Akatsuki Ninja Village.
Meeting Room.
At this moment, many people had already arrived in the room.
Not just important figures from the Land of Fire, but also a host of wealthy merchants, minor nobles... anyone Uchiha Makoto had invited into this room had basically already heard the news.
The Akatsuki Ninja Village was about to make another big move.
And the Akatsuki Ninja Village was no ordinary hidden village. Uchiha Makoto had extended his reach far and wide, not only meddling in the economy but also influencing the politics of the Land of Fire in various ways. Otherwise, so many nobles would not have come to this meeting room.
Any clever person could see at a glance that what Uchiha Makoto wanted was definitely not simple domination of the ninja world.
Ambitious people do not usually stop their steps before they have reached the end of a path.
—And this time, the topic was related to grain production.
As everyone knows.
People die if they don't eat.
The one thing ambitious people never lack around them is opportunists.
Just hearing the word "grain," this group of people had become interested enough to rush over overnight.
They were chattering incessantly in the room.
And Uchiha Makoto was the last person to arrive.
As soon as he entered the door.
The numerous gazes in the meeting room turned towards Uchiha Makoto.
He wore a sharp suit with a bright red flower pinned to his chest. The proud Two-Tailed Cat stood on his shoulder.
"Everyone, please be seated."
After Uchiha Makoto sat down in the main seat, a gentle smile appeared on his face. The people in the room then chose their seats according to their status and sat down in order.
"Lord Kōkage, let's get down to business. It wasn't easy for me to get here; the journey alone took several days."
"Yes, yes, Lord Kōkage."
"...."
The one who spoke was a high-ranking noble of the Land of Fire, followed by a few voices of agreement.
Uchiha Makoto didn't keep them in suspense.
"The agriculture of the ninja world is about to witness a revolution, an epoch-making revolution!"
"And the Akatsuki Ninja Village will lead this revolution!"
After speaking, Uchiha Makoto clapped his hands. Several ANBU ninja who had been standing outside the meeting room entered and began to display the results of the Akatsuki Ninja Village's research on the blackboard wall.
The dense data on the blackboard wall was dazzling, but the people in the room were extremely serious, reading the data bit by bit.
New improved seed models, fertilizer and water consumption per mu, maturation speed, suitable growing environments... and most importantly, the increase in yield per mu.
"Exaggerated, how is this possible?"
"An average yield of 300 kilograms per mu!"
"This is simply a fantasy!"
"....."
Soon.
Several nobles and merchants who were quick readers looked up at Uchiha Makoto, their eyes filled with disbelief.
When it came to killing people, they were certainly no match for ninja.
But when it came to farming, they believed they were better than this group of ninja, including Uchiha Makoto.
Everyone in this meeting room, whether noble or merchant, shared a common identity: landowner. And as landowners, they were all too familiar with the grain yields of the Land of Fire, as familiar as an electrician is with the daily price of copper; it was ingrained in their minds.
Currently, agriculture in the Land of Fire was still at the mercy of the heavens. Even on the most fertile land, in a year with favorable weather, the yield per mu was only about 100 kilograms. This was already the ceiling for an agrarian society.
Now, Uchiha Makoto was suddenly presenting data showing a yield of 300 kilograms per mu.
How could such a thing be possible!
If an ordinary person dared to speak such nonsense in front of them, they would immediately fly into a rage.
But the person before them was Uchiha Makoto.
—Although the Kōkage had a bit of a temper and liked to annihilate entire families, his reputation was widely known. If he said he would cooperate with you to make money, he wouldn't short you a single coin. Even if he was going to kill your whole family, he would pay you first before doing the deed.
"Everyone, this data has been verified through field tests, without a single drop of exaggeration."
"But Lord Kōkage, how exactly was this achieved?"
"First, there are several determining factors for grain yield. The foremost is the seed. Superior seeds can yield higher outputs. And you all should have heard of the Wood Style..."
"That's right, the exclusive secret technique of Konoha's First Hokage. Wood Style can create a sea of trees in a few breaths, and this ability can also be used in seed breeding, allowing us to skip the most difficult part of the process and save years of breeding time. The Akatsuki Ninja Village has cooperated with the First Hokage and has already obtained several batches of superior seeds. Furthermore, there is fertilizer... Simply collecting and fermenting manure... is too backward. The chemical fertilizer process invented by the Akatsuki Ninja Village can replace ordinary fertilizers... increasing grain yield by about half..."
"Combining multiple conditions, we have achieved a grain yield of 300 kilograms per mu."
Uchiha Makoto gave a rough explanation. The nobles and merchants in the room listened patiently, and their expressions then turned incredibly excited.
An agricultural revolution!
This was a true agricultural revolution!
Grain production had at least tripled overnight. The entire agricultural landscape of the Land of Fire, and even the entire ninja world, would change because of this.
Especially those wealthy merchants who had already bet their lives and fortunes on Uchiha Makoto. Even if he only gave them a sip of the soup, they could make a fortune.
"Lord Kōkage, so the reason you've summoned us here this time is... We would go through fire and water, and not shirk from ten thousand deaths!"
"We are willing to offer our loyalty to Lord Kōkage!"
"Loyalty!!"
Such voices rose and fell throughout the meeting room.
Before long.
The room was clearly divided into two factions.
One was the group of Land of Fire nobles, and the other was the group of Land of Fire merchants.
Uchiha Makoto stroked the purring Two-Tailed Cat in his arms and scanned the room, noticing that the vast majority of those shouting loyalty were merchants.
He wasn't surprised by this at all.
The living environment for merchants had always been harsh. They were like domestic pigs raised by the nobles, fattened up, and destined to be slaughtered and divided once the nobles got hungry.
They had no choice before, but now Uchiha Makoto had shown his ambition.
He had always treated merchants without regard for status or bloodline; the capable would rise, and the incompetent would fall.
As for the nobles, if he could go on a killing spree, Uchiha Makoto could kill hundreds of thousands of nobles in the ninja world to celebrate this new era.
With such a style of conduct...
If they had to choose a ruler, the wealthy merchants would genuinely prefer Uchiha Makoto. At the very least, they would have a chance to climb to high positions.
Instead of being stuck for generations...
The remaining silent high nobles were still maintaining their composure on the surface.
But they were already panicking inside.
The key to initiating the agricultural revolution was in the hands of the Akatsuki Ninja Village. Whoever could cooperate with them would possess the most advanced grain production capacity in the ninja world.
As the saying goes, cheap grain hurts the farmers.
With the yield per mu increasing several times over, the price of grain would inevitably fall as production increased.
If their production remained unchanged, their income would plummet. It could be said that the more land they owned, the more they would lose—and high nobles were usually the biggest landowners!
Soon.
After a wave of "loyalty" shouts ended.
Several high nobles finally couldn't hold back and asked Uchiha Makoto about his conditions.
"There are no conditions to speak of."
"I just hope that the grain production of the Land of Fire can be increased as much as possible. That way, not so many people will die in the Land of Fire each year."
"Lord Kōkage is truly noble!"
"Lord Kōkage, the entire Land of Fire will be indebted to your kindness, for generations to come, an impossible debt to repay!"
"That's right, Lord Kōkage, I too wish to receive your kindness!"
"....."
Before Uchiha Makoto could say much, another round of flattery echoed in the meeting room. A corner of his mouth curled up at these compliments, and he even couldn't help but hum softly.
"You're all too kind. Please quiet down."
"For the sake of the entire Land of Fire's grain production and food security, the Akatsuki Ninja Village will take the lead in establishing a 'Land of Fire Agricultural Association.' We will work with various parties to standardize grain prices and planting standards within the country's borders, integrate regional storage and transportation resources, and focus on developing key areas that promote the grain industry. For example, high-quality seeds, the research and popularization of chemical fertilizers, the construction and upgrading of granaries in various locations, the optimization and clearing of grain transport channels, dynamic monitoring and regulation of market grain prices, and oh, a protection system for grain production against disasters like blizzards and low temperatures... all matters related to the grain industry."
Uchiha Makoto spoke slowly, describing the framework of the agricultural association he had carefully crafted.
He would use the high-quality seeds and chemical fertilizers in his hands to unite a large group of wealthy merchants and landowners, establishing a unified set of rules for the agricultural sector in their respective jurisdictions. Through advanced technology, capital operations, and unified management and transportation, he would increase the Land of Fire's grain production. In this process, the Akatsuki Ninja Village's influence would deepen, becoming the dominant player and ultimately controlling the food lifeline of the Land of Fire.
The wealthy merchants in the meeting room nodded repeatedly.
This was an extremely grand and systematic plan.
If it could be realized, it would indeed increase the Land of Fire's grain production.
Of course... this also meant that the Agricultural Association could interfere with and determine the prices of agricultural products in the Land of Fire.
Isn't this a monopoly in disguise?
The word "monopoly" represented endless profits!
But the nobles were terrified by the implications.
The foundation of the Land of Fire was built around the management of all aspects of land and agriculture, tax collection... and now the Akatsuki Ninja Village wanted to take it all over by establishing a so-called agricultural association?
What is your Akatsuki Ninja Village trying to do?
Are you trying to rebel?
The more the high nobles present thought about it, the more frightened they became. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, and some even turned pale.
But in the end, not a single person dared to stand up and shout "Rebellious subject and traitor!" at Uchiha Makoto.
Generally speaking...
Someone like Uchiha Makoto should be struck down by heaven, beaten to the ground by a tangible iron fist.
But the problem was that a tangible iron fist must be based on violence, and in this meeting room, who possessed the greatest violence?
Without a doubt—the supreme Lord Kōkage had the biggest fist!
The nobles only occupied power in name—even a high noble from a prestigious house could have his entire family wiped out. The status of a noble was not a death-proof medallion in Uchiha Makoto's eyes.
"Lord Kōkage, this proposal is indeed good, but the scope of the Agricultural Association is too broad, too complex... I think it should be led by the Daimyo..."
A high noble close to the Daimyo's faction stood up and tactfully proposed a revision.
The content covered by the Agricultural Association was too vast; to encompass the entire agricultural industry of the Land of Fire, too many interests had to be considered... It would be good if results could be seen within a year or two.
But if the Daimyo of the Land of Fire were to lead it, it should be much easier.
"Heh..."
"I believe in the ability of the Akatsuki Ninja Village to handle all of this. There is no need to trouble the Daimyo."
"And business is business. The Agricultural Association is just a commercial cooperation organization. Only by becoming a member can one be qualified to cooperate with the Akatsuki Ninja Village and gain the right to purchase high-quality seeds and chemical fertilizers... Everything is voluntary, but I believe that a group of conscientious and idealistic collaborators will emerge in the Land of Fire to participate in the Agricultural Association for the sake of the country's food security."
After a cold laugh, Uchiha Makoto bluntly rejected the high noble who had spoken.
Due to the current order of the ninja world, the Akatsuki Ninja Village couldn't use pure violence to confiscate the land of the nobles, but he could use his technological advantage as a roundabout way to save the nation.
Only landowners who joined the Agricultural Association would be qualified to purchase superior seeds and fertilizers. The subsequent planting and selling of all seeds sold by the Akatsuki Ninja Village would also be subject to strict supervision, with unauthorized sales strictly prohibited. Once discovered, the Akatsuki Ninja Village would have the right to impose severe punishment, ensuring a generational gap in seed technology for several years.
And in the face of real money and profit, there would be plenty of nobles and wealthy merchants who would vote with their feet and engage in deep cooperation with the Akatsuki Ninja Village.
Once the Agricultural Association reached a certain scale, combining capital with the grain trade, Uchiha Makoto could lead them to launch a price war.
The Akatsuki Ninja Village possessed the most advanced grain production capacity. With an advantage in grain output, they could crush their opponents even if they lowered grain prices by several tenths, selling at cabbage prices.
At that time, among the noble class, would there be more people huddling together for warmth, or more people kicking a man when he's down?
The result was self-evident.
So this time, the advantage was his!
"Lord Kōkage... this... how can this be!"
"His Highness the Daimyo will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen."
"Please reconsider!"
Some of the nobles still wanted to try and persuade him.
They had truly not expected Uchiha Makoto to play such a big game this time; he was trying to dig up the very roots of the Land of Fire.
But such voices.
Were quickly drowned out by the cheers of the merchants and the other nobles.
The merchants didn't care about any of this. They were staunch warriors of capitalism. Faced with a business that could generate super-profits, they would inevitably seize it firmly.
As for the other cheering nobles—sorry, but the stability of the Land of Fire Daimyo's rule had little to do with them.
Uchiha Makoto was the sun in their hearts
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