"Last week, we printed an additional 996 copies of *Ninja Girls Descend to Hell*, all of which have been sent to Iwagakure."
"*Hidden Chronicles of Female Ninja*. a total of 1,000 copies. has also been printed and will be sent to Kirigakure for sale next week."
"And *Young Ninja Kodai* and *Bright Ninjutsu* have already been sent to Kumogakure and Sunagakure, respectively..."
Sitting at the head of the meeting room table, Gojo Kaigetsu casually cracked some sunflower seeds as he listened to his subordinates' reports, nodding in satisfaction.
[1. You have poisoned the minds of Iwagakure's ninja. Prosperity: +20]
[2. You have poisoned the minds of Kirigakure's ninja. Prosperity: +20]
[...]
Listen to that. What a sweet sound.
Boosting prosperity can also be achieved by affecting external environments. Simply put, weakening the enemy = strengthening oneself.
[4. You have poisoned the minds of Kumogakure's ninja. Prosperity: +5]
"Hmm?"
Gojo Kaigetsu furrowed his brow, sensing something was amiss.
Every other village's weakening brought Konoha a prosperity boost of 20 points. But for Kumogakure, why only 5?
"Yamashita, bring me a copy of the book we sent to Kumogakure this week."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Yamashita, the chief editor of the High Academy Publishing House, wiped the sweat from his brow as he quickly fetched a copy of *Young Ninja Kodai* from the printing room and handed it to Gojo Kaigetsu. Then he stepped back, cautiously observing Gojo Kaigetsu's expression.
Chief Editor Yamashita had deep respect for Gojo Kaigetsu.
First, he was an ordinary person, while Gojo was a ninja; second, Gojo held a high position in Konoha, with titles like "Shadow Hokage" and "Konoha's Mastermind" among their circles; third, distributing such borderline illegal books to the other major nations could easily get them wanted.
Gojo Kaigetsu flipped through the book carelessly. It was exactly as per his instructions. no quality issues whatsoever.
So, the problem wasn't with the book itself. Where, then, was the issue? Gojo Kaigetsu fell into deep thought.
Yamashita took a step forward and cautiously suggested, "Sir, recently, the borders of the four great nations have seen new patrol teams, and many of our books have been seized. Should we perhaps... grease some palms?"
Gojo Kaigetsu waved his hand dismissively. "You handle those matters yourself. Use the funds from the accounts as you see fit. The main goal is to get the books over there. I don't care how much profit or loss we incur."
"I ask you, has anything happened recently in Kumogakure?"
"Kumogakure?"
Yamashita drew in a sharp breath, thinking how astute Gojo Kaigetsu was, as if he had eyes everywhere.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Yes, specifically in Kumogakure, our books have faced the strictest scrutiny."
"I fear... we're reaching a breaking point. If we keep pushing, we might get exposed and end up on a wanted list."
"Then let them issue a warrant." Gojo Kaigetsu shrugged. "The publishing house is under your name. If something goes wrong, it has nothing to do with me."
"Uh... I understand, sir. Gojo-sama has never visited our publishing house."
Chief Editor Yamashita inwardly lamented his misfortune but dared not harbor any rebellious thoughts.
Gojo Kaigetsu had shown him great kindness. Over the years, publishing these borderline illegal books for Gojo had brought his family a life of wealth and comfort. Bearing these risks was only fair.
"If something does go wrong, I'll take full responsibility," Yamashita vowed, biting his lip in a display of loyalty.
"Good." Gojo Kaigetsu patted his shoulder. "But there's no need to be so tense. Things may not turn out that badly."
"Keep up the good work. I have some other business to attend to."
As Gojo Kaigetsu stepped out of the publishing house, he headed toward the official publishing office of the Land of Fire stationed in Konoha to oversee the printing process of *Shinobi Journal*.
The plan to poison the four great nations with harmful literature must be unwavering for at least five years!
This operation cannot afford any mistakes, so Gojo Kaigetsu decided to approach it with the utmost caution.
---
---
Meanwhile, in the distant Kumogakure...
Killer Bee, the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, was currently being harshly whipped while suspended from the ceiling by the Fourth Raikage, A.
*Crack. crack. crack.*
Each lash reflected A's frustration with his brother for failing to live up to his expectations.
"Bee! I've tolerated your obsession with rap that's been eating into your training time!"
"But now, you're secretly reading this kind of garbage!"
*Crack. *
Another lash landed, and A pointed angrily at the strange book titled *Young Ninja Kodai* lying on the wooden table. His rage had reached its boiling point.
At the edge of the room, a few young ninja, all of whom were around Killer Bee's age and the offspring of Kumogakure's high-ranking officials, were huddled together, trembling with their hands clasped before their stomachs. They were, to some extent, accomplices in this mess.
A snatched up *Young Ninja Kodai*, flipped through a few pages, and his anger only intensified. "What kind of trash are you reading? This book is truly harmful!"
"Damn it, you brats! Do you know that Killer Bee didn't pass a single section of his recent evaluation?!"
"If you spend all day reading this kind of junk, it's going to get you killed!"
"Killer Bee is at a critical juncture in his development as a ninja! Reading this kind of nonsense. do you want to get distracted on the battlefield and end up dead?!"
A's furious roars echoed through the small room, lingering long after.
The whole incident started when Killer Bee, along with a group of young ninja, began performing poorly in their recent evaluations. Even during missions, they were often distracted and sluggish...
Suspicious, the Fourth Raikage ordered the Kumogakure ANBU to investigate, and it didn't take long to uncover the cause.
Who would have thought? The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure, Killer Bee, had been secretly reading this kind of trash...
A's gaze hardened as he looked at the young ninja, the scions of Kumogakure's elite. These useless heirs had clearly led Killer Bee astray. But as the Raikage, he couldn't impose any real punishment on them.
Every village has its untouchable parasites.
What worried A even more was... if these upper-echelon brats were this way, what about the common ninja? How many of them were secretly reading this forbidden literature?
At this rate, how could Kumogakure maintain its strong, battle-hardened culture?
He couldn't say for sure.
If things kept going this way, the village would fall into decline!
"B-Bro, don't be mad," Killer Bee cautiously spoke up, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses but clearly fixated on the book in A's hand, afraid that his brother might destroy this precious treasure in a fit of rage.
"You idiot!"
A's temper flared, and in the next moment, he activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, crushing the book into dust.
"Order a full investigation and confiscation of all copies of *Young Ninja Kodai* within Kumogakure!"
"Find out who's behind publishing these books!"
"And finally, all of you are to be confined to your homes for reflection! Without my order, none of you are to step outside!"