"Tobirama, that's enough. Why don't we stop here!"
"No!"
Uchiha Makoto didn't want to continue this boring and meaningless fight.
However, Senju Tobirama looked like he hadn't had enough, and the kunai in his hand swung faster and faster, even though he knew he was no match for Uchiha Makoto... But, just once, just to hit Uchiha Makoto once, Senju Tobirama would be very happy!
"Hmm... Tobirama, you're really petty. And have you forgotten the power of the Sharingan? Under my Sharingan, all of your movements are seen through."
Uchiha Makoto smiled and easily blocked Senju Tobirama's continuous attacks.
In such a small room, in a pure taijutsu battle, they had to restrain their strength as much as possible to avoid making too much noise and attracting attention.
This was a pure duel of skill.
The Uchiha clan's Sharingan possessed unparalleled dynamic vision, and it was least afraid of this kind of skill-based battle!
The two exchanged dozens more moves.
Senju Tobirama felt his arms becoming sore and weak, and his breathing inevitably began to grow heavy. This kind of high-intensity skill battle was extremely exhausting, and all of his moves had indeed been seen through by Uchiha Makoto, his attack intentions all falling flat.
But, even so...
Senju Tobirama was still stubborn.
So what if you have the Sharingan?
I've killed countless Uchiha clansmen like you!
"Hmph, the last Uchiha who spoke such big words to me was Uchiha Izuna... the grass on his grave is already three meters high."
"Why didn't you say that when Uchiha Madara was here? Everyone has their peak moment. Don't take a moment for eternity."
Uchiha Makoto dodged out of the battle circle and couldn't help but curl his lip.
This naturally evil old ghost of the Senju really couldn't forget Uchiha Izuna!
But he's still a coward!
He didn't dare to say a single word of that when Uchiha Madara was here... If he had, he would have been punished!
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
Senju Tobirama panted slightly, completely unfazed by Uchiha Makoto's taunt.
He really couldn't beat Uchiha Madara, but that was his brother's enemy. As long as his brother could win, that was enough!
Brother against brother!
Brother against brother!
And killing Uchiha Izuna, an Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan, was the most noteworthy achievement of his ninja career.
It was just that he usually had to consider "not saying things that are detrimental to unity," but facing Uchiha Makoto... what was there to avoid?
The two of them had been together for so long... in a way, they were being honest with each other.
The two, separated by a sofa, faced each other. Uchiha Makoto had long since stopped wanting to fight, but Senju Tobirama was still relentless.
There was no choice.
Uchiha Makoto had to take out a canning factory ledger from his pocket. He knew Senju Tobirama would be very interested.
"Tobirama, I brought you a new year's gift. Are you sure you don't want to take a look?"
A few seconds later...
Senju Tobirama finally put down the kunai in his hand, glared fiercely at Uchiha Makoto, then took the ledger from him and began to look through it carefully.
"Wow... is this for real..."
"This canning factory has only been open for a short time, but the turnover is already close to five hundred million ryō. At this rate, the annual income will be at least two billion ryō. After deducting all the costs, the profit is very considerable."
Senju Tobirama was amazed after reading the ledger. He had never imagined that the canning factory could be so profitable. He roughly calculated in his head. After deducting the costs and only counting the profit, Konoha could sit back and collect several hundred million ryō in income every year without doing anything.
This was a political achievement that could be greatly boasted about at a high-level meeting in Konoha. It was proof that the Senju faction's governance was making Konoha more and more prosperous... His decision back then was really correct. It was all his credit!
"That's not enough... Tobirama, the market is vast... The ninja world's economy will get better and better in the next few years. The wealth created in ten years of the industrial revolution can be comparable to the wealth created in the past one hundred years... And our goal is not just the Land of Fire. Akatsuki Village has business privileges in the Land of Lightning, and there are other small countries... I think you might as well be bolder. We must grow bigger and stronger, and sell the canning factory's products throughout the ninja world, striving to earn billions of ryō a year!"
Uchiha Makoto coaxed him. The grand principles he had told Senju Tobirama in the past were too empty, not as real as cold, hard cash. It was more persuasive to speak with money.
Although he actually really disliked Senju Tobirama...
But as a partner, he could indeed be called a very good one. The ninja world was so big, and there were too many cakes that could be shared with Konoha... There were too many people above the ninja's heads.
"Hmm... makes sense."
Senju Tobirama nodded. After swallowing another big, fragrant pie, he looked at Uchiha Makoto, and couldn't help but feel that this naturally evil Uchiha brat looked quite pleasing to the eye at this moment.
"Hey, but there are some things that our Konoha will not do with your Akatsuki Village, and we will always keep an eye on you."
"But what if some bad guys covet our business? Such a profitable business is very eye-catching. You know how greedy some people are."
"We can't just watch them ruin our business, can we?"
Uchiha Makoto smiled and said. As a business grows, there will definitely be competitors.
If it's a legitimate competitor, then let the product speak for itself.
But a ninja village was involved. The ninja now had both supernatural power and a technological advantage, making the cost extremely low.
The other major ninja villages were still engrossed in their traditional missions. Who in the ninja world could compete with them?
It was only those bastards who liked to play with privilege who had the opportunity to obtain improper benefits through illegitimate means... Such guys definitely needed to be dealt with.
"Hmm... then I can actually turn a blind eye sometimes."
"But... you can't be as outrageous as last time... My brother, he won't allow you to act recklessly!"
As expected...
Senju Tobirama once again chose to stand on his side.
After all, he wasn't a fool. Even a traditional ninja who sold his life doing missions did it for money!
Who doesn't like shiny gold coins?
"That's good, that's good... I'll restrain myself. After all, we're all here to make money."
"I don't want to get blood on my hands either. Harmony brings wealth!"
Uchiha Makoto looked at the lightning-fast change in Senju Tobirama's expression, and the smile on his face grew brighter. He still preferred Senju Tobirama's past rebellious attitude.
Feeling Uchiha Makoto's strange gaze, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but protest.
"Hmph, in the end, it's your Akatsuki Village that benefits the most."
"Your Konoha hasn't earned any less... I was the one who brought you along. You only have this opportunity because of me..."
"Alright, enough nonsense... let's get down to business."
Senju Tobirama coughed and immediately chose to skip this topic.
The two began an adult conversation.
Although there was a lot of cooperation between Akatsuki Village and Konoha, it was basically centered around traditional ninja missions.
Although there was an agreement on the mission ratio between Konoha and Akatsuki Village...
The reality was certainly not so simple.
For example, a client might specifically request a familiar ninja to perform the mission.
Also, the economic development between different regions of the Land of Fire was uneven. For missions of the same difficulty, the rewards were also different...
Special joint operations...
Small ninja factions accepting missions...
The total number of missions, their types, and their sources were also changing every year...
...
A whole bunch of troublesome matters. Ever since the two sides had set up a mission acceptance platform, the arguments had never stopped.
And this involved the core interests of the village's ninja.
Casually compromising meant that their own people would suffer.
Unsurprisingly, the two started arguing again.
But Uchiha Makoto was already used to it. The two villages argued at this time every year.
But after years of getting used to each other, the two sides also had a certain tacit understanding. At most, they would just throw kunai at each other during an argument.
After a verbal battle, the two finally reached a consensus on the basis of last year's agreement and set the general direction for this year's mission allocation.
Uchiha Makoto sat on the sofa and panted slightly. He snatched the tea Senju Tobirama had poured for himself and drank it down. Senju Tobirama then gave Uchiha Makoto a cold look, resisted the urge to throw a kunai at him, and poured himself another cup of tea.
"I hope you, you bastard, will behave yourself next year and not cause any more trouble."
"Ah, that's not very likely. I have a lot of things to do, and every one of them is very important."
"I think we should start promoting the construction of maritime power. The big fishing grounds around the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools have been having a lot of trouble lately..."
"And the meat, egg, and milk project of Akatsuki Village... lowering the Engel coefficient is an urgent matter!"
"Ah, that's right, the bank, issuing Akatsuki Village currency... I've been wanting to do this for a long time..."
"..."
Uchiha Makoto kept talking. He planned to start implementing these things bit by bit.
And it would be done in the open, with a need for vigorous promotion.
Although Senju Tobirama didn't understand, caution is a good virtue. For things he didn't understand at all, he chose to listen silently, and then... wait for Uchiha Makoto to do it first, and then copy it!
Among the above matters...
The one that could be ranked number one was the bank and the issuance of currency.
Finance contains the magic of making money.
In the past, Akatsuki Village didn't have the ability to do these things, but now it finally had the ability to sit at the table.
The mainstream currency in the Land of Fire was still precious metals. Even ninja villages collected these for missions.
Of course, the Land of Fire also had paper money.
It was just that the paper money system officially promoted by the Land of Fire was about to be blown up by the pests... their temperament and greed could be compared to Old Zhu's, and in fact, far surpassed it!
In the future, it should be continuously revised with the development of the times, slowly forming modern monetary theory.
For now... the banks privately opened by some great nobles and wealthy merchants, the bank notes they issued, were more credible than the currency of the Land of Fire.
This was actually a rare opportunity of the era... A certain well-known wealthy man who tried to reach for the state's right to mint currency was directly beaten by the iron fist.
Akatsuki Village didn't have to worry about the iron fist at all!
Of course, the Land of Fire was not without professionals to remind the current high-level officials that the more paper money they issued, the larger the denomination, their wealth could not expand indefinitely... but it was of no use.
This was like how a cultural worker must have culture. The principle is simple, but the practical application is very difficult.
Uchiha Makoto was certainly no expert, but he didn't need to understand these things.
The wealthy merchants also had capable people. He just needed to let the professionals do the professional work.
Issuing currency, at the beginning, there was no need to take a big step. It could just circulate within Akatsuki Village. With the village's savings and credit as a guarantee, the Akatsuki Village ninja would definitely buy in, and then it would expand outward bit by bit... Uchiha Makoto's goal was to make it the mainstream currency of the Land of Fire, until it circulated throughout the entire ninja world!
Finally, he could harvest the leeks back and forth by lowering and raising interest rates.
The efficiency of making money by running factories and doing real business was too slow compared to this level of harvesting!
"What are you talking about?"
"It's a mess?"
After listening for a long time, Uchiha Makoto was very excited. He had seen the terror of this weapon, but Senju Tobirama still didn't understand at all.
It was too difficult for him to understand these things from just a few words.
But... he knew about paper money.
His father, when he was being introduced to the family business, had told him earnestly, with a hint of gritted teeth...
"Those paper notes are a pile of rotten paper, of no value at all!"
"Don't believe those nobles' words!"
Over the years, Senju Tobirama had practiced his father's advice and had never made a mistake.
"If Konoha is willing to come to Akatsuki Village to exchange for paper money and deposit the money in the Akatsuki Village bank, I can add a little more interest."
"In your dreams!"
"I think you're after my principal!"
Senju Tobirama immediately shook his head and refused. He didn't even know what Uchiha Makoto was muttering about just now. How could he fall for Uchiha Makoto's trap?
This naturally evil Uchiha brat, Uchiha Makoto, had a belly full of bad water. For anything he brought up, one had to be extra careful!
"Hmm... whatever you want."
"Anyway, I'm going to do this. Honesty is the best policy. At least in the matters stipulated in the contract, I have never gone back on my word. This is about the reputation of Akatsuki Village!"
"Hmph, who knows about you in the future!"
Senju Hashirama remained cautious, although the facts were indeed so... Akatsuki Village's reputation had always been good.
For a moment...
Uchiha Makoto was a little dispirited.
The things he wanted to do, Senju Tobirama couldn't understand. Those extremely dark and highly profitable methods were unspeakable. Of course, even if he said them, Senju Tobirama would probably have a hard time understanding... Ninja, it's normal.
In the end, the two ended the conversation.
"Let's go, let's go to your house for dinner!"
"Hmph... let's go... for the sake of money... let's stop here for today."
"By the way, I heard Lord Hashirama is going to be a grandfather... how are you still a single dog?"
"None of your damn business!"
"You don't like men, do you?"
"???"
"..."
"Then can my future son marry Lord Hashirama's granddaughter?"
"In your dreams!!!"
Uchiha Makoto took the initiative to chat about family matters, wanting to ease the relationship with Senju Tobirama... but the effect was not very good.
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