"As long as we cede a portion of the profits to those nobles, we should secure their support. As for the independent salt merchants—if they truly refuse to cooperate, we can send a few shinobi with 'gifts' to visit their front doors and wish their entire families good health. I trust they will see the wisdom in granting us the salt licenses quickly."
Hiruko laid out the "tricks" of the trade to the group with chilling pragmatism. "Of course, we should still prioritize harmony. We pay what is due and strive for a peaceful unification of the salt industry."
He knew that once his salt works were operational, sales would skyrocket. Everyone would benefit, as Hiruko possessed modern refining techniques—specifically vacuum evaporation and advanced filtration—that would allow him to dump high-quality salt onto other nations at prices they couldn't compete with.
Minato Namikaze picked up a cup of fragrant herbal tea, took a slow sip, and turned to a senior member of the Hyuga clan. "In that case, I shall leave this delicate task to the steady and experienced hands of the Hyuga."
The Hyuga were known for their stability. Though they could be overly cautious, that was exactly what Minato wanted. He wasn't just recruiting the clan; he was showing them sincerity. By letting the Hyuga handle the negotiations, their conservative style ensured that even if the mission failed, the relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire wouldn't be irreparably damaged.
The Hyuga representative nodded silently. They hadn't yet grasped the true gravity of the shift occurring; their minds were still busy calculating how the proposed tax hikes would impact their clan's bottom line.
"This operation is not the business of a single clan; it concerns the interests of the entire Land of Fire. Every corner must be notified to prevent unnecessary trouble later," Hiruko said flatly. "Naturally, seeking reasonable personal gain is understandable. We have no intention of hogging all the benefits, but we can only cede a maximum of 30% of the profits."
The relationship between the Daimyo and Konoha was a tangled web of dependency. To truly transform this world, Hiruko knew he had to start by eroding the Daimyo's economic power. When the time was right, he might even subvert their rule entirely. Every move he made now was a carefully placed piece on a global chessboard.
The Third Hokage took a few puffs of his pipe, his expression unreadable. "The Daimyo shouldn't offer much resistance. The Land of Fire is in a precarious position as it is." He sighed. "If this project brings in more revenue, the Daimyo might grumble, but he'll accept it. It's just..."
Hiruzen's voice trailed off into discomfort. These shinobi, who had spent their lives conquering battlefields, were largely illiterate in the ways of commerce. In the Warring States era, they fought for gold; the higher their rank, the bigger the bounty. Production and management were "civilian" affairs, utterly alien to the ninja way.
Only Hiruko, this anomaly, kept preaching about "doing business."
While a few ninjas might run a tool shop or act in a movie as a hobby, it was never the mainstream. The Ninja World seemed bound by a strange curse—a mental shackle that restricted shinobi to the role of military tools, leaving political and economic governance to the "weak" nobility.
Asuma, despite his title as one of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, held no real administrative power. Hiruko and Minato's alliance was shattering these ancient taboos, and it made the Third Hokage deeply uneasy. It felt as if he were stepping into a muddy pit.
But Hiruzen had been Hokage long enough to know Konoha was between a rock and a hard place. If the youth had ideas to save the village, he had to support them. He trusted Minato's judgment.
While salt prices didn't bother high-earning ninjas, the commoners of the Land of Fire suffered immensely. In some impoverished regions, people still used "vinegar cloth" (cloth soaked in bitter brine and dried) to get a semblance of sodium. Hiruzen had seen it himself—families so weak from salt deficiency they couldn't even till their fields.
If Hiruko's technology could turn this luxury into a mass-produced commodity, Konoha's treasury would overflow, and the poor might finally have enough strength to live.
The meeting ended in a somber atmosphere. Morale was low; the Third War had just ended, and now a new threat loomed. Most were skeptical—could Hiruko really "mass-produce" something as precious as salt? Only his flawless track record of inventions kept them from dismissing him entirely.
The consensus was clear: a full-scale world war was unlikely, but small-scale bloody conflicts were inevitable.
Fugaku Uchiha returned to the Uchiha compound with a heavy heart. The clan elders were already waiting. Looking at those elderly, expectant faces, Fugaku mustered his strength and relayed the news.
The Uchiha Jonin broke into a flurry of whispers. "War again? We just got back!" "How many more must we sacrifice?" "If the Cloud dares to invade, we'll make sure they never return."
War was nothing new to the Uchiha, but the village's empty coffers were. They all looked toward the horizon, wondering if this "salt business" could really pay for the blood that was about to be spilled.
And if it couldn't...
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