Bab 20: C20
"Boss, you're back."
Aya greeted Kain with a smile when she saw him returning. Following close behind her was another individual, missing an arm—Mirai. It had been a while since Kain left Konoha, and during his absence, the Kain Pharmacy had opened for business. Mirai, who had trained in medical ninjutsu, joined the workforce shortly after its launch.
"Yeah, I'm back," Kain replied, then turned to Mirai. "I'm counting on you for the Kain Pharmacy. Having a store manager who knows medical ninjutsu really puts my mind at ease."
Mirai felt moved by Kain's words. Despite his disability, Kain entrusted him with significant responsibilities, which made him feel valued. He quickly saluted and said, "Don't worry, boss. I'll work hard."
Kain nodded in approval and walked into the store to check the recent sales reports. The snack sales remained strong, reaffirming the age-old wisdom that children and women are the biggest spenders. Once the dessert factory opened, Kain's desserts could be distributed across the entire Land of Fire.
Although other food items sold reasonably well, Kain noticed that the demand for food had reached a ceiling. The ninja population in Konoha had their own established supply chains, and most of the customers who bought from Kain's store were civilians—a group that wasn't particularly large. Going forward, Kain decided to phase out selling food from his space backpack. Although American food was cheap, importing it and selling it with the backpack wasn't worth the trouble. Instead, he planned to focus on reselling food in smaller countries that could yield more significant profits.
Kain smiled to himself, noting that while he might take a similar approach as the notorious Kado in dominating small countries, he wasn't foolish enough to meet the same fate.
"Boss, Kushina mentioned that you allowed her to preorder desserts," Aya reported, pulling Kain out of his thoughts. "After others found out, many people started doing the same. Here's the list of reservations and the total orders."
Aya handed Kain the list. After skimming through it, he raised an eyebrow. "Over 80 people? That's more than three million ryo. I didn't realize Konoha had this many people interested in desserts."
Aya nodded, adding, "Yes, even some ninjas have made reservations. Many of them have developed a liking for chocolate...even me."
She cleared her throat, embarrassed to admit she had secretly bought some for herself and her children. The desserts were so delicious that it became hard to resist indulging.
"I see," Kain said with a small chuckle. "I'll handle this. For now, I have something else to ask of you."
Aya's face turned serious as Kain continued, "I need you to take charge of a business outside Konoha for me. You'll need to leave the store in the hands of someone else, and I want you to recruit more staff."
Kain was referring to the dessert factory in Town. It was crucial to have someone trustworthy oversee its operations, and while Kain hadn't known Aya for long, she had proven herself reliable and honest. The only person he could entrust with this job was her.
Aya took a moment to think before nodding decisively. "I understand, boss. Many people from the Senju clan don't have much to do. If there's a job for them, they'll definitely be willing to help."
Kain smiled. "Good. You'll be in charge of hiring. The salary is 80,000 ryo a month—almost as much as several high-quality D-rank missions."
Aya's eyes widened slightly at the generous offer, but she quickly composed herself. Kain continued, "Although Town isn't far from Konoha, accidents can happen. Be careful when you go, and I'll recruit some guards to protect the factory."
Aya smiled, grateful for the concern. "Don't worry, boss. We'll be safe. After all, we do know some basic ninjutsu. The Senju clan may not be what it once was, but we can still handle ourselves."
This current generation of the Senju clan still carried a sense of duty to protect Konoha. Aya, for instance, planned to send her child to the ninja academy once he turned six. In the meantime, like many other Senju parents, she was personally handling her son's pre-academy training.
Kain chuckled. "I underestimated you all. Well, that's good. I'll take you to Town myself. Besides you, there will be eight others joining. You can pick the team yourself—I trust your judgment."
Aya smiled gratefully. "Thank you, boss. I won't let you down."
Feeling an even greater sense of responsibility, Aya was determined to prove herself worthy of Kain's trust. Without him, she and many of her relatives would still be struggling to find stable, well-paying work.
Once Aya gathered the team, Kain planned to take them to Town to begin working on the dessert factory. Four of the staff members would manage the factory's operations, while the remaining five would oversee the cocoa tree plantations. The land around Town wasn't perfect for growing cocoa, but it would suffice for now. Kain had bigger plans for the future—expanding his influence into the Land of Tea, which was much better suited for cocoa cultivation.
As he managed his growing business, Kain also kept a close eye on the brewing Second Shinobi World War. Recently, many ninjas had returned to Konoha, especially those from the Land of Rain battlefield. After Rain Shinobi's surrender, Sand Shinobi soon followed suit, retreating to their borders and signaling the end of the conflict.
Despite the retreat, Sand Shinobi was far from fully cooperating. They hadn't yet signed the peace treaty Konoha had proposed, likely because the terms, largely influenced by Danzo's hawkish faction, were highly exploitative. Though Konoha had shown leniency toward Rain Shinobi, they sought to extract compensation from Sand Shinobi.
While the battlefield seemed to be quieting down, there was one topic Kain heard discussed repeatedly among the returning ninjas—the terrifying Jinchūriki unleashed by Sand Shinobi. While no one explicitly mentioned its name, Kain could infer from their descriptions that they were talking about Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast. Shukaku's Wind Style jutsu, described as natural disasters in their own right, spread like wildfire among the Konoha ranks.
Thankfully, Danzo and Orochimaru had managed to find a way to counter the beast. Otherwise, Konoha's forces would have suffered devastating losses. However, Kain knew this level of conflict was beyond his current influence. His goal remained clear: expand his power base as quickly as possible.
Ninjas were a strange group, Kain mused. Though many possessed extraordinary power, they were still bound by the identity of being ninjas—servants to the powerful and wealthy. Even a figure like Madara Uchiha had nearly escaped this fate, only to be brought back down by the might of Hashirama Senju.
For now, Kain's ambitions would have to simmer in the background. There was still much work to do in expanding his business and laying the groundwork for his future endeavors.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone