A runaway success

In the Land of Fire, Kakuzu put on a mask and visited a noble's home.

"Mr. Kakuzu, correct? I hear you have an item that can turn water into ice?"

"Yes, my lord. You just need to connect it to this electricity."

"What is electricity?" Although the noble did not want to look like a country bumpkin, this was simply too unfamiliar to him.

Kakuzu then explained it using the approach Uchiha Mu had taught him. The noble was thoroughly pleased. "Install it for me. Harnessing lightning-now that befits my status."

Money poured into Kakuzu's pockets as though it were worth nothing. He had indeed made the right move: the first thing he had done upon arriving in the Land of Fire's capital was present these two products to the daimyo.

The daimyo, too, wanted to show off what he had. During a meeting with the nobles, he served them ice water. In the sweltering summer heat, nothing could have been more refreshing. Afterward, the nobles all began asking about these "refrigerators," and getting hold of even one became a struggle.

To give the wealthy an experience worthy of their status, make them feel their money was well spent, and then have them willingly hand over a fortune, Kakuzu also followed Uchiha Mu's advice and brought the daimyo and the nobles he recommended into the business.

The daimyo only took a share of the profits, while the other nobles acted as distributors. How high they could set their prices was up to them. Kakuzu only took the portion he wanted. He could not be too greedy. They did not know the costs anyway, and that information gap already made the business highly profitable.

While taking the lion's share, he also had to leave these people bones to gnaw on and broth to drink. That way, they would all become his most loyal partners. Kakuzu found this relationship fascinating. Uchiha Mu had been right: even enemies could become friends for the sake of profit, and as long as that profit kept flowing, betrayal would be difficult-unless an even greater profit came along.

But that was clearly impossible. Although Kakuzu had shaved a little off the costs for himself, he had still left the nobles plenty of profit. The daimyo contributed neither money nor labor, but he lent his name. With the daimyo's name behind them, refrigerators became famous throughout the Land of Fire in no time.

Sharp-eyed merchants caught the scent of opportunity and flocked to the Land of Fire's capital. Upon learning that electricity was also required, some began to hesitate.

Then, after Kakuzu persuaded him with money, the daimyo personally received these merchants and had the refrigerators and washing machines demonstrated to them. Merchants who made their living in the Shinobi World knew how to read the situation. Besides, being received by the daimyo was something they had never even dared to imagine before.

They promptly placed large orders, including orders for electricity. Kakuzu's eyelid twitched. Although getting the daimyo to receive them had cost two million ryo, these orders now covered all of it. He had never expected installing electrical infrastructure to be so profitable, either.

In truth, the daimyo had not wanted to receive such lowly merchants, but Kakuzu had simply offered too much. All he had done was say a single sentence and have his servants demonstrate the products, and he had earned two million ryo. He did not lack money, but earning it this easily was irresistible.

Especially since he would also earn a share from the orders the merchants had just placed. Now it seemed these lowly merchants did have their uses.

Having made a tidy profit alongside Kakuzu, the daimyo and nobles had already formed a firm alliance, though there were still internal disputes.

At that moment, several nobles were bidding fiercely for shares of the refrigerator and washing machine business. This, too, was something Uchiha Mu had reminded him to do: make the wealthy cough up more money, feed off them, and grow stronger himself.

Soon, the nobles had divided up their shares. They then mobilized their connections, spreading refrigerators, washing machines, and the ability to harness lightning directly across the Five Great Nations.

This was certainly possible. Daimyo and nobles rarely changed. Though their lands were called the Five Great Nations, the daimyo all knew one another, and the nobles beneath them naturally had their own networks of contacts.

Through these connections, refrigerators and washing machines became a runaway success across the Five Great Nations in less than a month. Specialists really should be left to handle their specialties. At that moment, Kakuzu finally understood that completely.

After signing the contracts, Kakuzu compiled all the information he had gathered during this period, along with a request for Uchiha Mu to ramp up production, then sent it using a Summoning Beast.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Earth.

"What do you mean, the daimyo wants to buy refrigerators and has no money for Iwagakure for the time being? How much could refrigerators possibly cost?" The First Tsuchikage laughed in anger. Relying on their Will of Stone, they had been chasing hard after Konoha, and now they had the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation to catch up with as well.

Yet the daimyo was holding him back. It made him want to take action against the daimyo directly, but after considering it, he abandoned the idea. If that were exposed, every other nation-yes, not just the great nations, but every nation-would rise up against them.

After all, even Uchiha Mu had not touched the daimyo's money. If Iwagakure went after its daimyo, what would the daimyo of other nations think? To prevent such a thing from happening, they would spare no expense to wipe out all of Iwagakure.

"Lord Tsuchikage, should we go..."

"Mū, say no more. I'll go have a talk with the daimyo. You investigate these refrigerators and washing machines." The First Tsuchikage rose. The money problem had to be resolved first; everything else came second.

"Yes." Mū immediately went to investigate the origins and circumstances surrounding these two products.

The same scene was unfolding in Kumogakure. The Raikage smashed a desk outright. With the daimyo withholding funds, their first thought was also to seize the money by force. But they were brutes, not idiots, and they reached the same conclusion as the Tsuchikage: attacking the daimyo would lead to their village's destruction. That was unacceptable.

Unlike the Tsuchikage, however, the Raikage had an idea. While he went to negotiate, he would send his shinobi to plunder the smaller nations, concealing their identities, of course. Having two plans was safer for Kumogakure. Naturally, investigating the whole affair was also essential.

Sunagakure was in even greater despair. After witnessing Uchiha Mu's power earlier, Chiyo's confidence had been shattered. She felt that no matter how many puppets she made, she would stand no chance against that man.

The young generation's genius lacked confidence, while the Kazekage and the other senior officials frowned deeply at the daimyo's notice. For the sake of these so-called refrigerators and washing machines, he had actually cut off their funding for the next two years.

The senior officials were already itching to attack the daimyo, but the Kazekage stopped them. As the First Kazekage who had founded the village, he might not have been the strongest, but he certainly possessed the greatest political skill and wisdom. Naturally, he could reach the same conclusions as the Tsuchikage and Raikage.

After stopping the senior officials, the Kazekage looked at them and asked, "Doesn't the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation want to buy our construction sand?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

"Tell them we'll sell it. We'll sell as much as we have. We're showing our sincerity, and we hope they'll show theirs as well." The Kazekage began issuing orders.

They did not yet have the Fourth Kazekage's ability to mine gold, so they could only accept this outcome. They had plenty of construction sand anyway. First, they had to get the village back on its feet; everything else could wait.

"Yes." One of them immediately departed using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Next, we need to investigate these so-called refrigerators and washing machines-the things that made the daimyo withhold our funding for two years." The Kazekage gritted his teeth.

The other two nations were better off. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was genuinely poor, yet for the sake of his own enjoyment, he had still purchased a large number of refrigerators and washing machines from the Land of Fire's nobles.

Demand in the Land of Water was not particularly high at present. It was not hot there, and they also had the Yuki Clan, so its nobles and daimyo had purchased only a small number. Their shinobi village's funding was not affected at all.