Make Her Come to Konoha!

Passing through the garden in full bloom, even the strong formalin smell clinging to Orochimaru had taken on a rich cherry-blossom fragrance.

Jiang Feng reclined against a large, soft couch by the window. He nodded to Konan, who was watching him anxiously from the garden, signaling that she needn't worry—he was in no danger.

Konan felt an instinctive fear of Orochimaru. Anyone who saw him would feel the same instinctive dread.

At that moment, however, this poisonous snake who inspired fear in everyone was in a state of utter disarray because of the chain reaction set off by Jiang Feng.

The two of them were locked in a silent standoff.

In the end, Orochimaru was the one who couldn't hold out any longer. He took the initiative and handed Jiang Feng a scroll. "Here are the pharmaceutical factory's dividends for this quarter. Check that the amount is correct."

Jiang Feng took the scroll and gave the contents a rough count. There was a lot of money in it—an enormous amount, enough for him to be like a heroic swordsman from a wuxia novel, spending money like water and giving generously without batting an eye.

"Our medicine has no shortage of buyers. At the very least, the nobles will love it. There's still a huge untapped market, and this quarter's profits have more than doubled compared to last month. I estimate they'll double again next quarter."

Orochimaru gave a complicated account of the factory's situation: he and Jiang Feng had invested their expertise, while Konoha's official administration handled promotion and sales.

He was the mighty Cold-blooded Orochimaru, yet he had to develop and sell that kind of medicine to fund his research. It was hardly something he could boast about.

Fortunately, Konoha's official administration held the largest share and handled promotion and sales. No one knew that the little blue pills had been developed by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru surmised that Jiang Feng had brought Konoha's official administration in and stayed behind the scenes to quietly rake in a fortune because he, too, was embarrassed to let the truth get out.

"Money really is a wonderful thing!"

Jiang Feng put away the scroll and sighed. "With the factory's dividends, the village will be a lot better off, too."

Orochimaru nodded. He knew how the factory was doing, and agreed that money was a wonderful thing.

Everyone knew that Uchiha Jiang Feng excelled at making friends, making money, and killing people. His talent for making money was reflected in the pharmaceutical factory he'd set up in partnership with Konoha's official administration and several clans.

The factory's main sources of profit were, first, sildenafil, developed from Jiang Feng's idea and brought to fruition by Orochimaru. It targeted noblemen, and was marketed as a treatment for cardiovascular disease.

The second was a range of skincare products for noblewomen. Jiang Feng provided the formulas, while clans such as the Nara supplied the ingredients. They were advertised as beauty products—and, in fact, they really did help preserve one's looks.

The formulas for all those skincare products came from the [templates] of Yaoyue and Lianxing, the two Palace Mistresses of Yihua Palace.

Between the two of them, they had cornered the Ninja World's nobility. Everyone involved—individuals, clans, and even Konoha's official administration—was making a fortune. That was one of the reasons Jiang Feng was so popular in Konoha and enjoyed such an exceptional standing.

Once they'd finished discussing money, it was time to talk about swords.

Orochimaru continued, "I've made some progress on the Kusanagi Sword you asked me to have made. I've gathered the materials and found a skilled swordsmith. It won't be long before I can put the sword in your hands."

In the Ninja World, Kusanagi Sword didn't refer to a single blade but to a class of swords: sharp enough, with excellent Chakra conductivity, and so durable they were practically unbreakable.

To compare them to One Piece, they were the equivalent of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords.

A Swordsman without a good sword was like a man without money. Jiang Feng, who often called himself the Immortal Swordsman, naturally wanted a good sword—a truly peerless one.

A peerless sword that was not only powerful but also stylish.

Orochimaru had produced more than one Kusanagi Sword in the original story. Since he and Orochimaru were also on good terms, Jiang Feng had naturally entrusted him with getting the sword made.

"Thanks."

Jiang Feng remained impassive. He knew this still wasn't what Orochimaru had really come to discuss with him.

Orochimaru suddenly sighed. "You seem to know why I came to see you."

"In the past few days, anyone connected to the Hokage who comes to see me can only be here for one thing." Jiang Feng spoke calmly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan was audacious and unexpected, but Jiang Feng had read the original story. He knew what happened to Sunagakure later, as well as what became of Pakura.

Combining that with the information he'd gathered through various channels, he could work backward and roughly deduce what Sunagakure's leadership was thinking, what Pakura's situation was, and what Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to make a fortune by getting Pakura to "come to Konoha."

In the original story, Pakura was betrayed by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and Sunagakure's leadership, who collectively handed her over to Kirigakure. This wasn't some conspiracy theory; the official guidebook explicitly described it as a conspiracy.

Since Pakura was only a briefly mentioned character in the original story, Kishimoto never explained why she was betrayed. Jiang Feng could only work it out for himself based on the state of the Ninja World and the information he'd gathered there.

There were two reasons Pakura was betrayed. First, her personal beliefs clashed with those of Sunagakure's leadership. Second, she really did threaten Rasa's position as Kazekage.

It was true that Konoha and Sunagakure had fought to the bitter end in the Second Ninja World War, and that they'd been at odds for a long time. Yet neither village had any desire to expand at present, and both had been trying to mend their relationship. That was in the interests of both villages.

But Pakura was a pure-hearted Ninja, a brainless "tool" who couldn't read the situation. She thought the world was all about fighting and killing, and had no idea that it also ran on human relationships and social graces.

What gave Sunagakure's leadership an even bigger headache was Pakura's popularity among ordinary villagers. Young hotheads were loved by everyone.

One day she killed a Cloud Ninja prodigy, the next a Konoha prodigy. Naturally, ordinary people in Sunagakure admired Pakura. Good! That was what you did to Ninjas from enemy villages.

The ordinary people and Ninjas of Sunagakure weren't rational enough to realize their village had yet to recover and couldn't afford to fight a war. Even if they did realize it, they wouldn't care. They just wanted to vent their anger.

Villagers and ordinary Ninjas could afford to be impulsive, but the Kazekage and Sunagakure's leadership couldn't. What Sunagakure needed most was time to recover and a way to make money, not a war.

The leadership wanted peace and recovery, while the people wanted war. Pakura embodied the hotheaded views of the common folk.

As long as Pakura was around, Sunagakure's views could never be unified. She threatened more than just the Kazekage's position—she also jeopardized the village's long-term plans and internal harmony.

In that situation, it made sense that Rasa, a true wonder of a man, betrayed Pakura in the original story, while Sunagakure's leadership collectively kept silent and covered it up.

The old fox Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen through Sunagakure's current predicament. He wanted to repeat the trick he'd used to win over the Uzumaki Clan, and had set his sights on Pakura.

Why betray Pakura?

Why not just marry her off to us in Konoha?

We in Konoha have a long tradition of political marriages!

Konoha would gain a powerful Kekkei Genkai Ninja, while Sunagakure would eliminate an internal problem and unify its people's views—all without having to bear the shame of betraying a hero. And the two villages, neither of which wanted to expand, could remain on friendly terms.

How was that merely a win-win? It was a win for everyone, over and over again!

The only tricky part was figuring out how to win Pakura over. Most women only liked men who were stronger than they were. Maybe that didn't apply to some women, but it certainly applied to Pakura.

Besides, Pakura was undeniably beautiful. Konoha had to offer a man who was absolutely worthy of her in every way if it wanted to give Sunagakure an acceptable answer.

Minato Namikaze, Cold-blooded Orochimaru, and Jiang Feng were the only three men in Konoha who fit the bill.

Minato Namikaze could be ruled out. Kushina would never let him find another woman, and Minato Namikaze wasn't the type to chase after women.

Orochimaru could be ruled out, too. First, he didn't like women. Second, sometimes he wasn't even human. And lastly, he could even be a woman.

That left Jiang Feng with no choice but to take on this arduous task.