The Gato Shipping Company was Gato's lifeblood. Even though he'd lost control of it, he couldn't bear to see his empire bankrupted by someone who didn't know the first thing about business. He had poured so much capital into the Land of Waves and the establishment of this new ninja village. If a simple seed company couldn't dominate the market and turn a profit, relying solely on shipping wouldn't be sustainable.
Menma glanced at Gato, who broke into a cold sweat, pressing his forehead so hard against the floor it looked like he was trying to merge with the wood.
Whoosh!
"Ah!"
Gato let out a shrill scream. A golden-red fox tail had pierced right through his arm, blood spraying freely across the tatami mats.
"I don't like dissent," Menma said, his voice icy. His eyes shifted into scarlet vertical slits. "And I don't like being questioned. I want one voice in this organization."
The killing intent radiating from him was suffocating, turning the room into a frozen abyss.
"Understand?"
Gato ignored the pain and threw himself back onto the floor, kowtowing repeatedly. "I understand, Lord Menma! Please forgive me just this once!"
Zabuza and Haku stood nearby, rigid with tension. They didn't dare move a muscle. In just a single day, Menma's power had surged to a terrifying new level. If they had dismissed the shadow clone earlier as something they could easily crush, now they weren't sure they could survive a fight against him.
"This is the last time," Menma said.
The killing intent receded, and the fox tail withdrew. The temperature in the room normalized.
"From now on, the shipping company will be renamed the Four Star Consortium. The logo will be this." Menma placed a mask he had ordered that afternoon onto the small tea table.
Then, he clasped his hands together and murmured softly.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees."
Instantly, the pile of seeds scattered at his feet began to sprout. In a matter of seconds, rice stalks taller than a man filled the room.
"Wood Release?!"
Zabuza couldn't hide his shock. His eyes widened in disbelief. This was the legendary bloodline limit of the God of Shinobi. Just how much power was this Nine-Tails jinchuriki hiding?
Zabuza looked at Menma with renewed fear. He had no doubt that in his current state, he could defeat any of the Five Kage.
Haku and Gato didn't know the legendary reputation of Wood Release, but they knew what they were looking at.
"This... this is rice?" Gato stammered.
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he frantically slapped himself across the face with his good hand.
"This is definitely rice! Only a master like you could cultivate divine grains like this! Compared to you, the Kage of the Five Great Nations aren't even fit to carry your shoes!"
The flattery poured out of him, but Gato was genuinely euphoric. If planted, the yield per acre would definitely exceed a thousand pounds. The impact on the ninja world's food supply would be greater than a world war. He could wage a price war, forcing farmers across the nations into ruin, then control the food supply and become the world's new hegemon. He could change the entire balance of power, creating a world where five great nations and one conglomerate held sway.
Gato slapped himself harder, his face swelling up like a dough ball.
"Just one year, Master! In one year, we can use the rice from these paddies to conquer the world at incredibly low prices. We'll force their farmers to switch crops until they're dependent on us!"
If he was forced into this before, he was a true believer now. A common billionaire versus a member of the world's elite? The choice was obvious.
"To build a world-class company, you're not a fool," Menma said, giving Gato an approving look.
Compared to Zabuza and Haku, who were still bewildered by the potential of high-yield rice, Gato was a valuable asset.
"But selling rice is too slow. We're a seed company. We sell seeds directly." Menma tapped the table. "I've modified these seeds. The first generation can be planted and harvested. The second generation will only be usable as food—it won't grow."
"Go collect the rice here. This batch is enough to open the market. I'll give you more seeds later. Harvest every two months."
Gato's eyes lit up. Selling seeds was far more profitable than selling rice. It was faster, and it provoked less resistance. Farmers would scramble to buy them. If a government tried to intervene, the farmers themselves would be the biggest obstacle.
"I understand!" Gato jumped to his feet. "I'll have someone harvest it immediately. We'll launch the company tomorrow!"
He ran out, practically vibrating with excitement. Menma let him go, turning his attention to the stunned Zabuza and Haku.
"Chief," Zabuza said, bowing respectfully. "Do you have orders?"
"The village will be called Four Star Village," Menma said. "Our symbol is four small stars. You're both coming with me for the next few days. We need to recruit some ninjas."
Since they were building a village, they needed quality personnel.
Menma recalled the intel. Two candidates came to mind: Karin and Hidan.
In the original timeline, Karin first appeared during the Chunin Exams representing Kusagakure. She would be easy to find.
As for Hidan, he hadn't joined Akatsuki yet. He was likely running his cult and committing murders in the Land of Hot Springs.