71: Chapter 71 Money Paves the WayThe capital of the Land of Fields, Daimyofu, still retains the luxury and languor unique to the aristocratic class.
Kabuto Yakushi, dressed in an elegantly tailored and exquisitely made formal suit, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose and a refined smile on his lips, stepped alone into the reception hall of the Daimyo's mansion.
He carried no weapon, only a rather heavy-looking black briefcase.
The daimyo of the land of fields was a pampered middle-aged man with a somewhat arrogant look in his eyes.
He sat high in the main seat, flanked by several powerful guardian ninjas, their eyes fixed on Kabuto who had come alone.
"Yakushi Kabuto?"
The daimyo spoke slowly, with a condescending mockery, "I heard you're.from that Apocalypse Merchant Guild?Orochimaru's dead, and Sound Village is in chaos.What are you doing here?"
His tone was clearly impatient.
How dare someone who came from a rogue ninja background sit down and discuss things with him?
The smile on his face remained unchanged.He bowed slightly and performed an impeccable greeting: "Your Excellency, I have come here to help the Kingdom of Tanoku resolve its current predicament."
"A predicament?What a joke!" The daimyo scoffed."What predicament could my Land of Fields possibly have?"
"First," Kabuto said, extending his first finger, his tone steady, "the Sound Village is out of control, with a large number of unruly rogue ninja and dangerous experimental subjects emerging within its borders.This is an internal problem."
He paused, ignoring the daimyo's grim expression, and held up his second finger: "Secondly, major ninja villages like Kumogakure and Iwagakure are eyeing us covetously.Under the guise of 'extermination,' their troops have crossed the border multiple times, treating the Land of Fields as nothing.This is an external threat."
"Third," Kabuto lowered his voice, "according to our reliable intelligence, Akatsuki members are also active in the vicinity."
"This organization is extremely vicious and has grand ambitions.If it takes advantage of the chaos to create trouble within your country, I'm afraid.Tianzhiguo will be gone."
With each word he spoke, the lord's face grew even darker and more ashen.
These are facts, and the root of his sleepless nights.
"Hmph!Alarmist!" Daming forced himself to remain calm and slapped the armrest.
Even so, my country of Tian has its own laws and regulations, and we have no need for outsiders to interfere!Especially not a merchant guild of your dubious origins!
"Of dubious origin?" Dou smiled and gently placed the black briefcase on the floor with a dull thud.
He gracefully opened the latches and lifted the lid.
In an instant, the entire hall seemed to be enveloped in a precious light!
The box was not filled with documents, but with a whole box of glittering gold and jewelry!
That sheer wealth almost dazzled everyone!
"This is just a small token of our association president's appreciation, nothing more."
Kabuto's tone remained slow and deliberate, as if he were only throwing out a box of stones."The aim is to help Your Majesty stabilize the domestic situation and appease the refugees."
Daimyo's breathing became heavy instantly, his eyes fixed on the box of treasure, and his throat involuntarily gurgled.
The ninjas guarding him were momentarily distracted.
As the briefcase was closed, the alluring golden light vanished instantly, leaving everyone in the hall with a strange sense of loss.
He adjusted his glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses sharpened.
"Of course, if Your Excellency believes that the strength of the Land of Fields alone is sufficient to deal with this, then I shall take my leave."
He made a move to leave.
"Wait!" Daimyo hurriedly called out, his tone softening considerably."You.how does your chamber of commerce intend to 'help' me?"
Turning around, his smile softened again: "It's very simple.The Apocalypse Chamber of Commerce wishes to establish a branch in the Land of Fields to assist your country in clearing out dangerous elements within its borders, rebuilding border order, and conducting normal business operations."
"The Chamber of Commerce promises that it will never conduct any illegal human experiments or activities that endanger the security of the Land of Rice within its territory."
He offered a bait, but also made the Chamber of Commerce's bottom line clear.
Daming's eyes flickered; he was clearly tempted.
It solves the problem, gets the money, and brings in a seemingly law-abiding but powerful outside help.
"Words are meaningless!" one of the guardian ninjas shouted."Why should we believe you?"
Kabuto looked at the guardian ninja and said calmly, "Just because.we were able to make Lord Tessū force back the Cloud Village and Iwa Village ninjas with a single sword strike."
"With our guild leader alone, we can make the Akatsuki organization return empty-handed in Sunagakure."
His voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone present jump!
The guardian ninja who spoke up turned pale and subconsciously took a half step back.
The daimyo trembled, and his gaze toward Kabuto completely changed, his arrogance instantly turning into clarity.
Kabuto said no more, simply watching the Daimyo and waiting for his decision.
The pressure was palpable, enveloping the entire hall.
Da Ming's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his fingers tapped nervously on the armrest.
He glanced at the box of gold, then thought about the mess in Otogakure and the menacing neighboring country.
Finally, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a long sigh: ".The specific terms will be discussed with you by my ministers, but.the Chamber of Commerce must keep its promises!"
The smile on his face became a little more sincere, and he bowed again: "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you, Your Excellency."
That afternoon, the news of Yakushi Kabuto, the Tianzhi Chamber of Commerce's dispatched representative from the Country of Fields, officially settling in the capital of the Country of Fields, and the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce's branch spread like wildfire.
The Land of Waves, headquarters of the Apocalypse Chamber of Commerce.
Naruto listened to Hibari's report and was so happy that his executive chair spun around.
"Well done!Kabuto.he's really capable of handling things on his own!"
He snapped his fingers."Shizune-nee, approve a special bonus for Kabuto!Also allocate some funds to make the Tianguo branch look more impressive!"
Shizune, holding Tuntun, reluctantly wrote in her notebook: "Yes, President."
She's become somewhat numb to Naruto's way of spending money.
Just then, Shuiyue rushed in excitedly, waving an intelligence scroll in her hand: "President!""Guild Master!We have news!Explosive Blade - Spray!"
It's in the hands of a black market dealer south of the Land of Waves!That old bastard's keeping it like a family heirloom, refusing to sell it no matter what!
Naruto raised an eyebrow: "Not selling?How much is he asking?"
Shuiyue pouted: "He doesn't want money, he said he wants.something that can prolong life."
"Prolong life?" Naruto stroked his chin, his eyes darting around, and a slightly sly smile appeared on his face."Isn't that simple?Didn't Tsunade recently improve a powerful soldier's ration pill?"
"I remember that stuff could make you feel energized for several hours.The side effect was that it would deplete your energy, but you would feel better after a good night's sleep."
He looked at Shuiyue: "Go to the medical department and ask Xiaoying for a few of those pills.Package them up nicely and say they're 'Dragon and Tiger Strengthening Bone Pills,' which are priceless!Go and trade them with that black market merchant!"
Shuiyue's eyes lit up: "This.will this work?"
Naruto argued confidently, "Why not?It makes me energetic, which looks like it will prolong my life!"
Shuiyue was stunned, then gave a thumbs up: "Brilliant!President, absolutely brilliant!I'll get on it right away!"
A few days later, Shuiyue successfully returned to the Chamber of Commerce, carrying a long, thin object wrapped in thick strips of cloth and grinning widely.
When he tore open the cloth strip, revealing the grotesque-looking broadsword covered with engravings of explosive tags, the entire armed forces department turned their heads in surprise.
"Hahaha!Exploding Blade - Spray!It's finally mine!"
Shuiyue stroked the blade with great affection, so excited that she almost demonstrated a few moves on the spot.
Naruto was also startled.He came over, took a look, and nodded: "Not bad, not bad, it looks pretty intimidating."
"Work hard, and when the opportunity arises, I'll get you the other knives!"
Shuiyue repeatedly assured, "President, don't worry!From now on, I'll do whatever you tell me!I'll absolutely not bring shame to the Chamber of Commerce!"
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