Ino slept exceptionally well that night. The moment her eyes closed, she fell asleep with her breathing. She slept in a starfish position during the third watch, then transformed into a "I want to fly" pose during the fourth watch, lying on her side, her torso and legs bent backward, one foot almost touching the back of her head, her mouth slightly ajar... During the fifth watch, with a soft "pat," she turned onto her stomach.
Yet, the thin summer quilt miraculously stayed on her belly, unmoved by a night of high-difficulty maneuvers—
Her skill could be described as "profound"... Due to a slightly larger movement when turning over, Ino briefly woke up for about half a second. She slightly opened her eyelids, saw it was still early, and the room was dark, so she drifted back to sleep.
When she finally couldn't sleep anymore, Ino was lying on her back, both hands clasped together on her right side, half her face resting on her hands. Her hands, soaked with sweat and pressed by her face, had distinct damp red marks.
"Phew—another new day, time to get up..."
Ino sat up, and the thin quilt slid down to her legs. The oversized T-shirt she had slept in all night was also damp.
Rubbing her eyes, Ino stood up and ran barefoot to the window, pulling back the curtains to check the sky. Then she began to limber up her body, slowly stretching and curling her limbs. Her slow movements were graceful and comfortable, looking like a slow, elegant dance. After one round, she then thoroughly glided all twelve main meridians forty-nine times in the order of "Zi → Chou → Yin → Mao → Chen → Si → Wu → Wei → Shen → You → Xu → Hai," and then performed kneading, stretching, and shaking forty-nine times each... Forty-nine times—this was a very suitable training intensity for Ino at the moment, causing a noticeable fatigue in her meridians without being excessive.
Ino understood the principle of "too much is as bad as not enough."
Workout complete, perfect.
In the morning, Mrs. Yamanaka made egg drop soup, and the family of three each made a wrap, filled with meat, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
While they were eating, Nana and Kana arrived. "Clan Head-sama, Madam." Seeing Inoichi Yamanaka there, they quickly bowed.
"Oh, good morning..."
Inoichi Yamanaka paused slightly in his eating, his eyes lingering on Nana and Kana for a moment. They were wearing the full-body tight-fitting clothes Ino had requested, but their faces were covered with the newly released sunscreen masks, one light blue, one light pink, with an outer layer of veil draped around the neck... It had an indescribable aesthetic.
"Nana, Kana, have you had breakfast? Sit down and eat with us?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked them.
"We've already eaten, Madam."
"Oh."
Inoichi Yamanaka finished his breakfast and left first. Mrs. Yamanaka cleared the dishes and then heard Ino discussing the "sunscreen masks" with the two.
"Nana, you need to oversee the production part... Remember to occupy the production side's time. Before the Konoha market is saturated, ensure sufficient quantity and push the production schedule tightly, with strict quality control... You must ensure that the tailor shops within Konoha simply don't have time to do anything else during this period—the quantity must be well controlled..."
"For some statistical matters, you can assign missions to Genin. The minimum price is 500 ryo, it's very cost-effective!"
Nana and Kana listened and took notes. What Ino said was not simple—in commercial competition, it could be considered an extremely insidious move.
The tactic of "occupying production resources" is an excellent way to protect one's interests in a place without brand protection—it prevents others from having the capacity to produce counterfeit products. Of course, this is only a temporary method, allowing Ino to enjoy the first wave of expansion-period dividends. Once the market is saturated, this method will no longer be effective.
Following the first move is the second: "building a brand." Using this time difference to establish a brand. With brand recognition, even if fakes appear, they will struggle to compete with Ino's genuine products.
For minor infringements, just let it be. If that doesn't work, hire a few Ninja to have a "talk" with the bosses who make and sell fakes—
Hiring Ninja from the Village is expensive, but hiring Ninja from the Yamanaka Clan itself... well, if she asks her uncle Fu Yamanaka, Root will do it for free.
They can handle it while doing their dirty work. Root Ninja don't adhere to rules and will stop at nothing for a mission, so everything in the process can be explained, or doesn't even need to be explained.
Ask.
It's all for the mission... "Hmm, Second Uncle seems to be in Root, using the name Fu Yamanaka... I knew it, everyone else has four characters in their name, why does he only have three? Is that right?"
Ino complained about her "Second Uncle," who frequently appeared and disappeared like a dragon, and thought about being able to get Root Ninja to perform her missions for free. Her eyes curved into crescent moons from smiling... "Hmm, have you finished taking notes?" Ino reined in her wandering thoughts and asked Nana, then continued, "During this period, goods must be shipped daily. Push hard and try to raise the output. Don't be afraid of having too much left over or not being able to sell it—after Konoha, there's still the Land of Fire. And after the Land of Fire, aren't there the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning?"
"The Land of Wind has a lot of sandstorms. We can develop styles with goggles and sand protection based on their needs, so they won't smell the earthy odor when wearing them... It's a nationwide demand for them, we can definitely develop men's styles..."
"The Land of Earth is pretty similar. Look at their skin, old and yellow from the loess and sandstorms. Men don't care, but women don't care?"
"Look at the men and women in the Land of Lightning, they're so dark... Sun protection is a rigid demand for them!"
...In short, this market is simply boundless. Ino felt that she couldn't fully occupy it at least until she graduated from the Ninja Academy—the Ninja World is so big, and merchants' senses are so keen, they wouldn't allow her to monopolize this cake. A sunscreen mask, such a simple thing, couldn't be completely monopolized.
So, what she had to do was use this time difference to build a brand, set standards, and create the luxury item among sunscreen masks!
They are all sun protection, but whose brand, which brand, that's all different.
"Konoha is just a small testing ground, a trial run. If it goes well here, your next battlefield will be the entire Land of Fire."
"And before that, you also need to scout for some talents within the clan. As the business grows, the two of you alone certainly won't be enough. You keep an eye out for people; our Yamanaka Clan is not afraid of betrayal... Find them quickly, train them quickly... If you still want to stay by my side, then cultivate reliable subordinates..."
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