Naruto: Starting from Eating the Gold Fruit

Chapter 69 Open Schemes and Playing Both Sides [Two-in-One]

"Why should we return it? What I want is for them not to return it," Youya said with a smile.

Tobirama Senju silently began to pull off his belt; he was determined to give this little bastard a good beating today.

You Ya quickly reached out his hand: "Wait! Wait! Martial Uncle, wait! Let me explain!"

Tobirama Senju sneered, "The Land of Whirlpools only charges ten million ryo a year for passage. What, you want the Land of Whirlpools to pay off our debt for two hundred years?! Or are you not even prepared to let them pay it off?!"

Yuya rolled her eyes and quickly reassured Tobirama Senju to sit down.

My uncle-master is not only obsessed with money, but he also doesn't understand economics and is incredibly stingy...

Investing in the future now is always a profitable strategy...

Yuya then explained to Tobirama Senju what primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were.

The primary industry of the Land of Whirlpools is very developed, and some of the food for Konoha is imported from the Land of Whirlpools.

However, the secondary and tertiary industries in the Land of Whirlpools are practically non-existent.

Of course, Konoha was in the same state before this.

Or rather, most countries in the Naruto world are like this now.

They basically rely on agriculture for a living; while they do have industry, it's practically nonexistent.

As for the tertiary sector...

Transportation isn't that developed yet, so it's really impossible to vigorously develop the tertiary industry.

Yuya's idea was that the Land of Whirlpools would inevitably become Konoha's offshore port and a hub for outdated industries.

Simply put, after Konoha develops, heavily polluting enterprises such as steel mills and coal mines should be moved to the Land of Whirlpools if possible...

"What?! You even want to give up the steel mill?! What are you thinking?! Are you some kind of spy sent by the Uzumaki clan to infiltrate Konoha?!"

Mito Uzumaki's expression was also strange. After all, anyone who wasn't blind could see how high the profits of the steel mill were.

Mito Uzumaki even began to doubt whether Yua was a member of the Uzumaki family.

But something's not right...

My hair color is black, not red...

Yuya shook his head helplessly: "I mean in the future. Right now, the troubles with the Uzumaki clan and Kirigakure haven't been resolved yet. You'll understand when the time comes, Uncle Shi. By then, you probably won't even care about the profits from the steel mill."

Oh, right, there's another advantage to this. We can move the factory to the Land of Whirlpools, using minerals from there. Once those minerals are depleted, they can import resources from other countries to serve us. We can save our own resources and mine them only when needed. Isn't that a great approach? We can use others' resources first, and then use our own when those are used up.

Tobirama Senju stopped what he was doing, and after thinking for a moment, decided to listen to what this little bastard had to say.

So, Youya began to explain his plan.

The Land of Whirlpools owes them money, so to some extent they have to sell out their own interests.

Putting aside everything else, Konoha won't have to pay tolls for at least the next twenty years.

That's not the point. The point is that the annual interest is a real, tangible payment that needs to be made.

Although the interest rate is only one percent, which is extremely low, it still amounts to 20 million a year, and this is something that needs to be paid every year.

Of course, the Land of Whirlpools has more than just toll fees as a source of income; there are other sources as well. However, those are irrelevant to Konoha. Anyway, you get 20 million a year, so we'll pay you.

Taking advantage of this influence, Yua plans to use it to open up the market in the Land of Whirlpools.

Putting everything else aside, I'd like to set up a newspaper factory in your Land of Whirlpools. I'll pay all the taxes I'm owed, and I'll publish a newspaper every month to entertain the people of the Land of Whirlpools. You wouldn't object to that, would you?

Oh? You object?

Pay back the money.

I'll open a few chain restaurants and fast food outlets in your Whirlpool Country, and then print a few GGs in the newspaper. Although it might seem like I'm taking away some of your local restaurants, I'm sure you wouldn't mind, right?

mind?

Pay back the money.

Is it reasonable for me to set up a few branches of Konoha's mines and food processing plants in your Land of Whirlpools? To make it easier for us to source materials locally, we can collect your minerals, food, and resources. Although it might seem like we're indebted to you, it doesn't mean we won't pay you taxes. Is that right?

Not willing?

Pay back the money.

Yuya hasn't even mentioned that once electricity becomes more widespread, Konoha will contract the power system for the Land of Whirlpools. This means that if the Land of Whirlpools dares to make a move again, I'll let them know what it's like to have a three-day nationwide power outage.

The military garrison of Tobirama Senju?

That's so low-class.

If you're going to play this game, you should take control of all the important domestic companies. As the Land of Whirlpools develops, it will eventually achieve this, and then Konoha will control the country's electricity, communications, manufacturing, transportation, and even the possible financial system.

What will the Land of Whirlpools have to offer me then?

When I make you bark like a dog, you'll not only have to learn, but you'll also have to obediently lie on your hands and feet on the ground.

Looking at it this way, is it still a loss of 2 billion?

Tobirama Senju stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Hmm... he didn't understand.

To be honest, he didn't fully understand.

Although Youya said a lot of things, the core idea was still the same: the current two billion in aid must be given.

After much deliberation, Tobirama Senju finally decided to trust this little bastard for the time being.

I won't beat this little bastard up today. Let's see how he plays. If he doesn't play well, then it's not too late to beat him up later.

"Oh, right, Uncle-Master, there's something else. I want to take 100 tons of that gold you acquired in the Land of Lightning last time."

"Gah!" Just as Tobirama Senju was about to walk out, he heard Yua say this. Before his foot even touched the ground, he tried to turn around, but his body wasn't coordinated, and he twisted his foot and waist with a snap.

But you have to admit that the second generation is ruthless.

Yua looked like he was in pain, but Tobirama Senju remained silent, only glaring at Yua with a ferocious expression: "You little brat, say it again?!"

Yuya quickly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Senju Tobirama: "Uncle-Master, look, all of this is yours! It's all yours! I only need your gold to store in the bank; I won't use it under normal circumstances!"

Tobirama Senju took it with a blank expression, his face full of disdain. "Only a billion or so? Although the price of gold has started to fall now that the war is gradually subsiding, even if we calculate it at five thousand taels per gram, one ton would be twenty million taels, and one hundred tons would be two billion taels. Are you trying to show me this? Are you out of your mind?!"

However, upon closer inspection, Tobirama Senju froze in place. He rubbed his eyes and looked again—tens, hundreds, thousands… billions, billions, tens of billions…

More than 10 billion?!

Tobirama Senju suddenly looked up at Yua.

Yuya chuckled and said that these all belonged to Konoha Savings Bank. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, Konoha Savings Bank is located within the Sarutobi clan's territory, although the control is in the hands of the highest authority in Konoha, namely the Hokage, who is also your senior brother.

But with so much money, will the Sarutobi clan have any bad intentions...?

Then I can't guarantee that.

Yuya shook his head, a look of sorrow on his face, and said, "Uncle-Master, it's all my fault. If I had thought of this earlier, I would have opened the Konoha Savings Bank inside the inner city of Konoha, right next to the Hokage's office. Then none of these problems would have occurred. Now that this bank is located next to another bank... I don't feel at ease! I'm afraid that Sarutobi and the others will take the money and embezzle it, leaving no money to pay the people of Konoha. That's why I came to you to ask for some gold bricks as a safety net!"

(Key point – it requires 100 tons.)

Tobirama Senju glanced at Yua, then at the numbers on the paper in his hand…

10 billion...

10 billion...

He'd never seen such a large sum of money before, let alone this much.

Yuya hadn't actually thought of this, after all, Konoha had only been developing for a little over a year, and while the people had money, they weren't particularly wealthy.

The percentage given by Youya is not very high, only about two percentage points a year.

I never expected so many people to come and deposit money.

You Ya has indeed forgotten, forgotten a group of people.

ninja.

Especially the Jonin ninja.

Jonin ninjas are usually out on missions and rarely spend more than a few days a year in Konoha.

And their salaries are the highest. Some earn over a million a month.

These Jonin can't possibly be carrying their own money around everywhere.

They kept the money at home.

But what if some ninjas are all alone and have no family?

Konoha Bank lets you deposit and withdraw money anytime, and it starts accruing interest after a month. After you get married, your wife can use your marriage certificate to claim your money.

Where can you find such thoughtful service?

What ninjas fear most is not having a guarantee for their afterlife.

In the past, when many ninjas died, their property was confiscated, and at most some belongings were left to their families. If you say they had no complaints about that, no one would believe you.

Banks now offer this service...

Many ninjas then arrived.

These people are not like ordinary people who are frugal when saving money, such as ten or twenty thousand yuan.

A minimum of several million is guaranteed, and over ten million is also possible.

After all, aside from buying ninja tools, they don't actually need to spend much money on other things.

Ultimately, this is the final number.

Strictly speaking, it's not that much. After all, the purchasing power of over 10 billion is only so-so. Money, in essence, serves as a medium for the allocation and exchange of resources.

Ultimately, it will become an anchor point for supplies.

The most typical example is the currency ratio linked to rice, flour, and cooking oil.

The same applies to rice trading; 20 taels per jin (500 grams) of rice, and this price is unlikely to change much in the future.

Although inflation is expected in the future, industry will also progress, and mechanization will follow. At that time, more land will be cultivated, more food will be grown, and food prices may even fall.

Of course, if prices fall, Yuya will definitely step in to buy back grain to stabilize prices.

To put it simply, isn't that what economics is all about?

A country's economic collapse can begin in many forms.

However, it will ultimately end with a surge in the price of staple food for ordinary people.

A famous art student once said that if a horse-drawn carriage can't even afford a loaf of bread, then the economy is not just collapsing, it's collapsing completely.

This is exactly the kind of tactic that Youya uses.

As for the matter of the savings bank belonging to the Sarutobi clan...

No targeting! Absolutely no targeting!

You have to believe me!

"Monkey..." Tobirama Senju murmured softly, then looked up at Yua, "I understand about this. I'll go to the Sarutobi clan. As for the hundred tons of gold..."

You said it's for financial security in the bank, so is there any difference between keeping it with you and keeping it with me?

You Ya immediately smiled and nodded in agreement.

Youya's move was far too obvious.

But there's nothing we can do; there's no way to counter a calculated, overt scheme.

The bank is right at your doorstep, and someone in your family even holds a high position at the bank. Wouldn't you be tempted if you saw that mountain of money every day?

Youya operates entirely in a fair and aboveboard manner.

This applies to the Sarutobi clan as well as to Tobirama Senju.

I've pooled all the people's money together, over 10 billion, and the control of that much money is in the hands of you, Hokage, or Master Uncle.

The Sarutobi clan definitely embezzled some money, but I don't care, I'm just having fun, and I'm deliberately giving you these blatant hints here~

Hey, as the Hokage, aren't you going to do anything about this?

This kind of "using someone else to do the dirty work" tactic is frankly too obvious, but that's precisely why everyone can see the problem.

If money is placed in front of you, will you take it or not?

I've said from the beginning that the power in the banking sector is in the hands of the Hokage. Are you going to do anything about it?

In the end, Tobirama Senju chose what Yua had wanted.

Because he has to manage it.

Regardless of anything else, this sum of over 10 billion is enough for Tobirama Senju to kill him.

Mito Uzumaki and the Nine-Tails in her belly have had their fill of gossip.

Today was so wonderful and interesting.

But what's even more interesting is yet to come.

Mito Uzumaki thought the matter was resolved and the crisis in the Land of Whirlpools was over. She was leisurely resting at home, reading the newspaper, when she noticed a large, bold headline on the front page:

Thirteen high-ranking ninjas from the Sarutobi clan have been imprisoned in Konoha Prison for suspected job-related crimes and embezzlement.

The Nine-Tails inside Mito Uzumaki's belly is unhappy, why doesn't it kill these people?

Mito Uzumaki dismissed Kurama's nonsense, thinking, "How could I possibly kill these people? Do you think the Sarutobi clan is a bunch of pushovers?"

However, there was one thing that Mito Uzumaki was very curious about: if Tobirama Senju never returned, and the Sarutobi clan continued to take advantage of the situation, what was Yua planning to do?

She even had a Nine-Tails chakra clone transform into someone else to ask Yuya.

The main reason was that Kurama herself was curious, like ants crawling on her heart, itching with desire, and was willing to lend her power to Mito Uzumaki to ask about this matter.

(Other Tailed Beasts: Kurama, you're really good at this. The Tailed Beasts' prestige has been lowered because of people like you.)

Yuya didn't hide anything and directly confronted Mito Uzumaki, saying that if Tobirama Senju didn't return and the Sarutobi clan became increasingly outrageous, he would spread rumors in the newspapers that the money in the bank had been taken—well, this wasn't a rumor.

At the same time, some people in the village were allowed to withdraw their money first. With one person taking the lead, others would naturally follow suit. Once the run on the bank started, people from the Sarutobi clan would inevitably die.

Mito Uzumaki broke out in a cold sweat, while Kurama felt as refreshed as if he had just taken a sip of ice-cold soda.

It knew that Youya definitely had a backup plan, and now it's comfortable.

Mito Uzumaki could only sigh at how truly...

However, before she could even sit comfortably for a few days, the Uzumaki clan came crying and shouting again.

The central idea is just one thing:

—Lord Mito, you must do us justice!

That bastard from Konoha—the Hokage didn't keep his word!

Mito Uzumaki was shocked: Konoha didn't provide you with any assistance?!

Uzumaki Ninja: I gave it to you.

Mito frowned: What are you doing?

Uzumaki Ninja: They not only gave us aid, but they also gave aid to the Hidden Mist Ninja! Those bastards still had the stickers from the Konoha Ninja Tool Merchants on their kunai and shuriken that they used to fight us completely clean!

Mito Uzumaki: "..."

Nine-Tails: ...6

I'm too lazy to split it into two chapters, so I'll just post it all at once.

(End of this chapter)