Chapter 042: Business Exchange

Wang Bo glanced at him and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Sato Ma nodded and said, "Lord Wang Bo, I believe our current strength is enough to maintain the safety of the hotpot restaurant. Why do we still need to hire Konoha's ninjas and waste so much money?"

It was known that Wang Bo's agreement with Konoha cost tens of millions of ryo per year.

And most of those hired were genin, with very few chunin-level ninjas.

Now, although only a small number of these orphans could match genin, three or five of them together could defeat a Konoha genin.

So he believed that his group could fully protect the hotpot restaurant without having to pay such a high price every year to hire Konoha's ninjas.

Wang Bo listened and said calmly, "I know your current strength is enough to protect the hotpot restaurant, but I have other hopes for you. So your most important task now is to keep getting stronger. Don't worry about the rest."

"As for the hotpot restaurant, leave it to Konoha. For me, anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. If one day there's something money can't solve, then I'll rely on you."

Sato Ma knelt on the ground excitedly, looking as if he would serve with utter devotion.

"Sato is willing to serve Lord Wang Bo to the death."

"Get up." Wang Bo waved his hand and said calmly, "Soon, a new batch of orphans will arrive. I will then pass down the chakra extraction technique, and after that, I will leave for Konoha. You will take care of these orphans. Understand?"

"Sato understands! Sato will not disappoint you."

Sato Ma said resolutely.

Although this guy was only an eleven-year-old kid, he was very steady and had great authority among the group of children, so Wang Bo was happy to train him.

He believed that in a few years, Sato Ma would become a qualified assistant.

Three days later, the new orphans arrived.

As promised, Wang Bo passed down the chakra extraction technique and then left the training base.

He set off alone on the road to Konoha and arrived smoothly a week later without encountering any incidents.

After entering Konoha, Wang Bo first went to the hotpot restaurant and met the person in charge of the hotpot business in Konoha.

Yamano Miyuki.

This seemingly seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, after a year of training, had become quite mature, showing a bit of a businesswoman's demeanor.

"Welcome back, Lord Wang Bo."

Wang Bo nodded. When he left Konoha, Yamano Miyuki was still a shy girl, but now she looked capable. Truly, time flies.

She had changed a lot.

Wang Bo nodded and entered his office. Miyuki followed and began to report on the business in Konoha.

Because Konoha was a stable village, the hotpot business was quite steady.

The only regret was that half a year ago, several new hotpot restaurants had opened in Konoha.

Among them, one was opened by a disabled ninja from Konoha, and the taste was not bad.

So many Konoha ninjas liked to eat there, as a way to support a colleague's business—after all, eating anywhere was the same.

Thus, the business in Konoha had been steadily declining.

However, since his own restaurant was the best, it had accumulated a stable customer base and was still profitable.

It's just not as lucrative as before.

Wang Bo had already sensed this and wasn't too surprised.

After all, a hotpot restaurant isn't exactly a high-tech venture; once you grasp the tricks, many people can open one.

Moreover, by now, Weizhixian Hotpot had already taken the Land of Fire by storm, so business in a mere Konoha was nothing significant.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miyuki."

After listening to Miyuki's report, Wang Bo smiled slightly, praised her a few words, and then shifted the topic to the contract signing.

Miyuki said, "Lord Wang Bo, I recently heard some news, but I'm not sure if I should tell you."

"Go ahead."

"I heard that Konoha's ninjas plan to raise the agreed price during this contract signing." Yamano Miyuki hesitated but still spoke up.

Although she was also a resident of Konoha, she felt that Konoha's actions were quite dishonorable.

"That's only normal." Wang Bo was not surprised at all. Back then, he had wanted to sign a three-year employment contract with Konoha in one go, but Konoha disagreed, and in the end, they compromised on a one-year contract.

Wasn't their purpose in doing so to gain bargaining power and raise the price when renewing the contract a year later?

However, Wang Bo himself didn't care much about money.

He still stood by his words: anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem.

"Leave this matter to me." Wang Bo said calmly.

Yamano Miyuki nodded and withdrew.

Afterward, Wang Bo stayed in the shop for one night, and the next day he leisurely headed to the Administrative Department, where he met an old acquaintance... the ninja Furukawa.

Back then, Wang Bo had bought the street-front shop from him and signed the contract with him.

Now, Wang Bo naturally sought him out again.

Upon seeing Wang Bo, Furukawa's face immediately beamed with a warm smile.

"Welcome, welcome, brother. When did you arrive?"

"I just got back yesterday. I had something on my mind, so I came specifically to see you, Jonin Furukawa."

"I know, you must be here about the contract renewal. To be honest, brother, I've had quite a headache over this matter these past few days, but now that I see you, I can rest easy."

Furukawa said with a smile, "Since you're here, let's go ahead and renew the contract."

Wang Bo nodded and said, "Alright."

Furukawa laughed heartily, "Come on, I'll take you to see the Hokage right now."

This contract signing involved tens of millions of ryo, so naturally, the biggest boss of Konoha Village had to be present.

Before long, Wang Bo met the "strongest" Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing a haori and a hat, smoking a pipe, looked Wang Bo up and down. This renowned Professor of Ninjutsu in the ninja world now appeared as nothing more than an ordinary old man.

Just by looking at his appearance, without any trace of authority, it was hard to imagine that this was Konoha's Hokage.

"We meet again, Lord Igarashi." Hiruzen Sarutobi blew a smoke ring and said.

Wang Bo nodded. The last time he signed a contract with Konoha, this Hokage had been present, but their interaction had been limited to normal business dealings.

This time should be no different.