Uchiha's personal opinion

Under the gold standard, even money stained with blood could be exchanged for its equivalent value in gold!

"General Deguang is indeed a man of noble character... This also proves that the Namakawa Stock Exchange is completely legal and compliant, so there is really no need for inspections."

The Hyuga clan leader's eyes twitched as he listened, and he couldn't help but applaud Uchiha Tokumitsu's endless lies.

Although Konoha does not have anti-money laundering regulations, in the past, similar black market funds flowing into the village would be investigated by the Anbu, mainly to prevent the village's ninjas from being bribed by other ninja villages.

Now that the position of Hokage is vacant, even the Anbu has been absorbed by the police department and reorganized into the Special Operations Bureau of the police department, and the supervision of black market funds has also fallen into the hands of the police department.

"That means it was just a misunderstanding..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "There may be some turmoil in the Land of Water recently, and people are in a state of panic after the Sand Village incident. So it is reasonable for some friends to entrust the exchange to make some large-scale exchanges."

"Indeed...the exchange's business practices are all reasonable."

The Hyuga clan leader nodded repeatedly, but emphasized the word "reasonable" in his words.

The sedan chair needed everyone to carry it together, and the Hyuga clan leader naturally gave them face.

But he did point it out slightly, so as not to make Uchiha Tokumitsu think that he couldn't understand his actions at all.

"That's right. As Konoha ninjas, everything we do is naturally for the good of the village..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu seemed oblivious, nodding with a smile.

"A heart devoted to the public good, solely for the sake of Konoha..."

The Hyuga clan leader also continued his act with a solemn expression.

"However, the turmoil in the Land of Water may affect some of the village's ninja clans. I wonder how the Hyuga clan head plans to deal with this?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu deliberately threw out the bait.

"The Hyuga Foundation also possesses a portion of the Land of Water's currency reserves, and the amount is quite substantial..."

The Hyuga clan leader took Uchiha Tokumitsu's bait without hesitation, elegantly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and coughed lightly to clear his throat.

"So, I wonder if the Namakawa Stock Exchange could exchange a portion of the funds on my behalf?"

It seems that the operation of our own fund has already been exposed...

Uchiha Tokumitsu's smile remained unchanged: "Of course, after all, the stock exchange is an independent commercial and financial institution!"

The pronunciation of the four characters "independence and self-reliance" was also slightly emphasized, reminding the Hyuga clan leader to be mindful of his tone.

"Of course, of course..."

The Hyuga clan leader nodded elegantly and said, "The Hyuga Foundation plans to exchange 2 billion gold coins and 10 billion gold coins from the Land of Water. I wonder if the stock exchange can handle this transaction?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was taken aback at first, then his face broke into a wide smile.

"Of course it's convenient!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised his glass and said, "Although the exchange is independent, the Uchiha clan still wields considerable influence within it, so I'll take care of this!"

With the addition of the Hyuga clan's 12 billion ryo, Uchiha Tokumitsu was absolutely confident that he could smash the Land of Water's monetary system to pieces!

He simply didn't believe that the nobles and officials of the Water Kingdom would be so law-abiding as to be willing to issue paper money on a one-to-one basis!

If problems arise with the exchange of gold coins, then the commercial order of the Land of Water will inevitably experience inflation, followed by the accusations and threats from the Tokugawa Shogunate and the opportunistic entry of gold coins!

At that time, I wonder how the Water Country Daimyo, disguised as the Third Mizukage and feeling quite self-satisfied, will deal with the situation on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning.

Chapter 266 New Forms of Warfare

Uchiha Tokumitsu stayed in Konoha for more than a month with great patience and systematically planned a financial offensive against the Land of Water. During this period, the two houses of Konoha were as quiet as still water. Even the routine meetings were harmonious and there were no more quarrels and fights like before.

Uchiha Yomo, who was serving as the council chairman, finally managed to steal a half-day of leisure and enjoyed a full month of comfortable days.

During the past month or so, the three clans stationed in the southern islands followed Uchiha Tokumitsu's instructions and recalled merchants such as "honorable genin" who were active in the Land of Water in batches. They also systematically placed a large number of barter trade orders for seafood with gold coins as the pricing medium with the owners of fishing boats in various ports of the Land of Water.

The goods that the Tokugawa Shogunate intended to use for barter trade were batik leather clothing, wool sweaters, and cotton cloth from the land of grass.

Although these three materials are unsuitable for daily use in the humid Land of Water, it is precisely because of this that spies from the Tokugawa Shogunate, infiltrated among the merchants and into the Land of Water, have been able to convey a shady consumerist concept to the nouveau riche, especially the ship owners—

True luxury goods are unique, scarce, and precious, but they are also fragile, easily damaged, and require careful handling.

The high-quality calfskin from the vast grasslands of the Land of Grass, combined with the batik leather from the Land of Stone, and the meticulous tailoring and tanning by the Hyuga clan's elite ninjas, makes for a premium leather coat that is a ticket to a life of nobility!

This coat alone could easily be exchanged for a thousand kilograms of high-end seafood!

After all, this is a luxury item that embodies the labor of countless workers from the Land of Grass and the Land of Stone, and was then made by the Hinata ninja!

It's important to know that the luxury goods produced by the Hyuga clan have always been highly sought-after by nobles and dignitaries from various countries!

Nowadays, you don't need hundreds or thousands of gold coins; just a mere thousand catties of seafood is enough to get such a high-end leather coat that is a standard accessory for the nobility. It's such a great deal!

As for the water and salt corrosion resistance of these so-called luxury goods such as batik leather clothing, the merchants responsible for promoting such products said: Why would a real nobleman care about these things?

"What? You mean, as a member of high society, you're going to go out to sea to fish?"

This seemingly simple sentence opened the door to the sale of so-called luxury goods. The nouveau riche ship owners, who were simple and honest but yearned for the life of the aristocracy, rushed to reach trade contracts with the merchants of the shogunate, exchanging their heavy catches for a ticket to the life of the aristocracy.

Even the Hyuga clan, which is known for producing luxury goods, couldn't help but admire Uchiha Tokumitsu's marketing skills!

Although the luxury goods produced by the Hyuga clan are extremely expensive—a single piece of brocade robe can be exchanged for ten oxen—this does not mean that they have any quality problems.

On the contrary, the Hyuga clan, being a prestigious ninja clan, places great emphasis on the quality of the goods they sell. They often use ninja tool standards as quality requirements, and then add various intricate and complex processes to maximize both the artistry and practicality before considering it a qualified luxury item for sale.

Even among the Hyuga clan, which is famous for producing all kinds of luxury goods and exquisite handicrafts, there has never been a genius who could exaggerate a simple leather product into an entry-level aristocratic item and sell it at a high price simply by telling a story!

To the Hyuga clan, Uchiha Tokumitsu's actions were like a cow taking a plane – the cow soaring to the sky!

"Well... I'd call this 'affordable luxury'!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said this in front of the Hyuga clan leader who had come to learn from them.

What is affordable luxury?

The Hyuga clan chief humbly sought his advice.

It's important to understand that although the Hyuga clan's luxury goods are expensive, they don't actually make much money! After all, both the materials and craftsmanship are top-notch, and the costs are substantial.

"So-called affordable luxury is luxury goods that the middle class can afford."

Uchiha Tokumitsu explained.

"So, what is the middle class?"

The Hyuga clan chief continued to ask.

In the stereotype of Konoha ninjas, Uchiha Tokumitsu always invented some words that sounded strange at first but seemed to make a lot of sense upon closer inspection, so the Hyuga clan leader didn't find it strange.

"...It refers to a group of people or social classes who also have certain skills and a stable income."

Uchiha Tokumitsu thought for a moment and used a common analogy to describe it: "For example, small and medium-sized merchants, workshop owners, ship owners, or senior Chunin from the village."

"Understood……"

The Hyuga clan leader nodded.

To put it bluntly, they are a group of people who are neither the best nor the worst off.

Or to put it another way, they are a group of people who can't get to the top and could fall back to the bottom at any time.

"But... while what Deguang-kun said about 'affordable luxury' does lower the barrier to entry for luxury goods, what does that mean for the so-called middle class?"

The Hyuga clan chief posed the final question.

Why should it be meaningful?

Uchiha Tokumitsu leaned back strategically, looking utterly bewildered, and asked, "I fulfilled their dream of living like nobles, and all I got in return was a paltry thousand catties of fish and seafood that are practically inexhaustible in the sea!"

"For the middle class, what could be more important than a dream?"

Upon hearing this, the Hyuga clan leader was at a loss for words and could only nod slightly and raise his cup to drink tea in order to cover up his embarrassment.

The vision is too narrow...

After a moment of contemplation, the Hyuga clan leader realized that his perspective was far too narrow!

Although the Hyuga clan's luxury goods were renowned in the past, they had always been circulated only among the daimyo and nobles. Not to mention ordinary people, even the big merchants in the ninja world found it difficult to obtain a piece of the brocade robe produced by the Hyuga clan.

Even within Konoha, there are quite a few ninjas who cannot afford the luxury goods produced by the Hyuga clan.

Furthermore, because the Hyuga clan places great emphasis on product quality, many luxury items are often regarded as family heirlooms and passed down through generations within the families of minor nobles. This overly cherished attitude further hinders the Hyuga clan's desire to expand production and supply.

The Hyuga clan leader could even imagine that if Uchiha Tokumitsu's so-called "affordable luxury" promotion were effective, the mid-range market would be dominated by Uchiha clan products, and the high-end market that the Hyuga clan originally enjoyed would be gradually eroded over time with the rise of the so-called middle class...

"But what impact will this have on the Land of Water?"

The Hyuga clan leader chose to change the subject.

"When a nation indulges in vanity, its demise is inevitable..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu chuckled twice: "I call this kind of practice a currency war..."

"This is too much..."

The more the Hyuga clan leader thought about it, the more troubled he became.

Although he still didn't quite understand the significance of Uchiha Tokumitsu's series of actions, and although he wanted to maintain his family's market position, the Hyuga clan leader felt at a loss as to where to start.

Given the Uchiha clan's power and reliance on force, they have absolutely no chance of winning. Even in market competition, the Hyuga clan doesn't have as many distribution channels as the United Company.

Furthermore, the Hyuga clan has long been accustomed to a production model of meticulous craftsmanship by a single individual, resulting in a vastly different output compared to the Uchiha clan's multinational collaborative production.

"By the way, if the Hyuga clan is interested, they can join in..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu smiled and said, "My principle is that we should all make money together. The Hyuga clan's brand enjoys a high reputation among the upper-class aristocracy. If we can collaborate with the United Company's luxury products, it will not only bring more revenue to the Hyuga clan, but also spread the Hyuga clan's noble aesthetics to all levels of the ninja world..."

"If that's the case..."

The Hyuga clan leader was immediately intrigued.

"However, the family's property is ultimately shared by all family members. The matter proposed by Lord Deguang is indeed of great importance. I wonder if you would allow me to discuss it with the elders of the family before making a decision?"

"Of course!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised his cup and took a sip of tea. "After all, I value fairness above all else, and I would never engage in forced buying or selling!"

"The reputation of Lord Deguang resounds throughout the ninja world; everyone knows him..."

The Hyuga clan chief chuckled twice and then raised his cup to drink tea.

However, he was secretly full of complaints.