Ninja World's Curse

"As long as we cede some benefits to those nobles, we should be able to win their support.

"As for those salt merchants, if they truly refuse to cooperate, we can send a few ninja to their doorsteps with gifts to offer condolences and wish their entire families good health.

"I believe we'll obtain the salt industry license soon enough.

"Of course, we should still value harmony. We'll pay whatever money needs to be paid and strive for a peaceful unification of the salt industry."

Hiruko directly explained the key points of this mission to everyone.

Once their own saltworks began operating, sales would naturally rise steadily, and everyone would benefit from it. After all, Hiruko possessed modern salt-making technology.

They could even dump salt onto the markets of other countries.

Minato Namikaze lifted a cup of fragrant flower tea, took a light sip, then turned toward the Hyuga Clan elder.

He said solemnly, "In that case, I'll entrust this difficult task to the prudent and experienced Mr. Hyuga."

The Hyūga Clan had always been known for its steadiness. Though they might seem somewhat cautious, that was precisely what Minato Namikaze wanted to see.

What Minato Namikaze wanted to win over was not merely the Hyuga Clan itself. He hoped to use this matter to demonstrate his sincerity.

By handing this matter over to the Hyuga Clan, their steady way of handling affairs would ensure that even if the mission ultimately failed, relations between Konoha and the Land of Fire would not deteriorate beyond repair.

The Hyuga Clan members nodded silently. Clearly, they had yet to fully grasp the severity of the matter.

They were still carefully calculating the various effects that future tax increases would have on their clan.

"This operation is by no means the affair of a single family or clan. It concerns the interests of the entire Land of Fire. Every corner must be informed, lest any unnecessary trouble arise later.

"Of course, there is nothing wrong with individuals seeking profit within reasonable limits.

"We have never intended to monopolize all the benefits, but we can yield no more than thirty percent of the profits."

Hiruko spoke in an even tone.

The relationship between the Land of Fire's daimyo and Konoha's ninja village was, in truth, incredibly complicated and tangled.

If they wished to reform this world, they first had to begin by weakening the daimyo's power. When the time was right, they could even directly overthrow the daimyo's rule.

Thus, from this moment onward, Hiruko would begin laying out his plans with care, advancing step by step.

The Third Hokage took a few puffs from his pipe before speaking with a profound expression. "There should not be too much resistance from the daimyo's side. After all, the Land of Fire's current situation is also precarious and far from optimistic."

"If this project can truly bring in more revenue, the daimyo will at most grumble a few times. It's just that..."

There was a trace of unease in the Third Hokage's words. After all, most of these ninja who had once fought across the Land of Fire were not skilled in commerce.

During the warring states era, they worked only for money. The higher their rank and the stronger the enemies they defeated, the greater the bounty they received.

As for worldly matters such as production and business, they had always been utterly unrelated to ninja.

Only an oddball like Hiruko was always preaching that business nonsense.

Perhaps a small handful of ninja might open a tool shop or make films or something, but those were merely private hobbies. They could never represent the mainstream direction of ninja.

In this era, ninja always consciously confined themselves within the framework of military affairs, paying almost no attention to the Land of Fire's political and economic matters.

Such an attitude was simply bizarre beyond belief.

It was as though this world were constrained by some kind of curse, shackling people's minds.

Although Asuma bore the title of one of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, it was merely an empty title. He held no real power in his hands.

Hiruko joining forces with Minato Namikaze undoubtedly broke the old conventions, and that made the Third Hokage deeply uneasy.

He could not shake the strange feeling in his heart, as though he had fallen into a stinking cesspit.

However, the Third Hokage had been Hokage himself, and he knew very well that Konoha was currently caught in a dilemma, struggling to move forward.

This would not work, and neither would that. How exactly were they supposed to help the Land of Fire overcome this crisis?

Young people had ideas of their own. That was a good thing.

Moreover, Minato Namikaze had firmly supported Hiruko in this matter, and that allowed the Third Hokage to see hope.

Minato Namikaze was the Fourth Hokage he had personally chosen. He believed that Konoha's young sapling would once again lead Konoha to victory, and he supported Minato Namikaze's judgment.

The high price of salt was nothing to Konoha's ninja. Their salaries were relatively high and their purchasing power was considerable, so naturally they did not lack money for a little salt.

But the common people around the Land of Fire lived extremely difficult lives. Even getting a little salt to eat was as hard as climbing to heaven.

In some especially impoverished places, people even used vinegar cloth as a substitute for salt.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally witnessed such scenes. Seeing them even once was enough to make them unforgettable, leaving his heart filled with mixed emotions.

But then again, people truly could not live without salt.

Without salt, people lacked the strength to farm and labor, and an entire family lost its ability to survive.

That was why salt was especially precious and essential.

If they could find a way to encourage consumption of this luxury item, while using Hiruko's new technology to expand salt production, Konoha's financial problems might ease considerably.

The poor people around the Land of Fire could live a little better as well.

The meeting ended amid a gloomy atmosphere, and everyone's morale was somewhat low.

After all, the Third Shinobi War had only just ended, and now they were immediately facing the threat of a new war.

Most importantly, no one was confident about Hiruko's proposal.

Though salt was highly valuable, its output was simply too low. None of them believed Hiruko could produce any technology capable of mass-producing salt.

It was only because Hiruko's past record had been so impressive that the others were willing to believe him.

The discussion soon ended, and everyone came away with the same conclusion: a large-scale war was absolutely impossible, but small-scale conflicts were very likely.

Fugaku Uchiha returned to the Uchiha residence with a grave look in his eyes. By the time he arrived, the Uchiha Clan elders had already been waiting for him.

Looking at those energetic old faces, Fugaku Uchiha barely managed to recover some of his spirit.

He then recounted the previous events to them in full detail.

The Uchiha Clan's jonin began discussing it heatedly. "War again? We've only just gone through a major war. Are we going to be dragged into another one?"

"How many people will have to die this time?"

"If they dare invade us, we'll make sure they never return."

War was nothing unfamiliar to the Uchiha Clan's ninja. After weathering so many storms, they would simply keep fighting.

It was just that Konoha's treasury could no longer support a war.

No one knew whether this salt business could earn enough money to deal with it.

If it truly came to that...