Chapter 231: Punishment
"Kick these slave traders out!"
With Sasuke's approval, the Konoha Hundred were unfazed by the traders who tried to steal their wives and immediately expelled them from their camp. If not for strict military discipline and their amorous delusion, many would have undoubtedly secretly attacked these traders.
Compared to the slave traders' mistreatment, the black market gold merchants received much better treatment. To avoid suspicion, Sasuke delegated the sale of the loot to Ryo, with the help of the Konoha Hundred's minor clan members. All profits, in addition to the rewards, were used to resettle the victims of the Land of Rivers disaster. Demonstrating his altruism, Sasuke publicly donated all the confiscated goods. Seeing their leader act this way, the Konoha Hundred generously donated a significant amount.
Sasuke never managed this enormous donation himself, but assigned it to Shun. He also assigned officers to oversee it, ensuring that every expense was documented. The funds were divided into three parts: a wedding gift for the Konoha Hundred and a place to settle their in-laws' families; a loan to qualified people seeking to settle in Konoha; and the rest to buy food and supplies.
To raise more funds, Sasuke even sold ninja corpses to black market merchants. While the valuable ones were "sacrificed" to the sea monster, the large quantity of common ninja remains was overwhelming. Even genin-level corpses were worth tens of thousands of ryo each. Although their value had been reduced, it still amounted to tens of millions.
After distributing most of the rewards, there was still a considerable portion left, which was used to resettle the victims, which was barely enough.
After the loot was almost distributed, a small, bankrupt businessman was too lazy to leave and even used tricks to harass him, which attracted Sasuke's attention. He met with the audacious businessman.
"Your name is Gato, right?" he asked, surprised that the poor man in front of him was the big businessman of later generations.
"Yes, sir," Gato replied, extremely respectful.
"I hear you're very brave. As soon as you made some money, you dared to go out to sea, but you ended up bankrupt."
"My lord, maritime trade comes with high profits and high risks. I'm just unlucky. If you rent me a ship, I can return the capital and interest in just half a year."
"And you want me to rent you a ship without collateral, just on your word?" Sasuke scoffed.
"My lord," Gato suggested, desperate, "with such a large fleet, you can completely monopolize the trade of the entire Land of Waves."
"That's a good idea," Sasuke said. "Draw up a business plan for me. If I'm satisfied, I'll reward you."
Even without Gato's suggestion, Sasuke had already had the idea of establishing a shipping company. It would be a shame to sell the ships. His only problem was the lack of military strength to protect such a large operation. As for business talent, Gato, despite his bad luck, was a perfect candidate.
Just as he was considering how to establish the company, he realized that one of his surveillance clones had been silently killed.
"Oh no! I've attracted Kakuzu!"
Upon absorbing the memories, he identified the killer as the world's most famous bounty hunter. He quickly summoned Duy as a precaution. Seeing that his assassination had failed, Kakuzu left his hiding place.
"White Blood Demon, bounty valued at 30 million ryo," he said, pulling out a bounty order.
Faced with a Kage-level powerhouse, Sasuke did not hold back. He ordered Samehada to channel chakra, releasing nine mecha puppets.
"Sixth Gate! Open!" Duy roared.
Sasuke's own form fused with Samehada, amplifying his strength to the maximum.
"He certainly has great growth potential. I'll harvest him again later," Kakuzu said. Seeing that Sasuke's strength far surpassed the reports, he abandoned the mission, hoping the bounty would increase.
"Kakuzu, wait."
After a "friendly exchange," the two unexpectedly became friends.
"No, I want at least a 20% stake," Kakuzu negotiated.
"Kakuzu, the fleet is mine, I provide the funding and management. You are only responsible for security, and you're asking for 20%?" Sasuke haggled.
"Who said I'm only responsible for security? I can also handle the finances. With me, there won't be a single mistake," the miser replied.
"Alright, I'll give you 20%," Sasuke conceded, overjoyed inside. Hiring a Kage-level fighter was worth it.
"Boss, I won't disappoint you," Kakuzu said, immediately switching to a respectful tone. He was already calculating the hundreds of millions he would earn in annual dividends. It seems that no matter how many bounty missions I complete, I'll never be able to earn as much as with business.
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