Product Launch Conference

"Come, come, come! Brother Danzo, Brother Hanzo, drink up! Enjoy yourselves, enjoy yourselves!" Jing Hang urged them on with his wine cup raised, acting as though he was already half drunk.

"I heard Lord Kazekage would be returning to the village soon," Hanzo of the Salamander suddenly asked.

"Yes, yes. The war's over, the diplomatic matters are settled, and the factory matters here are more or less wrapped up. Once I hand everything over tomorrow, I'll head back the day after," Jing Hang replied with a drunken hiccup.

"Since that is the case, let this cup wish Lord Kazekage a smooth journey home." Hanzo of the Salamander could not wait for Jing Hang to get lost. A village leader staying in another country for so long made the hosts uncomfortable too.

"Heh heh, don't worry. I won't eat too much of your rice here." Jing Hang teased. Tilting back his head, he drained the cup in one gulp.

"Lord Kazekage must be joking. Speaking of which, you have been away from your country for quite some time. There must be plenty of official business piling up back home. Lord Amekage is simply worried that you might delay your duties, isn't he?" Danzo smoothed things over.

"Mm, quite a lot has been delayed. I'll leave the factory matters here to Rasa and Yura. If anything comes up, you can go directly to them."

"Mm." Only after hearing this did Hanzo of the Salamander relax. It seemed Jing Hang really was preparing to leave.

"Before I go, I have a treasure to give both of you! Bring them in!" Jing Hang waved grandly. Three beautiful maidservants floated into the room, each carrying a tray with a sheathed dagger resting on it.

Danzo and Hanzo of the Salamander secretly smacked their foreheads. They had fallen for it!

"Judging by your expressions, it seems you don't have much confidence in our factory's products. Take a look, then!"

With a sharp shing, Jing Hang drew the dagger and gave it an elegant flourish in his hand. What appeared before the two men was a ninja blade unlike any they had seen before, its entire body covered in black patterns. One side was a blade, the other serrated teeth. Its design was sleek, yet it radiated murderous intent.

Their eyes instantly locked onto the dagger in Jing Hang's hand. Only veteran killers who had fought and crawled through battlefields possessed such an instinctive sensitivity to deadly weapons.

"Gentlemen, this is the Hourglass Ninja Tools Factory's newest product—the multifunctional ninja blade. Look at these patterns. They are made through special forging and acid-washing techniques. During missions, it will not reflect light from any angle, so it will not reveal your position."

As he spoke, he deliberately held the blade beneath the lamp and shifted it through several angles. Sure enough, there was not a trace of reflected light.

"And the steel is excellent—it cuts iron like mud." Jing Hang then pulled three kunai from his clothes, stacked them together, and brought the blade down. The three kunai immediately broke into six pieces. He raised the blade for them to inspect. There was not even the slightest chip in its edge. The two men immediately picked up the daggers in their hands and began examining them.

"Now look, this is no ordinary ninja blade. It has many more functions." Jing Hang did not stop his presentation.

"See? The back of the blade can be used as a saw." Holding the blade by its edge, Jing Hang sawed at the table a few times. In an instant, he cut off one corner of it.

"This notch here is just right for use as a pry bar." Jing Hang casually wedged the blade beneath a nail and, without much effort, pulled it out of the table.

"This part can start a fire."

"This section, combined with the sheath, becomes a pair of scissors."

Jing Hang vigorously demonstrated the blade's various functions before them, thoroughly capturing their attention. Clearly, the two had taken the bait.

"Finally, take a look..." Jing Hang suddenly drove the blade into the table. The entire blade sank into the solid wood, leaving only the handle exposed.

"Every ninja blade comes with a small compass in its handle. No matter the circumstances, you will never lose your direction during a mission. Wouldn't you say that makes it a treasure?"

Having finished his demonstration, Jing Hang poured himself a cup of wine and caught his breath. He really could not do this salesman work too often—it was too hard on his throat. It seemed the technical school would need to establish a business department in the future.

Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo kept handling the daggers in their hands, occasionally slashing at the table. After quite a while, Hanzo of the Salamander finally asked the crucial question. "How much is one?"

Jing Hang held up three fingers. "No bargaining. Three thousand ryo each. But orders of more than a hundred get twenty percent off."

"That's far too expensive. How much does a kunai cost?" Hanzo of the Salamander clearly thought the price of the ninja blade was outrageous. In wartime, an ordinary kunai on the market only cost fifty ryo, while even a top-grade kunai made in the Land of Crafts cost no more than one hundred and fifty ryo.

"Oh, Brother Hanzo, this ninja blade isn't some disposable item like a kunai or shuriken. This is a multifunctional ninja blade that will stay by your side for life. You're comparing it to a kunai? Hah..." Jing Hang flicked at the pile of kunai fragments.

"I want a thousand!" Danzo boldly raised one finger.

"What discount can I get?" The second half of his sentence nearly made Jing Hang and Hanzo of the Salamander collapse.

"Twenty-five percent off. How does that sound?"

"Thirty percent!"

"Brother, we aren't exactly making easy money here..."

"Thirty percent!"

"Brother, we need to calculate the costs..."

"Thirty percent!"

After a brief round of haggling, the two sides ultimately signed a major order for fifteen hundred blades at thirty percent off, or two thousand one hundred ryo apiece. The extra five hundred were added by Hanzo of the Salamander through gritted teeth.

"Ah, my bargaining skills still aren't good enough." Jing Hang scratched his head, looking deeply remorseful.

What Jing Hang did not expect, however, was that due to the exceptional quality and comprehensive functions of the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade, it would receive widespread acclaim as soon as it hit the market. Nearly every frontline ninja gave the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade their wholehearted approval.

For a time, the market was flooded with countless imitations and even fraudulent counterfeits. Yet none could shake the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade's status. The blade's shape and functions were easy enough to copy, but the steel's hardness and toughness could not be matched. Moreover, the unique patterns on the blade were simply impossible to imitate. Any fake was obvious at a glance. Thus, before long, the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade would become a star product of Hidden Sand Village.

"Remember, for every craftsman we sign, aside from guaranteeing their wages and benefits, we must also ensure their other welfare provisions.

"They cannot go without gifts during holidays and festivals. At Moon Lake Base, every craftsman will be provided housing, and their children will attend school for free. We must make sure they have no worries, so they can work with peace of mind. They must receive no less than one month of vacation every year. Only those with permanent property will have a lasting commitment.

"In this war-torn age, do you think a contract alone can tie someone down and make them work their life away for you? Dream on. Outsiders only need to scatter a little grain to pry away your core technology."

Jing Hang explained every detail to Rasa, who carefully recorded it all in a small notebook, afraid of missing a single word from his boss.

"You'll have to bear with things for a few years. You need to establish these two factories firmly for me. I'll assign someone else to handle the Mining Bureau for now. Once you have scouted out suitable sites, you can go mine them. Yura, you must fully support Rasa in this matter."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage," Yura said with a nod.

"Also, the upper reaches of the Shule River must be dredged immediately. Keep a close watch on its flow at all times. Remember: if the Shule River is safe, Moon Lake is safe. The safety of New Moon Lake District is in your hands, and so is the safety of Hidden Sand Village." Jing Hang spoke earnestly.

"Yes! We guarantee we will complete the mission!" Rasa and Yura answered in unison.

"All right, I won't make you suffer too much. As soon as I return, I'll transfer Karura and Minako over here."

"Th-that wouldn't be appropriate, would it?"

"Mm, not appropriate."

The two men declined with reddened faces.

"Stop giving me that bullshit. You two got together back when you were Chunin, and now you're acting embarrassed in front of me? Get out of here. I'm transferring those two over for one reason: to give you an opportunity. And for another, to keep an eye on you, so you don't start chasing women the moment you're away from home. Understand?"

"Understood!"

"But Boss, you aren't getting any younger either. It's about time you got married and started a family."

"Pah! Since when is it your turn to meddle in my affairs? Get lost. Pakura, we're leaving."