"Of course, I have urgent matters to report, Fourth Hokage-sama."

"Urgent matters?" Minato's warm smile faded, replaced by a serious expression upon hearing it was official business. "Did something go wrong with your 'Invade the Four Great Nations Plan'? Or is it about the Cloud spy impersonating your clan member?"

"It's like this…"

Gojo Kaigetsu proceeded to recount the events of the previous night, cleverly omitting the details about his Six Eyes.

"You're saying… you secretly intercepted the Cloud spy's outgoing intel and altered it to be about headbands?"

"As expected of you, Kaigetsu! Judging by the mission rank, intercepting and tampering with enemy intel easily qualifies as a B-rank mission or higher."

"However…" Minato's face was filled with curiosity. "Is there a deeper meaning behind the message you said to engrave on the back of the headbands? I think it's quite good, but wouldn't sharing such a strategy with Kumogakure be a bit…"

As he spoke, Minato's tone hinted at reluctance.

The strategy offered to Kumogakure seemed rather suitable for Konoha's current development needs.

Gojo Kaigetsu, as if he were at home, took out a disposable paper cup, poured himself some tea, and took a large gulp.

"Of course, we in Konoha will also modify our ninja headbands. But naturally, it won't be the same message we gave Kumogakure."

"Then…?"

Without hesitation, Gojo Kaigetsu removed his own headband and, with a flourish, wrote on the back-

[No matter where you are in the ninja world, the mighty Konohagakure will always be your unwavering support. Remember, you are a Konoha shinobi.]

"Hiss-"

Minato gasped, staring at the bold declaration on the headband. It seemed to be the polar opposite of the [Abide by local laws] message given to Kumogakure.

One was timid and shrinking, like a cowardly lizard. The other was overflowing with confidence, like the ruler of the shinobi world…

If he, Minato Namikaze, were an ordinary ninja, holding the latter headband-

Even the poorest and weakest village-loving Genin of Konoha, remembering the wealth and power of Konoha, would undoubtedly stand tall with pride when encountering Chunin or even Jonin from other villages!

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Konohagakure was the most reliable backing!

On the other hand, those holding the former headband, even with Jonin-level strength, would involuntarily soften their stance due to the village's attitude.

The attitude of a village determined the attitude of an ordinary ninja in the shinobi world during peacetime.

Minato slowly raised his head, meeting Gojo Kaigetsu's gaze. However, he still harbored concerns. "Wouldn't this incite emotions within Konoha? We can't afford another war right now."

"There might be some, but everything has its pros and cons."

"However, I believe it's better for ninjas to be confident. And more importantly, a Shinobi World War won't start or end because of a message on the back of a headband."

"What matters more is showcasing our attitude, showing it to those wavering merchants."

"Fourth Hokage, if you were a merchant, would you choose to hire ninjas from a strong and assertive village or those from a timid and hesitant one?"

"Well… definitely the former."

Minato's furrowed brow gradually relaxed. He let out a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Gojo Kaigetsu.

Kaigetsu-kun… always seemed to have unexpected surprises up his sleeve.

Who knew a small ninja headband could be used in such a way? While the novelty was one thing, it seemed genuinely effective.

This also made Minato realize that battles between ninjas and villages sometimes concluded without even a single kunai or explosive tag being thrown.

In this war of ideologies… this war of minds, Konoha had already gained a significant advantage thanks to Gojo Kaigetsu.

Perceptions shifted subtly over time.

It would be fine if those muscle-headed fools in Kumogakure didn't adopt the strategy. But if they did adopt Gojo Kaigetsu's false intel and were then "inadvertently" compared to Konoha by bystanders…

Wouldn't the discrepancy become apparent?

By then, it would be difficult for Kumogakure to reverse the impression formed by merchants and other villages.

"Brilliant, simply brilliant!"

"Let's do as you say, Kaigetsu-kun! We'll allocate a special fund for crafting these new ninja headbands."

Minato gave Gojo Kaigetsu a thumbs-up without hesitation.

[You thwarted Kumogakure's espionage plan. Prosperity +33]

[You devised the headband strategy targeting Kumogakure. Prosperity +50]

Hearing the pleasant notification, Gojo Kaigetsu smiled with satisfaction.

Thankfully, Minato was a wise, young, and ambitious Hokage who readily adopted policies beneficial to Konoha, regardless of whether they were radical or conservative.

If it were the Third Hokage in charge, with his group of old geezers as advisors, the headband plan might have been completely rejected for potentially "inciting warmongering sentiments" within Konoha.

Thinking back to the Third Hokage's performance during the peace treaty negotiations with Kumogakure, Gojo Kaigetsu felt a headache coming on.

Fortunately… Minato was the Hokage!

Having finished his report, Minato asked curiously, "By the way, Kaigetsu-kun, how is the 'Invade the Four Great Nations Plan' progressing?"

"How is it progressing?"

Gojo Kaigetsu interlocked his fingers, stretching his arms. "The initial batch of magazines required for the plan has been fully printed and distributed to the Four Great Nations. If all goes well… today, they'll start selling on the streets of those nations."

"As for when the merchant class of the Four Great Nations will notice these articles and undergo a subtle shift in perception…"

Gojo Kaigetsu raised his index finger, waving it in front of Minato. "One month, I estimate it will take one month."

"After one month, the number of commissions Konoha receives from other nations will significantly increase."

"The issue of Konoha's limited development funds will also be alleviated."

"Is that so…"

Minato leaned back comfortably in his Hokage chair, envisioning the scene Gojo Kaigetsu had painted for him, a month into the future:

"Then, on behalf of Konoha, I shall look forward to it!"