Konoha Steel United Chamber of Commerce

The death of Senju Hashirama did not have much of an impact on Konoha.

Because Senju Tobirama did not make it public.

Most people in the village were unaware of what had happened to Senju Hashirama.

However, for a select few, Senju Hashirama was a primary subject of concern.

A merchant caravan from the Land of Lightning visited Konoha once every month.

They were not just here to conduct business; they had a more important mission.

That mission was to confirm the continued existence of Senju Hashirama.

In fact, it wasn't just the Land of Lightning; the major nations of Earth, Water, and Wind all had merchant caravans stationed here with specific missions.

Well, alright, the Land of Wind wasn't just here to spy; doing business was also quite important. After all, that godforsaken place was nothing but endless yellow sand, and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind wasn't particularly keen on investing in Sunagakure. So, in a sense, the business conducted by the merchant caravans sent by Sunagakure to gather intelligence was actually the more important aspect.

Whether they gathered intelligence or not didn't matter; if they could sell their Sunagakure specialties—Desert Fruit, Cactus Potted Plants, and their signature Puppets—it was a massive profit.

Oh, and let me mention this: among the five nations of Wind, Fire, Lightning, Water, and Earth, almost no outsiders were willing to travel to the Land of Wind.

Unless they were truly at the end of their rope, no one would go to the Land of Wind to beg for a living.

But for some ninja tool merchants, as long as the profession of ninja existed, there would be a demand for their wares, and they would never be short of money.

By the same logic, these ninja tool merchants naturally wouldn't set their sights on the Land of Wind.

Was there money in that godforsaken place?

Perhaps, but most of it was certainly in the hands of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.

Just how poor did Sunagakure become later on? The dignified Kazekage, one of the Five Kage, a figure who in terms of status stood on equal footing with the Hokage, was forced to go panning for gold in the desert.

Panning for gold in the desert—that's only slightly easier than finding a needle in a haystack.

Many people say Gaara's father was outrageous. Oh, driving a child like Gaara insane—his father was indeed outrageous—but as Kazekage, he still had some decent qualities.

At least he was panning for gold for the sake of the village, not using the gold he found for his own personal enjoyment, right?

Ahem, well, it seems that's the only thing worth praising.

In short, just look at how the Kazekage of the Land of Wind was forced to pan for gold later on, and you'll know how poor that wretched place was.

Merchants chase profit, so naturally, they wouldn't go there.

Look at the ninjas of Sunagakure in battle; they were nowhere near as extravagant as the ninjas of Konoha, who would toss Shuriken and Kunai around casually, often with an Explosive Tag attached, with the attitude of "I don't need it anymore once I throw it."

What about Sunagakure? They had to keep them attached with Chakra Threads when they threw them, terrified that if they didn't pull them back, their ninja tools would be lost to the wind.

Alright, that's a joke, but the importance of ninja tools to a ninja goes without saying. For many Genin and Chunin, ninja tools were the equivalent of a samurai's katana.

Yuya naturally couldn't let this business opportunity slip by.

Of course, he played a more high-end game.

If you produce your own ninja tools and manufacture them yourselves, then I'll control the raw materials.

Another steel mill was opened in Konoha.

For example, Tenten's family used to have to go to great lengths to haul iron from other places, smelt it themselves, and manufacture their goods. Now, I'll build a factory ten kilometers outside of Konoha. You don't need to go find merchants to buy iron ore or ironware; you can just buy the raw materials directly from us. With so much time saved, you can accept a price for raw materials that is fifty percent higher than elsewhere, right?

As for iron ore?

There wasn't any around Konoha. This factory could only operate because they hauled iron ore from other places, smelted it into iron, and sold it to the ninja tool merchants. The profit was actually made from that fifty percent markup.

Of course, the initial investment to build the factory was a real, tangible cost.

Ten million Ryo vanished in an instant.

Yuya remarked that one wasn't enough; he needed to build several more.

Senju Tobirama, who had been immersed in the grief of losing his older brother, was instantly enraged.

One isn't enough, and you want to build four or five?!

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Yuya shrugged, indicating that if he wasn't willing, that was fine; he would just go find someone else.

Senju Tobirama frowned in thought. What exactly was his grand-nephew trying to do?

And did he even have the money?

No money? If he had no money, how could he open a steel mill?

Then, Yuya used Senju Tobirama's name to approach the ninja tool families.

Among them was a family whose traditional attire had a very Chinese qipao style—yes, that was Tenten's family.

Although Konoha had been poor before, that was the village's poverty. These merchants traveled between various nations and earned money from the Five Great Nations; they were not poor.

If they were truly poor, they would have moved away long ago.

Yuya claimed that the Second Hokage had recently looked into their steel purchases and discovered a problem.

The iron ore was transported here and smelted into iron blocks, and the price immediately went up by fifty percent. The Second Hokage was very angry, feeling that these excellent merchants were being cheated. The price had to be the same as the original price. If they bought it at a price fifty percent higher than outside, wouldn't others say that Konoha was swindling merchants?! Would anyone come to Konoha in the future?!

After hearing this, the members of these ninja tool families were completely stunned.

No, is the Second Hokage an idiot? The reason we are willing to pay fifty percent more is because we want to save time!

A single shipment takes half a year, and sometimes we even run into bandits; bringing back half the iron is considered a success, not to mention the costs of purchasing Sealing Scrolls and hiring ninjas. Your Konoha building a factory was supposed to be fantastic news for us, yet now you're telling me you're going to lower the prices?

Although they thought the Second Hokage was a fool, these ninja tool families certainly weren't going to point it out. They didn't harbor any resentment over Yuya's childish appearance either; instead, they assumed the Second Hokage had sent a child to deliver the news because he clearly didn't take the matter seriously.

Tsk tsk, not taking it seriously is fine by us—if the prices are the same as the outside market, just how much profit will we be making?

Yuya shifted his tone: "So, the Second Hokage thinks it would be better for everyone to join forces, expand the factories, and establish a chamber of commerce where you and the Second Hokage hold shares. The Second Hokage will invest ten million ryo upfront for a fifty percent stake in this chamber of commerce. Each of the other families will contribute a portion, and you can negotiate the remaining shares among yourselves. In the future, we will build more factories together and contribute more to the development of Konoha."

Upon hearing the figure of ten million, these families were all a bit stunned. Is the Second Hokage really that reckless?

But after thinking it over carefully, if their families joined forces... damn, this actually has potential!

It's just that the Second Hokage is taking half all by himself...

But thinking about it again, he is putting up ten million ryo in cold, hard cash, so what is there to argue about?

Thus, at the end of the sixteenth year of Konoha, the first joint chamber of commerce in the village—and indeed the entire Shinobi World—was established.

The Konoha Steel United Chamber of Commerce, a joint venture where Konoha held a fifty percent stake, with the other ninja tool families splitting the remaining fifty percent.

Uh, just a quick note: I've signed the contract. This book won't be very long; once I've finished writing what I want to write, it will conclude, probably around a million words or so. I'm not asking for recommendations—dear readers, give them if you want to. I'm not asking for monthly tickets either; I haven't gone live yet, and I won't ask for them after I do. There are thousands of good books on Qidian; if you think it's good, vote for it, and if you don't, please just remove it from your library instead of spewing hate in the comments. That is all. Out gathering material today, stock -1.