Chapter Twenty: The War’s End Approaches (Vote Requested)

"Boss, you're back."
As soon as Kahn returned, Natsukawa stepped forward to greet him. There was another person following beside Kahn—missing an arm, who was likely the newcomer, Jieko Mirai.
Kahn had been away from the Leaf Village for some time, but now Kahn's Pharmacy was open for business. Jieko Mirai, trained in medical ninjutsu, had completed his training and joined the staff.
"Yes, I'm back. This must be Jieko Mirai. I'll be counting on you to manage Kahn's Pharmacy. With a manager skilled in medical ninjutsu, I can rest easy."
Kahn offered a few encouraging words, which left Jieko Mirai somewhat moved. Not only did Kahn not mind his disability, but he also entrusted him with great responsibility. Jieko Mirai immediately bowed, saying, "Please rest assured, boss. I will work diligently."
Kahn nodded, then entered the shop to check the recent revenue.
The income from snacks was still quite impressive. The saying that children's and women's money is easiest to earn proved true once again. Once the dessert factory was up and running, Kahn's sweets could be distributed throughout the Land of Fire.
Other products were selling well too, though staples like grains seemed to have reached a limit. Each of the ninja clans in the Leaf Village had their own supply channels for such goods. Most of Kahn's customers for these were civilians, and there weren’t many civilians in the village.
So, Kahn decided to drop grains from his spatial storage inventory. Although American grain was cheap, it wasn't worth the effort to import and sell it here. Instead, Kahn considered becoming a local landlord in the ninja world, first hiring people to resell grain locally, and then expanding into smaller countries.
But Kahn wouldn't repeat Gato's mistakes; the Kahn family wasn’t so foolish as to ruin themselves after such a favorable start.
"Boss, Kushina said you allowed her to reserve sweets in advance. After others found out, quite a few followed suit. Here’s the list and the quantities reserved."
While Kahn was reviewing the revenue and pondering, Natsukawa reported this matter and handed him a list.
Kahn glanced at it, slightly surprised. "Over eighty orders? More than three million ryo? Are there really that many people in the Leaf Village who love sweets?" He had only intended to make a little money from children, but judging by the numbers and amounts on the list, several wealthy ninja clans had placed orders too.
Ordinary civilian families would never spend tens of thousands of ryo on desserts—it was far beyond their means.
Natsukawa nodded. "Yes, quite a few ninja have made reservations. Some are really fond of chocolate. Even I… ahem." She had secretly bought some for herself and her children, and found them delicious—so good that she craved more. If not for the high price, she would have bought a box to take home.
"I understand; I'll handle this myself." Kahn put away the list, then turned to Natsukawa about the dessert factory in Kawaki Town. "Natsukawa, I have a favor to ask. Please hand over your current duties to someone else and recruit a few more people. There’s a business outside the village that needs you..."
The dessert factory in Kawaki Town needed someone trustworthy to oversee it. At present, Kahn only trusted Natsukawa. Though their dealings had been brief, she had proven reliable.
After listening to Kahn, Natsukawa considered for a moment before responding, "Understood, boss. There are still quite a few from the former Senju clan who are out of work. If there’s a job open, I’m sure they’ll be willing."
Besides, Kahn’s pay was generous—eighty thousand ryo a month, equivalent to the reward of over a dozen D-rank missions. If anyone refused, it could only mean their family was rich and they didn’t need the work.
Kahn reminded her, "Though Kawaki Town isn't far from the Leaf Village, accidents can happen. Be cautious, Natsukawa. I'll also be hiring some guards."
"I understand, don’t worry, boss." Natsukawa smiled shyly, then added, "Actually, we can use some basic ninjutsu ourselves. After all, we’re from ninja families..."
This generation of the Senju clan still carried some desire to protect the Leaf. When raising the next generation, they all intended to send their children to the ninja academy. Natsukawa’s child wasn’t old enough yet, but when he turned six, she would send him to the academy too.
But before that, he would receive preschool training. Since the Senju clan had lost its surname and was disbanded, the parents themselves had to provide ninja training. Natsukawa could use the transformation, clone, and substitution techniques, as well as a few C-rank elemental jutsu, though she’d never attended the academy nor become an official Leaf ninja. She had never planned to be a ninja either, knowing that if she died on the battlefield, her four-year-old would likely end up in an orphanage.
"It seems I underestimated you. As long as you can keep everyone safe, that's what matters." Kahn smiled. "I’ll take you there myself. Besides you, we need eight more people—you can choose them. I trust your judgment, Natsukawa."
"Thank you, boss," Natsukawa replied gratefully. She felt a deep sense of appreciation toward Kahn. Without him, she and many of her relatives and friends would never have found such a well-paid and relatively easy job.
With this arranged, Kahn waited for Natsukawa to assemble the team before taking them to Kawaki Town.
Four people would help Kahn manage the dessert factory, while five others would patrol the cocoa plantations. This time, besides assigning staff, Kahn also planned to purchase a new tract of land.
Cocoa trees might not grow to perfection here, but for now, they would suffice. Later, Kahn would expand to the Land of Tea, which was ideal for cultivating cocoa.
Beyond expanding his business, Kahn also kept a close eye on the developments of the Second Great Ninja War.
Recently, ninjas from the battlefield had begun to return, most from the Land of Rain. After Rain’s surrender, the Sand Ninja didn’t hold out much longer, retreating to their borders to signal their defeat.
Even so, the Sand Ninja tried to keep up appearances and refused to sign the peace treaty initiated by the Leaf. That so-called peace treaty was, in truth, a scheme by Danzo and his hawkish allies to exploit Sand Village.
Since the Leaf had spared the Rain Village, they now sought compensation from the Sand. Although many ninjas had returned from the Rain battlefield, enough remained to keep the Sand Village in check.
Yet, what the returning Leaf ninjas spoke most about was the deployment of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki by Sand on the battlefield. They didn’t say it outright, but from their descriptions, Kahn could infer it—a giant raccoon, as large as a mountain, and wind-style techniques as devastating as natural disasters.
Had Danzo and Orochimaru not found a way to counter it, the Leaf’s forces would have suffered greatly.
But matters like these were beyond Kahn’s involvement for now. His goal was clear: to expand his influence as quickly as possible.
Ninja were a peculiar group, brainwashed generation after generation. No matter how powerful, none could escape their identity as ninja, forever beholden to the wealthy and powerful.
Perhaps Madara Uchiha had taken half a step beyond that, but it was Hashirama Senju, even stronger, who had pushed him back.