Nishikawa Tetsu turned his attention back to the thick scroll Might Duy had sent.
Duy usually looks like a Taijutsu fanatic who only knows how to burn with youth. Who knew he'd be so good at the fine work of gathering intelligence?
As he silently praised Duy, Nishikawa Tetsu quickly picked out the key information in the scroll.
Duy's report detailed every step the Kirigakure Supplies Company had taken, from registration to securing the project contract.
Fifty million ryo in registered capital. Registered two months ago.
Just three days later, it obtained a license from the Land of Water's commerce department to operate in every category.
Another week after that, it narrowly beat several established local firms in Kirigakure's public tender and secured a contract to supply some of the core casing components for the Deep-Sea Chakra Cable Project!
Nishikawa Tetsu's fingers tapped unconsciously on the desk as his brow tightened.
From registration to opening for business, then winning an order for a national strategic project—it all took barely more than half a month.
In an age this bogged down in bureaucracy, registering an ordinary company and getting all the paperwork stamped takes ten days to two weeks at minimum. Never mind a license involving the cross-border movement of supplies!
Nishikawa Tetsu laid Duy's report beside the Mizukage's briefing.
The two reports came from different sources and focused on different things, but both pointed to a fact he could not ignore.
The Kirigakure Supplies Company—or rather, the Rivers-and-Seas Trading Company behind it—has someone powerful protecting it in the Land of Water. Maybe more than one person!
Nishikawa Tetsu narrowed his eyes.
Without someone high up clearing the way, perhaps even secretly rigging the tender, that kind of growth would be impossible.
*They burned everything so thoroughly that they didn't leave