[[[250ch of this novel on my patreon]]]
"Boss!"
At the border outpost, the moment Qian Renxue and the others spotted the familiar figure, their tension melted away. They stepped forward in unison, faces lit with genuine relief.
Li Rong raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Ignoring Nara Suzaku and the surrounding Konoha Ninja—who had instantly tightened their formation—he looked at them with curiosity.
"Why are you all here?" he asked. "Didn't I assign you to issue missions to the other Ninja Villages?"
Nara Suzaku frowned slightly, clearly catching the words other Ninja Villages, and was about to interject. Li Rong lifted a hand, casually stopping him.
Qian Renxue quickly summarized their decision-making process and actions along the way. As she spoke, Li Rong nodded repeatedly, his gaze lingering on her several times.
"Very good," he said in a satisfied tone. "Your analytical judgment, negotiation skills, and execution are all solid. Much better than I expected."
Qian Renxue's eyes brightened. She bowed slightly. "I only wanted to complete the mission you assigned as perfectly as possible."
Li Rong nodded once more, then turned toward Nara Suzaku. "I'm Li Rong, the owner of the Sacrificial Shop. For the remainder of this journey, I'll trouble Konoha to provide protection."
"You're too polite," Nara Suzaku replied courteously. His gaze sharpened as he seized the chance to probe. "I didn't expect the owner of the Sacrificial Shop to be such a young talent."
"Just luck," Li Rong replied lightly. "May I know your name?"
"Konoha Jonin, Nara Suzaku." He then gestured to the two beside him. "Akimichi Doto. Yamanaka Ryo."
Li Rong nodded in greeting. "Then I'll leave matters to the three of you."
Seeing Li Rong's easygoing attitude, Nara Suzaku pressed further. "Boss Li, earlier I heard that your guards are heading to other Ninja Villages to issue missions…"
"That's correct."
Nara Suzaku frowned slightly. "Konoha's Ninja strength is unmatched in this World. Why go through the trouble of involving other Villages?"
"This concerns the shop's business philosophy," Li Rong replied calmly. "It's not something I can disclose at the moment."
The refusal was clean and unambiguous. Nara Suzaku immediately changed topics instead of pressing further.
"Then may I ask—will your storage spirit tools be sold?"
"Of course," Li Rong answered without hesitation. "We crossed the sea at great cost. Naturally, we need to recover expenses. We've brought many goods your World doesn't have."
Nara Suzaku's eyes flashed. Thinking of the mysterious abilities those Spirit Masters had displayed, he felt a brief surge of excitement.
"Please rest assured," he said quickly. "Konoha will offer fair prices for any suitable goods."
"That would be ideal," Li Rong replied with a faint smile. "If Konoha recognizes us, it will save me a great deal of trouble."
Encouraged, Nara Suzaku leaned in slightly. "In that case, Konoha is prepared to host a grand welcome ceremony—"
—to make the other Villages believe the Sacrificial Shop was closely tied to Konoha.
"That won't be necessary," Li Rong interrupted bluntly. "I'm just a merchant. I prefer peaceful business."
He paused, then added, "If possible, I'd like the review expedited. I want to enter Konoha quickly to issue missions."
Nara Suzaku's heart sank. His intentions had clearly been seen through. He bowed lightly and immediately shifted to official matters, using his authority as a Jonin to speed up the process.
Names, origins, reasons for entry—everything was recorded succinctly. The inspection was completed with remarkable efficiency.
Once cleared, Li Rong entered the carriage with the four women, instructing Qian Renxue to drive. The Konoha Ninja took the lead, while the others followed on foot toward Konoha.
Not long after they departed, more than ten masked Anbu silently trailed them from the shadows.
Passing through the gates of Konoha was effortless.
"Welcome to Konoha," Nara Suzaku said, spreading his arms with unconcealed pride. "The number one Ninja Village in the World."
"Impressive," Li Rong said sincerely, scanning his surroundings. "Much better than the towns we passed earlier."
Nara Suzaku caught the subtext. "How does it compare to your homeland?"
Li Rong glanced at the low-rise buildings, tangled power lines, and unevenly planned streets. "The atmosphere feels… poor."
Dugu Yan immediately objected, pointing toward Hokage Rock. "That's not fair. At least the statues are pretty majestic."
For a heartbeat, silence reigned.
Then Qian Renxue and the others burst into laughter. Nara Suzaku opened his mouth, then closed it again, deciding not to introduce anything further.
So their homeland must really be something else…
Without lingering, Nara Suzaku led them straight to the Hokage Building. Li Rong instructed the others to wait downstairs, intending to bring only the four women inside.
"That's too many people," Nara Suzaku hesitated.
"I'll only bring my wives," Li Rong said calmly, gesturing at Qian Renxue and the others. "They'll stay outside. Listening in will help them handle future negotiations."
After a brief consultation, permission was granted.
Inside the office, Li Rong bowed lightly. "Greetings, Third Hokage. The Sacrificial Shop is honored to meet Konoha's leadership."
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed warmly. "Konoha is equally honored to make first contact with merchants from overseas."
Before long, Utatane Koharu cut straight to the point.
"What's the price of your storage spirit tools? If suitable, Konoha is willing to purchase them all."
"You misunderstand," Li Rong replied calmly. "I'm not here to sell goods—at least not yet. I'm here to hire Ninja."
He continued evenly, "We've temporarily settled in the Uzushiogakure ruins. Due to manpower shortages, we haven't had time to transport goods."
At the mention of Uzushiogakure, several expressions changed.
Homura Mitokado slammed the table. "That land belonged to the Uzumaki Clan! Occupying it without permission is excessive!"
"If the clan is extinct, the land is ownerless," Li Rong replied indifferently.
"Kushina Uzumaki is in Konoha!" Homura snapped. "How dare you call it ownerless?!"
Li Rong didn't argue. He simply smiled.
"Then invite Princess Kushina here. I'll purchase the land from her."
The room fell silent.
Hiruzen sighed inwardly, realizing Li Rong had no intention of backing down. After a long pause, he turned to Minato.
"Minato, inform Kushina to come here."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Before Minato left, Li Rong added calmly, "I'd also like to commission five Konoha Ninja teams to help establish a camp in the Land of Whirlpools."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "You're quite confident. Are you certain you can buy that land?"
Jiraiya crossed his arms, grinning. "Careful. You might be poking a hornet's nest."
After all, everyone in the room knew the temperament of the Bloody Habanero far too well.
_____________________
https://[email protected]/mrSOMEONE01234? [replace @ with a]
>>>>>I'm a student, and I'll try my best to keep uploading chapters regularly <<<<<
thanks for your support
[[READER TIER 1: translates stories {15$} ]] { RECOMENDED }
[[READER TIER 2: translated & original stories {20$} ]]
[[[[Please at least visit my patreon so I can have some traffic]]]]]
Also try
[[[Restaurant in Douluo Dalu (530+ch)]]] {6$}
[[[Jujutsu kaisen : Eight Gates For Heavenly Restriction(196+)(COMPLETED) ]]]{6$} [[[JOJO: My Stand Is Black Sperm(100+ch)]]]{6$}