"The Daimyo wishes to discuss the matter of the village's pharmaceutical industry with you."
The moment Yuji sat down, Chiyo spoke up. Her expression carried a degree of hesitation, indicating she had already communicated with the Daimyo beforehand and understood what he intended.
"Of course," Yuji said with a smile.
He looked at the thin man sitting across from him. This Daimyo did not quite match his mental image. He vaguely recalled that in the original story, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had been a heavyset man. The person before him was slender.
"Fourth Kazekage. Thanks to your wisdom, the Sand Village is now thriving through its pharmaceutical industry and the economy is improving. It has finally reached the point where it no longer requires my subsidies to sustain the village's expenses. I am very satisfied with this development."
The Daimyo spoke softly and with a practiced pleasantness.
Yuji smiled without responding immediately. He appeared to be giving the Daimyo his full attention. In reality, he had already taken a quick survey of the room upon entering.
Behind the Daimyo stood a monk and another guard. Beyond these two, he had noticed when entering the courtyard that there were additional security personnel guarding the Daimyo of the Land of Wind throughout the premises.
Fifteen people in total. Three more than the twelve guardian ninja who typically accompanied the Fire Country's Daimyo.
These were ninja organizations directly under the Daimyo's personal command. Only two of them originally belonged to the Sand Village. The remaining thirteen were strong individuals the Daimyo had selected from various regions throughout the Land of Wind.
Some were even trained assassins from organizations the Daimyo maintained privately. The monk standing behind him had come from a ninja temple and possessed considerable strength.
Although the Sand Village was the core military power of the Land of Wind, it was not the only official organization with combat capability operating within its borders.
Some local forces had obtained official recognition by leveraging connections to the nobility or powerful figures. There were also clans deeply rooted in the Land of Wind since the Warring States period that had never been absorbed or incorporated into the Sand Village after its founding.
Ninja temples in particular, with their lineages and histories often predating the great villages themselves, existed throughout the borders of all five great nations. The strength of some of their monks was in no way inferior to professional ninja from the hidden villages.
The monk standing behind the Daimyo was one such figure. Skilled in Sealing Jutsu, his art was extremely profound. Later generations would see people of this lineage use Sealing Jutsu to subdue Tailed Beast Jinchuriki.
Due to their unique circumstances and bloodlines, some of these monks possessed extraordinary natural talent in Yin Release with remarkably high mental strength, making their Sealing Jutsu techniques exceptionally powerful.
"Indeed," Yuji said, responding to the Daimyo's opening remarks with a continued smile.
"Now that the ninja world is engulfed in war, your Sand Village's medicinal resources are undoubtedly the most sought-after commodity available anywhere. Therefore, I plan to invest in expanding your pharmaceutical factory operations throughout the Land of Wind. With only one factory in the village currently, you simply cannot meet external demand."
The Daimyo had finally stated his purpose.
"That is a fine proposal," Yuji said, and rather than appearing conflicted, he nodded with apparent happiness. "However, I have one condition."
"Please, tell me," the Daimyo said, his spirits lifting at Yuji's seemingly easygoing reception.
"All custom-made medicines must originate from and be produced under the Sand Village's direct control. Furthermore, there must be specific limitations on the number of factories established. They cannot be opened arbitrarily.
Although the Daimyo's Mansion would be providing funding, the village's current income is sufficient that we do not actually require outside financial assistance. The reason we have not continued expanding factory construction ourselves is precisely because we intend to control supply deliberately."
He continued.
"However, you are the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, a noble status, and the pharmaceutical industry naturally benefits the Land of Wind's broader economy. I am genuinely willing to work with you on this. I have no reason to refuse your proposal in principle."
"As for the profit split, it should be divided eighty to twenty. Eighty percent to the village, twenty percent to the Daimyo's Mansion."
He held up two fingers calmly.
"What did you say?!"
The Daimyo had initially assessed the situation as straightforward. This young man was so young, wore such a warm smile, and seemed to carry no particular agenda. He appeared easy to manage. The Daimyo had expected the conversation to proceed smoothly in his favor.
He had not expected this person to state his terms so directly and so unfavorably. The warmth of the smile was entirely genuine, and yet the words it accompanied were those of someone who intended to take everything and leave nothing on the table.
The Daimyo's dignified and composed expression turned ugly in an instant.
"The details of this business have been clearly presented to the Daimyo's Mansion through the village's economic advisors," Yuji said, his tone remaining completely even. "The profits involved are substantial and you know this well. Otherwise, with your esteemed and valuable status, you would not have traveled all this distance to the Sand Village in person."
"Investing in a pharmaceutical factory appears to be a significant expense upfront. But in the long term, even a twenty percent share will generate considerable returns. You will profit from this arrangement."
"Furthermore, the construction of pharmaceutical factories requires a large workforce, which will indirectly stimulate the broader economy of the Land of Wind."
Yuji continued speaking, entirely untroubled by the Daimyo's furrowed expression.
"This Great Ninja War is likely to last several more years. Our pharmaceutical resources face absolutely no shortage of market demand throughout that period.
We are still actively fighting the enemy, and releasing pharmaceuticals in large volumes might appear to generate enormous short-term revenue, but many things cannot simply be measured in money."
"The trade routes for goods, for instance. Without strict control, they could be exploited by the enemy, which would conversely cause even greater casualties for the village. In theory, it is not yet the right time to fully release our products onto the open market.
Reducing the volume of pharmaceutical exports may appear to be a significant short-term loss, but with prices continuing to rise and considering a three-year horizon, the overall profit is absolutely substantial."
"On the other hand, the true core of our village's pharmaceutical industry is the research data and the underlying information. Building a factory outside the Sand Village's operational area would risk exposure and could ultimately cause our industry to lose its competitive advantage entirely.
Therefore, it must remain under the Sand Village's direct control. It cannot be handed over to external management."
"The Third Raikage's attack on the village already demonstrated what this industry is worth to outside parties. Since you have personally made this request, I am reluctantly agreeing to construct additional factories so that you can also receive a portion of the returns."
He paused briefly.
"In recent years, you have provided support and assistance to the village. Everyone has seen this and it has not gone unnoticed."
"A twenty percent profit share, to be straightforward, is already extremely generous under these circumstances. Given that the village is not lacking for funds, I would even be comfortable allowing you to retain that portion entirely. You should feel fortunate."
He finished speaking with an expression that appeared to be a smile, but the steel underneath every word was unmistakable.
Even Chiyo was taken aback. She had not expected that on his very first day in office, he would take such an assertive and direct stance with the Daimyo.
Furthermore, the style he was displaying was fundamentally different from anything she had seen before, including from the Third Kazekage and from herself and other senior members of the previous generation.
They had always maintained an outward assertiveness, but when it came to actually facing the Daimyo, they had almost no real leverage and everyone knew it. The Daimyo had always held the village in a financial straitjacket.
"You..."
Even though every word Yuji had spoken was logically sound and reasonably grounded, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was still visibly furious, his composure collapsing into barely contained rage.
"I am not negotiating with you. I am giving you an order. You will do as I say!"
His authoritative bearing intensified several degrees.
"With respect, I am the Kazekage. I am responsible for the Sand Village. Your preferences and your Mansion's expectations are not within the scope of my primary consideration."
Yuji's tone remained completely level.
"In my eyes, the relationship between us is a cooperative one and nothing more. You have always provided the village with financial contributions, and this is genuinely acknowledged. But the village in return sacrifices countless lives to protect and safeguard the territory and safety of the Land of Wind. Without that arrangement functioning on both sides, neither of us would have the standing to sit here today."
He chuckled lightly.
"You!!!"
The Daimyo slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide with a fury he could no longer contain.
This was completely outside what he had anticipated. He had come expecting that the Fourth Kazekage, being so young and newly appointed, would be manageable.
He had not expected this young man to be this unyielding and this precisely calculated in how he applied that resolve.
...
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