69novels Chapter 114 A New Assistant, The Truth of World War III
Chapter 114 A New Assistant, The Truth of World War III
Chapter 114 A New Assistant, The Truth of World War III
evening.
Bellflower Pavilion.
Nara Shikaku handed a document to Sousuke, which bore the Hokage's seal.
"It's approved."
Shikaku rubbed his temples; his eyes were dark-rimmed. As the village's strategist, his sleep time had been compressed to the limit lately.
The land use rights and production permits for "Kawa no Kuni Heiyao Gou" and the surrounding ten kilometers.
"The official name is: Konoha's Fourteenth Military Supplies Factory."
"6
"Actually, that's your private property."
Sosuke took the document.
It was a thin piece of paper, yet it carried a heavy weight. It meant that in that chaotic war zone, he possessed a territory protected by Konoha's laws—although this protection was limited to areas under Konoha's control.
"Thank you, Captain Shikaku."
Sosuke put the documents away.
"In return, I will supply the first batch of ceramic kunai to the Nara clan at cost price."
"Forget about the cost price, just give me 20% off."
Lu Jiu waved his hand, picked up the strong tea in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.
The bitter tea made him a little more awake.
"Also, I want to remind you."
Shikaku's expression turned serious.
"Sunagakure suffered a great loss and will definitely retaliate. Although the main force has retreated, small groups of puppeteers and assassination squads are still roaming the area."
"You are responsible for your own safety if you build a factory there."
"The main force of the regular army is busy advancing the defensive line; they don't have time to be your security guard."
"I see."
Zongsuke looked calm.
"If you have money, you can find security guards everywhere."
Lu Jiu gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
After seeing Shikaku off, Sousuke glanced at the wall clock.
It's almost time.
There's a promise tonight. The 25 million taels of silver promised to the Black Tooth Gang leader and the others should be delivered.
Sosuke took on this debt not only to subdue a yakuza gang, but also to cultivate his own power.
Although the Takaya Trading Company is large, it is just a shell of legitimate business, and too many people are eyeing it.
He needs intelligence. He needs more covert channels. He needs a bunch of rats working for him in the gutter.
"Ryoma".
Sousuke shouted into the shadows.
"Tonight, we're going to the red-light district."
Ryoma Aburame emerged from the shadows and adjusted his sunglasses.
"That's a lawless area. I don't recommend going there."
"It's precisely because of the chaos that it's a good place to do business."
Konoha's red-light district, late at night.
The lights here are brighter than during the day. The scents of rouge, wine, and decadent sweetness—
For ninjas, this was a hub for intelligence. For ordinary people, it was a den of iniquity.
Sousuke led Ryoma through the noisy crowd to a high-class restaurant.
This is where the candidates are selected.
Two familiar black-armored guards stood at the entrance to the private room. They were Kazuto's bodyguards, the samurai who had fought with Sosuke at the textile factory.
Upon seeing Sosuke, the two guards immediately bowed and opened the door.
Sosuke entered the private room.
There were no geisha serving drinks, nor a table full of food and wine.
They weren't indulging in revelry.
He sat at a square table with a map of the area around Konoha spread out on it, and several thick account books piled up next to him.
He was dressed in a smart suit, his hair was neatly combed, but he had deep dark circles under his eyes, which clearly indicated that he had not been having an easy time lately.
"Boss Sousuke."
Upon seeing Sosuke enter, Kazuto immediately stood up and bowed deeply.
"You've arrived."
Sosuke sat down, Ryoma stood in the shadows by the door, and insects silently filled the corners of the room.
Sosuke placed the leather suitcase he was carrying on the table.
"Here is twenty-five million taels."
He opened the box.
Inside were neatly stacked bundles of banknotes, exuding the scent of ink.
This is a promise.
However, the man was not in a hurry to take the money.
He made a startling statement: "Boss Sosuke, I would like to ask you to give me another five million taels."
"What did you say?"
Sosuke raised an eyebrow.
"I helped you pay off 30 million taels of debt, and now you want another 5 million taels?"
Although he is rich, he will not be taken advantage of.
He bent down and took a leather suitcase from under the table.
"Please take a look at this first."
He opened the suitcase.
Inside weren't banknotes, but neatly arranged contracts and a stack of land deeds.
His eyes were burning with intensity.
"In the past month, I used the five million taels you gave me, along with my own connections, to consolidate all the underground gangs in the western and southern districts of Konoha."
"Those loan sharks, smugglers, and intelligence-trafficking rats are now all under my control."
"These land deeds are their strongholds. These contracts are their indentures."
"I didn't use that five million to pay off my debts; I turned it into these things."
"I think that's why you spared my life in the first place. That's what you really needed."
Sosuke was somewhat surprised.
He picked up a land deed at random.
It was a cheap inn near the gates of Konoha. Although it was run-down, it was an excellent spot for monitoring people coming and going.
He picked up another one.
It's an underground casino behind the commercial street. It's a great place for laundering money and also where intelligence flows fastest.
This person not only has brains, but also courage.
He dared to gamble his life-saving money on a future.
"You are very smart, and you are a good person."
Sosuke closed the suitcase and smiled with satisfaction.
"You're right. This is exactly what I wanted. You did a great job."
Sosuke pulled a check out of his pocket and quickly wrote down a string of numbers.
"Here's five million. Take it to pay off your debts."
He breathed a sigh of relief. He had won his gamble.
"Not only that."
Sosuke then pulled out another check.
"Here is ten million taels. It's for the event's expenses."
He stared wide-eyed.
"Boss, this is—"
"I want you to leave Konoha."
"The Land of Rivers, Black Kiln Valley. I need you to go there and help me build a factory. A ceramic ninja tool factory."
"I'm currently restricted from leaving the village and can't go there myself. So I need someone to do this for me."
"That's a war zone. Your black-armored guards and the desperados you've recruited are perfect for that."
This is the first ninja tool factory in the ninja world to target Magnet Release. Its profits and strategic significance are immeasurable.
"besides."
Sosuke added.
"Besides building the factory, there's one more thing you need to do."
"Acquisition".
"The village's Tenten Ninja Tool Shop belongs to me, but the supply pressure is too great right now. I need you to take the money and buy up all the ninja tool workshops and blacksmith shops in the Land of Fire that you can, or invest in them."
"I want to build a massive supply chain."
The audience was thrilled.
He transformed from a gangster boss being chased by debt collectors into an agent for an arms factory.
The leap was too great, so great that it made him dizzy.
"Yes, boss!"
He bowed deeply to the person, his forehead touching the table.
"The Black Tooth Gang—no, the Kazuto—is sworn to serve you to the death."
"Oh, right, there's one more person."
Sosuke suddenly remembered something.
"That formulator."
"Huh?" Kazuto paused, taken aback. "You mean that guy who makes fake purified water with lime water and indigo root?"
"Yes, that's him. What's his name?"
"His name is A-Tu, and he's a down-on-his-luck pharmacist."
"Give him to me. Let him come to the Kikyo Pavilion."
Some people don't understand.
"Boss, that guy might have a bit of a knack for crooked things, but he's only good at making fake medicine; it's nothing serious. What do you need him for?"
"I need an assistant."
Sosuke thought of Chiba, who was busy running around in the basement.
Chiba is a genius, but he is too young and there is only one of him.
While taking care of Xiyan's treatment, she also had to conduct various complex cell experiments.
He was exhausted.
The basic work of cleaning test tubes, grinding medicine powder, and disposing of waste was a complete waste of Chiba's time.
"That Ah Tu, since he can make fake medicine look exactly like the real thing, it means he is very sensitive to the properties of the ingredients and has a very steady hand."
"Make him his assistant. He'll be responsible for odd jobs and basic setup."
"Tell him that if he does well, I won't treat him unfairly. But if he dares to slack off or leak information—"
Sosuke's eyes turned cold.
"I'll use him as experimental material."
"Understood!" He shuddered. "I'll have someone bring him over right away. I'll teach him a lesson."
Back to the Kikyo Pavilion.
basement.
Chiba was taking a nap, his head resting on the table, a dropper still clutched in his hand. He was exhausted.
Chiba.
Sosuke tapped the table lightly.
-
Chiba suddenly woke up and adjusted his crooked glasses.
"Mr. Sosuke—I'm sorry, I fell asleep."
95
"No need to apologize. You've done enough."
Sosuke pointed behind him.
A thin man was standing at the door; it was none other than the "master of imitation," A-Tu.
"This is the assistant I found for you, his name is Atu."
"An assistant?" Chiba looked Atu up and down.
"He is a skilled worker in preparing medicine solutions and controlling dosages."
Sosuke patted Atu on the shoulder.
"From now on, all the time-consuming tasks like washing bottles, slicing, and purifying basic drug solutions will be handed over to him."
"You should focus on your core research."
Atu looked at the six-year-old child and the jars of strange creature specimens around him, and his legs started to cramp.
This place is even more terrifying than the Black Tooth Gang.
"Greetings, Lord Chiba—" Atu bowed. "I can wash bottles, and I'll wash them very clean—"
Chiba's eyes lit up.
Having someone do the odd jobs means he can devote all his energy to his main research.
"Great. There's a bunch of used culture dishes over there, covered in the active cell fluid of the Kaguya clan. They're hard to wash off, so I'll just give them to him."
Chiba pointed to the water tank.
Atu immediately rolled up his sleeves and started working.
Sosuke nodded in satisfaction.
He returned to the hall and had barely sat down when Takaya Jiro arrived.
The fat man looked anxious, his previous high spirits gone.
"Sousuke—I can't take this anymore."
"What's wrong, Uncle?"
Sosuke poured him a glass of water.
"Selling clean water to the village at cost price, our profit margin is as thin as paper. If this continues, the chamber of commerce's cash flow will dry up."
"Furthermore, we must not reduce the Uchiha's share of the profits—that's our safeguard."
The fat man was so anxious he was pacing around in circles.
Without profits, they can't maintain their relationship with the Uchiha clan. Without the Uchiha's protection, the trading company is just easy prey. At that point, bandits, ronin, and wandering ninjas will rob their goods, and even the village's authorities will come to extort them.
This is an endless loop.
"Don't rush."
Sosuke remained calm.
"Uncle, I've already made up my mind."
"I promised Konoha that I would supply them at cost price. But I did not promise to supply them only to Konoha."
Takaya Jiro was taken aback.
"you mean----"
"Sell clean water to other countries. The land of rain, the land of grass, the land of water dams—even the warriors of the land of iron."
"The war has begun, and it's not just the Konoha ninja who are suffering."
"We need to establish two lines. One is for Konoha, not for making money, but for gaining fame. The other is for other countries, to continue making huge profits."
Takaya Jiro's eyes lit up.
"But—if we sell it to an enemy country, won't that be considered aiding the enemy?"
"Even during wartime, commerce is free. And as long as it's not sold directly from us, who can say it's aiding the enemy?"
Sousuke sneered.
"The black market is a good thing. We can distribute goods on the black market and we can't control who buys them."
"Okay! I'll go arrange the distribution channels right away!"
"I have existing channels at my disposal."
"Oh?" The fat man was surprised, not expecting Sosuke to have expanded the channels himself.
"The man from the Black Tooth Gang is now one of my men. Go find him and have his people distribute the goods on the black market, but don't use the name of the Takaya Trading Company."
"Understood, understood!"
The fat man nodded repeatedly.
After finishing their business, Takaya Jiro took a sip of water, his expression becoming somewhat mysterious.
"Oh, right, Sousuke, there's one more thing."
"What?"
"About money. The currency has appreciated again."
"Compared to before the war, the purchasing power of the Fire Kingdom's currency has increased by a full 40%!"
Sosuke's expression turned serious.
The Land of Fire is rich in resources. Other countries must use the Land of Fire's currency to buy things from it.
The currency appreciated by 40%. That's a terrifying number.
This means that the Land of Fire is using economic means to plunder the wealth of other countries.
"Other countries are going crazy."
"Takaya Jiro said in a low voice."
"I've heard that the daimyo of the Land of Lightning is furious. This is because much of the grain imported by the Land of Lightning passes through the trade routes of the Land of Fire."
"This appreciation caused the fiscal budget of the Land of Lightning to collapse directly."
"so----"
"The Cloud Village, those barbarians from the Land of Lightning, have reportedly decided to officially join the war."
"This time, they're not after territory; they're after the exchange rate in the Land of Fire."
"As for the Land of Water—"
"That area is still closed off. However, if the Land of Fire continues to play these games and pushes the whole world to its limits, the Hidden Mist Village might not be able to resist taking action."
Sosuke nodded.
This is consistent with his previous speculation.
The Third Shinobi World War broke out ahead of schedule, not because of the butterfly effect caused by his arrival.
The essence of this war is economics.
The so-called hatred and forbearance are nothing more than a fig leaf used by the upper class to cover up economic plunder.
Currency appreciation leads to resource plunder.
This is the truth behind the Third Shinobi World War.
"It seems the situation is about to get even more chaotic."
Sosuke looked out the window at the night scene.
"Hidden Clouds Enter—"
"Very well. I'm currently trapped in Konoha, and I need chaos to create an opportunity—"
"Uncle, go and prepare the supplies. Besides clean water, the demand for wound medicine and bandages will double."
.
"clear!"
After seeing Takaya Jiro off, Sousuke sat alone in the hall.
"The situation is dangerous, but it's in my favor. This shows that Konoha is even more dependent on my clean water supply—"
Perhaps his house arrest will be lifted soon.