One Heart Department Store!

[One Heart Department Store!]

That was the name of this building.

It was also the headquarters of the One Heart Chamber of Commerce.

The One Heart Chamber of Commerce was naturally the business association White Dove had built up over the past few years.

In Konoha, it wasn't easy to do business without someone powerful backing you.

That was especially true of businesses with low profit margins, though it didn't apply to every small business.

At first, no one had thought much of the department-store business model. Shops feared being stuck with unsold stock, and the start-up costs were enormous.

But once White Dove had managed to make it work, countless people were left stunned.

The business was genuinely thriving!

Every day, countless merchant caravans and peddlers lined up to buy goods.

After all, not only did the store offer large quantities of merchandise, its prices were generally several percent lower than those elsewhere.

Customers also didn't have to travel all over the place to buy what they needed. They could get everything in one go.

The only pity was that the store wasn't open to individual villagers.

That wasn't because it couldn't be done. White Dove simply didn't dare.

Given the strength he had displayed so far, this was the most he could manage. If he tried to pocket all the profits, he'd provoke public outrage. That was why he had chosen to act only as a wholesaler, and why he didn't dare expand the business.

In a place like the Shinobi World, business acumen wasn't the most important thing.

Strength was!

Without enough strength, even the best business would end up being prepared for someone else.

Just look at the situation now: several other department stores had already opened in the village, backed by the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and other major clans. They were clearly copying One Heart Department Store in every respect, and there wasn't much he could do about it.

Still, even with several department stores competing for customers, the merchant caravans and peddlers preferred shopping at One Heart Department Store.

After all, its service was the best, and its discounts were generous. Even if all the stores offered the same prices, One Heart still did the best business.

"Captain White Dove!"

The two female greeters at the entrance bowed respectfully.

"Mm!"

White Dove nodded, then entered the store with Tekka and Inabi behind him.

Inside, he saw a long counter where a group of merchants were discussing the quantities and prices of the goods they needed with the employees behind it.

Beyond the employees stood a brown-haired man with his arms folded, watching the room.

Uchiha Yashiro!

He was the deputy captain of the Logistics Department, as well as White Dove's right-hand man. He usually handled these matters.

Though White Dove and the others were all members of the Uchiha Police Force, that was only because the Uchiha Clan joined the Police Force and couldn't enter other departments. Their official positions were mostly for show.

Still, at least those positions earned them a little salary. Even if it was pitifully small, it was still a salary.

"Captain!"

After giving a few instructions to the employees beside him, Yashiro came over.

They made their way through the crowd and entered an office nearby.

"Captain White Dove!" *5

The people working in the office greeted him in unison.

They were all members of the Uchiha Clan, but none of them were ninjas.

The Uchiha Clan's ninja talent was exceptionally strong, but not everyone could become a ninja, and the clan didn't have the resources for that. More than half of its members were ordinary civilians, and they made up most of the One Heart Chamber of Commerce's workforce.

When the clan was this impoverished, a well-paid job like this naturally made them immensely grateful. That was why the service at One Heart Department Store was so warm and attentive.

As for why their attitude was so different from the Police Force's reputation, it was because these people were ordinary clan members, not ninjas. They naturally didn't share the same stubborn "Way of the Ninja."

After acknowledging their greetings, Tang Ping went over and sat in the seat reserved for the "president." Inabi, Tekka, and Yashiro settled on the sofas prepared for them.

Their duties were simple.

Whenever White Dove was away, Yashiro took charge of the One Heart Chamber of Commerce, while Tekka and Inabi assisted him and protected him.

The three of them divided the work between them. Everyone else simply kept the One Heart Chamber of Commerce running.

The One Heart Chamber of Commerce wasn't limited to this department store. It also had a publishing house, several merchant caravans, and a number of outposts.

Together, these made up the One Heart Chamber of Commerce. The department store was just one of its businesses.

The famous novels of the Shinobi World—Battle Through the Ninja World, Ninja Abin!, Ninjas Are No Mere Mortals, Ninja Plum, and My Struggle—were all published by One Heart Publishing House.

Well, they were all works White Dove had written back when he was at the Ninja Academy.

With only average talent as a ninja, he'd had no choice but to write novels to fund his ninjutsu research.

Without those resources, with how hard he'd pushed himself and how recklessly he'd acted, it would have been a miracle if he'd even graduated alive. He certainly wouldn't have become a near-Kage.

You could say that his strength came partly from the advantages of being a transmigrator, but the resources he'd acquired deserved even more credit.

"Hm!"

White Dove studied the financial report in his hands, spotted a problem, and called to a middle-aged woman who was working with her head down on the other side of the room.

"Aunt Yezue, our profits are down by thirty percent this month. Did something happen?"

The department store had settled into a stable period. There shouldn't have been any sudden changes, so a drop this steep meant something must have happened.

At his question, Uchiha Yezue stood up and came over to report. She wore a plain-colored kimono, her glossy black hair pinned in place with a wooden hairpin. Her graceful, lovely face wore a gentle smile.

"The merchant caravans ran into bandits several times along the way, which is why our profits fell so much!"

She was the One Heart Chamber of Commerce's chief financial officer, responsible for handling its finances. She had also watched White Dove grow up.

"Lost goods..."

White Dove furrowed his brow in thought.

In a place like the Shinobi World, merchant caravans running into bandits was business as usual. It didn't sound like anything worth remarking on.

But there was a saying: "The numbers don't lie." A thirty-percent drop in profits meant they'd run into bandits a few too many times.

Thinking this, he turned to Yashiro, who was sitting on a sofa, brewing tea and enjoying a rare moment of peace.

"Have there been more missions to clear out bandits in the village lately?"

As his deputy, Yashiro also gathered basic intelligence from time to time, so he could ask him directly.

"No. There haven't been any changes in those missions."

Yashiro took a sip of tea and answered calmly and accurately.

In fact, missions provided a wealth of information.

For instance, the number of bandit-clearing missions could reveal the security situation in the Land of Fire, while the number of ninjas hired by merchant caravans could indicate whether there were border conflicts.

That was why the mission center was a place of particular interest, and why he could answer so quickly.

"Is that so?"

A thoughtful look flickered through White Dove's eyes.

If bandits weren't suddenly more prevalent, then something was clearly wrong.

But a suspicion wasn't proof. He needed to confirm it, so he ordered Uchiha Tekka:

"Tekka, go gather information on the other department stores right away. Find out whether their merchant caravans have run into trouble too!"

He refused to believe the other party could pull something like this off without leaving a trace.

Whoosh!

Tekka vanished from the office.

Ninjas were incredibly efficient at gathering information.

Especially when it was information that no one bothered to keep secret.

In less than half an hour, Tekka had returned with the information he'd been sent to find.

After hearing his report, White Dove confirmed that his earlier suspicion had been correct.