Ch 57. Intricies of Bussiness

With the rise of trade and new technologies, the Land of Lightning had once again drawn the attention of every major ninja village. To the outside world, these advancements were seen as the business ventures of the Land of Lightning rather than Kumogakure itself.

The involvement of numerous wealthy businessmen made it difficult for other villages to target these enterprises, and they had little reason to do so. After all, this was a matter of commerce, not warfare, and interfering in non-ninja affairs was beyond their jurisdiction. Even Konoha, with its formidable influence, could not easily restrict merchants traveling to its territory, especially since many of these traders were citizens of the Land of Fire, operating under the direct authority of the Daimyo rather than the Hokage.

This dynamic was the same in every nation except Kumogakure, where the traditional balance of power was shifting in a subtle yet profound way.

While most ninja villages maintained close cooperative relationships with their respective Daimyo, they couldn't help but speculate whether Kumogakure was staging a resurgence. Their suspicions deepened upon discovering that Kumogakure was accumulating vast amounts of resources in exchange for their technology.

However, after thorough investigations, they found that while iron a necessary material for ninja tools was among the materials being collected, there was no indication that Kumogakure was stockpiling it for military purposes. Unlike villages that prepared for war by sourcing weapons and ninja tools from places like the Artisan/Takumi Village, Kumogakure had not commissioned such supplies or taken combat missions beyond the Land of Lightning for the past five years.

Eventually, the other villages concluded that this was nothing more than business, something they had no authority to interfere with. Trade through the Land of Snow was expected, as it shared a direct border with the Land of Lightning. The Snow Daimyo had even announced policies supporting these economic exchanges.

However, this was merely a façade, the Daimyo of the Land of Snow was, for all intents and purposes, a noble under the Land of Lightning's influence now. Due to its harsh climate and historically reclusive nature, the Land of Snow only permitted trusted merchants from the Land of Lightning, those affiliated with Kumogakure and the Daimyo's prefecture to engage in trade.

Even then, 80% of these goods were not exported or imported directly by them. Instead, the bulk of transactions were handled by local merchants and commerce groups from other nations who acted as middlemen. This arrangement not only provided a buffer but also allowed Kumogakure to acquire resources far more efficiently without the need to establish direct supply channels across different countries.

Despite the Land of Lightning's growing presence in trade, Kumogakure's ninja forces were rarely seen outside the Land of Lightning. At most, formal Kumogakure shinobi were spotted guarding merchant caravans near the borders of various countries. The actual business operations remained in the hands of civilians and affiliated merchant groups of corresponding major countries.

However, the number of spies Kumogakure had deployed across the ninja world had increased tenfold compared to previous years. Unlike traditional espionage, these agents focused solely on intelligence gathering rather than sabotage or interference.

As for the remaining 20% of trade handled directly by the Land of Lightning's own merchants, Kumogakure still provided protection in most cases. However, rather than relying solely on their own forces, they frequently hired local ninjas for security. Of course, the other 80% done by local merchants did the same.

This tactic further strengthened the perception that the Land of Lightning's enterprises were purely commercial, while also providing a steady stream of missions for ninjas from other villages. The shinobi world's ninja villages, always hungry for work, welcomed this influx of contracts.

In the Naruto world, ninja clans and noble families, both civilian and shinobi had existed for centuries, accumulating immense wealth over time. Even independent civilian ninjas could amass significant fortunes through missions.

Outside of poor farmers who did not own land and small-town civilians, most people in this world had considerable financial security. Despite the high mortality rate of shinobi, families continued sending their children to become ninjas because doing so elevated their social standing and economic status.

However, the Naruto world lacked a strong consumer culture. There were few outlets for extravagant spending, no binge shopping, and no widespread entertainment industries except for casinos and places that Jiraiya would visit, so disposable income often sat unused.

The introduction of new technologies and luxury products changed this dynamic, encouraging spending on a scale never seen before. Ninja clans and nobles, accustomed to hoarding vast wealth, thought little of these purchases, as they barely dented their savings.

Interestingly, while the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure facilitated this economic boom, they pocketed only a fraction of the direct profits. Instead, it was the middleman merchants from various countries who reaped the most wealth, as the Land of Lightning focused on accumulating physical resources rather than currency. For the merchants and normal people across the world, money was the true measure of wealth, while for Kumogakure, resources were the real treasure.

The difference in perspective ensured that while others chased profit, Kumogakure quietly built an empire of material strength, but everyone was happy as the land of lighting collected materials in exchange for money, it allowed the local business to bloom, businesses other than the land of lightning's. As it allowed locals to have jobs and earn money, of course, these people would again spend money on products from the land of lightning, and as materials were traded rather than money, they would do more work and earn money, and spend it again on the land of lightning, truly a virtuous cycle.

Of course, when Ron wrote this idea in his books people were curious but now seeing and hearing about it in person as it becomes reality, truly gave personals from Kumogakure and the Daimyo Prefecture a shock, both the third Raikage and Daimyo truly now respected Ron's ideas and were amazed, by its operation.