Afternoon.
Haruki went to the gate to greet Rasa.
Rasa hadn't originally planned to come. After all, it was just a matter of handing over the gold dust.
In Haruki's eyes, Rasa was no different from an airplane, just a pure means of transportation.
The two weren't very familiar with each other and didn't have much to talk about.
If it had been Sasori of the Red Sand, who had the same interests, they could have chatted for a long time.
But Rasa was a disciple of The Third Kazekage, so his status was special.
Sunagakure and Konoha Village had just ended the war not long ago, and they didn't trust each other.
So Rasa was stopped by the two gatekeepers as a suspicious person.
After Haruki came out in time to offer guarantees, Rasa and Saori Hyuga were able to enter Konoha.
"Come with me."
Haruki didn't bother with small talk and directly led the two to the warehouse behind A Happy Union of Gold and Jade.
Rasa understood what he meant. He told the two to retreat to the door and then summoned a Storage Scroll.
Streams of gold dust, under his Chakra Control, quickly filled the warehouse.
In a moment, a small golden mountain appeared.
"Thank you for your trouble, Rasa."
Although Haruki wasn't interested in money, when he saw the room filled with gold, he still felt a bit emotional.
He felt like a dragon guarding a huge amount of glittering stones.
"It's nothing." Rasa shook his head.
The reason he came in person was partly because the gold dust was precious, and partly because Sunagakure's gold expedition had been extremely successful.
No, it couldn't even be described as "successful".
It was more like a sudden windfall.
He still couldn't understand why the Land of Wind Daimyo had spent an amount of money comparable to several years' worth of aid to Sunagakure to buy the gold necklace that Haruki and The Third Kazekage had boasted about.
It was only because it was related to the so - called tragic love story of his ancestors.
But that story was fake!
Rasa really couldn't hold back and asked Haruki.
He had asked his teacher about it before. The Third Kazekage, as if possessed by the love of money, told him, "I don't care about the reasons. As long as we can make money, that's good enough."
If Rasa weren't certain that no one could possess or control The Third Kazekage, he would seriously suspect that the one who was so obsessed with money and gave up thinking wasn't his teacher.
"Oh, you mean this. Actually, it's not hard to understand. If you want to know why he bought the necklace, you need to think about what would happen or what rewards he would get after getting it."
Hearing Haruki's question, Rasa fell into silence.
After a moment, like his teacher, he gave up thinking.
Haruki couldn't help but smile.
No wonder Rasa will use such a dumb way to test Gaara later.
It was really a miracle that Gaara didn't defect from the village.
"He gained fame and praise."
Haruki didn't keep him in suspense any longer and explained to him:
"Regardless of whether the story is true or not, he was willing to spend a large sum of money on his ancestor's necklace to show his followers that he was nostalgic, didn't forget his roots, and carried on the traditions. Among the nobles, such a quality is quite marketable.
Besides, it also showed goodwill to Sunagakure. He wasn't unaware of the tricks, but it's a win - win situation. No, it should be a three - win situation. After all, Sunagakure was defeated, and normally, it should ask him for money."
"..."
Rasa was a bit disillusioned for a moment.
Your tricks just keep coming.
Sure enough, I'm still too naive.
Rasa understood why his teacher didn't bother to think too much. Lying down and making money was indeed quite comfortable.
"I kind of get it."
He thought it was still easier to be a ninja since he didn't have to consider such complicated things.
At the same time, he realized why Sunagakure had been so poor before.
"Well, since you've come to Konoha, you might as well have a good time here for a few days."
"No need." Rasa thought for a while and refused. "Sunagakure is in dire need of reconstruction now. It's not appropriate for me to play here."
"As you wish." Haruki didn't force him. He asked, "How's the construction of the underground trains in Sunagakure going?"
"We've hired a team of [Earth Release] Ninjas. They're almost at the front of Konoha's Death Forest. But we might need your help with the rest of the way."
"So fast?" Haruki was a bit surprised.
He knew Chakra was very useful, but this speed still took him by surprise.
But it also proved that his idea was right.
It was really a waste to use Chakra for fighting.
"We'll communicate with Hokage - sama regarding the passages in Konoha Village."
Suddenly, Haruki had some ideas and could implement them during this opportunity.
"Okay." Rasa nodded. "By the way, Lord Haruki, there's another thing. Sasori asked me to pass a message to you. He said he's had a lot of new ideas recently inspired by you. After he finishes, he might come to see you."
"Oh?"
Interest showed on Haruki's face. Could it be that the puppet - style Gundams are about to be developed?
"I see. Tell him he can contact me in advance then."
"I'll convey it."
"Okay."
Haruki then looked at Saori Hyuga, who was standing beside him silently.
He said, "I asked you to come back this time because there's a new product, diamonds. Take a batch to Sunagakure and see how they sell."
"Okay, sir." Saori Hyuga nodded.
"You have to understand that whether it's diamonds or gold, the best way to sell them at a high price is to link them to love." Haruki couldn't help but say, thinking of the increasingly materialistic love in his past life.
"Lord Haruki, what if someone wants to copy them?" Saori Hyuga frowned and asked.
"Certificates. Certificates personally written by the Kazekage and recognized by Sunagakure. No one can copy them."
Haruki smiled slightly, then changed the subject. "But we don't need too many of these certificates. Rarity makes things precious. As long as we occupy the high - end market, it doesn't matter if some of the rest is taken away."
Rasa and Saori Hyuga were stunned.
This method... is simply genius!
They knew very well that most people liked things that were one - of - a - kind.
And the certificates could just meet their needs.
No matter how others copy, the certificates recognized by the Kazekage couldn't be compensated for by technology.
"Speaking of this, I have a suggestion for you. Make a set of certificates specifically for the nobles in the Land of Wind. Number them in order from 1 to 100, and make sure No. 1 goes to the Daimyo."
After hearing this, Saori Hyuga's eyes lit up astonishingly.
She took a deep breath and said, "Linking jewelry with status implies that jewelry symbolizes status. These nobles will surely go crazy."
Rasa couldn't help but tremble.
What a terrifying profiteer.
He really opened his eyes today.
This guy made people part with their money unconsciously and even willingly.
He secretly vowed in his heart to be careful around Haruki, or he'd surely become a money-making machine.
What he had to do was to surpass his teacher and become the strongest Kazekage, not a Gold Miner.
After Rasa and Saori Hyuga left, Haruki called Mikoto Uchiha and asked her to take on the work of the clerk and notify the members to hold the first economic supplementary meeting of the Xia Organization.
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