Murakami sat at his desk at the back of the store with the flickering light of the lantern casting long shadows across the room.
The air was filled with the scent of ink and parchment as he carefully reviewed the latest financial reports.
It had been three years since he truly set things in motion, and despite the turmoil of war, his business had only grown steadily.
It was nothing too exaggerated, but far beyond what most would expect from a mere child.
'Not that anyone knew I was the one behind it all.' He mused with a smirk and leaned back, rolled his shoulders and glanced at the neatly stacked scrolls before him.
They all held reports regarding the finances of his business.
'I have to say, Ishida has done quite well as my middleman.' he thought in acknowledgement of the old man's actions these past three years.
With his connections and experience, he had been able to discreetly expand the store's operations without drawing unnecessary attention.
Over the past two years, I had managed to open five general stores under different names, each strategically placed in key districts of the village.
These stores weren't massive, but they carried essential goods, supplies that civilians, merchants, and even shinobi found useful.
The ongoing war had drastically altered market dynamics.
With more shinobi deployed to the front lines, the demand for basic supplies skyrocketed.
Food, medical supplies, and even mundane civilian necessities were now considered valuable commodities.
Such was the misfortune of war.
This sudden shift increased my revenue significantly, with each store now pulling in closer to 400,000 ryō monthly, and net profits averaging 160,000 ryō per location after deducting operating costs.
That meant a total monthly income of around 800,000 ryō—still within reasonable limits to avoid suspicion, but enough to establish a firm foothold in the market.
The war had changed the way people shopped. The village's logistical efforts were focused almost entirely on supporting the war front, meaning civilians had to rely more on privately owned stores like mine for everyday necessities.
Even lower-ranked shinobi, often left with subpar rations and basic supplies from the standard military issue, sought out alternatives wherever they could.
[A/N: I may be switching Genin with Low Ranking shinobi, Chūnin with Mid Rank Shinobi and Jounin with High Class Shinobi. Kages are Just Jounins in a class of their own, but let's not delve into that yet.]
Beyond direct sales, Murakami had also ventured into wholesaling.
Using Ishida-san's connections, he was able to buy in bulk and supply to similar shops like his with bulk goods at a marked-up price.
The war had made merchants desperate for reliable suppliers, and Ishida ensured that my stores became indispensable.
Of course, obtaining these goods wasn't easy. With so many resources being funneled toward the war effort, local suppliers had little to spare.
That was where Ishida's network proved invaluable.
Using his merchant contacts, he established a steady line of imports from traders outside the village, independent suppliers who weren't directly tied to the war economy and could still move goods across borders with the Fire Nation.
The bulk of my inventory came from these sources:
Basic provisions ranged from dried foods, preserved fruits, and non-perishable grains. While the village prioritized feeding its shinobi, civilians needed alternatives, and our stores provided them at a reasonable price.
Medical supplies, while high-grade medicine was strictly controlled by the village's medical corps, simple antiseptics, bandages, and herbal remedies were still in high demand, especially among civilians and injured shinobi recovering away from the main hospitals.
Tools & Equipment like the standard ninja tools—kunai, shuriken, wire—were harder to come by due to strict regulations on weaponry.
However, through indirect channels, I secured legal alternatives such as durable rope, reinforced leather armor, and even self-defense weapons for civilians.
The fact that one wasn't a shinobi didn't mean they would remain defenseless and at the mercy of others.
In the area of everyday essentials, with blacksmiths and craftsmen focused on producing gear for the war effort, common goods like sturdy footwear, warm clothing, and cooking utensils became unexpectedly scarce.
By securing shipments from outside traders, I ensured that people could still find these necessities.
Despite our best efforts, the war had begun affecting even this system. Trade routes were riskier, with bandit attacks on the rise as organized crime took advantage of the turmoil.
Murakami recalled that some of the store's suppliers struggled to get past checkpoints set up by bandits, and if not them, there was still the village logistics inspection.
All these led to prices having started creeping up. Ishida had to work harder, negotiating deals in secret and finding alternate routes to keep the goods flowing.
In Murakami's words; Money should never be the problem. And Ishida-san took that to heart.
Still, the fact remained, while others suffered from scarcity, his stores were thriving because they offered what few others could.
And while the war was good, it also brought risks.
Price inflation, potential government intervention, and the looming threat of forced requisitions from the village logistic administration were all concerns Murakami had to navigate carefully.
He ensured that his prices remained competitive, not cheap enough to be exploited, but not high enough to be labeled as war profiteering.
Still, finances were only one aspect of Murakami's growing influence. His real strength lay in something far more valuable—Fūinjutsu.
Over the past two years, his mastery in Fūinjutsu had advanced significantly. Murakami's seals were no longer just basic storage inscriptions, but they had evolved into something far more sophisticated, and the war had only accelerated the need for innovation.
For the general stores, Murakami designed custom security seals that ensured no access to anyone without the registered chakra signatures.
Forcefully trying to intrude would lead to a minor electrocution that was enough to knock out an average man but not lethal enough to cause any lasting damages.
With crime on the rise due to economic instability, these seals were essential.
The anti-theft seal would create a silent alarm if someone attempted to steal an item, another would lock the shelves in case of forced entry.
The last was a miscellaneous seal that would track significant losses in inventory, silently alerting him to potential internal theft.
So far, it had been unnecessary as none of his employers had been foolish enough to steal from. He did pay them well enough to guarantee their loyalty after all.
The war had also increased the need for preservation seals, which allowed perishable goods like herbs and food supplies to remain fresh for extended periods.
With supply chains being disrupted frequently, rationing became stricter and these seals became highly sought after.
Merchants, medical personnel, and shinobi squads deployed to the front lines were willing to pay a premium price for preserved foods and medical supplies.
And despite his success so far, Murakami wasn't complacent. He knew these scattered stores were only the beginning. A true empire required a foundation, one central hub that would serve as the heart of operations.
Although basing in Konoha was risky due to his lack of strength, that could be bridged with time.
As for the risk of exploitation, Murakami wasn't scared. In the coming years, Tobirama would be ambushed with the next Hokage being Hiruzen.
The series made him out to be a genius if his title as the Professor was anything to go by, but they also showed how shrewd he could be.
This was exactly why he wasn't going to directly confront him, but if he did confront him, Murakami could always jump ship.
Murakami tapped his finger rhythmically on the desk in front of him as he thought of this. His love for the village was undeniable, but as he had always written when asked his definition of Shinobi; A Shinobi is someone who walks in the darkness without allowing himself to be consumed by it.
Murakami wasn't intending on defecting from the village for no just cause, but once there is a cause, he would be sure the effect isn't delayed.
This was another aspect that baffled him. Defection by definition meant deserting one's country in favour of an opposing one.
To that end, leaving the village was not defection, but being a shinobi and then leaving the village without orders…that was defection.
There laid the loophole. This simply meant retirement was an option.
That term didn't exist in the shinobi dictionary since they were all kill or die for their village but Murakami was not an indoctrinated buffoon.
Being a shinobi had its perks in strengthening himself, and other than that, Murakami saw no other need for being one.
He was already rich enough despite not hitting two digits in age. In ten years, he would be wealthy enough to have various parties scurrying to ensure his safety due to the wealth he controlled.
To that end, over the past year, he had used Ishida to acquire multiple plots of land through separate transactions from the village, ensuring that no one noticed a single entity buying up too much space.
Piece by piece, he had managed to secure enough land to begin construction on his primary headquarters in Konoha.
This was easy in part because it was wartime and because konoha didn't have a defined border yet.
From the hokage face mountain, Murakami who knew how large konoha would be in the time of Naruto not to mention Boruto, saw the Real Estate opportunity but didn't dare be brazen in his approach.
The Lotus Pavilion.
That was the name Murakami intended on naming the building once it was completed.
There was no deep meaning to the name. He just thought it sounded cool.
However, the war complicated matters.
With resources being funneled toward the military, construction materials were harder to come by. Skilled laborers were either conscripted and preoccupied with war-related projects.
For now, the land remained untouched, waiting for the right moment to begin building.
When completed, the Lotus Pavilion would be more than just a large marketplace, it would be a self-sustaining economic stronghold.
Murakami envisioned a Multiple Floor Mall dedicated to different types of goods.
The tallest building currently in konoba was the hokage tower which boasted three floors despite its…unique design, and Murakami had no intention of being a contender for attention.
He wasn't an architect and didn't have the time to learn, so he only had a preliminary mental design.
The lower floor would serve as a high-end general store, offering goods of better quality and quantity than what my smaller shops carried…like a mall.
The middle floor would be a wholesale hub, where merchants could negotiate bulk deals.
The third level would house his private office, a workshop for seal development, where he could refine my craft without prying eyes and the center of administration.
An underground space would store high-value assets, protected by multi-layered Fūinjutsu security seals. It would also serve as his warehouse.
The war caused him to rethink certain aspects of his design.
Security had to be even tighter than he originally planned.
If the war escalated further, there was a possibility that Konoha could become a battleground itself…something he knows won't happen till the far future, but still, he needed to ensure that the Lotus Pavilion could survive any scenario, be it economic instability, crime waves, or even full-scale attack on the village.
To that end, he had already begun designing security seals, ones that could temporarily fortify the building, barriers that could withstand and absorb jutsu impact, and even emergency evacuation protocols using pre-placed teleportation seals.
'All these were still in their theoretical stage. But if living twice had taught me anything, it was that preparation was everything.' Murakami concluded in his thought as he exhaled deeply, placed his ink brush down and gazed at the detailed plans spread out before him.
Murakami had no delusions of grandeur—not yet.
Dreaming of global influence was meaningless if he couldn't maintain his current momentum.
The most dangerous thing a rising power could do was draw attention before it was ready. Murakami knew this and had been careful so far.
He ensured that his rise remained gradual and unassuming. "And I intend on keeping it that way." He muttered to himself.
The war had made it clear that stability was an illusion.
If the current economic strain could be shaken simply by the absence of one man, then what did "stability" even mean? Believing in that term was nothing short of naïve.
Hashirama's death didn't just end an era, it cracked the world open.
Murakami rested his elbow on the desk, his index finger tapping slowly against his jaw.
What was the point of trusting in systems so fragile that a single change in leadership fractured the entire balance?
No… Murakami refused to put faith in something so easily broken.
Markets could shift overnight, alliances could change, and even the strongest villages could fall if given enough pressure.
That was why he had to ensure Lotus Pavilion wasn't just another business venture that was drowned in the long river of time, it had to be something untouchable, a force that could weather any storm.
For now, his focus remained on steady growth, expanding his network, refining his Fūinjutsu applications, and slowly increasing his economic footprint.
One step at a time.
The war would end eventually, but the world that came after would belong to those who had prepared for it.
And when that time came, The Lotus Pavilion would stand as a beacon of power in both finance and well…Power.