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  Kobori Taiten was utterly captivated, hanging onto every word. At some point, he had procured paper and a pen and had begun furiously scribbling notes as Gojo Kaigetsu tinued his sermon.

  As Teuchi's cousin, Taiten possessed a sharp business a. While Konoha's Shuriken might require some careful handling to avoid damaging the reputation of Taiten Ninja Tool Shop, the impact of The Explosive Tag on the Wall would be undeniable.

  Taiten could already envision the se: fresh-faced genin, newly graduated from the Academy and strapped for cash, would hear the heartwarming tale of Taiten Ninja Tool Shop’s Explosive Tag on the Wall. Driven by curiosity and a sliver of hope, they would flock to the shop. Even well-off ninja, intrigued by the story, would e to withe spectacle.

  This meant foot traffid with foot traffic came a wealth of opportunities.

  With increased er flow, Taiten could offer dists on other items, fog on high-volume sales with smaller profit margins. He could even hire actors to genuinely pay for two explosive tags and leave one as a “reserve.”

  How much did a single explosive tag cost? As the owner of Konoha's rgest ninja tool shop, Taiten could easily absorb the cost of the reserve tags.

  This strategy would ence wealthy ninja to make purchases to save face. Furthermore, the grateful genin who beed from this act of kindness might, upon achieving success in their careers, remember the generosity of Taiten Ninja Tool Shop and offer substantial returns iure.

  Of course, all of this hinged on the assumption that Konoha’s popuce was indeed retively ho and kind. Lately, Taiten had observed that, uhe influence of the Will of Fire, they were siderably more amicable than the vilgers of Kumogakure.

  ‘The Explosive Tag on the Wall… it’s feasible!’

  However, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face. “But this… advertisement, wasn’t it inally intended for my cousin Teuchi?”

  “If you give it to me, Gojo-sama… wouldn’t that leave my cousin…?”

  “You’re quite siderate.”

  “?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I have other advertisement ideas for Teuchi. I still feel a bit guilty about freeloading that soda from him the other day. If you feel bad about this, you could make a donation of ninja tools to Konoha in the name of Taiten Ninja Tool Shop.”

  “Kunai, explosive tags, shuriken, medical bandages… anything works.”

  The retly approved military budget increase hadn't fully taken effect yet. While the coffers had already been tapped, Konoha's wealthy merts were ripe for the pig. A little “donation” from each of them would add up to a substantial sum for the military.

  “Yes! I uand, Gojo-sama! Tomorrow… no, today, today I will donate a batilitary supplies suffit for five hundred people in the name of Taiten Ninja Tool Shop!”

  “I will also implement the water-style ninja shuriken ing service today.”

  “And as for my cousin, I’ll have him distribute ramen coupons to Konoha’s dedicated ninja.”

  “Excellent, excellent, Taiten-san, you’re very perceptive~”

  “Alright then, I’ll await yood news.”

  Gojo Kaigetsu waved his hand aed Taiten Ninja Tool Shop, leaving both parties satisfied.

  His work wasn’t do.

  The Explosive Tag on the Wall could be published as a special supplement to Three Years at the Academy. After all, both stories promoted a positive image of Konoha.

  Alternatively, he could offer a special edition to the impoverished vilges of Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, known for their… “rustic” s. The same story, presented in different vilge texts, would gee entirely different interpretations.

  The retively wealthy and well-mannered Iwagakure might react simirly to Konoha. However, the effe the other three vilges was uable, but it was uo be purely positive.

  on his agenda was the head of the Green Card Guild, the honey mert known as “Big Boss.”

  Big Boss’s honey shop wasn’t far from Taiten Ninja Tool Shop. After about five minutes of navigating through the crowd, Gojo Kaigetsu arrived at his destination.

  pared to the bustling ninja tool shop, the honey shop and the adjat Green Card Bookstore were doing siderably worse.

  Even among immigrants, there were disparities!

  Those who had immigrated to Konoha after reading the first issue of Iki were now mostly living the lives they desired. However, the ter wave of immigrants faced a much tougher reality.

  While Konoha’s rge ey and poputio they wouldn't starve, their current situation was likely worse than their previous businesses in the Land of Water, falling far short of their expectations for life in Konoha.

  This disparity bred rese.

  The honey shop was deserted.

  Only two portly men sat behind the ter, their faces etched with worry.

  Gojo Kaigetsu walked straight towards them, and, meeting their gazes, decred preemptively, “Are you unaware that speaking ill of Konoha within Konoha is illegal? For that alone, I could fiscate your entire Green Card deposit!”

  Reizing the “Interviewer-sama,” the faces of the honey shop owner (Big Boss) and the bookstore owner (Little Boss) paled, and they trembled.

  “B-but we haven’t said anythi!”

  “Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re about to say just because you haven’t said it yet!”

  “…Interviewer-sama, Please five us.” Big Boss and Little Boss pleaded.

  Only after arriving in Konoha did they realize that the rumors they’d heard in the refugee camp wereirely true.

  Where was the gold paved streets they were promised? Upon arrival, they discovered fierpetition. Simir products could be found in almost every store.

  The legal system was well-established, and there otential er base. However, as newers, they couldn't pete with Konoha’s established busihat had already built a reputation. Their usual tactics, like “Grand Opening Sale!” and “Flyer Distribution,” yielded minimal results.

  “Doing business in Konoha is truly difficult. I haven’t sold many jars of my 179 ryō honey.”

  “M-me too. My books are 79 ryō each, and I haven’t sold many.”

  “The rent in the new ercial district is high, and acc to Konoha w, we have to pay our employees’ tracted wages even if we have no ers. At this rate… we’re not far from bankruptcy.”

  “Sir, I have five wives to support. What am I supposed to do…”

  inally, Big Boss’s wealth would have allowed him to live fortably even without w. However, after paying the hefty Green Card fee, his finances had taken a signifit hit. Furthermore, Konoha was an expey, and his five wives tributed signifitly to Konoha’s GDP daily.

  If this tinued, Big Boss was certain he would lose his fortune, his wives, and everything he held dear.

  This was what they called a businessman's keen sense of smell.

  Gojo Kaigetsu frowned aed, “Don’t be absurd. 179 ryō for a jar of honey? 79 ryō for a book? Goods are very affordable in Konoha. You should look inward instead of bming the enviro. Have you lowered your prices after all these days? Have you put any real effort into advertising?”

  “Huh? 79 ryō is still low… Any lower, and we won’t make any profit.” The two owners mumbled.

  They came to Konoha to gather gold from the streets, not to scrape by with meager earnings. They might as well have stayed in the Land of Water if that were the case!

  Gojo Kaigetsu noticed their flicted expressions.

  Hmph, ing to Konoha and wanting to leave? Was Konoha a pe could e and go as they pleased? If they were allowed to leave, Konoha’s external image would be tarnished.

  ‘These fners are so difficult…’ If any Konoha native dared to speak to him, Gojo-sama, like this, he would have called upon Fugaku to arrest them on the spot.

  Their fatus still held some weight. At least until Gojo Kaigetsu achieved his vision of a unified shinobi world, maintaining a positive external image and attrag fn immigrants was necessary.

  Unwilling to lower prices? Dreaming of striking gold? The people of Konoha were kind, but not foolish.

  Gojo Kaigetsu’s face darkened. However, he was a man of a, preferring solutions over pints. After a moment of thought, he devised a pn.

  “You said… you sell honey, and he sells books?”

  “That’s right, sir. Is something the matter?”

  “I have ahat could make you a fortune. However…”

  Big Boss, readiween the lines, said knowingly, “If it truly brings us fortune, we won’t skimp on your share, sir.”

  “Ha! What are you taking me for?! Do I look like I need your paltry s?”

  Big Boss forced a smile, rubbing his hands together. “Of course, of course, you’re right, sir. So…?”

  “I want you, as representatives of fn merts, to take the lead in supp the vilge's policies. Tomorrow, when the military budget increase is announced, you will dohe day after tomorrow, when vilge bonds are issued, you will buy. The day after that, when monogamy is decred, you will… ahem, never mind that st one.”

  “Uood?”

  “Uh… donate again?”

  Having fotten the middle and tter parts, Big Boss and Little Boss only remembered the first part – “dohey initially wao hear Gojo Kaigetsu’s money-making scheme before itting, but seeing the Interviewer-sama’s darkening expression, they relutly agreed.

  As the sayi, when a mert meets a soldier, reason bees irrelevant.

  They had to py along. The Interviewer-sama them any expnation was already a courtesy. If they further displeased him… their future in Konoha would be bleak.

  The fortune-making pn robably just a pacifier, a way to keep them quiet. They regretted listening to the rumors and squandering their savings on Konoha Green Cards. They should have remained fortably wealthy in the Land of Water. Now, their money was gone, and their future uain.

  Immigrants, their hearts filled with bitterness!

  “Hmm…” Seeing them agree to his unequal treaty, Gojo Kaigetsu’s expressihtened.

  “Iki, you’re familiar with it, right?”

  “Yes, I am,” the bookstore erly raised his hand. “It sells quite well in the Land of Water, and I’ve always stocked it. I wao sell it here in Konoha too, but the head of the Land of Fire Publishing House, that Koyama fellow, refused to sell it to locals. He doesn’t uand business.”

  “Ahem, I know Koyama-san, the head of the Land of Fire Publishing House. We’re quite close. I ask him to ect you with the author of Iki and have them feature your story in the issue.”

  “Huh? What story do we have?”

  The two men’s eyes lit up, but then they voiced their fusion.

  Beiured in Iki, given its popurity outside Konoha, would undoubtedly boost their businesses. While the influence from outside the vilge would take time to reach Konoha, and tourists would ime to arrive, they were willing to wait.

  Riding the wave of “word-of-mouth” popurity, they would surely make a killing.

  However, they didn't seem to have any hy stories to tell.

  “Stories are crafted from reality. Whether you have a story or not, we simply create one.”

  “Your story will be this--”

  The Vilge That Strengtheself Through Books and Honey

  [Konoha vilgers read an average of 64 books per year, with over 80% of the vilge popution achieving this impressive feat.]

  [Konoha vilgers have a : when a child is born, the mother opens a collector’s edition of Three Years at the Academy, purchased from Green Card Bookstore, and drips a drop of premium ninja honey, bought from Green Card Honey Shop, onto the pages. The newborn then licks the honey from the book, creating a positive first impression: books are sweet.]

  [When a child is old enough to uand, almost every mother asks this question: “If a fire suddenly broke out in your house, what would you save first?” If the child answers money or soldier pills, the mother sternly corrects them: “Those are unimportant. You should save books first! Books hold wisdom, which is far more valuable than money or soldier pills, and wisdom is something no one steal.”]

  [sequently, Konoha is the only vilge in the shinobi world without illiteracy. Even beggars in Konoha cherish books. Even while begging, they always carry their daily reading material, let alohose who are well-off.]

  [In Konoha, books and magazines are very expensive. A copy of Three Years at the Academy from Green Card Bookstore costs a whopping 17,900 ryō, and regur books are priced at 1,790 ryō or more. Yet, ordinary Konoha vilgers are incredibly generous when it es to buying books and subscribing to periodicals.]

  [Nearly ohird of Konoha vilgers buy a copy of Three Years at the Academy from Green Card Bookstore for their soon-to-be-born children, making them the nation with the highest per capita book ownership iire shinobi world.]

  [“Hokage Remembrance Day” is a signifit event in Konoha. On this day, all ercial aertai activities cease. Shops, restaurants, aertai venues close their doors, public transportation halts, even ninja missions are suspended. People stay home to pray for the deceased First and Sed Hokage.]

  [However, ohing is permitted: all bookstores in the vilge remain open. And on this day, Green Card Bookstore sees its highest er traffic, with everyone quietly reading inside.]

  [A vilge that values reading and learning naturally reaps rich rewards. Konoha’s enviro is harsh, surrounded by forests with limited arable nd. Vilges like Sunagakure, which also face harsh enviros, often struggle with food shes, relying on gold mined from the desert to trade for sustenance.]

  [However, through their dedication to reading, the people of Konoha were the first to develop soldier pills. Not only do they produough for themselves, but they also export a steady supply to other vilges. They have created astonishing material and spiritual wealth through their intelligend wisdom.]

  [Konoha has a rge popution and abundant talent, boasting double-digit Jonin-level ninjas. I sought to uhe secret to their strength. A powerful active-duty Konoha ninja, who wished to remain anonymous, recalled that when he was young, his father bought him the most expensive and sweetest honey from Green Card Honey Shop and dripped it onto his ninjutsu scrolls.]

  [From then on, he became obsessed with pursuing that sweetness. To experiehat fvor, he relentlessly studied the Konoha-exclusive ninjutsu scrolls his father had bought from Green Card Bookstore, abs the honey within.]

  [When he finally came to his senses, he realized he had far surpassed his Academy cssmates. He didn’t uand how he became a Jonin, but perhaps, this was the key!]

  [Upon hearing this stojo Kaigetsu, the official in charge of cultural education in Konoha, personally visited Green Card Bookstore and Honey Shop, purchasing enough supplies for aire Academy css. He decred: Konoha is willing to i in its children and will never allow Academy students to fall behind from the starting line!]

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