"All right, all right, everyone, quiet down. Quiet down. Please take your seats." Keiko pressed his hands downward, and the hall gradually fell silent.
Looking at the sea of people below, Keiko could not help feeling a little emotional. In his previous life, he had merely been a lowly office drone, though he had been fortunate enough to help set up the venue for a major city conference once. To put it bluntly, he had just helped arrange signs and clean up.
He had never imagined that, in the world of Naruto, he would have the chance to preside over a large-scale conference for a ninja village with a population nearing one million. Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
Seeing everyone gradually quiet down, Keiko cleared his throat and said,
"All right, the meeting is now in session!"
Everyone sat upright, ready to hear the Kazekage's instructions.
"It is rare for everyone to gather here today. We have not only the patriarchs and elders of Sunagakure's traditional clans, but also new friends from the Moon Lake New District, as well as worker friends from the Hourglass Group in the Land of Rain. Kazekage Hall is truly filled with distinguished guests and talented friends. It could be said that representatives from nearly every part of Sunagakure have arrived.
Originally, everyone had come to discuss the construction of the new city and the distribution of shares. But since it is rare for everyone to be here in such numbers, we might as well discuss and implement all the recently introduced related policies that need discussing and implementing.
Pakura, your secretariat must take responsibility for the conference logistics. Although this was arranged in haste, you must make every effort to be thorough. We cannot let the representatives attend meetings hungry or thirsty. You must also arrange accommodations. This meeting may last several days. If you need more staff, go directly to Minister Uekusa of the Personnel Department. Submit all necessary expenses directly to the village Finance Department.
Minister Chiyo, your ANBU must also mobilize and take responsibility for conference security and confidentiality. The meeting may run rather long, so I hope everyone can bear with it. I believe conditions will improve by the second congress. All right, everyone, take a one-hour break first. Begin mobilizing all preparatory work immediately. In one hour, we will begin the first item on the agenda..."
Although everything had been rushed and no one had ever held a conference on such a large scale before, Keiko had at least seen grand occasions before. A meeting of a few hundred people was nothing but a small scene. Though they were somewhat flustered, the proceedings remained orderly enough.
The conference lasted five days and four nights. Although every representative was exhausted and red-eyed by the end, each of them remained spirited and exhilarated. On the first day, they finalized the share distribution for Future Casino City.
The preliminary plan for Future Casino City included casinos, hotels, restaurants, izakayas, Kabukichō, and other sections. They would be managed separately but share dividends centrally. A company called the Golden Sands Entertainment Group would be established for unified management, and professional managers could be hired to oversee operations in the future.
The equity would be jointly owned by the public and private sectors. The village treasury would invest fifty-one percent, while the remaining forty-nine percent would be offered for subscription to all representatives. Selling only forty-nine percent was meant to prevent outside forces from carrying out hostile acquisitions.
Dividends would be handled accordingly. The crowd immediately erupted with excitement, and people pulled out piles of banknotes on the spot to subscribe. Minister Chiyo, already past sixty, bought twenty million ryō worth of shares in one go, becoming the largest shareholder among the individual investors. In her own words, she had invested both the money Sasori would need to marry someday and her own burial savings.
Keiko was not about to fall behind either. He purchased fifteen million ryō worth of shares himself, declaring that as Kazekage, he had to set an example. In less than two hours, every share had been snapped up, raising a full eight hundred million ryō. The financial strength of Sunagakure's great clans truly left Keiko clicking his tongue. A Ponzi scheme would definitely have had great potential here.
On the second day, the congress held detailed discussions on the casino city's location, design planning, road construction, industrial layout, personnel arrangements, and other matters. Everyone spoke freely and enthusiastically. Keiko also briefly organized some casino rules from Hong Kong gambling movies that he remembered, and they unexpectedly won unanimous approval from the representatives. Just like that, Keiko gained another title—the chairman of the Golden Sands Entertainment Group's board of directors!
As the blueprint for Future Casino City gradually took shape, the agenda slowly shifted toward issues concerning the people's livelihood: education reform, medical reform, reform of the ninja military service system, construction of desert highways, mineral extraction, clean governance, and so on.
One concrete issue after another was settled at this congress. Some were even plans for the next five or ten years. Everything in the world was like this: once there was a plan and a direction, all that remained was to work toward it.
At last, the congress concluded successfully amid thunderous applause. Kazekage Keiko delivered a speech at the closing ceremony. "It is a good thing that we had this opportunity to bring everyone together for such a conference, because it has genuinely resolved many practical problems. I believe this kind of conference should become a tradition. I have decided that the Sunagakure Representative Congress will be held once every three years from now on. Its resolutions shall be Sunagakure's highest resolutions!"
After the conference, Keiko directly announced that everyone in the village administration, apart from those needed for essential duty and guard posts, would receive two days off! He himself dragged Tsunade into the villa, pulled the blanket over them, and fell into a deep sleep. Damn it, five days of meetings had been more exhausting than completing an S-Rank mission!
The Land of Wind Daimyō's residence was a vast complex of buildings situated halfway up the Kunling Mountains. Its overall style was elegant, ancient, graceful, and refined. Because all its roofs used green tiles, people habitually called it the "Half-Mountain Green Palace."
In the Land of Wind, where eighty percent of the territory was desert, the palace's location had been chosen with great care. To its north, the continuous northern foothills of the Kunling Mountains blocked the rolling sands blowing southward, while the southern foothills of the Kunling Mountains happened to trap warm ocean currents within the Kunling Plain.
Although this small plain accounted for less than ten percent of the Land of Wind's total area, it was its richest and most fertile land. Unlike the rest of the Land of Wind, with its endless yellow sands and desolate surroundings, this place had blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, clear waters, lush trees, and abundant life.
At that moment, in the main hall of the Green Palace, the Land of Wind Daimyō was looking at a memorial with a puzzled expression.
"Your Kazekage wants to buy land? Does he even have money to buy land?"
In the Daimyō's impression, Sunagakure's ninja were still a bunch of impoverished brutes, merely a group of thugs raised by his family. They wanted to buy land? What a joke. What did they want land for, farming? He had heard that they had done fairly well farming in the Moon Lake area. Were those ninja planning to become farmers instead?
"Yes, Daimyō-sama. Ever since you bestowed the land around Moon Lake upon us, Lord Kazekage has led us in reclaiming wasteland, farming crops, raising pigs, growing vegetables, and developing production in the Moon Lake area. We have now achieved food self-sufficiency. However, as you know, Sunagakure's ninja are still very poor. Therefore, Lord Kazekage wishes to engage in trade and buy a piece of land at the border to conduct some small business."
Minister Shangshuiliu gave the Daimyō a deep bow, his attitude exceedingly respectful.
"Oh?! It seems Keiko has been doing quite well in Sunagakure. He actually achieved food self-sufficiency. Mm, very good. I am greatly pleased. However, there is no extra land left for you in the Kunling Plain."
"Your Excellency misunderstands. The Kunling Plain is where the Daimyō worships his ancestral temple. How would we dare set our sights on it!"
"Oh? Then where do you want?"
The Land of Wind Daimyō was somewhat confused.
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