42: Chapter 42 Orochi Experience PackAfter a period of adjustment, the chamber of commerce has begun to operate efficiently on its own.
Cargo loading and unloading at the docks proceeded in an orderly manner, and the black market trade, under the rule of "taking a commission to ensure safety," showed a stable and prosperous trend.Even the tax revenue of the Daimyo of the Land of Waves increased by 20% due to the active commerce—of course, most of it would flow into the treasury of the merchant guild under various names.
Naruto sat in the spacious study, listening to Shizune's report.
Outside the window is a clear blue sea and sky, while inside is a thriving business empire.
"President, the newly recruited Ronin Iron Boat has passed the assessment.He is skilled in swordsmanship and has a calm demeanor.He has been initially assigned to escort important supplies for the Chamber of Commerce."
Shizune handed over a file."In addition, as you instructed, we have helped Yun Que kick most of her gambling addiction.She has shown a great talent for intelligence work.This is the first briefing she has compiled on the movements of surrounding forces, and it is very detailed."
Naruto took the briefing and quickly glanced at it.
The addition of Tiezhou and Yunque filled the gap in the Chamber of Commerce's high-end military force and professional intelligence.
In particular, the briefing provided by Hibari not only covered the movements of the pirate remnants around the Land of Waves, but also vaguely mentioned some subtle changes within Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
"Very good." Naruto nodded in satisfaction."Tell Tesshu that he will be in full charge of escorting the special ore from the Land of Water next time."
As for Hibari…" He tapped his fingertip on the table, "Have her keep a close eye on the Akatsuki's movements, and… any disturbances in the Sound Village of the Land of Rice Fields."
Silent accepted the order and left.
Naruto walked up to the huge map of the sea.The Land of Waves was an important springboard and source of funds, but the real stage was between the five great nations.
To gain a foothold on that stage, money and a piece of land are far from enough.
He needs more talent, more cutting-edge technology, and.a deeper penetration into the existing ninja world system, especially Konoha.
First, they established an economic bond, and through long-term orders from the mountain flower shop, the Chamber of Commerce established a stable relationship with the Konoha logistics system.
But that's not enough; Naruto needs to have a more direct impact on Konoha's internal affairs.
He summoned a trusted aide and whispered a few instructions to him.
Soon, several earnest "letters of appeal" in the name of different chambers of commerce were sent to the Konoha mission posting office.
The letter mentioned that "traces of suspected mysterious organization activity have been discovered" in the Land of Waves.
The letter stated, "Important members of the Chamber of Commerce have been attacked by unidentified ninjas," and requested Konoha to dispatch an elite team to assist in the investigation, along with a reward higher than the difficulty of the mission.
These tasks will happen to fall on certain Konoha ninjas that Naruto wants to contact or who have potential, such as.Team 8 where Hinata Hyuga is, or Team 10 where Shikamaru Nara is.
This is both an opportunity for observation and a chance for future contact.
Then there's internal support.
Through the raccoon dog, Naruto continued to gather information about the activities of Konoha's higher-ups.
He discovered that Danzo's Root organization had become increasingly active since Jiraiya took office, seemingly plotting something.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by the complexities of government affairs, and his control over the internal affairs was not monolithic.
"It's time to give the Hokage a hard time and cause some trouble for that old dog Danzo," Naruto sneered.
He instructed "Shark" to subtly leak clues about Root's illegal experiments and elimination of dissidents to the captain of the Dark Army, who was loyal to the Hokage, without revealing himself.
Meanwhile, at the underground base of the Ninja Village in the Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru, in his wheelchair, exuded an even more decaying aura than before.
The seal below his neck was like a maggot clinging to his bones, constantly eroding his vitality and sanity.
Kabuto the Pharmacist stood humbly to the side, reporting on his work.
"Lord Orochimaru, the experiment on fusing the First Hokage's cells with the Sharingan has encountered a bottleneck; we lack a crucial stabilizer."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses."Also, our spies in the Land of Earth have reported back that Iwagakure seems quite interested in 'that thing.' Perhaps we can use this to divert their attention."
Orochimaru's golden snake eyes flashed, "Bottleneck.then let's continue to think of ways to overcome it!"
"As for Iwagakure.Hmph, a bunch of idiots.Kabuto, I'm leaving this matter to you.If necessary, you can sacrifice some insignificant pawns."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto bowed respectfully.
A few days later, Naruto, through the hidden link of the "Heart-Binding Curse," issued an order to Kabuto: "Investigate within the Sound Village to identify any ninjas with special talents who are not yet recognized or who are not absolutely loyal to Orochimaru, and to identify any promising research projects."
Upon receiving the instructions, Dou immediately began efficient screening.
He used his position and authority within the Sound Village to quickly gather the information Naruto needed.
This was not difficult for him, as he already had access to a large amount of experimental data and personnel files.
Soon after, an encrypted intelligence report was sent back to Naruto through a special channel.
The intelligence detailed a list of several ninjas who met the requirements (such as Hozuki Suigetsu, who was skilled in water transformation and swordsmanship but was marginalized due to his eccentric personality, and Uzumaki Karin, a remnant of the Uzumaki clan who possessed superhuman sensory and healing abilities but was used as a mobile blood pack), as well as information on several promising research projects.
"Hozuki Suigetsu.Karin.and these technical documents."
Naruto's eyes flashed with a sharp light.Kabuto was indeed efficient.These people and technology were exactly what the Apocalypse Merchant Guild needed to replenish!
He immediately summoned Tsunade and Shizune to discuss the matter.
I need to be away for a while.
Naruto got straight to the point, "Go to the border of the Land of Rice Fields to pick up a few people and retrieve some supplies."
Tsunade was fiddling with a pile of newly arrived medicinal herbs, not even looking up: "Going to cause trouble again?Who's going to be in trouble this time?"
Naruto smiled and said, "Go and receive the gift sponsored by Orochimaru."
"A brat skilled in water manipulation and swordsmanship, a whirlpool survivor with good sensory and healing abilities, and some others."Interesting technical information.
Tsunade paused, looked up, and her amber eyes were full of surprise: "You can even poach Orochimaru's men?And you do it so brazenly?"
"Resource sharing, right?" Naruto shrugged."It's a waste for him to just lie in the lab, so we might as well use him to create value for us."
Shizune said with some concern, "President, the Land of Rice Fields is, after all, the territory of the Sound Ninja.Orochimaru is seriously injured, but his power is still considerable.It's too dangerous."
"It is precisely because Orochimaru is seriously injured that morale within the Sound Village is low, making it the perfect time to strike."
Naruto said confidently, "Besides, we're not going to launch a full-scale attack, we're going to provide support.Tetsuya and Hibari will come with me, and the Chamber of Commerce is in your hands."
He looked at Tsunade, his tone somewhat affectionate: "Grandma, keep an eye on the house.Also, that broad-forehead girl, the basics are pretty much done.You can start teaching her something real now, like.the basics of superhuman strength techniques?"
Tsunade snorted: "Do you need to teach me?I know what I'm doing!But.hurry back, the Chamber of Commerce has a ton of business to attend to!"
Naruto smiled, turned and left.
Inside the Chamber of Commerce's training grounds, Sakura was diligently practicing chakra control, attempting to evenly cover her palms with chakra.
Tsunade watched from the sidelines with her arms crossed, occasionally offering pointers: "Wait!It's too scattered!Focus!Imagine your hands are hammers!"
Sakura was sweating profusely from exhaustion.After several failed attempts, she couldn't help but complain, "Lady Tsunade, this is much harder than medical ninjutsu."
Tsunade glared at her: "Nonsense!Medical ninjutsu is for saving lives, while super strength jutsu is for beating people up!How can they be the same?If you want to learn how to beat people up, you have to be prepared to get beaten up!Let's try again!"
Just then, Shizune passed by, glanced at Sakura with pity, and whispered to Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, isn't your teaching style a bit too harsh."
Tsunade said confidently, "A strict teacher produces outstanding students!Look at Naruto, isn't he the result of my beatings?"
Naruto, who had just walked to the edge of the training ground, happened to hear this and his lips twitched.
As night fell, Naruto, along with the nimble Iron Boat and Hibari, whose figure blended into the shadows, quietly left the Land of Waves and boarded a fast boat, heading towards the Land of Rice Fields.
[Ding!You have obtained crucial intelligence on key personnel and technologies from the Sound Village through Kabuto, gaining +500 Villain Points!] [Current Villain Points: 1300]
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