Chapter 166: Kakuzu Joins the Force
"Drive out these slave traders!"
With Sasuke's approval, the Konoha Hundred were unfazed by the traders trying to steal their wives and immediately drove them out of their camp. If it weren't for the strict military discipline of the Konoha Hundred and their love-struck delirium, many would have undoubtedly secretly attacked these traders.
Compared to the mistreatment of the slave traders, the gold merchants from the black market received much better treatment.
To avoid suspicion and future trouble, Sasuke delegated the sale of the loot to Ryo, with the help of the Konoha Hundred, members of the Konoha clan from the small ninja clan. All the proceeds, in addition to the rewards, were used to resettle the disaster victims of the River Country.
Demonstrating his selflessness and dedication to the people, Sasuke publicly donated all the confiscated goods. Seeing their leader act in this way, the Konoha Hundred generously donated a significant amount.
Sasuke never managed this huge donation, but assigned it to Shun. He also assigned officers from the Konoha Hundred to supervise and manage it, ensuring that every expense was documented and accounted for. The funds were divided into three main parts: a wedding gift for the Konoha Hundred and a place to help settle their father-in-law's family, thus alleviating the worries of the newlyweds; a loan to qualified people seeking to settle in Konoha; and the rest to buy food and supplies to meet the basic needs of the victims of the River Country.
To raise more funds, Sasuke even sold ninja corpses to gold merchants from the black market. While the valuable corpses were sacrificed to the undead sea monster, the large number of ordinary ninja remains was overwhelming. Even the corpses of Genin-level ninjas were worth tens of thousands of ryō each. Although the value of these corpses had been significantly reduced by the beheading sword, it still amounted to tens of millions of ryō.
After distributing most of the merit rewards to the Konoha Hundred, there was still a considerable portion left, which was used to resettle the disaster victims of the River Country, which was just barely enough. In addition, the Konoha Hundred married the daughters of the family and helped take care of the father-in-law's family, sharing a large part of the pressure. The disaster victims of the River Country were quickly resettled.
After the loot was almost divided, a bankrupt small businessman was too lazy to leave and even used tricks to pester him, which attracted Sasuke's attention. Sasuke was also very curious, so he met with this bold small businessman.
"Your name is Gatō, right?"
Sasuke asked, surprised. He didn't expect that the poor little businessman in front of him was actually the big businessman Gatō of later generations.
"Yes, my lord."
Gatō was extremely respectful at this time, almost on his knees.
"Gatō, I heard that you are very courageous. As soon as you made some money, you dared to go out to sea to do big business, but ended up bankrupt."
"My lord, the sea trade has high profits and high risks. I just have bad luck. If you rent me a ship, I will be able to pay you back the principal and interest in a year, no, in just half a year." "
"Oh? You have nothing and no collateral, and you want me to rent you a ship with your sharp teeth?"
"My lord, the sea trade is really profitable."
Then, seeing that Sasuke was already furious and afraid for his life, Gatō hurriedly suggested, "My lord, you have such a large fleet that you can completely monopolize the entire sea trade of the Land of Waves. By then, the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of the entire Land of Waves will be up to you."
"That's a good idea. Then you can help me draw up a business plan. If you satisfy me, I will reward you handsomely."
"Yes, my lord."
Gatō wiped away his cold sweat. After learning that Sasuke was going to accept his proposal, he was immediately motivated. This was a great opportunity to escape from bankruptcy. As long as this big shot was on the list, it would not be difficult to make a comeback.
Even without Gatō's suggestion, Sasuke also had the idea of establishing a sea trade company. It would be a pity to sell these ocean-going ships, but if a sea trade company was established, with the influence of the Konoha Hundred, it would not be safe. If someone could master the Flying Thunder God Technique and travel quickly between the two countries, it would be possible to solve the problem of the lack of military force for the sea trade company. As for business talent, Gatō was a good candidate.
Gatō's bankruptcy was just bad luck. The sea trade is very lucrative and naturally very risky. Gatō's lack of foundation and the low cost of trial and error led to his bankruptcy. His abilities are still reliable. After all, by the time of Naruto and Sasuke, he had become a tycoon in the ninja world, a testament to Gatō's extraordinary abilities. As for his character, as long as he controlled the power of force, Gatō would be at his fingertips.
Just as Sasuke was considering how to establish a sea trade company, he discovered that a vigilant shadow clone had been quietly killed.
"Oh no! It's so prominent that it has even provoked Kakuzu!"
Sasuke was stunned, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Absorbing the memories of the shadow clone, he immediately identified the person as Kakuzu, the top bounty hunter in the ninja world. Sasuke quickly summoned Might Duy as a precaution. Seeing that his assassination attempt had failed, Kakuzu gave up hiding and tried to kill Sasuke.
"White-Blooded Demon, worth 30 million ryō!"
Kakuzu took out a bounty order and compared it again.
Faced with a Kage-level power, Sasuke would not be complacent. He quickly ordered Samehada to channel chakra, quickly releasing nine mecha puppets, five of which were even equipped with ninja swords, with the combat power of an elite jōnin.
"Gate of Shock! Open!"
Although Might Duy was not using his full strength, he managed to open the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu to the sixth.
Sasuke's original form also unleashed a powerful attack, merging with Samehada, amplifying his own strength to the maximum.
"Indeed, he has great growth potential. I'll come back to harvest him later."
Seeing that Sasuke's current strength far exceeded the intelligence expectations, Kakuzu unexpectedly gave up the bounty mission, hoping to wait for Sasuke's bounty to increase.
"Kakuzu, wait."
Seeing that Kakuzu was about to leave, Sasuke immediately stopped him, wanting to talk further.
...
After a friendly exchange, the two men unexpectedly became friends.
Kakuzu bargained even harder, saying, "No, I want at least a 20% stake."
"Kakuzu, the fleet is mine, and I am the one who provided the funding and the management team. If we monopolize the entire sea trade of the Land of Waves, the monthly profit will be at least hundreds of millions of ryō. You are only responsible for security, and you still ask for 20%? Isn't that a bit greedy?" "
"Who said I'm only responsible for security? I can also handle the company's finances. With me, there will not be a single financial mistake."
"Alright, I'll give you 20%, Kakuzu. Don't disappoint me."
Sasuke feigned reluctance, but was overjoyed inside. He was a Kage-level fighter; even doubling his salary would not be too much.
"Boss, I won't disappoint you."
Kakuzu, who was money-minded, immediately became respectful, with extremely polite manners. By this time, Kakuzu had already begun to calculate. Just monopolizing the trade of the Land of Waves would bring him hundreds of millions of ryō in annual dividends. If he could expand to more neighboring countries, the resulting wealth would be immense. It seems that no matter how many bounty missions I complete, I can never earn as much as from business.
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