Chapter 16: Gathering Intelligence

After leaving Hatake Sakumo's base in the Land of Hot Water, Rinjin headed to the outskirts of the village.

With a few simple hand seals, he summoned a dozen or so shadow clones. With a grand wave of his hand, Rinjin commanded his clones to start digging.

As one of the most commercially prosperous towns in the entire shinobi world, how could such a place not have its own underground base?

This was something Rinjin had fully prepared for. Inspired by Orochimaru—wait, given her age, she should be called "Snake Sis"—Rinjin decided to follow her example. Wherever he went, he would dig. Channeling the spirit of a construction academy, he vowed to leave his mark across the entire shinobi world.

Of course, this was merely the first step in his grand business plan.

He had an entire package of strategies prepared, including leveraging resources, raising pigs, and microeconomic adjustments.

Naturally, Rinjin hadn't lied to Hatake Sakumo—his ultimate goal truly was world peace.

The first step: launch large-scale raids on iron mines, hoard iron ore, and drive up the cost of war.

The second step: establish a real estate company in Konohagakure, build houses, and use the properties as collateral to borrow money from the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. With the borrowed money, he'd build more houses, rake in huge profits, and attract major clans in Konoha to invest, diluting his own shares.

The third step: create an insurance company under the real estate company's name. Ostensibly, it would provide various commercial insurance plans for shinobi, including but not limited to retirement insurance for those over forty. This would significantly increase the cost of death for shinobi, thereby reducing mortality rates.

But secretly, the company would offer property damage insurance. He would inflate the cost of this insurance, ensure all the houses he built in Konoha were insured, and transfer the money from his left pocket to his right.

Finally, he'd wait for the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha, causing massive destruction. Then, through the high payouts from the property damage insurance, he'd drain all the wealth from the clan shareholders.

Using this money, he'd compensate civilian shinobi, achieving wealth redistribution and equalization.

When it was all over, he'd introduce an agent to repeat the process. When Nagato attacked Konoha, he'd drain whatever blood remained in the major clans.

By then, even if these clans resisted, he'd have every reason to crush them!

Hehehe~

Splendid!

I'm such a genius!

Rinjin patted himself on the shoulder in self-congratulation.

Revenge on the village? Caged birds? Power struggles?

It's all about money!

When their pockets are emptier than their pride, they'll behave like obedient miners, digging in the pits without a hint of arrogance.

Strolling down the bustling streets of the Land of Hot Water, Rinjin felt a surge of energy coursing through his body.

As he wandered, he found himself standing before the lively establishment known as "Hanamichi First Avenue."

Gazing at the grand and extravagant entrance, Rinjin furrowed his brows and muttered to himself with a stern expression:

"I really have no desire to step into such a sordid place. But Mizuguma-sensei always says, 'Stay true to your convictions to find clarity of mind.'"

Uh...

"Fine, let's just call it intelligence gathering."

With that, Rinjin shifted his posture and strutted into Hanamichi First Avenue with a gleeful grin.

Inside, Rinjin was warmly welcomed by the ladies and led into a spacious hall.

The hall was packed, filled with laughter and the chatter of beautiful women. Rinjin took a deep breath, savoring the intoxicating aroma in the air, and couldn't help but smile.

What a place! Perfect for strengthening one's resolve!

Just then, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.

Captain Ryuto!

The moment Rinjin noticed Ryuto, the man turned his head and spotted Rinjin.

For a brief moment, the playful smiles on both their faces froze.

Instinctively, Rinjin and Ryuto both chose to avert their gazes, pretending not to recognize each other.

Fortunately, the Land of Lightning produced plenty of dark-skinned shinobi, so Ryuto's blushing wasn't too obvious.

Casually withdrawing his gaze, Rinjin couldn't help but give Ryuto a mental thumbs-up.

Captain Ryuto, you're good! That nonchalant act was very ninja-like!

Soon, the night passed in ways better left unsaid.

...

The next morning, Rinjin exited through the back door, yawning as he stepped onto the street.

After a day of intelligence gathering, the four teammates reconvened in their shabby inn room by evening.

Seated around a low table, Captain Ryuto wore a serious expression as he addressed the group.

"Did everyone gather intelligence?"

At his words, Rinjin and the other two nodded.

Satisfied, Ryuto nodded back. "Good!"

"Let's start with me. Ketsu, you're in charge of recording."

With that, Ryuto pulled out a blank scroll and placed it in front of Ketsu.

"The intelligence I gathered this time mainly concerns Konoha.

First, there's been a reform in the master-apprentice system. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has changed Konoha's traditional two-teacher-six-student system to a one-teacher-three-student model.

It's said that Hiruzen Sarutobi is also planning to take on apprentices himself!

Second, there's news about Konoha's younger generation, which the village is closely monitoring.

At the Konoha Ninja Academy, there's a boy named Orochimaru. He's reportedly a civilian shinobi with exceptional skills in all areas. Many are calling him a 'genius.'"

When Ryuto said the word "genius," there was a trace of disdain in his tone.

Watching Ryuto speak so earnestly, Rinjin covered his eyes.

This guy must have gathered this intel before visiting the brothel. Anyone with half a brain would know this kind of information couldn't possibly come from kabuki performers.

Even if they knew, they wouldn't mention such mood-killing topics during, well, those activities.

At this thought, an image involuntarily popped into Rinjin's mind:

Ryuto, grinning lecherously, drinking with women on both sides, only for one of them to say:

"Oh, my lord, you're amazing! By the way, Konoha has a genius who's even more amazing than you."

Just imagining it made Rinjin's toes curl in secondhand embarrassment.

Still, when he thought about his own intelligence report, Rinjin felt a pang of guilt.

Next, Amber and Ketsu shared the intelligence they had gathered, which primarily concerned the movements of nearby villages.

Soon, it was Rinjin's turn. All eyes turned to him.

Feeling a wave of unease, Rinjin maintained a calm facade as he began to speak.

"Uh... well... recently... the price of pig iron in the Land of Iron has gone up by eight percent, and exports have decreased by ten percent.

Um... on the Daimyō front, the Land of Fire has adjusted its currency exchange rate with the Land of Lightning from 1:1.1 to 1:1.2.

Due to the war, the market for crop seeds isn't looking great. Prices for various seeds have risen significantly.

The Land of Fields has signed a pork supply agreement with Konoha.

And the cost of hiring mercenaries in the Land of Wind has dropped at the exchange office."

After finishing, Rinjin let out a long breath and looked at his teammates.

The trio's faces had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

What... what's with this guy's style?

I understand every word he says, but when you put them together, I have no clue what he's talking about!

It's too bizarre!

As for Ryuto, he slumped to the ground in despair, staring blankly at the ceiling as he muttered to himself:

"Lord Raikage... can I return this one?"