After leaving Sakumo Hatake's base in Yugakure, Reiji made his way to the outskirts of the village.
He formed a few quick hand seals and released a dozen or so Shadow Clones, then waved his hand decisively. The clones immediately got to work digging.
In a place as commercially booming as this, how could it not have an underground base?
Reiji had fully prepared to take a page from Aunt Snake's playbook—no wait, with her age, maybe she should be called Sister Snake now.
Inspired by Snake Sister's "dig wherever you go" philosophy, Reiji planned to leave his mark across the entire ninja world, true digging school style.
Of course, that was just the first step in his grand business vision.
He had a whole plan lined up—leveraging assets, raising pigs, and practicing microeconomic control.
And he wasn't lying to Sakumo Hatake—his end goal really was world peace.
Step one: Launch widespread attacks on iron mines, hoard iron ore like mad, and raise the cost of warfare.
Step two: Set up a real estate company in Konoha. Build homes, mortgage them to borrow money from the Land of Fire's Daimyō, then use those funds to build even more homes. Make a killing, bring in major Konoha clans as investors, and dilute his own shares.
Step three: Under the real estate company, establish an insurance company. On the surface, it would offer various commercial policies to shinobi—pension plans for post-40 life and more—to drive up the cost of dying and reduce the death rate.
Behind the scenes, it would provide home damage insurance, with sky-high premiums. All the homes Reiji built in Konoha would be covered. The money? Shifted from left hand to right.
Then he'd just wait for the Nine-Tails attack to hit Konoha and wreak havoc. With the resulting high payouts on insurance claims, he'd bleed the clan investors dry.
He'd use that money to compensate the civilian shinobi, achieving wealth redistribution and equalization.
When it was all over, he'd install a puppet agent to keep the cycle going. And when Nagato launched his attack on Konoha, he'd take one last gulp from the clans' remaining assets.
At that point, if the big clans didn't fall in line, he'd have every reason to crush them!
Hehe~
Subarashii!
I'm a damn genius!
Reiji gave himself a pat on the shoulder in encouragement.
All that revenge talk, caged birds, power struggles…
It all boiled down to one thing—money!
Once their wallets were emptier than their pride, they'd be mining like good little workers, not a peep out of them.
Strolling cheerfully through the streets of Yugakure, Reiji felt unstoppable.
As he wandered aimlessly, he found himself drawn—unconsciously—toward the lively, bustling red light district.
Staring at the grand and flashy entrance, Reiji frowned, putting on a solemn expression as he muttered to himself,
"I really have no interest in stepping into a filthy place like this...
But Mizukuma-sensei always said: stay true to your convictions, and you'll see your true self."
Hmm...
"Fine, let's call it intel gathering~"
With that, Reiji tilted his hips and sashayed into the main attraction of the red light district with a sleazy grin on his face.
Inside, the girls welcomed him enthusiastically and led him into a wide, lavish hall.
The place was packed, laughter and flirtation echoing from all corners. Reiji took a deep breath of the sultry perfume hanging in the air and smiled in delight.
What a place! Perfect for testing one's resolve!
Just then, a familiar figure caught his eye.
Captain Ryūto!
The moment Reiji spotted Ryūto, the man turned and locked eyes with him.
Instantly, both their pervy smiles froze.
Without thinking, they both glanced away in opposite directions, pretending not to recognize each other.
Thankfully, the Land of Lightning produced plenty of dark-skinned people—so blushing wasn't so obvious.
Casually shifting his gaze, Reiji couldn't help but give himself a silent thumbs-up.
Captain Ryūto, you sly bastard. That calm, nothing-happened look? Very on-brand for a ninja!
Soon enough, the night slipped by without incident—or at least, none that got censored.
The next morning, Reiji yawned his way out the back door and onto the street.
After a full day of intel gathering, the four of them regrouped in their cheap, rundown inn room by evening.
They sat around a low table as Captain Ryūto, looking serious, began speaking in a solemn tone.
"Everyone got their intel?"
Reiji and the others nodded.
Ryūto gave a satisfied nod in return. "Good."
"Then I'll start with mine. Yui, you handle the notes."
He pulled out a blank scroll from inside his coat and laid it in front of Yui.
"The intel I gathered is mainly about Konoha.
First, there's been a reform to their master-apprentice system. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, changed the long-standing two-sensei, six-student model to a new one: one sensei with three students.
It's also rumored that Hiruzen Sarutobi plans to take on students himself!
Second, the village is paying close attention to Konoha's younger generation.
At the Konoha Ninja Academy, there's a kid named Orochimaru. He's reportedly from a civilian background, but his abilities stand out across the board. A lot of people are calling him a 'genius.'"
When he said "genius," Ryūto's voice held a faint sneer.
Watching Ryūto speak so seriously and confidently, Reiji couldn't help but cover his eyes.
This guy definitely gathered all that intel before heading into the red light district.
Anyone with half a brain would know kabuki girls don't exactly sit around chatting about academy reforms and rising prodigies.
Even if they did know, they sure as hell wouldn't bring it up during business time.
Reiji couldn't stop his brain from conjuring an image.
Ryūto, leering and tipsy, women in both arms, and one of them goes:
"Sir, you're amazing! Oh, and by the way, there's this genius in Konoha—way better than you."
Just imagining it made Reiji's toes curl with secondhand embarrassment.
Still, thinking back to the intel he'd collected, Reiji suddenly felt... a little underwhelmed.
Soon after, Kohaku and Yui took turns reporting their findings—mostly about nearby villages and their movements.
When they were done, all three turned to look at Reiji.
He felt a wave of guilt wash over him but kept his expression calm as he slowly began.
"Ahem...
So, recently... the price of pig iron in the Land of Iron has risen by 8%, and exports have dropped by 10%.
Uh... the Daimyō of the Land of Fire issued an order adjusting the exchange rate with the Land of Lightning—from 1:1.1 to 1:1.2.
Due to ongoing wars, the crop seed market's become unstable. Prices across all crop types have risen sharply.
The Land of Rice Fields signed a live pig supply agreement with Konoha;
And the Land of Wind has lowered the bounty station's mercenary rates."
Reiji let out a long sigh and looked around at his teammates.
The three of them stared back at him, faces dark as burnt pots.
What... is with this guy's intel style?!
I get every word he says, but when it's all together... I don't get it at all!
What the hell kind of info is this?!
Ryūto, meanwhile, had completely collapsed onto the floor, eyes lifeless as he stared blankly at the ceiling and muttered,
"Raikage-sama... can I return this one?"