Naruto: As a genin, I just want to live a normal life.

Page 131

"The safety and manpower of this thing still need to be investigated, and the war between major powers is not over yet."

"Therefore, your plan is impossible to achieve."

"This... I'm sorry, Lord Hanzo, we've disturbed your rest this time!" Yahiko bowed deeply, his tone filled with guilt. Hanzo had no choice but to acknowledge Yahiko's will to protect the Land of Rain, and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright! I'll leave this plan with me for now, until someday in the future."

"When the ninja world achieves peace, I will help you make this happen."

"Moreover, this is also a necessary plan to bring peace to the Land of Rain."

Yahiko and Nagato exchanged a glance and nodded gratefully, "Yes!" x2

As Yahiko and Nagato were preparing to leave, Hanzo remembered something and turned around, saying:

"By the way, there's a small country called the Ancient Kingdom of Loulan within the Land of Wind. Their mechanical puppet technology is extremely advanced, and it's relatively close to the Land of Rain."

"Perhaps you could enter and investigate as businessmen."

"But remember, do not reveal the strength of the ninjas, and do not use ninjutsu in that country."

"It is said that ninjas are no longer allowed to enter that city. If you can't get in, you can go to some towns in the Land of Wind to check the situation and also investigate future business operations."

"Yes! Thank you for your guidance, Lord Hanzo!" x2

Hanzo waved his hand: "This is just some experience from my generation in running Amegakure. Compared to you, I'm too old to talk about such trivial matters."

After leaving Hanzo's conversation, the two began planning a visit to Loulan or a city within the Land of Wind: after all, merchants must conduct on-site inspections to determine if a place is suitable.

#

In Konoha Village, Minato Namikaze and Kaori Uzumaki arrived at the entrance of the "Akatsuki no Mushroom Delight" shop.

"I heard that the seasonings at this store are pretty good. Many food vendors come here to get their seasonings. We might be able to use them at home too."

"Go and have a look."

"Ah."

Minato Namikaze and Kaori Uzumaki walked into the store hand in hand.

Upon entering the store, Minato Namikaze noticed many gazes, one of which made him uncomfortable: it seemed to be filled with hatred.

"why why......"

"Why can't I be a member of the village?"

"Why can't I live a happy life...? I can only be a heartless executioner...Why is this happening...?"

Bright red long hair, an intricately patterned mask, and a root-based tactical uniform on her body.

At this moment, the girl had completely become a Root ninja, carrying out many dark missions, and her tongue and body were also bound by a cursed seal specially made by Root.

The reason they were responsible for guarding the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was...

The reason for this is that when the Hokage encountered Kushina Uzumaki on a mission later in the Anbu, Kushina used the Adamantine Sealing Chains. After the battle, the Hokage reported to the Third Hokage, and that's how he learned that there were members of the Uzumaki clan in Root.

Upon learning that the daughter of the Uzumaki clan leader was likely kidnapped by Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi was caught in a dilemma. He eventually declared the matter a secret, ordering the Anbu to keep it confidential, and expressed his desire to retrieve Kushina from Danzo.

However, Danzo refused, stating that Kushina had become a qualified Root ninja and had personally killed two of her childhood friends from the Uzumaki clan. In reality, she hadn't killed them, but the other two were too weak and didn't awaken their bloodline like Kushina. Thus, like the Uzumaki Jonin who protected them, they became Root's experimental subjects.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was once again caught in an endless dilemma. After careful consideration, he finally decided that Kushina must be under the surveillance of the Anbu every time she carried out a mission, and that Kushina must not be allowed to step into the darkness again.

Unable to disobey the Hokage's orders, Danzo had no choice but to temporarily assign Kushina to the Anbu task of monitoring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, as she was already being monitored by the Root squad.

"Welcome~"

"What would you like to buy?"

Xiao Nan, wearing a chef's hat, stood in the shop and turned around to say welcome.

The tasting period has ended. The store mainly sells bottles and jars of mushrooms, which can be used in various settings to bring out different fresh and delicious flavors.

The other items are vacuum-packed seafood delicacies, placed in cool wall-mounted freezers. The freezers release a light breeze to keep the seafood fresh, and they usually sell out on the same day.

This point was also inspired by Bai Xing's unintentional remark that many products could be preserved for a long time after being vacuum-sealed and refrigerated. This is also the main reason why they were able to obtain cooperative shares and earn more than ten million taels a year.

Normal, simple seasonings, relying solely on the abilities of three people, let alone whether they can sell them at all, they can probably only sell them by setting up a stall, and they might even have their secret recipe stolen, ending up with nothing.

Therefore, partnering with a reliable company that already exists is the best choice.

While the profit margin on seasonings is high, the income will drop significantly once the hype dies down. Vacuum preservation of seafood, on the other hand, can fetch a good price while it remains unknown to the public.

After all, the ingredients belong to them. The three kids just made a suggestion and earned an extra five or six million in share income. Why not?

If Bai Xing knew about this, he would definitely grit his teeth and think that the reason he didn't go into business in the first place was because he didn't have the capital, the risks were too high, and he was afraid that he would end up with nothing after several years. But these guys earned millions in just six months after entering the industry, and they can earn ten million a year even if they don't open any stores?!

—The purpose of opening a store is to promote the chamber of commerce's name; in reality, it's unnecessary, as the company itself will manage the product operations. However, if a store is opened, the company will still submit products in a friendly manner.

At that time, Shirahoshi will probably transform into Pain carrying rice, flying in mid-air above Konoha and saying, "Every grain is covered in mud, who's going to give you a bag of rice? Alright, add some water!"

On another note, when Minato saw Konan, he greeted her with a friendly smile: "Konan-senpai."

—According to the timeline, Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko were seven years old, Jiraiya taught them for three years before going on to continue their second war, and Minato Namikaze was still in school.

"Ok?"

"Oh!! Minato! Did you bring your girlfriend today?!" Konan strode forward, nudged the increasingly tall Minato Namikaze in the chest with her elbow, and teased him while holding a shovel in one hand.

Minato gave an awkward smile, his face flushing slightly. Kaori, with her medium-length red hair, blushed and glanced to the side, muttering softly, "Not yet."

"Hey, not yet~" Xiao Nan said sourly, displaying the face of Deng Chao.

"Junior Brother Minato, first of all, congratulations on becoming a Special Jonin."

"Secondly, have you prepared anything to buy?"

Then, Xiao Nan covered her mouth, revealing a motherly smile, and covered it with her hand:

"Like renovating a wedding room or a new home?"

With a thud, Kaori Uzumaki's face flushed instantly, steam rising from her hair. Minato Namikaze, standing in front of Konan, hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "No, no."

"You don't seem to have anything here that I could use to decorate my new home, Senior Sister Xiao Nan!"

"Hahaha—I was just kidding you. I heard you became a special Jonin in the village. I guess there are Jonin now too, not long ago."

"You're only fourteen this year, aren't you?" Xiao Nan said, pouting.

"I'm... I'm alright." Minato patted his chest helplessly.

"Compared to me, Kakashi Hatake from the Ninja Academy is probably the most famous right now."

"I have already applied for early graduation."

"And I passed the test. I've become the youngest genin." Minato scratched his cheek.

“That’s true.” Konan’s face immediately fell upon hearing this. “Look at him. He became a Konoha genin at the age of six.”

Then, Xiao Nan remembered something else and asked:

"Speak of it."

"Has Mr. Shirahoshi not returned yet? I've been looking forward to giving him a surprise."

At this point, Minato's expression froze, and his eyes turned serious. "Actually..."

"Shirahoshi, the genin, has been missing for a long time now."

"No letters have ever been sent back."

"And the team that carried out the mission did not see Shirahoshi anywhere."

"So the village suspects that the other party may have been captured by an unknown force... just like Jonin Nawaki."

Clang.

The wooden shovel fell to the ground, and Xiao Nan covered her mouth with both hands:

"how come..."

"That's exactly right. Many people who are on good terms with Shirahoshi are currently undertaking missions to distant locations to gather intelligence... Oh, but I won't go into that here. Too many eyes and ears. We'd like to buy some fresh mushrooms; do you have any recommendations?"

Konan rolled her eyes at Minato, thinking to herself that at a time like this, she was in no mood for an introduction, but since it was her junior brother's request, she still began her introduction earnestly...

—In fact, after leaving the village, Shirahoshi completely forgot about sending a letter to Uncle Hiruzen.

Chapter 115 Loulan Ancient Country

The ancient country of Loulan.

The exquisite craftsmanship of the building's exterior is no less than that of the capital of the Land of Fire, and in some ways, it is even more luxurious.

Having successfully used the 'Slime Shallow Protective Shield' to block chakra prying eyes, Shirahoshi and her group officially entered the city.

then.

Shirahoshi couldn't resist starting to sightsee.

As the caravan members had described, it was indeed a small but very luxurious place.

This modern Western-style architecture only appeared during the Shippuden era, such as the wedding chapel of Naruto and Hinata.

"sharp."

"This minister named An Lushan is quite capable. He managed to create peace in this city and build such a prosperous metropolis all by himself."

Standing to Shirahoshi's right, Rope Tree, wearing a cow-horn mask, spoke from the side.

Honglian, to Baixing's left, was wearing a sheep mask and walking forward, her face showing great surprise.

"It does have some ability."

"But it also shows that this man is very ambitious. What he wants is probably not just a small city," Bai Xing said.

Walking into a nicely decorated shop, Bai Xing's eyes fell on the fruit. She found that the fruit here was slightly better priced than in Wind City, and the fruit was also fresher.

It must be related to economic and trade export activities with some small countries in the land of rivers.

"Sigh. The Queen hasn't shown her face in a long time. And what is that An Lushan thinking? He's actually planning to cut off foreign trade?!"

"What will happen to the economic development of Loulan? What will everyone eat...?"

Bai Xing listened to the shop owner's rambling as she looked at the fruit, then picked up a red fruit called "Sweet Fruit" and asked, "Boss, how much is this one?"

The shopkeeper glanced at Shirahoshi and noticed he was a young man wearing a mask. Then he saw that Nawaki and Guren were dressed similarly and couldn't help but think to himself, "It seems like they haven't hired any circus performers lately..."

"Never mind. You can have it."