The moment he switched places with a Shadow Clone, the memories of this period flooded into his mind.
The caravan leader was Yanagawa Teru, who traveled back and forth to the Land of Rivers selling relatively basic "iron goods."
"Akaba-sama, it seems our partnership must be put on hold," Yanagawa said, clearly troubled.
Until now, their trade had gone smoothly under Bajeen's protection—no one expected that Bajeen would actually be taken out by a new enemy. Before understanding the temperament of this new local power, all trade would face difficulty.
"King Sand? Don't sweat it," Akaba said coolly. "Our clan's ninja will take care of him. But more importantly, do you think manga can sell here?"
Although Yanagawa didn't believe violence was ideal, if negotiation failed, there wasn't much choice.
After Akaba finished speaking, he thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Honestly, we're not optimistic. The Land of Rivers is too chaotic. Entertainment products like yours won't have much of a market."
A professional merchant naturally held authority in such matters.
Akaba didn't deny it, instead continuing, "What about the Land of Wind?"
"The same."
Someone remarked while flipping through goods and checking accounts.
"The Land of Wind has big ambitions—they pour all their funds into researching and acquiring military tech. How could they possibly buy something like this!"
Yanagawa shook his head again.
If it weren't for Yamano Izumi's personal favor, he wouldn't have even agreed to a trial sale.
"Akaba, they're right. Selling in the Land of Wind will be extremely difficult."
A member of Sakuma's clan also expressed doubt.
They were merchants as well—even though their business mainly operated within the Land of Fire, they still understood some foreign markets.
"Hmm… then what if we didn't sell them at all?"
Akaba thought for a moment. After all, his goal was just points. Making money would be best, but if not, he could always lose money to gain attention.
"Not sell?"
Even Yanagawa, along with Akaba's own clansmen, looked confused.
What was the point of building trade routes just to give stuff away?
"That's right. I just noticed there are quite a few taverns around here. What if we partnered with them and regularly gave the manga away for free?"
Akaba smiled. "Of course, I'll cover the costs!"
"Why on earth would we do that?"
Yanagawa was completely baffled, unable to understand what the point was.
Not trying to profit at all? Was he seriously thinking of throwing money at rogue ninjas and crooks?!
"Let people read it for free first, and later charge for it."
Akaba smiled slightly. "True, some might copy or pirate it, but we'd still make a bit eventually."
"Your idea…"
Yanagawa paused for a moment, then carefully considered—it actually wasn't impossible.
Still, the profit would remain low.
"Well, isn't it no good?"
"Erm… not exactly, but profits probably won't be high either. Please prepare yourself mentally."
Said Yanagawa.
"No problem. To get people hooked on reading manga, some cost is necessary."
Akaba wasn't bothered.
The initial giveaway was simply to ensure better revenue later.
Of course, Akaba had more in mind—like slipping promotional ads into the manga itself.
However, since Akaba didn't currently run any businesses worth promoting, he decided against it for now.
"In that case, shall we consider ourselves partners?"
Akaba said.
"Fine, I'll bring you manga from now on, but you'll have to handle negotiations with the tavern yourself."
"Don't worry, we'll take care of everything."
Sakuma Shanyuan said from the side. He was the caravan leader accompanying the group from the Sakuma clan, and also a Tokubetsu Jonin.
"In that case, Uncle Shanyuan, leave a group of people here while the rest come with me into the Land of Wind."
Akaba spoke.
"Alright."
Shanyuan nodded, then began issuing orders.
Stepping out from Yanagawa Teru's shop, Akaba saw many people gathered around the stall reading manga.
"It seems business is terrible."
Orochimaru smiled faintly. He had been watching from the doorway since they arrived.
Many people passed by and read the manga, but few showed any interest in buying—there hadn't been a single sale since he arrived.
"Don't worry. We're doing this to gain exposure, even if it costs us."
Akaba didn't mind. This town had many ninja, although the strongest were only Tokubetsu Jonin level. Still, they could contribute plenty of points.
As long as there were points, money wasn't important.
"Well then, can we go now?"
Orochimaru glanced behind them. They had already spent a significant amount of time here. If they delayed further, they might not reach the town inside the Land of Wind before evening.
"Just wait a little longer."
Akaba sat down, not in a hurry to leave. "If necessary, we can stay the night here anyway."
"Right, because you've got such big influence. Hehehehe."
Orochimaru chuckled lowly. He had a personal relationship with Danzo, which gave him access to files on many clan leaders across the village.
Kakashi Windseer was known for his strict adherence to duty. That guy not only encouraged his men to rest more, but even allowed Akaba to travel separately—clearly showing unusual favor toward Akaba.
"I haven't eaten any 'Face Fruit'—where would I get that kind of respect! (A hypothetical fruit that grants you unlimited influence.)"
Akaba scoffed. He'd only met Kakashi Windseer once before. There couldn't be any real special favor.
"What 'Face Fruit'?"
Orochimaru hesitated, not quite understanding if Akaba was being humorous or serious.
"A hypothetical fruit," Akaba joked casually. "Once eaten, everyone will show you respect."
Orochimaru froze for a moment, then realized—it clicked. The guy must be joking.
No such fruit existed in the world.
At this moment, Sakuma Shanyuan stepped out from the house.
He glanced at Orochimaru, then calmly said, "Akaba, I've left five chunin here. The others will travel with us to the Land of Wind."
Five chunin...
Before we killed King Sand, these five wouldn't have been worth the effort.
But now, even if Orochimaru hadn't handled everything yet, those remaining five should still be enough to deal with the newly installed local boss.
Due to the war, the Land of River had always remained poor.
Except for refugees fleeing hardship, practically nobody traveled here anymore, and among the refugees, most were only at the chunin or genin level.
Still, thinking about it made Akaba suspicious of King Sand's background—he probably wasn't ordinary either.
As he walked, Akaba cast a sidelong glance at Orochimaru.
If someone else from Sunagakure had been sent, there might be some trouble ahead.
However, King Sand's death seemed more in line with Mist Village's methods. As long as Orochimaru wasn't caught, escaping would be a piece of cake.
They strolled down the street, getting glared at from all sides.
This scene alone showed just how chaotic the Land of River really was.
Soon, Akaba spotted Jiraiya. The guy must have done something wrong and was tied up.
"Tch, a fool's still a fool."
Orochimaru couldn't resist taunting Jiraiya upon witnessing this scene.
"F***ing Orochimaru, I'm gonna kill you!"
Jiraiya yelled furiously and struggled violently, though being tied down rendered him helpless.
"What's going on?"
Sakuma Shanyuan looked confused, as if trying to figure out how someone they once considered an ally ended up tied up like that.
Kakashi Windseer gave a slight twitch of his lips before muttering, "Nothing much. Let's go."
No need to ask—Jiraiya must've been caught 'gathering research material' again.
Akaba shrugged it off, not even batting an eye at his buddy being tied up.
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