Chapter 58

After the noise inside the room subsided, Minato Namikaze glanced at Mikoto Uchiha, signaling with his eyes what to do next.

Mikoto tilted her head slightly, pointing at the door, indicating that he should go.

After hesitating for a moment, Minato reached out and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Haruki's voice sounded, seemingly no different from usual.

Minato secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the door open.

Haruki was sitting by the table, but Tsunade was nowhere to be seen.

Minato's "high emotional intelligence" told him it was best not to ask what had happened.

"Teacher, Mikoto and I followed your instructions to track the latest actions of Sunagakure. We're here to report."

"Go ahead," Haruki nodded, speaking calmly.

This time, he hadn't brought anyone else. He had tasked Minato and Mikoto with gathering intelligence.

In fact, they were exceptionally suited for this task.

Minato Namikaze was the fastest man in the ninja world, excellent at escaping, while Mikoto Uchiha's Sharingan granted her exceptional insight and hypnotic abilities, making her perfect for gathering information.

In a way, it would be a waste of their abilities, for not using the Flying Thunder God and Sharingan for reconnaissance work.

"After we left, the Third Kazekage immediately convened a jonin meeting to discuss the plans you proposed. Those who opposed were all taken down. After the meeting, Chiyo led a significant puppet troop to the capital of the Land of Wind."

"Oh? They're more decisive than I expected," Haruki stroked his chin, not very surprised.

Desperation breeds change.

When pushed to the edge, people can decisively abandon their pride.

If it were Konoha, the Third Hokage's first reaction to these plans would be suspicion of ulterior motives rather than elation.

This is because Konoha isn't in a desperate situation, giving the Hokage room to consider more.

The saying "a friend in need is a friend indeed" holds true here.

"Given the current situation, it seems the Third Kazekage basically trusts us," Haruki waved his hand. "You two no longer need to carry out missions. Since you're here in Sunagakure, you might as well explore the place."

"Understood, Teacher."

After Minato and Mikoto left, Tsunade reappeared in the room.

Having her juniors witness such an embarrassing scene, She really wanted to find a hole to crawl into. She didn't dare to meet them and just hid herself.

Haruki smiled.

Seeing his smile, Tsunade became irritated.

"Did you notice them earlier?"

"No," Haruki certainly wouldn't admit it. "How could I notice others when I'm with you?"

Tsunade's anger subsided instantly.

She averted her gaze and hummed, "I'll believe you this once."

Haruki was about to stand up when Tsunade immediately pressed his head down.

"What mischief are you planning now?"

"?"

"I'm going back to my room."

Tsunade's hands slid down, vigorously rubbing his face. Seeing his distorted expression, she laughed and then disappeared again.

Haruki blinked.

What was that about?

He guessed that Tsunade's tolerance had reached its limit, so she fled.

Haruki didn't have anything else to do.

After a while, he planned to find Tsunade to go shopping, but then there was another knock on the door.

He welcomed his second wave of guests for the day.

The Third Kazekage and Rasa.

Seeing them, Haruki could pretty much guess their purpose.

Many of his proposed plans would take a long time to yield results, but the gold dust business was immediately profitable.

The Third Kazekage bringing Rasa indicated his agreement to Haruki's deal.

"Please, sit."

Haruki stepped back a few steps, returned to his seat, and poured them tea.

He glanced at the silently disgruntled Rasa but didn't bother with him, smiling and asking, "What brings you here, Lord Kazekage?"

"It's about the gold dust. In your plan, you proposed buying it at a price 10% above market value. Why?"

"Are you unwilling to sell?" Haruki raised an eyebrow.

"Not at all."

The Third Kazekage hesitated before speaking frankly, "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't ask. But given your astonishing insights, I believe you have a specific purpose, and the benefits might exceed my expectations."

"So you want a share?"

"We can deepen our cooperation," the Third Kazekage skillfully suggested.

"That's not impossible."

Haruki thought for a moment. The gold industry is extremely lucrative, but it's crucial to establish a brand concept, targeting the nobility.

His resources were already stretched thin covering the Land of Fire.

Leaving the Land of Wind to the Third Kazekage wasn't a bad idea.

"Can you elaborate?" The Third Kazekage eagerly asked.

"Gold jewelry."

"Jewelry?" The Third Kazekage immediately felt disappointed. He knew about jewelry, but its price wasn't much different from gold dust.

"Yes. Your treatment of gold dust and jewelry is too crude."

Haruki couldn't help but shake his head.

In the original story, the necklaces and rings weren't particularly attractive.

Take the so-called "Death Necklace" from the First Hokage, for instance. It was just a string with a piece of jade.

"I don't understand," the Third Kazekage questioned, puzzled.

"Alright, let me explain the concept of luxury goods," Haruki said with a smile, explaining the real moneymaker.

"This?" The Third Kazekage's eyes widened.

"Let me give you a simple example. If an exquisitely designed gold necklace, themed around the capital of the Land of Wind, were created and promoted as a symbol of nobility and unique aesthetic, would you buy it?"

"Yes, I would," the Third Kazekage thought for a moment and replied.

"That's the power of a brand. Products of the same quality, with a meaningful story and brand, fetch much higher prices."

"..."

The Third Kazekage looked Haruki up and down.

Once again, he felt intellectually outmatched and found these marketing strategies unbelievable.

"So, shall we cooperate? Let's create a brand together and weave a heart-stirring origin story for it."

"Absolutely!" The Third Kazekage agreed without hesitation and then asked, "Why make up a story?"

"To enhance its legendary status," Haruki explained. "For example, we could promote that the brand originated from a gift the founder of the Land of Wind gave to his beloved, who tragically died in a war. In grief, he threw the necklace into the desert, only for it to be rediscovered hundreds of years later."

"Will that work?" The Third Kazekage was dumbfounded.

"No one can prove it's true, but no one can prove it's false, right?"

Haruki shrugged. "Truth mixed with fiction. As long as people believe in this tragic love story, they'll be willing to buy it."