Chapter 86: Return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves (First Update)

“Lord Danzo, we’ve lost contact with the people we planted in the Kahn Trading Company. Natsukawa is now only in charge of the desserts and the casinos. As for the pills and all the other lines of business, they’ve all been handed over to different people.”

A Root shinobi knelt on one knee as he reported the intelligence sent back from the Kahn Trading Company. It was not a complete loss of contact; a few of their agents could still be reached.

Those few had been inserted by Root itself, without Natsukawa’s help. Some time ago, the Kahn Trading Company had been expanding through the Land of Fire with astonishing speed, and Root had taken the opportunity to slip quite a few people inside.

Most of them, however, could not get near any core secrets, and every day they were worked hard. True, the pay was excellent, but Root had not placed them there to make money.

“They were discovered? Or what?”

Danzo frowned as he asked. Though Hiruzen Sarutobi had told him to stop targeting Kahn, this concerned the restoration of his own body. He could not simply let it go. However difficult it might be, he still had to try to uncover information on the Extremis virus.

Orochimaru had been stringing him along all this time, neither agreeing nor refusing outright, and Danzo’s patience was wearing thin.

“The odds are high that they were found out. Based on what the others have learned, and on the intelligence sent back by those of ours still disguised within the company, those men encountered bandits during a cargo transport assignment. They were all killed, and even the goods were stolen.”

The Root shinobi paused, then continued, “On the surface, it looks like a mere accident. But the people we inserted were placed in different positions. For them all to be gathered together at once was abnormal in itself.”

A dark look flickered across Danzo’s face. Slowly, he asked, “Was it leaked by Natsukawa?”

“We cannot say for certain. But Natsukawa’s authority has also been reduced considerably. In my subordinate’s judgment, it seems unlikely...”

There was some sense in that analysis. Natsukawa no longer bore the clan name, but she was still, after all, of the Senju line. Root was an organization that protected Konoha, and it also acted under the Hokage’s directive. Her child was in the Ninja Academy. From that standpoint, she should not have dared to obey in appearance while resisting in secret.

But Root had forgotten the essence of a shinobi: one took payment and did the work.

Natsukawa was no longer a shinobi, but since she had accepted Kahn’s generous compensation, then she ought to serve him faithfully. In the old traditions accumulated by the Senju over centuries, if during the Warring States era a clansman had taken money, failed to do the job, and even schemed against the employer, the clan head would personally have executed that person and gone to offer apology.

Even if Danzo used his status among Konoha’s high command to threaten or command her, it would still be difficult to make her comply.

After a moment’s thought, Danzo said harshly, “Then stop sending new people for now. Put all efforts into helping the ones already inside climb higher. And another thing—have any of those medicines circulated into the wider ninja world?”

“That remains unclear. Anyone can buy them at the three pharmacies in the Land of Fire, so they are spreading widely there. But in the Land of Water, it is still the same as before.”

Medicine was a precious thing. There were few doctors in the ninja world to begin with, and most served the nobility. Now that commoners finally had access to affordable remedies for ordinary illnesses, any family with even a little money would buy some to keep at home, just in case.

“Keep investigating. We must find solid proof.”

“Yes, Lord Danzo.”

With the Hidden Mist Village already serving as precedent, Danzo did not believe Kahn had refrained from selling medicine to other countries. For that reason, he had dispatched Root operatives to the various roads out of the Land of Fire, as well as important checkpoints in the smaller nations, to gather intelligence.

To that end, he had even applied to Hiruzen Sarutobi for considerable funds to expand the ranks of the Anbu, using them to masquerade as mountain bandits and slaughter merchant caravans from other countries. Root had done no small share of such things before. So long as it weakened other nations and strengthened Root itself, that too fell within Root’s duties.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, still somewhat uncomfortable about having made Danzo take the blame last time, approved the funding. He also allowed him to select ten graduating students from the Ninja Academy to replenish Root’s ranks, by way of compensation.

It was said that in the Land of Waves there stood an enormous pharmaceutical factory, but it was heavily guarded as well. There were close to a hundred protectors there, samurai and rifle-bearing guards alike, all for the sake of a single medicine plant. To deal with that kind of armed force, one would need at least a jonin squad. But sending such a force was far too likely to expose them. Even without evidence, the other side would be able to guess who was responsible.

And Kahn’s space-time ninjutsu was so troublesome that even barriers designed to isolate space-time proved useless against it. Konoha’s leadership truly found that unsettling. If they destroyed his factory, it was entirely possible that the Hokage Building would be blown up in retaliation.

...

“The factory still isn’t built?”

Kahn had come to inspect the site in the Land of Tea, only to find the progress so miserable that it put him in a thoroughly sour mood. His expression turned cold as he asked, “The time and money I gave you should have been more than sufficient. If you don’t have a proper reason, then go back to tilling fields.”

The man in charge of the Land of Tea pharmaceutical plant was a wandering merchant named Omu. After his goods had been robbed and he lost the capital to start over, he had come to throw himself on Kahn’s mercy.

“Boss... it’s a noble from the Land of Tea, a dozen or so li from here. He thinks that if we hire people here... fewer will work his fields...”

At that answer, Kahn had half a mind to slap him across the face. In the end, however, he restrained himself and merely laid a hand on Omu’s shoulder.

“Omu, were the guards I provided you just for decoration? Go and deal with him. If construction hasn’t begun within ten days, then you can keep that noble company in the Pure Land.”

“Y-yes, Boss.”

At Kahn’s words, Omu gave a violent shudder. He hurried out at once to gather the guards, preparing to move immediately against that noble of the Land of Tea.

The class order in the ninja world remained strict enough. Omu had originally been nothing more than a traveling merchant, and in the face of a noble, his weakness was almost instinctive. But Kahn had no use for such a person. Once Omu settled this matter, he would be left in charge of overseeing the pharmaceutical plant alone.

This time Kahn had brought with him a product that was a blessing to men across the ninja world. Once it went on sale, even nobles and daimyo would not let it pass them by.

And yet this fool Omu had failed to handle even a petty noble from a small country.

By nightfall, Omu returned with his men, carrying the reek of blood about him. That noble and all his guards had been shot down by the factory’s security. Once the man was dealt with, Omu rushed back to begin construction. Too much time had already been wasted. If he did not hurry now, he truly might find himself on the road to the Pure Land.

For that reason, Kahn stayed there for a while longer. During that time he made arrangements for the place. It was not merely a pharmaceutical plant that would be built there, but an arms factory and facilities for manufacturing ninja tools as well. Between the Land of Wind and the Land of Tea lay only an inland sea; by ship, iron ore and other materials could be brought there in little more than a day.

In the future, this place was to serve as one of Kahn’s production bases. How could he allow some petty local noble to stir up trouble? Even if the daimyo of the Land of Tea were displeased, Kahn would have someone send him to the Pure Land as well.

As for Omu, he would not be foolish again anytime soon—unless he truly wished to go to the Pure Land.

Something like Viagra was of no use to shinobi, but daimyo and nobles would certainly find it indispensable. This medicine was not meant to make money; it was meant to raise status.

Only after he saw the machinery of the pharmaceutical plant begin to turn did Kahn prepare to leave. Before departing, however, he instructed them that in a few days he would transfer additional guards from the Land of Waves. At that point, Omu need only devote himself wholly to the plant’s construction.

...

After leaving the Land of Tea, Kahn felt a trace of regret that he had never learned Apparition. If he had, he could have spared himself a step and gone straight to Konoha.

When he arrived at Konoha’s gate, there was no inspection at all; he was simply let through.

The shinobi guarding Konoha’s entrance seemed always to be the same few squads. Kahn had come here so many times that he was nearly acquainted with them.

He had only been away from the ninja world for a little over a month. Konoha should already have repaired his house and his shops. Sure enough, when Kahn arrived, he found Nanami busy unloading goods.

“Boss, you’re here. Your room has already been rebuilt—it was the same construction crew as last time, working from the plans you prepared. The shops are also getting ready to reopen, but some merchandise still hasn’t been fully restocked...”

The moment she saw Kahn, Nanami set aside her work and began reporting on the state of the stores.

They had lost more than a month of earning time, and with the constant support being sent to the orphanage, the reserves of those thirteen shops in Konoha had been nearly drained dry. Fortunately, Kahn’s outside income was enough to sustain the expenses within the village.

Otherwise, Nanami would have had no choice but to seek help from Natsukawa.

“You’ve done well. Go on with your work, Nanami.”

Kahn gave the place a simple glance and sent her back to it. Work in Konoha ought to have been the easiest assignment of all. Every day, one only had to keep an eye on the shops and check the accounts from time to time. Only when something unusual happened did Nanami become especially busy.

Once inside, Kahn took out several miniature cameras and installed them both indoors and out. Last time, it had been thanks to those tiny cameras that he had discovered the Anbu’s presence in advance.

He was only taking advantage of Konoha while they still knew nothing about such things. If the ninja world’s technology advanced to the level it would reach sixty years later in Konoha, inventions such as cameras and radios would probably already exist.

After installing the cameras, Kahn inspected the room again. Reinforced concrete and steel plating—such a structure would make it difficult for a shinobi to infiltrate using elemental techniques.

While Kahn was checking the room, Kushina arrived in front of the dessert shop looking rather displeased. Before she could go in, she ran into Nanami as she came out.

So Kushina asked, “Manager, can we buy things today?”

Nanami shook her head with a smile. “Not yet. The desserts haven’t been restocked. But Kushina, Boss Kahn has returned.”

At the first half of that answer, Kushina’s face darkened at once. There had been an annoying fellow pestering her constantly, and now the sweets had been unavailable for more than a month. But that shadow remained on her face for less than a second before her eyes flew wide open.

“He’s inside?”

“He only went in a moment ago.”

“Then, Manager, I’ll go ask Boss for a friend—when he plans to stock some desserts...”

Kushina spoke in a rush, then ducked her head and hurried inside, her little feet moving so quickly she looked on the verge of running. Before Nanami could say anything, all she caught was a flash of sky-colored hair floating behind her as she turned the corner and vanished.

Nanami shook her head and murmured, “There’s no need to ask the boss that. I can answer it myself...”

Then she shut the dessert shop’s front door and went next door to continue working in the other shop.