Inside the dango shop,
Tsunade took the scroll Yuu handed her, unfurled it with her fingertips, and casually skimmed a few lines. Then she looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Tsk. After all that talking, don't tell me your real reason for coming to me is that you want me to help you research this 'Scorch Release'?"
"As expected of Lady Tsunade, you understand immediately!"
Mikami Yuu instantly offered praise.
"Stop flattering me!"
Tsunade shot him an annoyed glare and said, "I'm not taking this job. Do you think kekkei genkai are that easy to research? It takes time, energy, and there's no guarantee of results. I'm not interested."
This answer was not outside Yuu's expectations.
"Lady Tsunade, do you still remember the bet we made before?"
"…You mean the one about Konoha Raw Cola's monthly profit? What, you want to use that 'request' to make me help you research this? Hmph! It hasn't even been half a year yet. Who knows how long Raw Cola's popularity will last? Are you so sure I'll lose?"
Tsunade looked unconvinced.
"No, no, you misunderstand."
"The bet is the bet. What I mean is, we can discuss the profit share again."
Yuu slowed his tone and began painting her a picture. "You've seen it too. Right now, Raw Cola is hugely popular in Konoha. Demand far exceeds supply. Many shops have even limited the number each person can buy, or they wouldn't be able to satisfy most customers.
"If it can be promoted to more prosperous places like the Fire Capital or Tanzaku Town… those places are full of wealthy people, and their spending power is several times Konoha's. As long as the distribution channels open up, monthly revenue of one million, or even ten million ryō, isn't impossible! And thirty percent of the profit would be three million!
"When that happens, Lady Tsunade, all you need to do is hold the title of 'R&D consultant,' and you can sit back and enjoy the money. You could earn while lying in bed every day! That money would be enough for you at the casino… cough, I mean, at shops, to buy whatever you want."
Hearing this, Tsunade's breathing clearly quickened.
Three million ryō… every month!
Earning money while doing nothing but lying in bed!
To be fair, Yuu's pie in the sky was a little too large. After all, Raw Cola's current monthly profit was probably only around a hundred thousand or so. Reaching one million was possible, but ten million? The Land of Fire might not have that large a market.
But…
Tsunade was a gambler.
For a gambler, as long as the probability wasn't zero, then it was possible.
And the possibility was very big!
Before this, Tsunade had kept saying, "Raw Cola's popularity might only be temporary," essentially because she had missed the opportunity and needed that excuse to numb herself and stabilize her mentality. But now, since there was a chance for her to get back on board… what else was there to say?
Take a gamble, and a bicycle becomes a motorcycle!
All in!
"Hmph! Cunning brat…"
Tsunade snorted and irritably grabbed the Scorch Release scroll from the table, but the corners of her mouth were already curving up. "I'm not doing this for that thirty percent profit. I just think you look pitiful, so I'm giving you some face… I'm leaving. I'll give you an answer in a few days. I don't guarantee there'll be results."
As she spoke,
Tsunade slapped a handful of coins onto the table and grandly declared, "Keep the change," then stood up to leave.
The dango shop owner walked over, glanced at it, and hesitated. "Lady Tsunade… this isn't enough."
"…"
…
In the end, Mikami Yuu paid for the tea and snacks first.
After saying goodbye to Tsunade, Yuu brought Rin back toward the civilian district.
By this time, the sky had already darkened a little.
The streetlights along the road lit up one after another, and the homes on both sides also lit oil lamps. Through the glass or paper windows, one could see vague silhouettes moving inside. Rin raised a hand and pointed, being the first to notice the light in the Mikami house.
"Yuu, it looks like Uncle and Auntie are already back."
"Mm."
"Then hurry home and talk to them. You haven't seen them for so long. They must have missed you a lot."
Rin stopped at the entrance of her own house and turned back with a sweet smile. "Give them my and Dad's regards. Remember, we're eating together tomorrow night."
"I will. Give Uncle Hiroshi my regards too."
Yuu said.
Then Rin stood in her yard and watched Yuu walk to his own door before waving and turning into her house.
Yuu also opened the door and entered.
Mikami Tajima and Mikami Aoi, who had just returned from work, turned in surprise. The moment they saw him, their eyes filled with shock and joy.
"Yuu! You're back? Quick, let Mom look at you. The front line is so dangerous. Did you lose weight? Are you hurt?"
Mikami Aoi rushed forward and hugged Yuu, her eyes red and her voice choked.
Mikami Tajima was relatively restrained, but his eyes were also full of excitement and relief. "It's good you're back. It's good you're back."
After such a long separation, a round of concern and questions was inevitable.
Yuu briefly talked about what he had seen and experienced on the front line, omitting the dangerous parts and only mentioning a few of his achievements and the fact that he had returned safely. Mikami Tajima and his wife were both worried and proud, as if they had endless questions to ask.
After quite a while, seeing that it was getting late, the couple hurried to the kitchen to cook. Soon, they prepared a table full of home-cooked dishes, and the family of three sat together and ate heartily.
Only then
did Mikami Tajima bring up another matter.
"Yuu, that Raw Cola of yours is incredible! It completely exceeded our initial expectations!"
"Following the plan you left behind, we've been moving steadily. Sales and reputation inside the village have basically opened up now. The biggest bottleneck at the moment is production, because it sells way too fast. A few thousand bottles a month can't satisfy demand at all."
"I've been visiting nearby workshops these days and hired some reliable people. We're working hard to expand the production line… next month! Next month, I'm confident we can raise monthly production above forty thousand bottles! Based on the current pricing and popularity, a monthly profit of fifteen thousand ryō should be no problem!"
"Mm."
Yuu nodded. "You've done very well, Father."
It seemed Mikami Tajima really did have some talent for business. An ordinary retired ninja, even with the framework Yuu had drafted, might not have been able to reach this level in such a short time.
However…
"This is only the beginning. Our goal is to sell one hundred thousand bottles a month within half a year and cover the entire Fire Country market. How is contact with the Nara and Akimichi sides? Their medicinal herb distribution channels have been operating for many years and cover more than half of the Land of Fire. If we can cooperate with them, it'll save a lot of effort."
"I've already been trying…"
At this point, Mikami Tajima paused, his tone becoming serious. "By the way, Yuu, I've been keeping Lady Tsunade's share of the profits in a separate account. After all, Raw Cola could only take off because her improved formula and reputation were vital. How do you think we should give this money to Lady Tsunade?"
"In a few days. I just went to see Lady Tsunade today. Once we've finalized the cooperation framework, we can give her a surprise."
Yuu said.
Speaking of which,
Tsunade and the Fire Daimyo's side really did seem to have some blood relationship, originating from a marriage alliance between Senju Hashirama's descendants and the previous Fire Daimyo's children. So the title "Princess of the Senju" was genuine.
This was something Yuu had only confirmed after coming to the Naruto world and verifying it from multiple sources.
So,
if he wanted Raw Cola to leave Konoha and enter the eyes of the aristocratic system, Tsunade's help was indispensable.
As for why it had to be nobles…
Of course, because you made money from whoever had money.
Although Raw Cola wasn't expensive, ordinary people could only drink it occasionally. Those rich people, however, could easily drink eight or ten bottles a day. Though that might cause health problems, that would be a few years later.
By then, Konoha Soda Water and Konoha Fresh Orange would probably have launched too.
Mm… one more point.
Using the Konoha trademark inside the village was fine, but promoting it outside carried some risk. So aside from Tsunade, they also needed to find a way to bring the Sarutobi clan onto the war chariot. For this, they could consider using Asuma or Tsunade to probe Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude…
That night, father and son sat by the window and talked by candlelight.
Most of the time, Yuu spoke, while his father, Mikami Tajima, occasionally asked questions and carefully took notes in a small notebook.
It was a bit of a role reversal.
Only when Mikami Aoi came over to urge the two to sleep did Mikami Tajima blow out the candle and push Yuu back to his room to rest.
…
The next day.
Early in the morning, the three members of the Mikami family ate breakfast together.
Then Mikami Tajima and his wife hurried out, each going to their workplace. One went to the Konoha Library to work as a librarian, while the other went to fight for the Raw Cola empire. Only Yuu was relatively free, preparing to go to the training ground behind the village and move around a bit, practicing ninjutsu.
On the way,
just as Yuu passed through a narrow alley, he suddenly heard a somewhat familiar commotion. Turning his head, he saw a middle-aged man in a green bodysuit with hair shaped like an upside-down watermelon rind jumping up and down in an exaggerated posture, trying to catch a flower-patterned cat that was fleeing nimbly.
"Youth! Do not run away! Become the medal that marks the completion of my mission!"
"…"
Seeing the cat arrive in front of him, Yuu bent down, swift-eyed and quick-handed, and grabbed the scruff of the cat's neck, lifting it up. The cat uselessly flailed its paws and meowed, but couldn't break free.
"Uncle Duy, long time no see. What are you doing?"
"Huh, it's Yuu!"
Might Duy stopped, wiped his sweat, then revealed his signature shining smile and white teeth.
"It really has been a long time. I heard from Guy that you went to the front line some time ago? Truly a youth-filled experience of passionate training!"
"As for this… it's a D-rank mission, 'Help the Daimyo's wife find her lost beloved cat, Little Flower.' The mission reward is twenty thousand ryō… Prices in the village have risen a lot lately. Flour and vegetables are several tens of percent more expensive than before. I only know taijutsu, so there are limited higher-level missions I can take. So…"
"But this is fine too. You go to the battlefield, I catch cats. We're both serving Konoha. Youth must burn even brighter in hardship!"
Might Duy once again struck his classic fist-clenching pose, looking full of energy, though there was inevitably a trace of gloom deep in his eyes.
After all…
spiritual victory couldn't solve actual hardship. Guy was currently in a phase of rapid physical development, precisely when he needed large amounts of nutrition. If supplies didn't keep up at this time, his future achievements might be affected.
The speaker did not intend it,
but the listener took it to heart.
A thought suddenly appeared in Yuu's mind.
"Uncle Duy, do you know about Konoha Raw Cola?"
"You mean that new drink? I bought one bottle last week and brought it back for Guy to try. He said it was very tasty, and it even helped replenish chakra. As expected of a new product developed by Lady Tsunade!"
"About that…"
Yuu smiled. "Actually, this product was jointly developed by my father and Lady Tsunade. Because it's too popular, we're currently short on manpower.
"Most of the work is packing, moving, watching equipment, and the like. There's no real technical requirement. As long as someone has strength and works seriously, it's fine. Pay is calculated by piece—the more you work, the more you earn. If you're interested… why not go there and help out? It could be another source of income."
"R-really?"
Might Duy froze. His eyes slowly widened, reigniting with glittering light.
"Of course."
Yuu nodded.
He had some selfish motives toward Might Duy.
After all, this man was one of the few people in Konoha who had mastered the Eight Gates, and he could open the Eighth Gate. Although the Eight Gates were one-time use, it was indeed Kage-level power. Trading his life for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist felt a bit too wasteful.
Before, Yuu had been like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river, with no time to think about such problems. But now, while his strength might still fall short of Kage level, he could already count as elite among jōnin, and his life-saving ability had been maxed out first. Add to that the fact that his family business had now started up and was thriving…
So he could try changing some of these fixed plotlines.
Considering Mikami Tajima's leg injury had greatly reduced his strength, having Might Duy nearby as a bodyguard wouldn't be bad either.
On the other side,
Might Duy was so moved that tears filled his eyes. He hugged Yuu at once.
"Yuu, thank you so much! You are the sun illuminating my and Guy's path of youth! I'll go find your father for an interview right now! Youth! A new direction to struggle toward!"
"Wait… the cat!"
Yuu raised a hand and indicated the flower-patterned cat he was holding.
"Oh! Right, right! The mission! Youth must have a beginning and an end!"
Might Duy slapped his forehead and turned back.
"I'll take it to the Hokage building first and turn in the mission, then I'll go check out the workshop you mentioned! For youth—charge!"
"…"
After watching Might Duy leave,
Yuu continued toward the training ground and began today's training.
Phoenix Fire: Light Flame Bullet, Hatake Swordsmanship, Monster Strength, Water Formation Wall…
One practice after another proceeded in an orderly fashion.