Walking down the bustling streets of Konoha, Feng Huo's mood was far from cheerful.
"Really, the higher the initial investment, the greater the later harvest," he muttered to himself.
As head of the Feng Huo family, he didn't worry much about the rising prices of firewood, rice, oil, and salt—after all, unlike families like the Zhuludie, he wasn't under constant financial pressure. Even before the newspaper had turned a profit, Feng Huo had already repaid the one million ryō debt owed to Yuhi Zhenhong, a debt from the pharmacist Nonoyu. That money was saved to be returned directly when they met next.
The transfer of public funds was as swift and silent as a lightning strike.
"Huh? Is it because I paid back Uncle Zhenhong's money that they're coming to my door?" Feng Huo wondered, his worries about the newspaper's fate deepening.
"Hey, I'm still too young for this. Should have expected it'd take longer. Lesson learned."
"And Jiraiya… that guy's novel really took off. Such a pity!" Feng Huo sighed. The manuscript fees kept getting delayed, even though Jiraiya ran all the way to Mount Myoboku to tell tales of the Toad Sages.
Fortunately, Feng Huo had plenty of stories himself and could handle any situation with ease. Why should he worry?
He strolled toward a small wine shop tucked away on a quieter street. Business was slow here. The owner, a plump middle-aged man, sat outside leisurely reading a newspaper.
Feng Huo frowned but smiled and approached: "Boss? I—"
"Huh?" The owner looked up, smiling politely. "Not for sale."
"I..." Feng Huo hesitated.
"No matter how badly my wine sells, I won't sell to kids," the fat boss said firmly. "It's in the papers that minors shouldn't drink. We've got to stand by that!"
Feng Huo forced a dry smile, half-heartedly replying, "Boss, I have a way to boost your wine sales!"
The fat boss snorted. "I won't sell it to you, no matter what."
Feng Huo's eye twitched. No way to reason with him.
Just as Feng Huo was about to show his ninja license, a loud barking erupted from the alley, and a woman riding a big dog charged toward him.
It was Inuzuka Claw!
"Little devil, you think you can escape?" she snarled.
Soon after, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Kaiichi, Nara Shikahisa, Yume Shiya, and others arrived, surrounding Feng Huo.
The fat boss nervously protested, "Guys, I didn't sell him any wine! I'm a serious businessman!"
"Uchiha Feng Huo, pay back the money!" the crowd shouted.
"Pay back the money!"
"My money was lost because of your newspaper! Pay me back!" Qiu Dao Ding Zuo, looking thinner than before, shouted.
Even Inuzuka Claw's dog whimpered—apparently, its meat and bone money was also invested in the newspaper.
"This is serious! I'm just trying to find a way to make money!" Feng Huo broke into a cold sweat.
The crowd looked doubtful.
"Advertising, advertising!" Feng Huo quickly explained. "Now that the newspaper's sales have stabilized and we dominate the market, we can sell ads and make profits right away!"
They'd heard such excuses before and were immune to his rhetoric.
"Fine, then sell your ads! We'll watch you do it!" Qiu Dao Ding Zuo spat, full of resentment. "Don't even think about running!"
Everyone stared him down. Feng Huo felt embarrassed but forced himself to negotiate with the wine shop owner.
"This is my ninja ID. I'm the vice president of the Konoha Galewind Newspaper," Feng Huo said, handing over his ninja certificate.
The fat boss eyed it suspiciously. "Even so, I won't sell you wine!"
How persistent was this kid? Feng Huo almost dropped to his knees.
After a long explanation, the fat boss finally saw the benefit of advertising in the newspaper.
"So, if your wine shop is advertised in our paper, hundreds of thousands in the village will know about it the next day. How many customers will that bring? And all you pay is a small ad fee. Doesn't that sound worth it?" Feng Huo persuaded.
The wine shop owner nodded thoughtfully, then decided: "Alright, I'll pay 10,000 ryō for the ad!"
Ten thousand ryō—equivalent to a thousand newspapers printed! Feng Huo's mouth twitched.
"Don't overdo it!" the fat boss said, sounding principled. "I won't take advantage of you!"
Pfft! Such shamelessness! Feng Huo sighed; his fortunes seemed to worsen by the day.
"Boss… it's a deal!" Feng Huo said firmly.
It was his first time selling an ad, and he didn't want to ask for too much. He wanted to wait for results.
After paying, the fat boss eagerly cleaned his shop, preparing for the customers sure to arrive the next day.
"Feng Huo, one ad costs 10,000 ryō? How many do we need to sell to cover our losses?" Yamanaka Kai rubbed his head, speechless.
Akimichi Dingza looked ready to explode, but Nara Shikahisa spoke calmly:
"It's fine to start cheap. The key is the ad's effect. If the paper boosts wine sales tomorrow, we can raise the ad fee."
Feng Huo gave her a thumbs-up.
"Right! And I'll pay all of you back soon."
"No need to mention repayment," Nara Shikahisa added proudly. "Just treat it as an investment in our newspaper and share the profits as dividends."
A bolt from the blue! Feng Huo immediately knelt down.
Yamanaka Kai glanced at Nara and then told Feng Huo, "My family's money is the same."
"Same with your sister!"
The others exchanged blank looks. They had been friends for years and knew Nara's high IQ well. Before leaving, several families had told them to respect Nara's leadership—so it was no surprise they'd rather see dividends than repayment.
Feng Huo felt like he was at a funeral. He wanted to refuse but couldn't — this place was too isolated, and with so many people and even a big dog around...
Back home, Feng Huo personally placed the wine shop's ad prominently on the front page of the newspaper.
The next day, the papers sold out quickly, and the wine shop caught the attention of thousands of households.
Some customers nearby came to check it out. Though only a fraction bought wine at first, business was already seven or eight times better than before!
At night, business improved even more!
The owner's grin stretched wide—10,000 ryō for the ad was worth every coin.
"Well, it's decided—I'll buy ads from you in the future!"
Meanwhile, other merchants noticed the booming wine shop and felt uneasy.
Hearing about the wine shop's success, many rushed to the Konoha Newspaper office.
But Feng Huo was nowhere to be found.
Over the next two days, the wine shop's sales continued to climb, making the merchants anxious.
The newspaper was published every three days, with the next edition scheduled for tonight. If they didn't secure ad space soon, how much money would they lose?
Hurry up!
Visit patreon.com/Morgansenpai to get 30+ chapters