Naruto: As a genin, I just want to live a normal life.

Page 130

"If war breaks out, a small town like this probably wouldn't be able to withstand the ninja's attack."

"Hmph." The man nodded noncommittally and continued drinking.

After listening, Rope Tree in the back row also gleaned relevant information: the ancient kingdom of Loulan, the important city named An Lushan, the queen of a small country...

"All right."

“Doesn’t this give us a new direction for our journey? Tree-kun.” Shirahoshi pushed her wine glass forward, and Nawaki hurriedly grabbed his water glass, clinked it against hers, took a sip, glanced at the merchant behind him, and said in as low a voice as possible:

"But didn't they forbid ninjas from entering?"

After finishing her drink, Bai Xing lowered her voice and chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll find a way."

After finishing their drinks, the two prepared to head to their next destination city.

—The ancient kingdom of Loulan.

Chapter 114 (Bonus Chapter): Shirahoshi Disappears Again

Half a year.

Inside Konoha Village, a newly built convenience store has appeared, mainly selling pre-packaged seasonings to enhance the flavor and umami of ingredients.

It is called: Akatsuki no Mushroom Deliciousness.

Next to it was a cake shop with a sign that read: Dessert House.

But this cake shop has been open for quite a while.

At that moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had just retreated from the border, was standing at the entrance of the cake shop.

The young man is no longer as naive as he once was; his face, his features, and even his eyes have matured considerably.

He was wearing a Chunin vest, carrying a cake, and stood at the door, waving to Nara Yu who was minding the shop inside:

"Yu! I'll be going now! I'll come again tomorrow."

Watching Sarutobi Shinnosuke leave, Nara Hajime, who had also grown up, couldn't help but cover his forehead:

"Shin-nosuke-sensei is really something."

"I already told you that you don't need to help me out every day."

Wearing a dessert work uniform, Akimichi Yumi dusted off the shelves with a small bamboo broom, then walked over to Nara Yu, who was sitting in front of the cash register. Looking in Sarutobi Shinnosuke's direction, she said:

"The teacher probably wanted to help us in his own way."

“We always make the cakes for the teachers bigger, and we even sell them at a discount.”

"So the teacher's money isn't wasted, right?"

Taichi Yamanaka emerged from the kitchen of the dessert shop, his other missing leg fitted with a makeshift prosthesis. He lifted the curtain and said:

"This is no longer about money."

"I heard that Lord Biwako gained a lot of weight because of cakes, and a medical check-up at the hospital showed that his blood sugar was high. Now the Hokage family is afraid of cakes."

"And Asuma, he's gotten so fat. People will laugh at him if he goes to the Ninja Academy." Yamanaka Taichi complained helplessly about the little brother Shinnosuke brought over recently, whose little eyes were filled with fear at the sight of cake.

"But we don't know how to stop Shinnosuke-sensei from buying it," Akimichi Yumi pouted.

Nara Yu slumped onto the table, muttering, "This is such a hassle~~"

next door.

Xiao Nan works as the store manager and person in charge. She also prepares samples for customers to try, having the staff hired at the entrance offer them to passersby. After the tasting, she invites customers inside to choose products. The staff at the entrance call out:

"I tried it! I tried it! It's a specialty of the Land of Rain—the mushrooms are so delicious, everyone should try them!"

Upon hearing this sound, Nara Yu couldn't help but step out of his shop, lean against the door, glance at the incredibly popular mushroom stall next door, and smack his lips in delight:

"Even a simple seasoning like this sells out."

"It is said to contain some nutrients that are beneficial to human health."

"We are currently collaborating with a large company to sell our products."

Yumi Akimichi, peeking out from behind, said, "I'm so envious! They can make a fortune just by selling some seasoning products. We cake sellers probably don't make as much as they do."

"A small bottle of this sells for five hundred taels of fire coins."

"It would be strange if we didn't make money."

Taichi Yamanaka walked over and said.

Meanwhile, in Amegakure, the Akatsuki Trading Company's buildings were also completely renovated.

There were now guards assigned to the entrance.

Many Amegakure genin who joined Amegakure out of passion but had to find their own jobs without pay found a way out.

Hanzo has a very positive outlook on the future of the Xiaoshang Association, and has provided a lot of support through favorable policies, including keeping taxes to a minimum.

"There are still too few products."

"Nagato, shouldn't we build a railway or something to increase transportation in our Land of Rain?"

"But we lack connections, and we don't have enough money right now. If it weren't for Ms. Sawa's belief in our mushroom powder and her help in securing a contract with a company and completing mass production, we probably wouldn't be able to make it happen."

In the conference room, Yahiko and Nagato, the two heads of the two chambers of commerce, were discussing how to make their chambers bigger and stronger. Yahiko leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, while Nagato put his hands together on the table. Outside the window, the view was still one of continuous rain.

Yahiko looked at the incandescent light bulb on the ceiling, where many mosquitoes were buzzing around. Finally, he slowly sat up straight and said:

"We can't do railway technology on our own."

Upon hearing this, Nagato said, "Perhaps we could approach Lord Hanzo. He might be willing to cooperate with the Land of Fire..."

"Nagato."

Yahiko interrupted Nagato and said seriously:

"Have you forgotten what the dean said?"

"Money is one of the most important things in the world."

Nagato paused for a moment, his eyes lost in thought. Seeing this, Yahiko continued:

"What benefits would building a railway bring to the Land of Fire?"

"Of course it is...it is..."

Yahiko saw that Nagato understood the truth, nodded slightly, then shook his head, and said:

The answer is no.

“Indeed.” Nagato sighed helplessly. After all, they were a small country, and only small countries needed resources to develop.

"so."

"We must find a way to make more money within the Land of Rain."

"Only in this way can we have the power to negotiate interests."

"But it seems like our country doesn't have anything of value..."

“Yes, there is. Think about it carefully,” Yahiko grinned.

"What is it, Yahiko? I don't remember anything of value." Nagato scratched his head.

“Rainwater,” Yahiko gave the answer.

"What's the value of rainwater...?"

Does the Land of Wind lack water?

"Eh, it seems like we're short!" Nagato exclaimed in surprise, but quickly put on a deadpan expression and said, "How could our rainwater possibly be transported that far?"

Yahiko nodded. "So, in order to transport rainwater, could we first try to develop a way to transport it conveniently? For example, could we build a railway and create a small chakra-powered carriage for transporting it?"

"Many technological products are currently undergoing innovation."

“The chakra-powered ships that were popular a few years ago have gone through so many generations now.”

"Even ordinary small boats began to undergo modifications to improve their maneuverability."

"Then, regarding the railway transportation plan, perhaps we could have Lord Hanzo negotiate with some companies in the Land of Wind to reach a cooperation agreement. In this way, our Land of Rain could also gain the friendship of the Land of Wind!" Yahiko said innocently.

"That's fantastic, Yahiko! As expected of the Dean who thinks highly of you, I can barely understand your business theories!" Nagato exclaimed.

Next, the two began writing a proposal and submitted the relevant cooperation plan to Hanzo. After all, they were just a small business association. Apart from earning a small share of the cooperation through mushroom powder and luck, the lion's share was earned by Fukuyama Sawa and the large corporation behind the scenes.

Even so, the Xiaoshang Association's income is at least ten million taels of fire coins a year.

Therefore, Fukuyama Sawa also tempted Xiaoshanghui to open up more credit lines within the loan limit, as long as the other party could create value, she would always welcome them.

Then, the two handed their written plan to Hanzo. Hanzo glanced at it carefully for a few moments, then looked at the two men below the stage and praised them:

"As expected of you, Xiao."

"In just six months, not only have they gained a foothold in the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, bringing economic benefits to Amegakure, but now they have come up with such a perfect but slightly flawed plan."

“What an amazing young man!”

"Flaws?" Yahiko looked up at Hanzo, somewhat puzzled. "Lord Hanzo, our plan should be perfect, shouldn't it?"

"The Land of Wind lacks water, so all we need to do is build a railway..."

"Yahiko." Hanzo interrupted Yahiko, stood up, handed the documents to his trusted ninja, walked down to Yahiko, and continued:

"You probably haven't been to the Land of Wind yet, have you?"

"The railway you mentioned, the foundation for building this road should be ensuring that the road is safe and unobstructed."

"But within the Land of Wind."

"There are quite a few large desert creatures. These creatures are no less powerful than Chunin, and even Jonin might suffer losses against them."

"Therefore, water has always been very expensive in the Land of Wind."

"The only way to export key commodities is mainly through port cities along the coast."

"Secondly."

"There's something about your technology that still needs to be developed."

"That's the chakra-powered carriage you mentioned."