Multinational Corporation

"Hello, Grandpa Ebizo."

"Hello."

"Hello, Grandpa Ebizo."

"Hello."

Ever since becoming the Minister of Education, Ebizo had developed a new hobby. Every day after school, he liked to stand at the school gate and watch the children leave. Over time, many of the children had come to know this kindly old man and would take the initiative to greet him. Each time, he would answer with a smile. In his eyes, these Sunagakure children were like seeds of hope, destined to grow into towering trees one day.

Ebizo looked to the side. New school buildings were under construction, and the scale was considerable. Before long, they would connect with the old buildings into one large campus. After Jing Hang obtained Hidden Leaf Village's two-hundred-million-ryo loan, he had immediately allocated one hundred and twenty million ryo to the Ministry of Education. This enormous infusion of funds filled Ebizo with confidence. He was certain he could realize the grand vision Jing Hang had once laid out for him.

"Minister Ebizo, this is the latest news from the Kazekage."

A ninja interrupted Ebizo's musings, but he did not mind. Taking the note and reading it, he said,

"The teaching ninja from Hidden Leaf Village will be arriving soon. Have the dormitories at the village headquarters and Moon Lake Branch School been arranged?"

"They have. Everything is of the highest standard."

"Good. Their treatment must also be first-rate. The people of the Hidden Leaf Village really know how to teach. Tell the villagers not to cause trouble. We're allies now, after all. They're here to teach and help us. We should treat them well," Ebizo instructed.

"Yes."

"By the way, where has Lord Kazekage reached now?"

"According to the latest news, he has arrived in the Land of Rain."

"Build factories?"

Hanzo of the Salamander looked doubtfully at the document in his hand. Written across it in bold were the words: Sunagakure–Land of Rain Reconstruction Plan.

"Lord Rain Shadow, you may wish to examine it carefully. The total investment in this plan is two hundred million ryo. It also involves purchasing iron ore from the Land of Rain and recruiting workers here, creating nearly two thousand jobs. This is the deposit: gold dust worth twenty million ryo. Rasa?" Jing Hang snapped his fingers.

With a bitter expression, Rasa controlled a heap of gold dust and piled it onto the table.

"The internationally recognized gold price among the Five Great Nations today is 402 ryo per gram. Our gold dust is at least sixty percent pure, and there are eighty-three kilograms here in total. Even after accounting for smelting losses, it is definitely worth more than twenty million ryo. If Lord Rain Shadow agrees and signs, this gold dust will be our first investment payment. Naturally, if you have any doubts regarding its quality or value, you may have someone inspect it at any time."

Hanzo ignored Rasa's emotionless tone. He was intently reading through the proposal, merely waving a hand. A Hidden Rain ninja immediately stepped forward with a magnifying glass to inspect the pile of gold dust.

Even after reaching the final page, Hanzo of the Salamander had not said a single word. He merely stared coldly at the smiling ninja before him, Jing Hang, as though trying to discern some conspiracy from that smiling face.

He had never believed that free lunches fell from the sky, yet that enormous pile of gold dust was right there on the table.

Hanzo of the Salamander had always been an arrogant man, and he had the strength to justify that pride. In the prime of his life, fighting the Three Legendary Ninja had been like an adult beating children. Against powerhouses such as the Second Kazekage and Danzo Shimura, he could still measure himself against them. When faced with the diplomatic note sent by the Third Kazekage, he had considered every possibility and made every arrangement and preparation. In his view, whether this newly appointed Third Kazekage made territorial demands or political demands, he would reject them all. Even if they had to flip the table and fight, so be it. Damn it, kneeling to Hidden Leaf Village as one father is enough for me, Hanzo of the Salamander. What gives Sunagakure the right? Yet this Kazekage refused to play by the rules. He simply pried open his mouth and stuffed in a huge piece of cake! Hey, just a few months ago, our two countries nearly beat each other's brains into mush. Your Second Kazekage may not have been killed by us, but he still died here. And now you're telling me you want to invest in factories in my country? There has to be some conspiracy behind this!

"There is no conspiracy here." The one who said this was Jing Hang, who had maintained a polite smile throughout.

"Then why?" Hanzo of the Salamander's question sounded inexplicable, yet it also seemed to encompass every question he wanted to ask.

"The factories will be built in your Land of Rain. We'll invest our money in your Land of Rain, and even the workers will be from your Land of Rain. What else do you have to worry about?"

Hanzo's expression improved somewhat upon hearing this. This was one of the reasons he had not flipped the table. Still, he remained silent.

"You can ask around. I'm not like the older generation in our village. I've always opposed this war."

Hanzo's expression softened further. As a ninja of Jing Hang's rank, the leaders of every nation should have files on his circumstances before he became Kazekage. Jing Hang was not lying.

"But Sunagakure's environment is indeed harsh, and its economy is underdeveloped. We need to develop it. I have always advocated developing industrial production, strengthening commercial trade, and establishing multinational corporations." Jing Hang pointed at the proposal.

"Then why did you invade our country before?" Hanzo's tone hardened.

"Back then, I was only a guard, not the Kazekage. What I said didn't count."

"Then how can you guarantee that you will not invade our country in the future?"

"I believe that as long as interests become intertwined, countless wonderful bonds will form. Since everyone can sit down and make money together, why resort to fighting and killing? Besides, we are all allies of Hidden Leaf Village. Strictly speaking, aren't Sunagakure and Hidden Rain allies as well?"

Hanzo considered it and felt that there did not seem to be anything wrong with that.

"But Hidden Leaf Village and Hidden Stone Village are still at war."

All right, I've finally got him, Jing Hang thought with a silent sigh of relief.

"Wars end eventually. We can set up the framework first. On my way here, I saw that quite a few refugees had already gathered here. I think we can select some of them to work in the factories. As for the rest, Moon Lake Base in our Hidden Sand Village is under development and badly needs manpower."

"How many do you want?" Hanzo of the Salamander was somewhat excited. The repeated wars had wrecked the Land of Rain's economy. More and more civilians had become refugees, while the Land of Rain's daimyo lacked the means to gather and provide relief for them. As the Rain Shadow, Hanzo wanted to help them, but he had neither money nor food. Now someone had fallen from the sky to take over this burden. Of course he was excited.

"That depends on how many there are under Lord Rain Shadow's rule."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Hearty laughter echoed through the meeting room. At that moment, the Hidden Rain ninja inspecting the gold dust set down his magnifying glass and gave Hanzo a slight nod. Hanzo's laughter became even more hearty. Jing Hang also smiled happily. Economic invasion isn't invasion? Idiot. Just watch me hollow out your Land of Rain. Besides, without refugees, Akatsuki might not even exist. Hanzo ought to thank me.

"Where does Lord Kazekage intend to build the factories?" Hanzo took a map.

"Here." Jing Hang picked up a pencil from the table and drew a circle on the map.

"The Shule River? What kind of factories are you planning to build?"

"The first phase will build a ninja tool factory and a cannery. It's close to the Sada Iron Mine and convenient for drawing water, so I think it's suitable. But I noticed that the Shule River's flow seems much lower than before. Is there some problem upstream?"

"Oh, it's because of the war. Hidden Stone Village has built a dam upstream. Either they want to cut off the Shule River's flow, or they plan to suddenly store water and release a flood to drown Hidden Leaf Village's garrison. By the way, what is canned food?"

"Damn it, that won't do! The ninja tool factory and cannery both need water." Jing Hang grew anxious. A dam? Then didn't I come here for nothing? This problem has to be solved.

"It's fine. The Shule River has more than one source, so it can't be cut off completely. Hidden Leaf Village's camp was relocated long ago anyway. Once we drive off Onoki, we can just blow up the dam. By the way, you still haven't told me what canned food is." Hanzo waved a hand carelessly.

"That won't do. Every day we wait costs money. Come on! Take me to Danzo. Why are they dragging out such a trivial matter?" Jing Hang grabbed Hanzo's hand and strode out of the meeting room.