Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Powers of the Shinobi World

"Miwa, is Natsukawa not here?"

"There was some trouble on Short Tablet Street, so Natsukawa went to handle it. After that, she may need to go to the Land of Waves, and she won’t be back any time soon. Boss, do you need me to send someone to relay a message to her?"

After reporting Natsukawa's movements, Kawagi Miwa lowered her head slightly, awaiting Kahn’s next instructions.

"No need, let her focus on her work. Aside from Short Tablet Street, are the other businesses stable?"

Kahn took the ledger from Miwa and continued asking. Last time, some native nobles from the Land of Fire had cast jealous eyes on Kahn’s growing influence, though they hadn’t acted openly, daunted by his strength. Now it seemed they could no longer restrain themselves and were beginning to make covert moves.

"Kawagi Town is where our military strength is highest, so it’s very stable and revenues are steadily rising. Apart from Short Tablet Street, only Valley County is rather chaotic…"

Miwa paused briefly at this point, then continued, "Someone has hired wandering shinobi, apparently targeting us specifically…"

"Then get in touch with Kakuzu’s people. Seven million ryo. If Kakuzu thinks it’s too cheap, raise it to ten million, but tell him the mastermind must be eliminated."

After giving his instructions, Kahn closed the ledger. He wasn’t a professional accountant, but he could understand the accounting methods used in the shinobi world. The income from within the Hidden Leaf Village wasn’t included in this ledger; currently, in three areas of the Land of Fire, the total monthly profits had grown to over seventy million ryo.

This included three casinos, four dessert shops and one dessert factory, four taverns, three restaurants, and three grain stores. The casinos were the main source of income, accounting for seventy percent, while the rest were auxiliary ventures to diversify. Kahn hadn’t invested much energy into these shops.

All of these were overseen by Natsukawa, whom Kahn had granted some autonomy. Whenever she sensed a business opportunity, she would act on her own initiative.

It had all started with opening a single tavern outside, and as profits slowly rolled in, Natsukawa began to invest step by step, always within the bounds Kahn allowed.

Now, Natsukawa was planning to build the production chain from the source, purchasing grain directly from farmers and supplying the grain shops and breweries in batches. The brewery had yet to be built; Kahn had promised to handle the equipment, as he had no interest in the traditional brewing methods of the shinobi world.

There was also the revenue brought in by the Spring Blossom Bookshop, which averaged nearly twenty million ryo per month. Thanks to the seven novels Kahn had provided, the bookshop had expanded to more than twenty branches, and established distribution agreements with other major countries’ bookstores. It was earning handsomely, making a fortune.

The annual subsidy from the Daimyo’s mansion of the Land of Fire to the Hidden Leaf Village was just over two hundred million ryo, while Kahn’s monthly income alone was more than ninety million. To say he was wealthy enough to rival a nation might be an exaggeration, but he could easily support the entire Hidden Leaf on his own, provided there was no war.

If war broke out, the Daimyo’s funding for the Leaf’s war expenses would be three or four times the usual amount. Weapons alone would account for a huge portion; normally, the Leaf didn’t cover shinobi’s equipment costs, but during wartime, everything was reimbursed.

There were also mission rewards, compensation, medical expenses, logistics and supplies—altogether, it was an enormous sum.

They couldn’t expect shinobi to spend their own money to risk their lives for the Leaf, so reimbursements were essential. Moreover, after a shinobi died in battle, the Leaf was responsible for supporting their children until they graduated from the academy or had a stable income.

If the Leaf neglected even this, the Will of Fire would become a joke.

"Miwa-san, I need to go to the Leaf for a while. I'll leave things here to you."

After reviewing the affairs of Kawagi Town, Kahn said this to Miwa, but she quickly suggested, "Boss, please take a team of Leaf shinobi guards with you. Although there haven’t been any assassination attempts so far, just in case…"

Miwa was worried that someone might try to assassinate Kahn at all costs. Their organization seemed powerful, but if anything happened to Kahn, it would surely collapse.

"Hmm… That’s a good reminder, but I’ll pass this time. It’s hard for anyone to track my movements."

Kahn replied, referring to how he traveled to this world via the trading system’s shuttle function, and his arrival locations were connected to Tsunade.

"You and Natsukawa don’t have enough guards. The people around her can handle ordinary folk, but bounty hunters are a different matter… Send someone back to the Leaf and post two B-rank guard missions. From now on, each of you will have two chunin squads following you."

Two chunin and six genin, all operating within the Land of Fire. The Leaf would never accept assassination missions of this nature; and even if other villages tried, confronting two Leaf chunin squads on their turf could easily trigger a war.

"Thank you, boss, I'll arrange it right away. But please take care of yourself, too…"

Miwa was touched by Kahn’s concern—having two chunin squads as constant protection showed how much he valued them.

...

After giving Miwa her instructions, Kahn used the trading system’s shuttle function to quickly arrive in a forest near the Hidden Leaf. This mode of movement was akin to space ninjutsu, making it extremely difficult for anyone to track his whereabouts.

Entering the Leaf, Kahn headed toward his own commercial street.

In less than two years, he had opened thirteen shops in the Leaf, covering food, drink, entertainment, and clothing. Though the street was somewhat remote, it was the only business-focused avenue in the village.

Currently, the shops in the Leaf were managed by Nanami, who was meticulous and kept everything in order. She was negotiating house purchases with other families on the street, aware that Kahn intended to build a commercial district, and was working toward that goal.

Of the thirteen shops, only the pharmacy was underperforming; with the cessation of war and the shinobi world in a brief peace, only civilians needed medicine for everyday illnesses, while others had no demand for it, so sluggish sales were inevitable.

Kahn was considering branching out into the medicine market of small nations. The great nations had halted their wars, but some smaller countries were still in turmoil.

After hearing Nanami’s report, Kahn felt there was nothing in the Leaf that required his direct attention, but he still asked, "Has anything happened lately?"

"There is one thing, boss. Kushina Uzumaki has been coming to the shop every day. She wants me to notify her when you return, but I haven’t agreed. I thought it best to inform you about this in advance."

Nanami didn’t hesitate to divulge Kushina’s request. Though she had some rapport with Kushina and knew the relationship between Kushina and the boss was good, her own principles wouldn’t allow her to betray Kahn’s whereabouts.