The First Deal

After breakfast, Tsunade took Karn to the Hokage Building. They needed to settle the deal as soon as possible.

Tsunade told Karn that Konoha Hospital received new wounded patients every day, and its demand for medicine far exceeded what it had been before. Without Karn, the Hokage would have had to consider asking the various ninja clans for medical supplies.

At present, Konoha Hospital might not have had resources as extensive as those of some major clans. Only after Tsunade reformed medical ninja training would the hospital gradually build up its reserves.

Putting together what Tsunade had told him, Karn slowly gained an understanding of Konoha's situation. Still, he felt she was being a little too careless. Was this really information an outsider like him should know?

"You must be Karn, the man planning to sell medicine to Konoha. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha."

After arriving at the Hokage Building, Karn met the Third Hokage in his prime in the Hokage's Office. Hiruzen Sarutobi was only in his thirties, truly the prime of a ninja's life. His willingness to initiate a war and suppress Amegakure, with its "Demigod," as well as Sunagakure, showed that he fully deserved the title of Shinobi Hero.

Karn nodded and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Hello, Third Hokage. I'm Kane Penter. Do you have any further questions about the medicine deal?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already reviewed the list for the deal yesterday. The prices were all very cheap-even rice and flour cost far less than what Konoha paid when buying them from the Land of Fire. If funds had not been so tight, he would have wanted to buy a batch of food supplies from Karn and resell them to other small countries.

"We have tested the medicines' effectiveness, and they do work as expected. However, after discussions among the Konoha High Command, we feel your prices are still a little high."

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could finish, Utatane Koharu, who was seated on the other side, interrupted him and said to Karn, "These prices are too high for Konoha. After discussing it, we believe a forty percent reduction from the current prices would make for a reasonable deal."

At those words, a flicker of surprise crossed Tsunade's eyes before her expression returned to what it had been.

As for Karn, he merely cursed inwardly, then smiled and turned to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Third Hokage, who is this?"

Without Hiruzen Sarutobi's permission, Karn did not believe Utatane Koharu would have dared interrupt him and answer in his place. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still the Shinobi Hero.

"This is Elder Utatane Koharu of Konoha. She is also in charge of the logistics department and Konoha Hospital."

"Elder Utatane." Karn nodded, then smiled and said, "It seems we can't agree on the price of the medicine. In that case, would Konoha be interested in trading for other supplies?"

What did that mean? Was he simply refusing to negotiate?

After Karn spoke, Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the others all looked at him with shock in their eyes.

They had only tried to bargain down the price. If he thought it was unreasonable, they could keep discussing it. What did he mean by dropping the matter altogether?

"Ahem, Mr. Karn, is there truly no room to negotiate the price of the medicine?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat before addressing Karn. He had not expected Karn to be so decisive that he would simply abandon the medicine deal.

Karn waved a hand and smiled. "I'm very sorry, Third Hokage, but I don't have the authority to change the prices of the medicine."

"Buying large quantities of medicine from an unknown source also poses a considerable risk to Konoha," Utatane Koharu said, her tone slightly hostile. Medicine procurement was her responsibility, and Karn's blunt refusal had made her feel embarrassed.

"In that case, I failed to think things through."

Karn shook his head and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and the others, "Then let's cancel the medicine deal. If your village isn't interested in trading for food, I'll take my leave."

He had no shortage of buyers for his goods. This was the Second Shinobi World War. Although Konoha had finished fighting on the Land of Rain front, Iwagakure and Kumogakure were still at war, as were Iwagakure and Sunagakure. Food and medicine were hard currency.

If Konoha thought it could intimidate him with that, it was dreaming.

Karn's decisiveness left Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others somewhat at a loss. They absolutely could not abandon the medicine deal. These medicines could save the lives of many Konoha ninjas, and if they fell into the hands of hostile ninja villages, they would also pose a threat to Konoha on the battlefield.

Tsunade frowned slightly, suddenly feeling some distaste for Utatane Koharu. She had slashed the price by forty percent in one go. If Konoha truly failed to buy these lifesaving medicines because of her, the wounded and the families of those who died from their injuries would surely turn against her.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Karn."

Hiruzen Sarutobi then had Tsunade take Karn outside for the time being. Only after they had discussed matters for a while did they give him their final answer.

"Mr. Karn, we'll purchase the medicines at the prices on your list, but we need your guarantee that you won't sell them to other ninja villages."

They even knew to impose trade restrictions. Karn considered this for a moment, then said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Third Hokage, at most, I can guarantee that I'll only sell medicine in large quantities to Konoha. Your village cannot stop civilians from buying medicine from me. I would also like permission to open a pharmacy and a food store in Konoha."

Karn laid out some requirements of his own. As long as there was no disagreement over the prices, the remaining matters were mostly minor issues.

Hiruzen Sarutobi readily agreed to Karn's plan to open shops. With the pharmacy in Konoha, it would be easier for the ANBU to monitor him. It was even better if civilians bought medicine from him, since Konoha Hospital had no vacancies at all and was not open to civilians during the war.

The first medicine deal was worth roughly one hundred million ryo. Karn's medicines were priced by the tablet, and Hiruzen Sarutobi bought every medicine Karn had brought in one go. However, Konoha could not come up with that much money for the moment. It could pay at most thirty million ryo, with the remaining seventy million covered by properties in Konoha and gold.

Karn had specifically requested the gold. As for Konoha's shops and houses, many areas had yet to be developed, so property prices in the village were still relatively low. Although Karn knew that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had slightly inflated the value of the properties offered in payment, their gains were only small change.

No one knew how to make money better than a middleman, especially one trading between two worlds. The gold from the Konoha deal alone weighed more than fifty kilograms. Taking it back and selling it would be enough to cover Karn's expenditure on the medicine.

Once the deal was confirmed, Karn received an entry and exit pass from Konoha, then left to prepare the medicine for the village.