Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 162 Nanao Chongming
"Salute to Lord Dou Guang! Loyalty! Sincerity!" A Fei still saluted whenever he saw him, and his salute posture became more and more standard, as if he had learned a lot in the guard unit.

"Loyalty." Uchiha Touko patiently returned the greeting, then looked at Black Zetsu: "Why has our ancestor come?"

"I was a little worried, so I came to check. But, did you really get the Seven-Tails just like that? You're not planning to return it?" Black Zetsu asked.

"Could it be fake?" Uchiha Touko laughed. "Give it back? How could the Seven-Tails be returned to them after it arrived in Konoha? Do I look like that idiot Hashirama Senju?"

"Truly amazing, Dou Guang, choosing you back then was definitely the right decision," Hei Zetsu said with delight.

“This isn’t over yet, Ancestor. We still need your help to contact the Akatsuki.” Uchiha Touko said slowly, “Will that Akatsuki member who took on the task of blowing up my factory in the Land of Lightning last time accept this mission? I heard he’s a rogue ninja from the Land of Waterfall.”

"Heh, that guy defected a few years ago. It's hard to say if anyone in the Land of Waterfall even remembers him now. Besides, that guy only cares about money. As long as the money is right, everything is negotiable," Black Zetsu said. "Moreover, the Akatsuki organization doesn't only have him as a strong member. However, wouldn't it be better for us if the Land of Waterfall were destroyed by the Land of Earth? If the Land of Waterfall is destroyed, wouldn't the Seven-Tails rightfully belong to us?"

“Ancestor, let’s think long-term. If the Land of Waterfall can’t hold out, we’ll only get the Seven-Tails. But if the Land of Waterfall holds out, we’ll be able to easily obtain all the other tailed beasts in the future,” Uchiha Touko said. “Therefore, the Akatsuki’s role is crucial. They must help the Land of Waterfall hold back the Iwagakure’s high-end forces. Also, let me hint to the Akatsuki that they should ask for a higher reward, preferably one that will allow the Land of Waterfall to quickly spend the loans they’ve taken out from us.”

"Okay, I understand." Black Zetsu could only nod upon hearing this.

After Black Zetsu and the other two left, Uchiha Tokō sent someone to summon Gato.

Not long after, Gato arrived at the Hokage's office and looked at Uchiha Touko with the utmost reverence.

These big businessmen naturally had their own information channels. Upon hearing the news of Iwagakure's invasion of Takigakure, Gato immediately became restless. The first batch of goods from their ninja tool factory had already been produced. Gato was originally worried about who would buy such a large batch of goods, but now that the war had begun, there was no need to worry about finding a buyer for these goods.

Thinking back to what Uchiha Touko had told him before, that the ninja world was about to descend into chaos, Gato now felt nothing but awe and respect for Uchiha Touko.

[Although Your Excellency the Grand Minister of State always says you're not good at business, compared to you, we are the ones who are truly bad at business. Selling goods to those who need them isn't the real skill; selling goods to those who don't need them is the real skill. But Your Excellency the Grand Minister of State has managed to get those who don't need the goods to buy them of their own volition—it's practically a miracle!]

Seeing Gato's expression, Uchiha Touko chuckled and said with a smile, "It seems you already know the news."

Kado nodded, then smiled obsequiously, "Your Excellency the Grand Minister is a man of brilliant strategy, foreseeing this war months ago. With that, we won't have to worry about selling our goods."

"It's more than just not worried about sales," Uchiha Touko laughed. "Do you know why I called you here?"

"Is this to sell these ninja tools to the Land of Waterfalls?" Gato said. "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I will definitely get a good price for these ninja tools."

“You don’t need to bother with this. These ninja tools have already been reserved.” Uchiha Touko shook his head and said, “Just now, the leader of Takigakure signed the purchase contract.”

"Huh?" Kado was taken aback. "So fast?"

"Hehe, although I am not good at business, my years as a ninja have taught me a principle: speed is of the essence. Now that someone needs our goods, we need to finalize this deal as soon as possible. Kado, you have been in the business world for many years, do you think this is the same principle?"

“That’s absolutely right!” Kado smiled obsequiously. “That’s exactly the point. Grand Minister, you’re too modest. You clearly have a good understanding of business, yet you’re still so humble. It makes me feel ashamed.”

"Alright, enough with the nonsense." Uchiha Touko waved his hand and said seriously, "I called you here to discuss the details of this transaction. Takigakure has no choice in this transaction, but how much we can earn depends on ourselves."

"I am willing to share the burdens of Your Excellency, the Grand Minister of State," Cardo said, kneeling and bowing.

"Get up, take a look at this contract first." Uchiha Touko said, placing a series of contracts that he had just signed with Iwata Sawaki in front of Gato.

After taking the contract, Kado carefully examined it while secretly making calculations in his mind.

Seeing this, Uchiha Touko shut his mouth and made a cup of tea for Gato. To maximize the benefits of this deal, Gato was undoubtedly the best choice. Uchiha Touko understood the principle of leaving professional matters to professionals.

The first batch of goods was purchased with a loan at 80% of the market price, which isn't a big problem; the Uchiha clan can afford it. However, if subsequent transactions also require loans, even the Uchiha clan's current cash flow might not be able to withstand the pressure. Does Takigakure, during the war, really have the ability to repay this loan?

However, after Kado turned to the loan section of the contract, his pupils immediately contracted.

[The loan collateral is mineral resources within the Kingdom of Taki? That makes things easier. The value of these mineral resources far exceeds the loan amount. In this case, it would be more beneficial for us if the other party couldn't repay the loan. However…]

A cup of tea was placed in front of Kado. Lost in thought, Kado took it without thinking and drank it. Only after finishing it did he realize that he might have been a little rude, so he quickly looked up at Uchiha Touko.

"Keep watching, don't mind me." Uchiha Touko waved his hand and said. Now that Gato was one of his own, there was no need to fuss over such a small matter. Besides, wasn't Gato doing things for him now?
"Your Excellency, the Grand Minister of State, these contracts seem to be fine for the time being. However, there are some things we need to be aware of outside of the contracts," Kado said after cursing himself inwardly a few times.

"What's the problem? Tell me," Uchiha Touko asked patiently.

“First of all, the supplies for Takigakure were purchased with a loan. If they can hold off Iwagakure’s attack, that’s fine. There’s a written contract, so we don’t have to worry about them defaulting. But what if they are defeated and Iwagakure occupies Takigakure and then denies the contract?” Kado said.

“There’s no need to worry about that. If the Land of Earth dares to renege on my debt, I will naturally go to Onoki to demand it back myself,” Uchiha Touko said. “Besides, I also expect that Onoki won’t really break ties with Konoha over these minerals.”

"I understand." Kado finally realized that he had brought his usual business mindset into the situation. But who was this person in front of him? The Fifth Hokage! A powerful figure who could suppress an entire country! It was hard to say whether there was a stronger ninja than him in the current ninja world. Who in this ninja world could renege on their debt to him?

“Now, only one question remains: how long can this war last?” Kado said. “If the Land of Waterfall doesn’t hold out long enough, we can make money, but only a very limited amount.”

"Hehe, Gato, we must trust our contracted partners." Uchiha Touko chuckled as he poured Gato another cup of tea before speaking. "Trust our contracted partners? You mean the Land of Waterfall?" Gato asked.
“No, I’m talking about the Land of Earth,” Uchiha Touko said. “Although the quality of the lower and middle-level ninjas in the Land of Earth is better than that of Konoha now, they don’t have many high-level combatants. After the few strong ones are tied down, the remaining army, with our aid, should be able to hold out for two or three years without much trouble.”

“In that case, there’s no problem.” Kado didn’t question Uchiha Touko’s assessment of the battlefield situation. “This deal can be described as a risk-free and highly profitable one, so I must congratulate Minister Taijo on making a fortune.”

Afterwards, Gato worked all night to finalize the pricing of all the ninja tools and supplies before leaving the Hokage's office.

The next morning, Genma Shiranui and his two companions, along with Kakashi and a young girl with light green hair and somewhat dark skin, used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return directly to the Hokage's office.

The little girl had a touch of naivety on her face. After arriving at the Hokage's office, she kept looking around with curious eyes.

"You're the Hokage that Uncle Iwata said would protect me, right?" Fu asked Uchiha Touko curiously. "But you don't look much older than me."

But as soon as she finished speaking, she froze, for no other reason than the Seven-Tailed Fox sealed within her body reminding her not to be impolite.

The others in the Land of Waterfalls didn't know just how powerful the Mangekyou Sharingan was, but the Seven-Tails did, since it was Madara Uchiha who captured him and brought him back to Konoha.

Genma Shiranui frowned upon hearing Fu's words. This little girl dared to be disrespectful to the Hokage. Just as he was about to reprimand her, Touko Uchiha stopped him with a look. Then, Touko Uchiha smiled and looked at the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

“Yes, I am the one who can protect you. As for whether I have this ability, the big guy inside you should know very well,” Uchiha Touko said.

“But I don’t think I need anyone’s protection. I want to use my own strength to protect our village,” Fu said at that moment.

“I can understand, after all, your village is in unprecedented trouble right now, but do you really have that ability?” Uchiha Touko laughed.

“Of course we are! Chongming and I are both very capable!” Fu said, somewhat unconvinced.

"Hehe." Uchiha Touko laughed, activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, and used his spiritual power to guide Fu's consciousness into the other party's sealed space.

Inside the sealed space, before Fu could even react, she found herself standing in front of a giant flying insect, and immediately froze on the spot.

"This...this...this is?" Humans' innate fear of giant creatures made Fu unconsciously take a half step back, but at this moment, the beetle actually spoke human language.

"Fu, it's me."

"Chongming?" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Fu regained her composure and looked up at Chongming through the seal.

"It seems this is your first time here." Uchiha Touko appeared behind Fu at this moment and said with a smile.

"Greetings, strong Uchiha." Chongming nodded and greeted Uchiha Touko upon seeing him.

“Your temper is much better than that big fox in our village,” Uchiha Touko laughed. “It seems you get along quite well with this little girl. No wonder you cooperated with Takigakure to replace the seal we provided.”

“It was Fu’s sincerity that moved me. This girl is one of the few who is willing to befriend a tailed beast,” Chongming said.

"In that case, it seems the problem with you not becoming perfect Jinchuriki lies with this little girl?" Uchiha Touko glanced back at Fu, who made a face at him and turned her head away. "Has she not been able to master your power yet?"

“Yes, if she doesn’t have control over my power, using the power of the Tailed Beasts will only hurt her,” Chongming said. “After using the new sealing technique, the situation will be better, but I will not lend her my chakra until she is truly able to control the power of the Tailed Beasts.”

“I understand.” Uchiha Touko nodded. “I will teach her how to control the power of the tailed beasts.”

"May I have a private chat with you?" Chongming suddenly asked Uchiha Touko.

“Of course.” Uchiha Touko nodded, then looked at Fu.

At this moment, Fu realized what Uchiha Touko was trying to do and immediately protested, "You guys are going too far! Why do you have to tell me things behind my back?"

However, her protests were to no avail. With a flash of the Mangekyou Sharingan in Uchiha Touko's eyes, Fu disappeared from this sealed space.

"Speak, what is it?" After doing all this, Uchiha Touko looked at Chongming and asked.

“As a powerful member of the Uchiha clan, I hope you will not rush to teach Fu the techniques for controlling the power of the Tailed Beasts,” Chongming said at this moment.

"Why? Didn't you and her have a pretty good relationship?" Uchiha Touko asked.

“It is precisely because I approve of Fu that I do not want her to be involved in the war,” Chongming said.

Uchiha Touko nodded. Chongming's meaning was clear: the only person he recognized was Fu, who was his Jinchuriki. As for Takigakure, that was none of his business.

(End of this chapter)