At nine that evening, merchants of every size from Konoha gathered at the Konoha Grand Hotel.
A quick glance showed that there were more than forty people there.
Besides individual business owners and lower-level distributors, there were shareholders from the Steel Mill, owners of textile mills, and shopkeepers who ran general stores on Commercial Street...
Although running a general store might sound low-class, you only had to look at where his shop was to know whether he was making money.
With the rise of Commercial Street, the price of land there had skyrocketed. Owning a shop there was proof of considerable wealth.
And there were also Kirigakure and Sunagakure over on Commercial Street. They made their money from people from other villages.
Once everyone had taken their seats, one merchant spoke in a mocking tone. "Little Yuya, are you even an adult yet? You made a name for yourself on the front lines, but who knows whether the stories in the papers are true?"
Another merchant immediately chimed in. "And, little Yuya, have you reported this to Lord Hokage? Are we allowed to resume work?
"Don't go making things up here when Lord Hokage hasn't ordered you to agree to our demands."
A chill glinted in Kagami Uchiha's eyes.
Yuya merely smiled, then took a stack of draft papers from inside his jacket. Suppressing his anger, he pulled out a few sheets and passed them around.
One merchant took them with an expression of disdain.
But after just a few glances, his expression shifted from scorn to solemnity. He looked up at Yuya, greed completely undisguised in his eyes.
Yuya spoke evenly. "Without Lord Hokage coordinating this, none of us can make it happen."
The greed in the first merchant's eyes gradually gave way to thought. Then he nodded and