"Come on, come on, Brother Danzo, Brother Hanzo, drink up, drink up! Enjoy yourselves, enjoy yourselves!" Keiko urged them on with his wine cup in hand, acting as though he was already half drunk.
"I heard Lord Kazekage will be returning to the village soon," Hanzo of the Salamander suddenly asked.
"Yes, yes. The war's over, the diplomatic affairs are settled, and the matters with the factories here are more or less finished. Once I complete the handover tomorrow, I'll head back the day after." Keiko answered with a wine burp.
"Since that is the case, let this cup wish Lord Kazekage a smooth journey home." Hanzo of the Salamander could not wait for Keiko to get the hell out. A leader of one nation staying in another country for too long was bound to make the locals uncomfortable.
"Hehe, don't worry. I won't keep eating your rice for free." Keiko teased. Tilting back his head, he drained the cup in one gulp.
"Lord Kazekage jests. Still, you have been away from your country for quite some time. There must be plenty of official business piled up back home. Lord Amekage is merely worried that you might delay your duties, isn't he?" Danzo smoothed things over between them.
"Yes, quite a bit of official business has been delayed. I'll leave the factories 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 finally relax. It seemed Keiko truly intended to leave.
"Before I go, I have a treasure for my two elder brothers! Bring them in!" Keiko waved grandly.
Three beautiful maidservants drifted into the room, each carrying a tray with a sheathed dagger resting atop it.
Danzo and Hanzo of the Salamander slapped their foreheads inwardly. They had fallen for it!
"Judging by your expressions, it seems you don't have much faith in our factory's products. Take a look, then!"
With a sharp shing, Keiko drew the dagger and spun it elegantly through his hand. Before the two men was a ninja blade unlike anything they had seen before. Its entire body was covered in black patterns. One side was sharpened, the other serrated. Its design was sleek, yet it radiated murderous intent.
Both men's gazes instantly locked onto the dagger in Keiko's hand. Only veteran killers who had crawled through countless battlefields possessed such an instinctive sensitivity toward deadly weapons.
"Gentlemen, this is the Hourglass Ninja Tools Factory's newest product—the multifunctional ninja blade. Look at these patterns. They are made using special forging and acid-washing techniques. No matter the angle during a mission, it will not reflect light, so it will not expose your position."
As he spoke, he deliberately held the blade beneath the lamp and changed its angle several times. Sure enough, there was not the slightest glint.
"Furthermore, the steel is superb. It cuts through iron as if it were mud." Keiko pulled three kunai from his robes, stacked them together, and brought the blade down in a single slash. The three kunai immediately broke into six pieces. He raised the edge of the blade for them to inspect. There was not even a trace of chipping. The two men immediately picked up the daggers before them and began examining them.
"Now look, this is no ordinary ninja blade. It has many other functions as well." Keiko did not stop explaining.
"See? The back of the blade can be used as a saw." Keiko placed the blade's spine against the table and sawed a few times.
In an instant, he cut off a corner of the table.
"This notch here is the perfect screwdriver." Keiko casually used the blade to pry, easily pulling a nail out of the table.
"This part can start a fire."
"This part, combined with the sheath, becomes a pair of scissors."
Keiko enthusiastically demonstrated the blade's various functions before them, and the two men's attention was firmly captured. It was obvious that they had taken the bait.
"Finally, take a look..." Keiko suddenly drove the blade into the table.
The entire blade sank into the solid wooden table up to the hilt, leaving only the handle exposed.
"Every ninja blade has a small compass built into its handle. No matter the circumstances, you will never lose your sense of direction during a mission. Wouldn't you call this a treasure?"
After finishing his demonstration, Keiko poured himself a cup of wine and caught his breath. He really could not do this salesman job too often—it was murder 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 giving the table a slash. After a while, Hanzo of the Salamander finally asked the crucial question. "How much is one?"
Keiko held up three fingers. "Fixed price: three thousand ryo each. But orders of over one hundred get twenty percent off."
"That's too expensive. How much does a kunai cost?" Hanzo of the Salamander clearly thought the ninja blade was overpriced. It was understandable. During wartime, an ordinary kunai on the market cost only fifty ryo, while even premium 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 accompany you for life. And you're comparing it to a kunai? Tch..." Keiko pushed aside the pile of kunai fragments.
"I want one thousand!" Danzo raised one finger boldly.
"What discount can I get?" His next sentence nearly made Keiko and Hanzo of the Salamander collapse.
"Twenty-five percent off. How does that sound?"
"Thirty percent off!"
"Brother, it's not easy for us either..."
"Thirty percent off!"
"Brother, we need to calculate the costs here..."
"Thirty percent off!"
After a brief round of haggling, the two sides finally signed a major order for fifteen hundred blades at thirty percent off, or two thousand one hundred ryo each. The extra five hundred had been added by Hanzo of the Salamander through gritted teeth.
"Sigh, my bargaining skills still aren't good enough." Keiko scratched his head, looking deeply remorseful.
What Keiko had not expected was that, thanks to the exceptional quality and complete functionality of the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade, it would receive widespread praise the moment it hit the market. Nearly all frontline ninja highly approved of it.
The market was soon flooded with countless imitations and even fraudulent counterfeits. Yet none of them could shake the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade's position. Its shape and functions were easy enough to copy, but the hardness and toughness of its steel could not be matched. Moreover, the unique patterns on the blade were simply impossible to replicate. Any fake was obvious at a glance. Thus, in the near future, the Hourglass-brand Ninja Blade would become a star product of Sunagakure.
"Remember, for every craftsman we sign, aside from guaranteeing their wages and benefits, we must ensure their other welfare provisions as well.
"We cannot skimp on gifts during holidays and festivals. Every craftsman will be provided housing at Moon Lake Base, and their children will receive free schooling. We need to make sure they have no worries, so they can work with peace of mind. Give them no less than one month of vacation each year. Only those with permanent property will have lasting commitment.
"In these chaotic times of war, do you think a contract alone can bind someone and make him work himself to death for you? Dream on. Outsiders only need to scatter a little rice to pry away your core technology."
Keiko explained everything carefully to Rasa, who diligently took notes in a small notebook, terrified of missing a single word from his boss.
"You'll have to put up with things for the next few years. You need to establish these two factories here for me. I'll arrange for someone else to handle the Mining Bureau matters for now. Once the sites have been surveyed, you can go mine them. Yura, you must fully cooperate with Rasa's work on this matter."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Yura nodded.
"Also, the upper reaches of the Shule River must be dredged immediately. Keep a close eye on the Shule River's flow as well. Remember, if the Shule River is safe, Moon Lake is safe. The safety of New Moon Lake District is actually in your hands, and so is the safety of Sunagakure." Keiko spoke earnestly.
"Yes, we guarantee the mission will be completed." Rasa and Yura answered in unison.
"All right, I won't make you suffer for too long. As soon as I return, I'll transfer Karura and Minako over here."
"Th-this... wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
"Mm, inappropriate."
The two men declined with red faces.
"You two, stop bullshitting me. You two got together back when you were Chunin, and now you're acting embarrassed in front of me? Get lost. I'm transferring them here for two reasons: first, to give you an opportunity; second, to keep an eye on you so you don't start fooling around once you're out here. Understand?"
"Understood!"
"But, Boss, you're not that young anymore. It's about time you started a family too."
"Pah! Since when is it your place to meddle in my business? Get out of here. Pakura, we're leaving."
Before you continue