C 93(1)

"Boss, the new medicines are selling like hotcakes! It's only been ten days, and we've already sold a third of our stock. We need to replenish as soon as possible," the pharmacy manager in the Land of Fire said to Kain excitedly.

Secretly, the manager had bought two pills himself and visited the pleasure district to test them out. If it weren't for his job, he'd have bought a whole box and spent a week holed up in a pleasure house.

Kain replied, "Replenishment will take at least half a month. For now, the production speed is what it is, but rest assured, the next batch will be delivered continuously after this."

The pharmacy manager hesitated for a moment before adding, "Boss, some people have been asking about you. They seem like noble retainers, judging by their demeanor and appearance. What should I tell them?"

"Ignore them," Kain said dismissively.

Kain fully expected Viagra to become this popular. At 150 ryo per pill—the price of just two bowls of ramen—ordinary people could afford to buy a couple to try.

As for the inquiries, most came from greedy nobles, but Kain wasn't concerned. His pharmaceutical factory was based in the Lands of Tea and Waves, well outside the Land of Fire's influence. 

At most, the nobles could meddle with his local drugstores. If they dared to cause trouble, however, Kain had a contingency: their names would find their way onto Kakuzu's hit list. 

Over the past two years, many fools had been replaced by Kakuzu's income-generating efficiency.

During this time in the capital, Kain kept a low profile. When he wasn't absorbing natural energy or practicing sealing techniques, his Shadow Clone was busy establishing a newspaper.

Miki, the owner of Lichun Bookstore, had lent him all her staff, including an experienced editor-in-chief. After a few days of recruiting, the newspaper was nearly ready to launch.

There were some challenges in gathering information and transmitting messages, but Kain had solutions. For now, he'd rely on the telegraph. Eventually, he planned to introduce television and the internet to the Ninja World.

The existence of telegraphs in the Ninja World had surprised Kain, a fact he learned from the editor-in-chief of Lichun Bookstore. Though inconvenient to use, telegraphs were far faster than horseback messengers.

Since neither Kain nor his staff were ninjas, they couldn't rely on ninjutsu or trained ninja messengers. Instead, they had to make do with available tools.

Distributing newspapers across the Land of Fire all at once wasn't feasible. Telegraphs had limited range, so Kain decided to focus on four key locations for now: Capital, Konoha Village, Town, and Main Street.

Main Street, once just a cultural relic and tourist attraction, had become a bustling hub thanks to Kain. 

After opening two casinos there, gamblers from nearby areas flocked to the location, transforming it into a vibrant hotspot.

The Town is similar in nature—its prosperity naturally attracts the interest and aspirations of people from nearby areas. The proximity of these four locations forms a relatively contained and manageable area for Kain's newspaper operations.

Currently, the most important hubs for news collection are Konoha and the Fire Country's capital. Kain discussed with the editor-in-chief how to structure the newspaper, and they decided to divide it into four main sections: news, entertainment, advertisement, and rumors.

These sections were carefully chosen to appeal to a wide audience. The exaggerated rumors and embellished stories, in particular, were "artistically processed" to blend fiction with reality. 

For the common people of the ninja world, who have limited entertainment options, these stories are especially captivating.

Quietly and methodically, Kain planted a curse seal on the editor-in-chief and the newspaper's management team. This seal was subtle and difficult to detect. 

Since these individuals were ordinary civilians, not ninjas, they had no means of discovering it.

The curse seal served a dual purpose: gradually increasing their loyalty to Kain and ensuring their obedience. Over one or two years, their allegiance to Kain would deepen. 

After ten years under the seal, they would likely follow his orders without hesitation—even if he commanded them to die.

Once the newspaper office was fully operational, Kain set his sights on meeting the daimyo of the Fire Country. He planned to use the aristocrats associated with the Lichun Bookstore to make the necessary introductions.

Unfortunately, Kain hadn't yet mastered the Imperius Curse; otherwise, he could have controlled a few key nobles. Controlling the daimyo himself, however, was far riskier. 

The daimyo was guarded by the Twelve Guardian Ninja, who operated both openly and in the shadows. While their full number and roles were unknown, their strength was on par with Jōnin. 

Protecting the daimyo day and night, they made it nearly impossible to manipulate him undetected.

Still, Kain's request to meet the daimyo was swiftly granted. His pseudonym alone was enough to command the respect of most nobles, as the ninja world held a deep reverence for literary figures.

Through the Lichun family, Kain was brought to the daimyo's mansion and granted an audience in the castle tower. The daimyo of the Fire Country was surprisingly young and thin. He held a fan, which he used to partially conceal his face.

"Mr. Kain, please, have a seat," the daimyo said warmly.

As they met, the daimyo's satisfaction with Kain grew. In his mind, only a person with Kain's refined demeanor could produce such extraordinary literary works.

But the daimyo couldn't have been more mistaken. Kain was, at his core, a shrewd businessman. When encountering others of his kind, he could almost smell the "scent of money" on them.

….

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