Those temptation-laced words made the old men unconsciously swallow against their dry throats.
That enormous population of smokers, in their eyes now, had already turned into crisp, gleaming stacks of cash.
"Kangetsu, are you confident?" the Third asked, his voice hoarse as he forced himself back to reality—asking the one thing that mattered most.
"…Hokage-sama, you know how it is. When it comes to business, I can only say I'll try."
The same familiar line.
Last time he'd also said he wasn't sure—only that he'd "try."
And with that one try, he'd produced a profit chain equal to Konoha's overall revenue.
So the moment the Third heard it again, his heart nearly melted from the heat.
"Good! I—"
"Good!! I'll put up everything I own right now!"
Danzo cut in first, shamelessly grabbing the spotlight.
"Don't worry, Kangetsu! Go do business boldly—this old man will back you up!"
"Everything I own" was nonsense. He meant liquid cash.
The money could disappear, but his cut of the clothing industry was still there.
Still, the attitude of "full support" had to be shown.
The Third narrowed his eyes and glanced at Danzo.
This old buddy of his was getting more and more jumpy lately…
What, now you want to poach my Sarutobi Hiruzen's man?
"Kangetsu, just go for it. I will always be your strongest support."
With the Third's statement on the table, Homura and the others refused to be outdone.
They needed to show attitude.
And they needed their cut even more.
This time, they wanted the biggest share.
They'd already been unhappy that Ino–Shika–Cho had gotten a seat at the clothing table.
What rank were Ino–Shika–Cho, anyway?
They thought they deserved to eat at the same table?
But there was still a problem.
"Kangetsu," the Third said casually, as if it were a passing remark, "does the farmland you want to cultivate really have to be Uchiha land?"
Kangetsu understood instantly.
He only gave a "bitter smile" and pointed at the map.
"Hokage-sama… there's no land. The land belonging to each of you has its own uses. I can't exactly…"
Got it.
The Third understood in a flash.
He took an awkward drag from his pipe.
Right…
All the land was in the hands of Konoha's upper crust. Even a capable cook couldn't make rice without grain.
So the only option was to set his sights on the Uchiha.
After all, the Uchiha truly did have a lot of land, and it truly was suitable for cultivation.
The old men exchanged looks.
Each one saw the same thought in the other's eyes.
They couldn't let it be cultivated on Uchiha land.
With profits this huge, how could they let the "born-evil Uchiha" stick their hands in?
Kangetsu was being considerate, not taking leadership land.
But if they wanted the biggest share, then lending some land wasn't impossible.
"Well then, Kangetsu," the Third said, pointing at a section of the Land of Fire on the map and circling it. "How about this? We allocate this area to you for business."
"It's enough. At least enough to roll the market out."
The Third's circle was… carefully chosen.
Sarutobi land, Shimura land, Mitokado land, and Utatane land—all of it was inside the ring.
The smoker profits? They clearly intended not to leak even a drop.
"Ahem. Hokage-sama," Kangetsu said, "since I'll be starting a new business… could you assign someone to take over the clothing industry?"
"I really can't manage it all."
That…
That single sentence left every old man in the room stunned.
What?
You want me to lose my pants?
Absolutely not!
In this village, only Kangetsu knew how to do business. Everyone else was a complete idiot.
Hadn't Danzo and the Uchiha already provided perfect cautionary tales?
Danzo, especially, visibly shook.
The memory of creditors blocking his door was still fresh.
Again?
Just kill me now…
The Third didn't hesitate at all. With a sharp smack, he slammed a scroll onto the desk—Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
His expression was deadly serious. He grabbed Kangetsu's hand and refused to let go.
"Kangetsu, you can't think like that!"
"The capable do more work!"
"Here. We've prepared Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu for you. Make do with this for now."
"Exactly, Kangetsu," Danzo chimed in immediately. "You know we're old. We don't understand business."
"Let you handle it—we'll be at ease."
"Kangetsu, bear with us. If anyone wants to take over, they can come tell us themselves!"
And then they'd hammer those bastards to death.
You think you can make money, so you want to take over?
The old men suspected last time's losses were already the limit.
If it happened again, the clothing industry would probably collapse completely.
After all, they'd heard that business relied on one thing above all else:
Credibility.
Lose money again and again, and the reputation was gone. The business not collapsing would be the strange outcome.
So absolutely not.
After a long round of coaxing, they finally "persuaded" Kangetsu.
Danzo, once he relaxed, wiped a heavy streak of cold sweat off his brow.
Losing his pants last time still haunted him.
Right now, he only wanted to earn more money, win over more people, and climb into the Deputy Hokage seat.
He couldn't go and screw over his old buddy again…
The old men settled it: whoever had money put up money, whoever had land put up land.
They also finalized the profit-split structure.
Of course, it was only a preliminary draft—everything would depend on whether the tobacco business actually produced results.
Because they were wary too.
Just because the clothing industry made money didn't mean tobacco would.
They had to watch first.
The Uchiha also quieted down.
Right now the Uchiha were split into three parts.
Konoha's leadership looked at it and felt genuinely refreshed.
Yes.
That's right.
This was how it should be.
An internally divided Uchiha was a good Uchiha.
The old men practically went every day just to listen to the Uchiha screaming at each other.
Today you call me an old fossil.
Tomorrow I call you a young punk who needs to "reflect."
Comforting.
Other small families and minor clans didn't understand it at all.
But the Uchiha's situation truly did change.
At the very least, the leadership wasn't as guarded and wary of them anymore.
Meanwhile, Kangetsu worked on developing that Land of Fire plot and began pulling in scattered independent tobacco sellers.
He wasn't planning to wait until the fields grew tobacco to show results.
Because tobacco was something he wanted to monopolize.
At the end of the day, only the Land of Fire had the sheer territory and agricultural foundation for it.
Other villages, other countries—want to imitate it?
No chance.
And the profits in tobacco were far bigger than clothing.
...
Konoha.
A lot of clans began watching cautiously, rumors flowing in through back channels.
The cash god had started a new business again.
Would it earn?
Or would it lose?
That would decide whether they'd go all-in on the cash god going forward.
The Third and the councilors were also waiting, tense.
Kangetsu!
Show the village the limits of its one true top student!
(End of Chapter)
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