"Boss! Here are our earnings!" Uchiha Shigure's capable subordinates excitedly handed over bills with astronomical figures.
"Hmm! Another new record? It keeps reaching new highs every day! This is a bit unstable, isn't it?" Shigure was somewhat pleased.
Shigure's business was thriving and gradually getting on track.
At this time, someone suddenly sought out Shigure.
Shigure was quite surprised, as the people who found him this time were none other than Konoha's advisory council.
"Shigure, I hear you're in business now? Is it called Konoha Asset Management Company?"
"You can give people who deposit money more money in the future? And you can also give money to those who are short on cash… It all feels like a charity." Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were short-sighted and didn't realize Shigure's immense profits, thinking he was doing good deeds.
Shigure was too lazy to explain to the two of them, merely glancing at his bills.
"What!? There's such a large influx of funds!?" Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were also stunned.
"So, esteemed advisors, what is your purpose in seeking me out? I think it would be better if you invested in me; the income would be even greater, and I would give you a high percentage of the profits." Shigure looked at the two advisors with fervent eyes, and eventually, the two nodded to each other.
"You agree, then?" Shigure was extremely satisfied; with the investment from the Konoha advisors, it was like giving his company another shot in the arm.
Although money seemed insignificant in the ninja world, wars were fought with money. While the Daimyo of each country were nominally the national leaders, ultimately, they only controlled their country's economy. A ninja village was equivalent to a country's military base, possessing military units—ninjas.
And the Kage, as the head of the village, was naturally the supreme military commander.
Shigure wanted to spread his business throughout the entire Naruto world; controlling the economy would greatly assist any future actions.
After some time, Shigure's economic reserves had reached a very high figure, so Shigure contacted the Konoha clans he was familiar with.
"Hatake, Hyūga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka…" As Shigure absorbed bloodlines to unleash potential, he also had these major Konoha clans inject huge amounts of wealth, instantly making Shigure's accumulated funds reach an extremely exaggerated level.
"Everyone! Our asset company is upgrading!" Shigure finally renamed Konoha Asset Company to Konoha Bank, opening branches all over Konoha. At the same time, he swallowed up the original Konoha Money Exchange and some banks that were only responsible for issuing currency.
"I will handle Konoha's economic regulation and currency issuance, and the deposit and loan businesses must also be further developed." Shigure arranged these matters, and his subordinates began to work diligently.
In just a few months, Shigure's Konoha Bank had spread throughout the entire Land of Fire, providing great convenience to people while also earning Shigure generous returns.
Next, Shigure partnered with all the shops in Konoha to launch the Konoha Huabei service. Even without money, people could directly use Huabei to shop, and the interest was even lower than using Jiebei directly. They only needed to repay within a certain period.
The birth of this service instantly stimulated consumption among the residents of the Land of Fire. Increased consumption was essential for increased productivity. For those who couldn't afford to repay, Shigure even offered them job opportunities at his Konoha Bank.
How to describe it? In a word, Shigure instantly became intertwined with the entire Konoha. For their own benefit, those Konoha clans wished they could worship Shigure. As for the self-defeating act of killing Shigure, no one would even consider it.
Konoha Bank quickly became the wealthiest enterprise in Konoha and even the entire Land of Fire. Of course, Shigure was not without danger in the ninja village; ninjas from his own village wouldn't act against him, but that didn't mean ninjas from other villages didn't want to kill him.
Shigure's actions rapidly increased Konoha's strength, and as a result, he encountered many attacks from enemy ninjas along the way. However, the outcome was predictable; who could harm Shigure now?
Shigure spent a few months transforming into a business magnate.
And as for his primary job as a ninja, Shigure naturally didn't drag his feet.
During this period, Shigure, along with Kurenai and Kusuo Hatake, completed many various missions of different ranks, gaining a lot of knowledge and experience.
Then, one day, the Third Hokage nervously summoned Shigure to his presence.
"What's wrong, Sensei Sarutobi?" It was the first time Shigure had seen the Third Hokage so unusually emotional.
"There's a very urgent mission… tentatively designated as an Ultra S-rank mission." The Third Hokage exhaled a smoke ring and placed his pipe on the table.
"Ultra S-rank?" Shigure was also a bit surprised; S-rank was already the highest mission level, yet this time the Third Hokage said it was Ultra S-rank.
"It's like this… Recently, some wealthy merchants from the Land of Fire have gone missing. Their relatives applied for a mission here, but the Konoha ninjas who undertook the mission haven't even sent back any news… Following that, even Miss Amamiya Suisen, the daughter of our Land of Fire's great financial group, has gone missing… You must know this person…"
"Suisen? The one who's often with Hoshiko." Shigure remembered that girl even celebrated his birthday.
"Yes, her father is Amamiya Ha, Konoha's biggest jeweler… This mission has three objectives: first, you must rescue Amamiya Suisen; second, investigate the cause of death of our Konoha ninjas; and third, uncover the mastermind behind this and kill them if necessary."
"This mission is only suitable for you and Minato. Since Minato isn't here, you will complete it alone! That's the mission briefing. Do you have any questions?" the Third Hokage asked seriously.
"No questions!" Shigure was anxious; Suisen was Hoshiko's friend, after all.
"Good, you can investigate the specific intelligence yourself… I don't have any other information here." The Third Hokage shook his head.
"Alright, it seems I'll have to take it one step at a time." Shigure then withdrew, first seeing his sister Hoshiko, but Shigure held back his words, merely stating that he was going on a mission.
Immediately after, Shigure used the Body Flicker Technique to leave Konoha Village.
"Where should I start investigating? Since they are wealthy merchants from the Land of Fire… should I go to the Land of Fire's Daimyo's Castle first?" Shigure then used the Body Flicker Technique to quickly leap towards the so-called Daimyo's Castle.
The Daimyo's Castle, as the name suggests, was the city where the Daimyo resided, considered the center of the Land of Fire, distinct from a ninja village. The heart of the Daimyo's Castle was the Daimyo's Imperial Castle, a grand Japanese castle complex with multiple palaces and a six-story main keep.
--
Unlock 50 exclusive advanced chapters for just $10 – don't miss out! Check the synopsis/description for the link! 🚀
Loved this fic? 🔥 Then you'll absolutely binge my other hits — "Douluo Dalu: Ten Thousand Years Early System!" & "Douluo Dalu: The Godly Drunkard System" — don't miss out!