"You are the greatest merchant in the Hidden Mist Village, and also the most influential trader in the entire Land of Water."
Uchiha Su looked calmly at the merchant sitting nervously before him.
"For this war, the village will require an enormous amount of supplies."
He began listing them one by one.
"Food supplies, medical equipment, kunai, shuriken, military ration pills, explosive tags… and many other necessities."
Su folded his hands calmly on the table.
"So, I want you to become the primary supplier for the Hidden Mist Village during this war."
The merchant's eyes widened slightly.
The moment he heard those words, countless numbers flashed through his mind.
War meant demand.
And demand meant profit.
If he could monopolize the supply chain for the Hidden Mist Village during wartime, the profits would be unimaginable.
For a brief moment, he almost felt blinded by the enormous wealth he could earn.
However, he quickly forced himself to calm down.
He had survived in the business world for decades.
If something sounded too profitable, there was usually a hidden danger.
Carefully choosing his words, the merchant asked cautiously,
"And… what if I fail to deliver the supplies halfway through the contract?"
Su tilted his head slightly and looked at him with mild confusion.
"Then you die, of course."
His tone was casual.
"What else would happen?"
The merchant froze.
Su's expression looked genuinely puzzled.
Did this merchant think war was some kind of joke?
If the supply chain collapsed halfway through the war, the consequences would be disastrous.
Frontline ninjas would lack weapons.
Medical units would run out of supplies.
Morale would collapse.
Combat effectiveness would decline dramatically.
If such a disaster occurred because of one greedy merchant…
Uchiha Su would personally order his execution without hesitation.
Afterward, he would confiscate the merchant's entire family fortune—while perhaps shedding a few symbolic tears of regret.
The merchant's smile froze awkwardly.
He had expected reassuring words.
Instead, he received a death sentence.
Su continued speaking slowly.
"Also…"
"Any supplies delivered to the frontline must meet proper quality standards."
His tone became slightly darker.
"If inferior products are discovered…"
"You might want to sleep carefully at night."
"After all, ninjas are not known for being particularly generous people."
The merchant swallowed nervously.
This meeting had suddenly become terrifying.
"Then… can I refuse?"
he asked weakly.
At this moment, he truly regretted attending this meeting.
Uchiha Su nodded calmly.
"Of course you can refuse."
The merchant's eyes brightened slightly.
But Su continued speaking without looking up.
"Since you now know the village's strategic secrets, you will probably spend the rest of your life in prison."
"Don't worry though."
"We will take good care of your wife and children."
"We will ensure that your child grows up safely."
The merchant immediately jumped to his feet.
"I'll do it!"
"I'll do it, alright?!"
He agreed instantly.
Su nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
"We will purchase all supplies at thirty percent below the market price."
"I hope we can maintain a long-term cooperative relationship."
The merchant quickly began calculating in his head.
If war broke out soon, the price of military supplies would skyrocket.
If he began stockpiling supplies immediately, the future market price would rise dramatically.
Selling them at thirty percent below that inflated price would still earn him enormous profits.
He could even avoid the risk of unsold inventory.
The more he calculated, the happier he felt.
But just as his hopes rose—
Su spoke again in a relaxed tone.
"When I say thirty percent below market price…"
He smiled faintly.
"I mean the current market price."
The merchant's smile froze instantly.
Su looked at him with a half-smile.
"You weren't planning to profit from a national crisis, were you?"
The merchant's vision suddenly went black.
He collapsed onto the floor and fainted.
Around the table, several people remained silent.
Meanwhile, Genji looked at Uchiha Su with growing admiration.
The more he observed the young man, the more he believed Su possessed the qualities necessary to become a Kage.
Ruthless when necessary.
Cold-headed when making decisions.
This kind of merciless pragmatism was exactly what a village leader required.
At the very least, Hōzuki Gengetsu was not like this.
The Second Mizukage's mind was filled mostly with two things:
Fighting.
And competing with the Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
Su waved his hand casually.
"Take him away and help him wake up."
Several Anbu ninjas instantly appeared and carried the unconscious merchant away.
Su sighed quietly once they had left.
The reason he used such harsh negotiation tactics was simple.
The Hidden Mist Village was poor.
Extremely poor.
Recently, Su had invested enormous resources into rebuilding the village.
He had replaced muddy roads with wide cement-paved streets.
He had established an Engineering Department responsible for infrastructure projects.
He had even begun paying regular salaries to the ninjas working in that department.
All of these reforms required enormous funding.
Unfortunately, commercial taxes would not produce results immediately.
It would take at least half a year before economic improvements began generating noticeable revenue.
After dismissing everyone from the meeting room, Su asked Uchiha Nami to lead workers in converting the meeting room back into the Mizukage's office.
"Young Master," Nami said while supervising the workers.
"Why don't we ask the Engineering Department to build a permanent meeting hall?"
"Moving the furniture back and forth every time is too troublesome."
Su paused for a moment.
"You're right."
"That was an oversight on my part."
"Go ahead and arrange construction later."
Nami nodded.
Later that day, Uchiha Setsuna arrived to report.
"Young Master, the Hoshigaki Clan issue has been resolved."
Su looked up.
"What is the current situation?"
Setsuna explained,
"A few die-hard followers of Hoshigaki Hayato resisted and were eliminated."
"However, most members of the clan have expressed loyalty to the village."
"They are willing to follow the village leadership."
Setsuna paused before asking,
"So I came to ask for your instructions."
"How should we deal with those Hoshigaki clan members who wish to remain loyal?"
Su thought for a moment.
"That's simple."
"If they are willing to follow the village, let them return home."
He continued,
"Also, represent me and visit the various ninja clans in the village."
"Reassure them that the Hidden Mist Village is currently facing a crisis."
"And that I hope everyone can work together to overcome this difficult period."
Setsuna nodded confidently.
"Yes, Young Master!"
"I will definitely deliver your message properly!"
Su narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You understand how to reassure people… right?"
He suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.
Setsuna puffed out his chest proudly.
"Of course!"
"Reassuring people is my specialty!"
"Don't worry, Young Master. I guarantee I will handle this perfectly."
"No one will find any fault with it."
Su stared at him suspiciously.
After a moment, he finally nodded.
"Very well."
"Go ahead."
"I'll wait for your good news."
After leaving the Mizukage Office Building, Setsuna returned to the Uchiha clan compound.
He gathered several clan members.
"This time…"
"I want to see who still dares to act foolishly during such a critical moment."
One of the clan members, Uchiha En, stepped forward.
"Setsuna, what exactly did the Young Master ask us to do?"
Setsuna took out a small notebook.
He flipped through it carefully.
"The Young Master wants us to reassure several ninja clans that may be somewhat disobedient."
He pointed to the first name on the list.
"Our first destination is the Kaguya Clan."
"Their combat strength is probably the highest among the Kekkei Genkai clans, aside from the Uchiha and the Hōzuki."
Uchiha En frowned slightly.
"I went with the Young Master to the Kaguya compound last time."
"I didn't like them."
"They clearly promised Lord Madara their loyalty."
"But they still hesitated afterward."
"If the Young Master hadn't displayed such overwhelming strength, they might still refuse to follow the Uchiha Clan."
Setsuna snorted coldly.
"Don't worry."
"If they behave like last time…"
"Then there will be no need for the Kaguya Clan to continue existing."
His tone became extremely cold.
"I'm not as soft-hearted as the Young Master."
"I have plenty of strength and plenty of methods."
Uchiha En suddenly froze.
"Wait…"
He looked at Setsuna in disbelief.
"The Young Master told you to reassure them, right?"
"Is this your idea of reassurance?"
"This sounds more like a threat!"
En sighed deeply.
He already knew Setsuna's personality.
"I'll be watching you closely, Setsuna."
"I won't allow you to ruin the Young Master's important plans."
Setsuna shrugged casually.
"That's your problem."
Then he began walking toward the Kaguya Clan territory without another word.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)