Entering a Town in the Land of Iron

Once everything was settled, the caravan leader, Shanxi, told his servants to load the captured samurai into the wagons and lock them up.

Shanxi had hired Hyuga Shinichi before, so he knew why they were keeping the men.

Most of those who took to banditry were fugitives from various countries, and usually had bounties on their heads.

They had agreed beforehand that the caravan would provide wagons to transport the captives, and that Shanxi's men would get a share of the bounty. Since it meant a little unexpected income, Shanxi naturally had no reason to refuse.

When it came to dealing with people, Hyuga Shinichi wasn't like other ninja, who always acted superior to ordinary folk like them. Shanxi thought that boded well for his future. Even if Shinichi never became a particularly powerful ninja, he would certainly have no shortage of connections.

"Ah, we owe you and your people a lot, Shinichi. When I saw all those samurai charging out with swords, I was so scared I nearly fell over."

"What are you saying, Big Brother Shanxi? You know what you mean to me. Anyway, everything's taken care of now. Should we rest a bit or keep moving?"

"Let's keep moving. We can rest once we reach the Land of Iron. The border's too dangerous."

Before they even entered the Land of Iron, they could see that it was blanketed in snow. The wind blowing in was bitterly cold, so after crossing the border, the group found a cave to rest in.

Hyuga Shinichi, Inuzuka Gai, the dog, and Shanxi sat together by the fire, chatting. At one point, Shinichi said something that left Shanxi stunned.

"How's business been lately, Big Brother Shanxi?"

"Not bad, I suppose. I made a little money from that shipment you escorted last time—those were things our village doesn't have. The usual goods, just daily necessities, aren't selling all that well. That's why I've expanded the caravan this time, hoping to bring in more merchandise."

"Big Brother Shanxi, you could try offering vouchers."

"What are vouchers?"

"They're coupons that can be used to take money off a purchase. You could make five- or ten-tael vouchers. Customers could use them to get a discount once they've spent a certain amount. Everyone who comes into the shop gets a chance to draw one, and having a voucher would encourage them to spend."

"Huh? You can do that?"

"Yeah. If you want to expand even further, you could apply to the village to buy a plot of land and build a department store."

"What's a department store?"

"It's a place where all kinds of merchants gather to sell their goods. Clothing shops could be grouped together on the first floor, daily necessities on the second, and so on. You'd organize all the merchants under one roof, and the vouchers could be used on anything in the store..."

The more Shanxi listened to Hyuga Shinichi, the more excited he became. He couldn't help thinking that Shinichi really was a genius.

If he opened a department store and did a good job decorating and promoting it, he'd have no competition for now. He could become the first to open one in the Land of Fire, then make money by bringing in businesses and advertising for them.

The major clans all had their own industries, but he could partner with them and offer special deals to get them to set up shop. That would be great advertising, and he'd create plenty of jobs as well. The village would support him, too, as a major taxpayer.

But then Hyuga Shinichi said something that doused Shanxi's excitement like a bucket of cold water.

"Still, it couldn't be very big. You know the border's been getting more and more unsettled lately, Big Brother Shanxi. If you want to go out and bring in more goods, you'd need to post a guard mission. It'd probably be hard to get anything going right now."

Hyuga Shinichi gazed at the snowy landscape of the Land of Iron and fell into thought. It was the thirty-second year of Konoha. In a few years, the Second Shinobi World War would begin, and even the neutral Land of Iron would be invaded by the Land of Rain.

In the end, a samurai named Mifune would step forward and give his life to save his comrades, earning Hanzo's admiration. Since the Land of Iron was so far from the Land of Rain, Hanzo would then call off the invasion.

Trying to go out and bring in goods during a war would be like putting your head on the line. Even a behemoth like the Land of Fire would be declared war on and invaded.

The Land of Fire was no different from the other countries in that its manufacturing industry was underdeveloped. It could only buy goods unavailable at home from other countries.

Ninja only did the work expected of ninja, while policy decisions were made by the daimyo. The Kage of each country was merely the chief of a village.

Fortunately, the Land of Fire's daimyo wasn't some useless fool. The country had developed quite well in recent years. Hyuga Shinichi's idea was just a matter of standing on the shoulders of giants.

After resting for a while, they set off again. Shanxi spent the journey deep in thought inside his wagon, so he didn't chat with Shinichi and the others. Shinichi and Inuzuka Gai occasionally talked with some of the drivers and servants, which kept the trip from getting too boring.

When they reached a town in the Land of Iron, they ran into a patrol. Hyuga Shinichi spotted the young Mifune among them and pretended to ask where the inn was, hoping to get acquainted.

Afterward, he told Mifune about the captured wandering samurai, and Mifune immediately led them to the security office to collect the bounty.

After collecting the reward, Hyuga Shinichi and Shanxi invited Mifune and his colleagues to dinner. Mifune turned them down, saying he still had to patrol. It was clear that even then, Mifune was an upright man.

As a neutral country, the Land of Iron attracted many merchants who brought goods to trade with one another, so there was a mix of people from all over. The patrols were there to stop ninja guards from different countries' caravans from getting into fights.

In the end, the group found an inn and rested. Hyuga Shinichi wasn't very tired, so he went out for a walk alone.

On the way to the trading area, he came across several groups of ninja guards from other countries, all eyeing one another warily. The Land of Lightning had the most guards.

The Land of Lightning's technology was well ahead of that of other countries. Among the goods they'd brought were a few electrical appliances, and Hyuga Shinichi took a liking to an electric fan.

Hmm, I should buy one for Grandma. It'll keep her cool in the summer.

Hyuga Shinichi went over to the merchant's stall and crouched down to examine the fan. It had adjustable settings. He reached for the money pouch behind his waist, in his ninja tool pouch.

The Land of Lightning's ninja guards saw that Hyuga Shinichi was a Konoha ninja and noticed his Byakugan. They drew their kunai and watched him warily. Even when they saw he was reaching for a money pouch, they didn't let their guard down.

"How much for the fan, boss?"

The boss was a dark-skinned man with a thick beard. He wasn't surprised that Hyuga Shinichi knew what the appliance was called; he wasn't the only one who could get his hands on such things to sell.

Though the Land of Lightning's technology was quite advanced, production was a problem. There were too many people working as ninja, in animal husbandry, and in brewing, so he had gone into business as a merchant himself.

After a round of haggling, Hyuga Shinichi managed to get two electric fans for half the original price of one. In other words, he paid for one and got two.

The Land of Lightning's ninja guards and the curious onlookers were all stunned. They hadn't known you could bargain like that.

Of course, the merchant still made a profit even after cutting the price in half. Electrical appliances like these had high profit margins, often several times their production cost.

As Hyuga Shinichi paid and left with the fans, the onlookers who'd been watching crowded around the merchant, hoping to learn his bargaining tricks. But the merchant chased them all away.

Hyuga Shinichi had succeeded because he was so good at talking. The boss couldn't keep up and was so flustered by his arguments that they'd nearly started calling each other brothers. Before Shinichi could bargain the price down to one he couldn't accept, the merchant had agreed.