Naruto: You Call This A Medical Ninja?

The Cloud and Stone Villages, originally intending to stir up trouble, were suddenly taken aback.

They had assumed that if Reiki didn't bring up the issue of medicinal materials, they could avoid contributing any.

In their view, Reiki must have pocketed a significant portion of the medicinal supplies he had previously collected. Surely, he could sustain himself for a while.

Moreover, since Reiki had remained silent about the issue for some time and medicines were still being distributed as usual, their suspicions felt validated.

But now, Reiki had raised the topic directly in such a public and undeniable manner, leaving the Kage unsure of how to respond.

"There are some issues with Reiki, the medical ninja," the Third Raikage began, his tone defensive.

"It's not that we're unwilling to contribute medicinal materials, but these resources take time to grow. We've already given everything we had to the special training camp. There's nothing left to offer."

The Third Raikage's message was clear: there were no medicinal materials, and as allies, the others couldn't force them to contribute more.

And even if they tried, what could they do? If he insisted that the materials simply didn't exist, there was nothing Reiki could do about it.

"You know the situation in Iwagakure," Onoki chimed in, looking helpless. "Our environment and resources are far from abundant."

His pitiful expression was almost convincing, as if their village was on the brink of collapse.

But Reiki wasn't fooled. He knew these two Kage well. When it came to securing their villages' interests, they were masters of manipulation, willing to lie, cheat, or even gamble their lives for an advantage.

"Is that so?" Reiki responded, his tone calm.

"I understand. As part of the Ninja Alliance, I won't pressure you too much."

"But, because we're all members of this alliance, I must ensure fairness."

"Here's how it will work: until you provide the medicinal materials, I will allocate potions only to the villages that have contributed—Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Takigakure, and Amegakure.

"As for your villages, I'll prepare medicines once you've sent the necessary resources. After all, even the best medic can't make potions without ingredients."

Reiki let out a sigh, as though the situation caused him a headache, then disappeared from the room without another word, leaving the Kage to continue their meeting.

"What?!"

The Third Raikage shot to his feet, stunned. How had the situation spiraled out of control so quickly?

Tsunade stood as well, calling out, "Orochimaru, let's go." Without waiting, she left the room.

Jiraiya hesitated, watching her retreat. He considered leaving too but thought of Minato, his Hokage disciple. Abandoning him to deal with the situation alone felt too cruel, so he remained.

The Third Raikage wasted no time turning his frustration on Minato Namikaze.

"Tsunade is gone, Hokage! Is Konoha really going to handle things this way?"

The potions had become indispensable for his ninjas' training. Without them, not only would the Cloud Village fall behind, but other villages like Kirigakure and Sunagakure would soon surpass them.

"Yes, Hokage," Onoki added, his tone sly. "If Konoha forces us into a corner, we'll have no choice but to seek medicinal materials through other means. Is that really what you want?"

Though he didn't say it outright, the implication was clear: if they didn't get the resources they needed, they would take them by force.

Minato's response was calm but resolute.

"You two don't need to get so worked up," he began.

"This matter is being handled by Reiki and Tsunade-sama. If you have an issue, you can take it up with them."

"This special training camp was established by the Ninja Alliance. Everyone here is part of it, regardless of village. But tell me, if Sunagakure or Kirigakure couldn't provide medicinal materials and we asked your villages to share, would you agree?"

Minato's directness caught them off guard.

The Third Raikage's bluster faltered under Minato's unwavering gaze.

Minato wasn't intimidated by their threats. He believed in Konoha's strength.

Today's Konoha was arguably stronger than it had been during the era of the two founding gods.

With the legendary Sannin, the perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, the White Fang, and countless other powerhouses, Konoha was a force to be reckoned with.

Even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had admitted during combat training that she couldn't guarantee victory against Konoha's current might.

So when Minato spoke, his confidence was absolute.

"Konoha is not afraid," he stated firmly.

The Third Raikage and Onoki exchanged uneasy glances. They had hoped to intimidate Minato into backing down, but it was clear now that their threats held no weight.

Konoha would not bend.