At the Mitsumine Group headquarters, Hibari looked at various reports in his hand and said to Hitoku Hyūga, who was beside him, "It seems that everything is running quite well, but the profits for the past two months are still a bit lacking, not as good as before."
Hitoku said helplessly, "Hibari-dono, this is wartime after all. It's normal for profits to decline. However, since we signed a truce with Kumogakure, the data shows that our profits have started to recover."
"I understand..." Hibari nodded and then continued, "The Third Hokage-sama is currently negotiating a peace agreement with Kumogakure. If all goes well, they might even form an alliance. I've already spoken with the Third Hokage-sama, and there will be opportunities for us in this agreement. Since the war is about to end, and Kumogakure might become our ally, it's normal and necessary for us to 'help' our ally's economy recover. Prepare to set up a new investment department. We're going to heavily invest in the economies of the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure."
"Invest in Kumogakure?" Hitoku muttered with some surprise, his expression showing a hint of hesitation and doubt. But he still asked, "Hibari-dono, even if our two nations form an alliance, the relationship won't recover from the wartime chill in a short time. Investing in the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure at this time... isn't that a bad idea? There might be opposition from the public..."
"No matter what you do, someone will object. But this is the general direction, Hitoku. Since the higher-ups want to establish good relations with the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure, we'll follow suit.
"Besides, you might think that investing in Kumogakure is like 'aiding the enemy,' but that's not the case. We're using economics to suppress them. It's true that this is a win-win situation for both sides; we invest in Kumogakure, and Kumogakure can quickly recover and prosper.
"But our profits are clearly much larger. We're making money from Kumogakure! The money we earn can be invested further into the Land of Fire.
"At the same time, with us controlling some of the Land of Lightning's economy, intelligence will be easier to acquire, and our influence in the Land of Lightning will grow. Next time, if a war breaks out again, think about it: if we suddenly withdraw our investment and shut down all our industries in the Land of Lightning, we'd create a large number of unemployed people for them out of thin air. Would that be good or bad for the war?
"Not only that, but if we also spread the word that all of this was caused by the war, their domestic anti-war sentiment will soar, and who knows, they might even have another internal conflict like this time. Am I right?" Hibari said earnestly.
Hitoku, who was initially somewhat reluctant, suddenly had an epiphany after hearing these words. He nodded repeatedly and said, "I see, I see. So it's about putting a knife to the opponent's throat from an unseen place? Hibari-dono, your schemes are amazing!"
Hibari smiled but didn't become complacent. After all, he was just imitating others. These methods had already been overused in his previous life, but here, almost no one could think so far ahead. They could totally be seen as a hidden blade!
Kakuzu, standing by, felt a ripple in his heart as he listened to Hibari's analysis. So this is how war can be fought! It wasn't just shinobis clashing on the front lines; there could also be unseen blades and shadows striking at the opponent's weak points from behind!
"Learn more. Do I look like someone who would suffer a loss?" Hibari said with a smile.
He casually flipped through the rest of the documents and, after looking at them, Hibari said, "This is also a good opportunity. The Land of Hot Water is riddled with holes right now, and its original economic ecosystem has been completely shattered. For the other four great nations, our power is not enough to shake or control anything, but for a small nation like the Land of Hot Water, it's worth considering.
"We also need a country that we can completely control. Go, prepare a detailed report on the internal economic survey of the Land of Hot Water. Seize this post-war reconstruction opportunity to fully control the Land of Hot Water in the hands of our Mitsumine Group! Coincidentally, I also have many things that need to be handled in the Land of Hot Water."
This time, Hitoku didn't raise any objections. First, he had already understood the deeper meaning behind Hibari's words. Investing in the Land of Hot Water was meant to gain control over its power, not to do charity.
On the other hand, half of the responsibility for the Land of Hot Water's current situation lay with the Land of Fire. Therefore, it was only right to initiate post-war reconstruction as a form of compensation. Coupled with Hibari's ideology, it could completely achieve 'both fame and fortune.'
"Finally, we need to establish a new Public Opinion News Department, set up multiple news agencies, and cover all aspects of people's lives, from politics to entertainment, gossip, secret stories, and even research into ninjutsu, as well as economics and other areas.
"We need to explore and get involved in all of them, establish a complete public opinion ecosystem, and control the right to speak in our hands. At the same time, we'll gain the enormous profits behind this, which no one has touched yet!" Hibari said in a deep voice.
After arranging all these matters and also assigning Kakuzu's work, Hitoku finally said, "Hibari-dono, this is a letter from the Capital."
Hibari took it curiously, looked at it, and said, "Isn't this from my Hashirama-jiisan? Why was it sent here?"
"It should be about something that was agreed upon earlier, right?" Hitoku said with a smile.
"Something agreed upon?" Hibari was stunned for a moment, then seemed to remember something. He opened the letter and read it, then said helplessly, "What kind of evil has possessed my old man? Why is he so stubbornly insistent on building a city? Can't he just be a good old gambler in the Capital? Anyway, all his expenses are paid by the Daimyō's mansion... Hmm?"
At this point, Hibari suddenly fell silent, and a greedy light flickered in his eyes. Then a smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "Go, choose a good location. It must be convenient for transportation to all countries, and then buy the land. The bigger, the better. Doesn't our Hashirama-sama want to build a city? Then we'll build him one!"
Hitoku said helplessly, "Hibari-dono, it's understandable that the First Hokage-sama doesn't understand these things, but why are you joining in the nonsense? At this time, building a city is completely meaningless. It's simply a losing business.
"What's more, although the war between us and Kumogakure seems to have ended, the Land of Water and the Land of Earth are still fighting. If something happens again in the future and our Land of Fire gets involved, it's not impossible...
"In my opinion, it's best to wait until the war subsides, the economies of all countries begin to recover, and the population begins to increase significantly before starting this city-building project."
"Generally speaking, that's true. At a time like this, anyone who builds a city will suffer huge losses. But I just had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought of a great idea. We don't need to build a city suitable for living or anything like that; that's too boring.
"We'll build a casino city... or rather, an entertainment city. We'll create a city specifically for the wealthy and influential. Wouldn't that bring in a continuous stream of wealth? It can satisfy the First Hokage-sama's city-building plan, utilize his special talents, and also provide a buyer for the biggest paper money production line I mentioned earlier. It kills many birds with one stone!" Hibari said, his eyes gleaming.
Kakuzu stood by, also looking excited. He then asked, "Like the Tanzaku Quarters?"
"What Tanzaku Quarters? The Tanzaku Quarters is too low-class. The city we're building will have a threshold at its entrance. If your net worth isn't in the tens of millions of ryo, you won't even be allowed in!" Hibari said, slamming his hand on the table.
Hitoku said with some hesitation, "Isn't that a bit bad? For our reputation... setting such a threshold..."
"This is protection, Hitoku. The rich can treat this as recreation, but if ordinary people get involved in such things, they could easily lose everything..." Hibari said, patting Hitoku's shoulder.
Hitoku heard this and suddenly understood. He said, "I see, Hibari-dono, you are truly thoughtful..."
Kakuzu, on the other hand, had an expression like he had eaten something foul. What 'protection'? It sounded so good. It might have that effect, but Kakuzu would die before believing that Hibari started with that intention. This guy was definitely thinking of creating a high-end place, which was why he would set such a threshold...
In short, with the announcement of Hibari's series of new plans, the Mitsumine Group once again began its expansion, preparing to enter more industries and sectors. Who knows, this commercial behemoth might one day truly swallow a nation?
After handling all these matters, Hibari had just stood up, ready to announce their dismissal, when he frowned slightly. Before he could speak, Kakuzu also seemed to sense something. He glanced at Hibari, then grabbed Hitoku, and said, "There are still many things I don't understand. Please, Secretary, explain them to me properly..."
After saying that, Kakuzu dragged away a bewildered Hitoku. Only then did a black shadow suddenly appear beside Hibari. The shadow wore an Anbu mask and said softly, "Minister, the intelligence department has just received the latest news. The Land of Water and the Land of Earth, Kirigakure and Iwagakure, engaged in a fierce battle three days ago in the Land of Birds."
Hibari frowned and asked, "How's the battle?"
"It was extremely fierce, but there was no winner in the end. Both sides suffered heavy losses. There's unconfirmed news that Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki and Second Tsuchikage Mū met on another battlefield, clashed, and both died. We have carefully searched for related information and intelligence, but we haven't found anything yet," the Anbu member quickly said.
Hibari's eyes lit up, and he then said, "Closely monitor this news. I think it's very likely to be a fact, not just a rumor. If that's the case, then in this war, the Land of Earth and the Land of Water won't have a victor. Both will be heavily wounded. At the same time, I suppose they'll also end this war quickly, right?"
Once the Land of Water and the Land of Earth reached such a dire situation, and both their leaders perished, the war would definitely end soon. Why? Because Kumogakure and Konohagakure had already finished fighting, and Sunagakure, who hadn't done anything, was also watching like a tiger. Even if they didn't want to end the war, they wouldn't dare to continue messing around.
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