Chapter 59
Haruki received his third guest.
Hyuga Saori.
After briefly introducing the situation to her, he looked at the Third Kazekage.
"I plan to set the headquarters of this gold jewelry store in Konoha, and Sunagakure as a franchise can open a branch in the Land of Wind. The profits will be divided seventy-thirty, with you getting seventy percent and me thirty percent. All matters will be handled by you, Kazekage-sama. What do you think?"
The Third Kazekage's eyes lit up, but he immediately frowned.
He would provide the raw materials and the store, while Haruki would only provide ideas and take thirty percent of the profits, which felt a bit excessive.
Haruki glanced at him, tapping his forehead lightly: "Kazekage-sama, do you know what's the most important thing in this world?"
The Third Kazekage thought for a moment: "Intelligence?"
"... Creativity. Without creativity, your gold won't sell for a high price. Taking thirty percent of the profits is quite reasonable, don't you think?"
The Third Kazekage nodded silently.
Thinking of all the other things he needed Haruki's help with, thirty percent didn't seem too much.
Besides, just the gold alone, if managed well, could match their efforts of several years.
He had never thought of, or rather, no one in Sunagakure had ever thought of such a way to make money.
"Hyuga Saori will stay here to handle the gold matters with you."
Haruki couldn't stay in Sunagakure long-term. Bringing Hyuga Saori was precisely for this purpose.
In Konoha, he planned to split the profits seventy-thirty with the Hyuga clan, with him taking seventy percent. As the base of operations, he needed to maintain absolute control. Once Tsunade became Hokage, it would turn into a public enterprise for Konoha, and even the Land of Fire.
According to Haruki's plan, essential industries like transportation, banking, food, and ninja tools all had to be nationalized.
For Sunagakure and the Land of Wind, he couldn't manage them for now, so leaving them to the Kazekage was a good choice.
The Third Kazekage nodded and asked: "What should our gold jewelry store be called?"
Haruki fell into thought. In his previous life, brand names were often quite straightforward, involving words like "fortune" or "gold."
"Golden Jade Love." He said, "Gold and jade represent our products, and 'love' reflects our story. Of course, this is the store name. Under the Golden Jade Love prefix, we can launch a series of products, such as 'Love in the City' for young lovers, 'Great Fortune and Success' for wealthy merchants, 'Heart of the Desert' for nobles and aristocrats, and so on."
"Wonderful!" The Third Kazekage felt a rush of excitement, eager to start immediately.
"In addition to gold, there are many other minerals in the desert that we can't miss."
"But aren't these less profitable than gold?"
The Third Kazekage shook his head: "We have limited manpower in Sunagakure, and currently, only Rasa can locate gold directly."
"Less profitable?" Haruki couldn't help but laugh, "Kazekage-sama, you don't really think we're selling pure gold jewelry, do you?"
"Huh? Aren't we?" The Third Kazekage looked at him, puzzled.
"Of course not. While gold is the main component, adding some jade or gemstones can make the pieces more beautiful."
Haruki squinted his eyes, feeling no guilt selling to the nobles: "As for the mixed-in value, it's hard to say."
The Third Kazekage suppressed his urge to retort, suddenly feeling that giving Haruki thirty percent of the profits was the best decision.
There were layers upon layers of schemes, and the depth was too much for him to grasp.
"The gold jewelry store can be put on the agenda."
Haruki thought of Chiyo: "I heard Chiyo has gone to the metropolis of the Land of Wind. It's a good opportunity to spread our story and make it well-known."
"Will the daimyo believe it?"
"It doesn't matter if he believes it or not."
Haruki smiled: "You just need to create a real atmosphere. As a daimyo, when a relic of his ancestors appears, he must buy it for his prestige. This is our best and most effective advertisement. If the daimyo takes the lead, the nobles will follow, both to show loyalty and to save face."
The Third Kazekage's face twitched slightly.
What a guy!
He really knew how to play the game!
Once again, he marveled at Haruki's strategic thinking and, in a sense, his ruthlessness.
In short, the Third Kazekage left with satisfaction despite his initial doubts.
Rasa, on the other hand, felt despair about his future as a gold miner.
Damn! I'm the Fourth Kazekage, with the rare Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, and I'm not meant to be a miner!
At this moment, his face, to Haruki, looked like a high-speed graphics card.
Haruki explained to Hyuga Saori what she needed to do next.
By the time they finished talking, it was already dusk.
The yellow sand flying outside the window gave a premonition of an impending sandstorm.
After Hyuga Saori left, Haruki welcomed his fourth guest.
Today was really lively.
He looked at the middle-aged man rushing towards him, feeling a bit emotional.
The middle-aged man wore a black robe, had short red hair, and black seams on both sides of his mouth.
A puppet.
His right hand, which resembled a robot joint, held a shuriken, making a buzzing sound as he moved.
He leaped lightly, the shuriken like a dagger, cutting through the air, wrapped in a faint chakra, aiming to pierce Haruki's heart.
Haruki raised his index finger. It didn't seem powerful, but when it touched the shuriken, a vast and terrifying force erupted.
A storm of wind and waves!
With the sound of the shuriken breaking, the puppet retreated even faster than it came.
Bang!
It crashed into the wall, its metal body making a strange noise.
At this moment, Haruki looked up.
His green robe and black hair fluttered in the air.
With a dull sound, a dozen senbon needles rained down, covering Haruki from above.
From his perspective, he could see the green poison on the senbon needles.
But Haruki still didn't move, casually waving his arm to create an invisible barrier.
The senbon needles seemed to hit a swamp, stopping in mid-air.
Haruki flicked his finger, and the senbon needles returned, wrapped in chakra, transforming into missiles.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound was continuous.
The female puppet charging down was immediately knocked back, falling to the ground moments later.
At her joint connections, the senbon needles had precisely severed her connection with the puppeteer.
In the darkness, the puppeteer's bright eyes flashed with shock, but he remained calm.
He raised his little hand, and the male puppet on his back leaped up, its arm creaking and unfolding several spiral blades.
Haruki looked at him, a little red-haired boy with a delicate face.
He punched, the puppet's blade arm unable to withstand the immense force, breaking piece by piece.
"It's useless."
Haruki stood in front of the boy, seeing the fear creeping into his emotionless face, recognizing who he was.
Sasori of the Red Sand.