As the saying goes, see the essence but don't reveal it, keep the friendship going.
The Third Raikage truly had high emotional intelligence. After hearing these three pieces of news, Satoru nodded and said,
"Convey my thanks to Lord Third Ei for his kindness. From now on, Konoha and the Hidden Cloud are allies in a sense. Thank you for your concern, Lord Dodai. Also, regarding injuring Lord Ei and Lord Bee, please pass on my apologies to them."
"Fine, I'll definitely relay your words," Dodai also had high emotional intelligence and didn't say anything extra. Satoru nodded and pocketed the money. The deal was fully complete.
Then Satoru met with the Feudal Lord. When the ruler saw how much money the young man had earned, he was quite surprised.
"You earned this much money?" Even a whole country's ruler was so excited, showing what a haul Satoru had made on this trip.
"Yes, and that's just for this trip. If we keep it up, money will flow continuously. Lord Feudal Lord, what do you think?" Satoru asked, looking at the ruler.
The Feudal Lord nodded too.
Previously, the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord hadn't paid special attention to agriculture. Since the Land of Fire's lands were fertile, there was no need to draw so many people into farming for most of the population to be fed. Plus, there weren't enough financial and human resources to develop the sector. Now Satoru provided the funds and hired many unemployed for farm work, immediately boosting the agrarian sector.
Now that the virgin lands had been cultivated and the autumn harvest collected, there was enough food not only for the Land of Fire and Konoha village, but also to supply the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning. Making money was one thing, but improving the lives of ordinary people was the most important. Moreover, this made Konoha significantly more stable and secure.
However, the Daimyo couldn't handle agricultural development himself. He was the ruler of the country and had to think about other matters. Therefore, Satoru became the most suitable person for the job.
In addition to guarding the Daimyo, Satoru opened a shop called "Konoha Barn" in the capital of the Land of Fire. Both nobles and common townsfolk could buy food there.
They also didn't engage in malicious hoarding because food was always available at the "Konoha Barn"!
At first, Satoru had competitors, but they didn't have supply channels like his. They sold grain very expensively, so only nobles could afford it, and the quality was low, so they couldn't compete at all.
Satoru didn't talk to them for long and simply offered to go into business together. They ended up earning even more than before and were only too happy.
Over the year, Satoru, using money earned from the Hidden Cloud, hired even more peasants. He even hired peasants from the Hidden Cloud to work on Konoha lands. After all, people always strive to survive, and Satoru offered them very good conditions. With their help, a huge amount of food was grown, which was then sent back. Essentially, Satoru fully revived the food industry.
On the main street of Konoha village, there was also a "Konoha Barn," one of his head offices. As for other cities in the Land of Fire, "Konoha Barns" were everywhere there. And in the capital of the Land of Fire, there was another head office.
Thanks to the authority granted by the Daimyo and the Third Hokage, as well as the funds won through the System, Satoru became one of the richest entrepreneurs in the Land of Fire.
Satoru also handed over the Hidden Cloud's military-scientific technologies to Konoha's research department. The Third Hokage and the advisors held Satoru in very high regard.
Overnight, Satoru became a prominent figure in the entire shinobi world. The youngest entrepreneur in history, the supernova star of the ninja world, possessor of immeasurable power—countless labels were pinned on Satoru.
Satoru himself wasn't that arrogant. Besides managing business, he trained every day to increase his strength.
In the blink of an eye, Satoru turned nine. The two years were coming to an end, and Satoru had to return to his home village of Konoha.
It was early morning, the sky just beginning to lighten, and Satoru was already standing in the courtyard.
"Flash Release: Wave of Chaotic Light!" Satoru's eyes were covered with a blindfold. Using only his sensory abilities, he hit all the targets he intended to attack.
"Two years have passed. The Daimyo guard mission should be complete. It's time to return to Konoha," Satoru was about to head to the Daimyo when he suddenly sensed something around him.
"Come out. I've already noticed you. Though I didn't expect it to be you," after Satoru's words, a mysterious figure appeared.
Before him stood a young man, not very old.
He wore an ANBU mask on his head. This mask was very familiar to Satoru—obviously, it was a Konoha ANBU mask.
"We haven't met before, have we? Why do you know me?" the masked youth asked.
"Hm, we haven't. But I know the aura of one of my friends well. Your aura is very similar to his," Satoru replied.
"Uchiha Jinpu took the Chunin Exams with me in Konoha. Obito Uchiha was my student. Your aura is very similar to theirs... You must be Uchiha Shisui, right?" Satoru instantly guessed the identity of the person standing before him.
"Impressive. Guessing my identity from my aura... Worthy of Lord Satoru," Uchiha Shisui said.
Satoru noticed that Shisui showed no hostility and asked, "Did you come here for some business? Did Lord Third Hokage want to pass something on to me?"
"Yes, I'm ANBU under Lord Third's command. He sent me to tell you one important thing," Uchiha Shisui then explained the matter to Satoru.
Satoru laughed, "I see. Then shall we return together? Let's go say goodbye to Lord Daimyo together?"
"Hm, no problem," Uchiha Shisui nodded.
Shisui told Satoru important news: Shimura Danzo intended to deal with Satoru.
In the Daimyo's capital, Danzo wouldn't dare touch him. But on the way back to Konoha, Satoru would definitely be ambushed by Root. The Third Hokage knew that Danzo would likely try to arrange an "accident" for Satoru, so he sent one of the ANBU to warn him. That ANBU turned out to be Konoha's genius, Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui, I've heard your Body Flicker Technique is very strong. Want to test our strengths?" Satoru challenged Shisui.
Uchiha Shisui was known as "Shisui of the Body Flicker"; his Shunpo was perfected. In the entire "Naruto" world, there were three ninjas famed for their speed: the Raikage brothers Ei and Bee, Konoha's Golden Flash, and Uchiha Shisui.
Of course, Satoru wasn't in that ranking.
"Alright, sure," Shisui nodded. Accepting the mission, he only knew Satoru was very strong but had never fought him or seen him in action.
So Shisui didn't yet know how strong Satoru really was. This chance to see him in action was perfect.
"How shall we compete, Lord Satoru?" Shisui asked.
"Here's a kunai. I'll coat it with Flash Release chakra, and it'll glow constantly. Then... find it and return here," Satoru, using Monstrous Strength, hurled the kunai so far it vanished from sight. "Got it? Ready?"
"All clear," Shisui prepared himself.
"Begin!"