Marvel: Trading with Worlds

Kain couldn't be certain whether Kirigakure's instability was due to Third Mizukage's own madness or Uchiha Madara's manipulation. Regardless, the Hidden Mist was now in a state of full-scale war.

Kirigakure's aggression extended not only to Cloud Shinobi and Sand Shinobi but also to the borders of the Land of Fire. 

Even Kain's shipping operations in the Land of Waves had begun to feel the effects of the chaos.

Mist Shinobi's infamous Blood Mist system has become increasingly brutal. While the practices at their ninja academy have softened somewhat, the cruelty among Mist Shinobi themselves has only intensified. 

Failure on a mission almost always guarantees death, with no chance of returning alive.

For Kain, Kirigakure's internal chaos has little direct impact. His main concern lies with Uchiha Madara, who seems to be influencing events from the shadows. 

During this time, Kain also visited the capital of the Land of Fire several times to assess the daimyo's condition. 

From the daimyo's mental state and his uncharacteristic closeness to Kain, it became clear that the daimyo had been heavily influenced by some form of black magic.

Oddly enough, the daimyo's physical condition had improved significantly, but neither he nor his guardian ninja seemed aware of the unnatural changes to his soul.

During one visit, Kain proposed the construction of network fiber optics and signal towers throughout the Land of Fire. 

The daimyo, without hesitation, approved the plan and issued a decree requiring officials and nobles across the nation to cooperate with the project. 

With this official backing, rolling out the Internet and computers became far more convenient.

Some officials found it strange that the daimyo was so eager to comply with Kain's suggestions, but after considering the massive profits generated by Kain's previous ventures (such as Viagra), they believed they had figured out the reason behind the cooperation.

If Kain had enough engineering robots, he wouldn't need workers from the ninja world. Unfortunately, most of the engineering robots were currently tied up assisting the Red Queen with critical projects: constructing her "body" computer room, building the satellite launch base station, and transforming the Sky Ninja Fortress. 

As a result, laying optical fibers and constructing signal towers had to be entrusted to local workers.

The sooner the infrastructure was completed, the faster computers and the Internet could be rolled out, bolstering the Red Queen's power.

Kain also spent time in the Land of Tea, where he established a steelmaking factory. With sufficient materials, the Red Queen could manufacture a batch of engineering robots on her own. 

However, the robots built in the ninja world would likely pale in comparison to those from the Marvel world. 

The difference lay in materials: Marvel-world robots were crafted from titanium alloy, while ninja-world robots would rely on common steel.

For now, Kain didn't have the time to implement significant material upgrades in the ninja world. Instead, his plan was to produce a basic batch of engineering robots locally while transporting higher-grade models from the Marvel world to aid in industrialization.

Managing multiple worlds was no easy task, and Kain often felt stretched thin. Fortunately, the Red Queen's assistance helped lighten the burden.

Meanwhile, on the Grass Country battlefield, the tide had turned. While Jiraiya distracted Rock Shinobi by fiercely engaging them on the front lines, Namikaze Minato executed a decisive blow by destroying Rock Shinobi's logistics line—the Kannabi Bridge.

With this supply route severed, the thousands of Rock Shinobi stationed in the Land of Grass now faced a dire shortage of resources, leaving their position increasingly untenable.

Namikaze Minato also left a Flying Thunder God mark near the Kannabi Bridge. If Rock Shinobi repaired it, he could destroy it again. 

After two such attempts, Rock Shinobi realized they could no longer continue the war.

Although their joint Earth Style technique on the front lines was powerful, without supplies, Rock Shinobi's soldiers were unable to eat or use food pills, making it impossible to continue fighting. 

To keep the war going, onoki would have to take a detour to establish a new supply line or aggressively collect seal scrolls. However, both of these options were unrealistic.

After a few more days of delay, Rock Shinobi had no choice but to sign a peace agreement with Konoha. Without it, they wouldn't even be able to retrieve their fallen soldiers from the Land of Grass.

Konoha also suffered heavy losses in the war. Over 300 Konoha ninjas died on the front lines. Despite Jiraiya's protection, many of Konoha's teams were still no match for Rock Shinobi's combined ninjutsu.

The ninjas who had infiltrated the enemy's rear also suffered dozens of casualties. They had broken through multiple layers of the enemy's siege to reach the Kannabi Bridge, a critical point of Rock Shinobi's defense. 

This mission was at least an A-rank, and losing dozens of Chūnin at once was a major blow, even for Konoha's resources.

In the end, Konoha emerged victorious, ending the threat from the Land of Grass.

When the Rock Shinobi envoys arrived in Konoha, they signed a peace agreement and returned to the Land of Earth. Konoha's Shinobi stationed at the border gradually returned to the village. 

However, there wasn't much of a reception waiting for them.

Even though many ninjas had returned, the civilians knew little about it. Kain had strictly prohibited reports on the matter. 

Unlike previous occasions, where the people had been informed about the war's details and a heroic ninja who had appeared, this time, the group of ninjas who had fought in the Land of Grass were practically abandoned by "Ninja Weekly."

When Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato returned to Konoha, many people lined the streets to welcome them, but the civilians looked on with confusion, not knowing who the ninja troops were.

Namikaze Minato kept scanning the crowd, still holding out some hope. But when they reached the Hokage building and he didn't see the familiar, youthful figure, he felt a little disappointed.

Noticing Minato's feelings, Jiraiya patted him on the shoulder to comfort him. "It's okay, Minato. No woman can resist a hero. You were the biggest hero on the battlefield of the Land of Grass. You must look incredible in women's eyes."

Even as he comforted Minato, Jiraiya felt a bit down himself. He had expected Tsunade and Orochimaru to greet him at the door, but neither of them had shown up.

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