Natsume was treated like a VIP. He was put up in the best room and served rather precious food. Well, it was just so - so.
The room was far inferior to the Gunma Casino he built.
The food mainly consisted of fish. After having it several times, he couldn't stand it anymore.
Mei Terumī was quite busy.
She bid him farewell after showing him to his room and didn't reappear until the fourth day.
"Lord Kishi, how do you feel about Kiri these days?"
"Lacks vitality."
Natsume took the opportunity to stroll around when he had time.
No comparison, no disappointment.
No wonder everyone wants to take on Konoha Village. Its location and environment are just too good.
Of course, there's also a reason: they don't know how to develop.
Sunagakure and Kiri are typical examples.
They have all kinds of natural resources but are doing terribly.
It can only be attributed to the limitations of the era.
Natsume originally came here to scoop up some destiny value.
But with Mei Terumī coming to him, he thought he could make something of it.
Control Kiri and the Land of Water through economic means.
It was Natsume's first time doing something like this, and he had no experience.
But it didn't matter if he failed; there was no big loss.
If he succeeded, he'd have a large fortune.
Either way, it was a win.
Hearing this, Mei Terumī looked a bit helpless and said, "It's always been Kiri's tradition."
Why did Yagura Karatachi manage to hold onto the position of Mizukage despite his bloody rule?
Apart from his strength, it was because of tradition.
During the time of the Third Mizukage, Kiri was already under high - pressure rule and had gained the reputation of the Bloody Mist Village.
The controlled Yagura just intensified the persecution of Kekkei Genkai Ninjas on top of that.
"Do you have any thoughts of changing the tradition?"
Noticing the suspicion in her eyes, Natsume explained, "Kiri isn't suitable for investment and business right now. The reason I specifically asked to meet the outstanding young ninja was that I thought she might be able to change this so - called tradition. In other words, I'm not investing in the Fourth Mizukage; I'm investing in you."
Mei Terumī's eyes immediately changed.
At first, she was suspicious because Natsume was meddling in Kiri's internal affairs.
But his following words dispelled her doubt.
A very smart and far - sighted businessman.
This thought flashed across Mei Terumī's mind, and then she felt a bit excited.
Maybe his arrival could really bring good changes to Kiri.
"Change doesn't happen overnight."
Mei Terumī slowly shook her head.
She had no thoughts of rebelling at the moment.
Even if she were to become the Mizukage, she'd have to wait until Yagura stepped down.
This might take several years.
"You're still young. The future belongs to you."
Looking at this twenty - year - old face, Natsume said with a smile, "Let's talk about how to invest."
Mei Terumī straightened her face and looked like she was listening.
"We're a shipping company, so our first investment is in shipping lanes."
Natsume held up one finger.
"Shipping lanes?"
Mei Terumī frowned and asked, "If it's about shipping, you should approach the authorities in the Land of Water, not us in Kiri."
Ninjas are actually cut off from the ordinary world.
Most of the time, they are in life - threatening situations instead of engaging in production and business.
In Natsume's opinion, it's a waste.
Such highly efficient productive forces are only used for killing.
"I want to open up new shipping lanes."
Natsume stated his purpose. "I plan to hire Mist Ninjas to do tasks like exploration, mountain - opening, and sea - filling for me."
Mei Terumī had never received such a mission before.
In the past, the commissions from nobles or wealthy merchants were all about escorting or killing.
But thinking about it carefully, it was indeed more suitable for ninjas to do mountain - opening and sea - filling.
That's interesting.
After thinking for a moment, Mei Terumī looked at his mask and asked, "So, what about the reward?"
"Jonin will be assigned A - rank missions, Chunin B - rank missions, and Genin Class C missions."
Natsume replied, "The total reward will be calculated based on the number of people."
Mei Terumī's breathing quickened a bit.
The poor environment in Kiri has led to a serious loss of the number of ninjas, resulting in fewer and fewer commissions.
Natsume was a timely help.
Moreover, he was extremely generous.
Normally, so many missions would stir up quite a commotion and cause many casualties.
But now, it was so easy.
"Exactly how many people do you need?"
Mei Terumī was quite excited, but she kept her tone calm.
"Maybe quite a lot."
Natsume took out a map of the Land of Water.
He bought it, but it was very rough, only showing a general outline.
In his past life, this thing couldn't even be called a map; it was more like a doodle.
"My idea is to build five shipping lanes. One will connect all the islands and major cities in the Land of Water, and the other four will be in the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast directions of the Land of Water, connecting the nearby countries."
"You have big ambitions."
Mei Terumī's eyes scanned the map and finally landed on him. "If all five shipping lanes are opened as you said, you will control the transportation of all the seas."
She was very smart. Although she didn't understand the real meaning yet, she understood the surface meaning.
"The difficulty is high."
Natsume continued, "The existing shipping business is controlled by several companies. If I get involved, I will definitely be attacked by them. So, I need your Kiri to provide protection."
Mei Terumī was tempted again.
This was another large number of commissions, which could perfectly solve the employment problem of the Mist Ninjas.
And the village could also get a sufficient amount of wealth through commissions to invest in development.
"Many shipping companies have the backing of countries. Relying on our Kiri and the Land of Water, the pressure will be great."
Mei Terumī started to bargain.
If Natsume controlled the transportation of all the seas, he would surely earn a huge amount of income.
She thought she should earn more money for Kiri.
"Where there is pressure, there are also benefits."
Natsume smiled and said, "Kiri has a favorable environment, being surrounded by the sea on all four sides. It's very difficult for other ninja villages to attack, but it's also not easy for you to get out."
Ninja can indeed walk on water.
However, for such a long distance, ordinary ninja don't have enough chakra to support them.
In the two battles of Kiri during The Third Great Ninja World War, there was a common characteristic.
Small units composed of powerful ninja.
For example, the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist or the Self-Destruction of San.
In fact, the tradition of Kiri is to nurture elite ninja.
Mei Terumī suddenly widened her eyes.
This shock was far greater than the previous two ones.
She suddenly realized the implied meaning of this sentence.
"After the shipping lanes are opened, Kiri can build its own warships and travel to various countries. At the same time, our company can also provide logistical support."
Natsume said slowly.
Why hadn't anyone thought of it before?
First, merchants don't participate in wars.
Second, there wasn't a wealthy tycoon like Natsume who could integrate the shipping lanes.
The currently used shipping lanes are basically naturally formed, and few have been artificially opened.
Mei Terumī suddenly stood up.
The significance behind this was too great.
In future, when The Great Ninja World War breaks out again, although Kiri can't guarantee victory, it can definitely gain a good advantage from this.
She looked at Natsume and suddenly felt very lucky.
Fortunately, she had met him. Otherwise, this person would surely become a great enemy.
Because the opposite was also possible.
If the five shipping lanes are utilized by other countries, they can launch large - scale landings on Kiri.
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