The explosive-haired, square-faced man had already explained why the heirs and relatives of these mining conglomerates were so despised.
But there was still one more question.
Having figured out the previous issue, Yagura continued to ask, "Why did the shinobi of the Artisans Village target them?"
Did the Artisans hire shinobi?
That didn't seem likely. From what he had just heard, these craftsmen were in a weak position, much like Tazuna's situation.
Yet, hiring this many shinobi from the Artisans Village—and even a Jonin, whom Yagura was here to deal with—would require a significant sum.
By his estimate, these craftsmen would need to pay at least the same amount as those corporate magnates who had hired him.
That meant... twenty million ryo.
Did these craftsmen really have that much money? Enough to hire shinobi for tens of millions?
"Oh, little Kagura, you don't know about this, do you?"
The ever-enthusiastic, bored, and knowledge-sharing square-faced man eagerly explained,
"In the Artisans Village, most students in the shinobi academy come from craftsmen families within the Land of Artisans."
Shinobi and craftsmen were family—fathers and sons.
The children of these financial conglomerates never attended the academy to become shinobi.
The shinobi academy of the Artisans Village primarily recruited children from lower-middle-class families.
And in the Land of Artisans, that social class was represented by the craftsmen.
So, when the shinobi of the Artisans Village took action to help the craftsmen against the financial conglomerates, it wasn't for hire—it was voluntary. Free of charge.
Hearing this, Yagura quickly connected the dots and couldn't help but click his tongue.
"These people really don't know when to quit."
The square-faced man rolled his eyes and glanced at the kneeling individuals writing letters.
"Exactly."
Despite knowing the deep ties between the craftsmen and the shinobi of the Artisans Village, these mining conglomerates still acted recklessly.
It was just as the saying went:
With a 20% profit, they become active; with a 50% profit, they take reckless risks; with a 100% profit, they trample over all human laws; and with a 300% profit, they commit any crime.
Now that the Artisans shinobi had come knocking, they had no one to blame but themselves.
These rich bastards had pushed too far. Did they really think they could bully our people without consequence?
Production and sales had been cut off.
For every day this situation dragged on, these conglomerates suffered massive financial losses.
The iron mines couldn't operate, and the orders from the Five Great Nations couldn't be fulfilled in time.
If they missed deadlines, they wouldn't just lose payment—they would also have to pay penalties.
The companies in the Five Great Nations that placed orders would simply turn to other countries or businesses.
Losing a contract like this once might mean losing that customer for good.
That was disastrous.
In desperation, the financial conglomerates immediately submitted an S-rank mission request to Kirigakure.
Now that the situation had been laid out so clearly, Yagura spat in his heart at his employers. Serves you right!
...
The square-faced man had essentially provided Yagura with a thorough briefing on the current situation in the Artisans Village.
"Uncle, what do you do for a living?"
"Me?" The square-faced man grinned. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a news editor."
"Ohh," Yagura nodded knowingly. "You found the perfect job for yourself."
"Many people say that. I just hope my precious camera wasn't broken by those heavy-handed shinobi."
The square-faced man chuckled. "Hey, you gotta love your work if you want to do it right."
Truth.
...
Meanwhile, four people had just finished writing their letters.
The leading Artisans shinobi took the letters, glanced at the words filled with slander against them, and instead of getting angry, he sneered. Then, he gave an order: "Alright, tie them up!"
At his command, the shinobi grabbed their ropes and approached the four men.
"What are you doing?! Stop!"
"Damn it! #￥!#!#%"
Of course, in the process, there were a few personal grievances settled with some rough handling—understandable.
"Don't celebrate too soon!"
The fat young man, who had just taken a punch and had been identified as the son of the Tsuchimikado Group, shouted in humiliation and rage, "My father has already hired Kirigakure shinobi! They'll be here any minute! Your end is near!"
Huh?
Was he talking about me?
Yagura blinked in mild surprise.
The Kirigakure shinobi sent to the Land of Artisans—he was the only one.
No one else had accepted this mission.
But... your father hired me to eliminate the Artisans Village Jonin occupying your iron mines.
You lot? Not my problem.
Pay extra if you want me to handle it. No credit allowed.
Besides, your father hired Yagura, not Kagura. What does that have to do with me?
[Isobu: Enough already.]
Smack!
As if in sync with Yagura's thoughts, a Artisans shinobi delivered a heavy slap across the fat man's face, looking at him with disdain.
"You still don't get it, do you?"
The fat man's face swelled on one side, his teeth loosened, and his mouth filled with blood. He was barely conscious.
Seeing their companion in such a pitiful state, the remaining three men buried their heads, their fear overwhelming their previous indignation.
All they could do now was hope their families received the letters and found a way to save them soon.
Where were the officials at the Daimyo's estate? How could they allow these shinobi to act so recklessly?!
...
"What a bunch of cowards."
Before long, the ship docked at the port.
Under the watchful eyes of the Artisans shinobi, the passengers disembarked.
"Behave!"
"Move faster! Didn't you eat?"
The four unlucky men were dragged down the gangplank with additional kicks and curses.
As his feet touched the dock, Yagura looked around to assess the port's condition.
The port was quite large, lined with stacked shipping containers, cranes, and forklifts. Clearly a cargo terminal.
But there were no workers in sight.
The ship's arrival and the commotion had drawn attention.
More than a dozen shinobi, all wearing the forehead protectors of the Artisans Village, had shown up.
"Ahhh…"
As the leaders of both Artisans shinobi groups met and exchanged words, Yagura shook his head internally.
"The entire port is under their control."
"How's the situation?"
"Everything went smoothly. We captured all four of them."
The shinobi in charge of the ship operation reported to his superior. "What about the other passengers?"
"Let them go. They'll be useful. They can spread the word."
This mission wasn't just about seizing the mines, warehouses, and export ports.
If those financial conglomerates still refused to back down, they wouldn't just lose money—they'd better start worrying about their lives.
...
Hearing all this, Yagura quietly took in the information.
His employers were in serious trouble.
Interesting… Maybe he could take advantage of this situation.
Yagura began calculating whether he could extort some extra cash while he was here.
Since he was already here, and he wouldn't be returning anytime soon, he might as well expand his business in the Land of Artisans.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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