Chapter 70: Changes in the Yotsuki Clan and Returning to the Village
In the Land of Hot Water, after a long absence, Dana finally returned to the secret base. The once-famous hot spring inn, after several expansions and renovations by Kitanouji, had been renamed "Gokuraku no Yu" (The Bath of Paradise). It was now the largest comprehensive hot spring resort in the country, a one-stop destination for lodging, fine dining, hot springs, and entertainment, attracting wealthy merchants and nobles from all over.
And the better the business of "Gokuraku no Yu" became, the better the secret base of the "Special Strategy Division" was hidden. After several expansions, the place was a labyrinth, its layout impossible for outsiders to decipher. And the business itself was a gold mine, making the already well-funded "Special Strategy Division" even wealthier.
Dana luxuriated in his private bath, feeling the pleasure of every pore opening. He had been in the Land of Rain for too long, and he was sick of the cold and damp. He felt so comfortable he could have fallen asleep right there.
The sound of the door sliding open. He instinctively reached for a weapon, then, seeing it was just Maki Minabe, he relaxed and sank back into the water with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Am I suffering from battlefield post-traumatic stress too?
There was no denying it. The experiences of the past few years had changed him.
Maki, her face flushed, walked towards him. "Young Master," she said, "please allow me to serve you."
She was wearing a short, close-fitting uniform. From the hips down, it was all legs. In the steamy room, it was hard not to notice.
With a great effort of will, Dana looked away. No, no, no. I may be a little taller, but I'm still a kid. And so is she!
After a relaxing massage, he changed his clothes and went to a hidden room where Kitanouji was waiting.
The Kitanouji Merchant Guild was now a major power in the Land of Hot Water, but Kitanouji was always respectful in Dana's presence. He would never underestimate him because of his age. He knew who had given him his current success. The Kitanouji Merchant Guild was just a subsidiary of the "blacksmith's shop" project, bearing his name and under his management. And in the "blacksmith's shop" project, there were many other organizations of a similar scale.
"Please, have some tea, my lord," Kitanouji said, respectfully offering him a cup.
"The two families I sent back, have they been taken care of?"
"Yes, my lord. All arrangements have been made."
"When the war is over in a couple of years, send the children to the Hidden Cloud Ninja Academy. You can start the preparations now. Now, what did you want to see me about?"
Kitanouji wrung his hands, then, with a deep breath, said, "My lord, recently, a number of people from the Yotsuki clan have approached me, trying to... persuade me."
In recent years, the "blacksmith's shop" project had monopolized the weapon and ironware industries in the lands of Thunder, Hot Water, Rice Paddies, Waterfalls, Grass, and Waves. They also controlled a large number of iron and coal resources. Even the Land of Iron, a traditional weapon-producing powerhouse, was now completely dependent on their supply chain. And recently, they had begun to extend their reach into the lands of Fire and Earth, crushing the local merchants.
As he had thought before, when ninja get involved in business, it's a complete game-changer. "Business at the edge of a sword" didn't even begin to describe it. With their advanced business concepts and technological superiority, their growth had been incredibly rapid.
And the Yotsuki clan, as the leaders and actual owners of the project, had won big. To put it simply, their annual revenue was now comparable to that of the entire Hidden Cloud Village.
This sudden influx of wealth had caught the Yotsuki by surprise. Though they were a great clan, they had never managed such a vast income and so many industries. Thanks to Dana's intervention, there had been no major disasters, but it had changed the mindset of some of the clan members.
Some of them, seeing that they could make a fortune in business, no longer wanted to be ninja, to live on the edge of a knife. Even the non-ninja members of the clan had seen their monthly allowances double, earning more than a typical Chunin who risked their life on missions. For a time, almost no one from the Yotsuki clan was taking missions in the village. They were all working for their own family's business. It wasn't until the Third Raikage flew into a rage that things had changed.
Many in the clan were now ambivalent about the ninja system. If they had the power of a ninja, did they have to take missions? Wasn't their own family's business more lucrative?
Some had begun to entertain the idea of becoming independent of the village and the ninja system, of using their business to support the clan. This wasn't necessarily a selfish thought, but a public-spirited one. But the "public" had shrunk from the entire village to just the Yotsuki clan.
A large portion of these people were young and not of high status, but they represented the many who had no great ambition as ninja. With the Third Raikage and the clan elders keeping a lid on things in the village, it was manageable. But the idea could never be completely suppressed. When you could live a comfortable life doing simple work for your own clan, why would you take on dangerous missions?
A small, dissatisfied faction had begun to unite with outside forces, or with others who shared their ideas. The business professionals they had recruited in recent years, or the people from the village who had been allowed to participate because of their close ties to the Yotsuki, were all their targets. Their demand was simple: to be allowed to not accept missions, despite their status as ninja.
Kitanouji's position was unique. He owned a portion of the shares, and he wielded considerable power in the Land of Hot Water. And he was not a ninja. He was a natural target for them.
Dana didn't look up. "What do you think?" he asked.
"I will follow your orders, my lord," Kitanouji said simply.
Ultimately, this was a problem of a backward organizational structure being unable to handle advanced productivity. The rapid development had made some of the old rules obsolete.
"Don't take a side," Dana said. "This has nothing to do with you. When the time is right, a solution will be found."
"As you command, my lord," Kitanouji said with a bow. He remained in that position, his head lowered.
Dana took a sip of tea. He waited, but Kitanouji didn't say anything else.
"Are you playing a guessing game with me?" he said. "Let me see... is that ten percent not so easy to hold onto?"
"My lord is wise."
As the "blacksmith's shop" project had grown, the ten percent that Kitanouji had once thought was too little was now a hot potato. Some wanted to win him over, and others were watching him. He now possessed something that he could not protect. He knew his place. He was satisfied with his current position at the head of the Kitanouji Merchant Guild. But some things were not so easy to walk away from. So, he had come to his benefactor, to Dana, for advice.
"The same goes for you," Dana said. "Don't be in a hurry. The time is not yet right. But I will take care of your situation."
"I am at your command, my lord."
After a brief rest in the Land of Hot Water, Dana set out for the Hidden Cloud Village.
As the only hidden village not yet affected by the war, the gates were bustling with activity. Not only were the surrounding small countries dependent on the Cloud, but even the great nations of Fire and Earth, fearing the effects of the war, had sent people to post missions.
From a distance, he could see the congestion. The gates were not wide enough to handle the dense flow of people, and a long, winding queue had formed outside the village. Of course, that was for the merchants. Ninja didn't know the meaning of the word "queue."
Seeing the familiar gates after more than a year, Dana felt a thrill of excitement, the joy of coming home.
"Hehe, I'm back! Charge!"
He left the convoy. Someone else would take care of it. From a distance, he threw a kunai that pinned his entry permit to the gate, and then, with his "Ashen Bandits" in tow, he charged into the village, to the envious stares of the queuing merchants.
He moved so fast that he kicked up a cloud of dust, like a yellow dragon.
A moment later, he charged back out and scooped up the stunned Maki Minabe.
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot about you."
"Young Master... slow down!" Maki already knew what was about to happen.
"Can't slow down. I'm not just fast, I'm fast."
With Maki's shriek, he once again transformed into a yellow dragon.
Soon, the news of the return of the Yotsuki clan's Young Master, Yotsuki Dana, reached the ears of those who were paying attention.