After that day, Naruto couldn't help but smile whenever he saw Terumi Mei.
To avoid embarrassment, Naruto stopped going to the Hidden Mist Village.
However, even though Naruto wanted to avoid her, Terumi Mei wouldn't give him the chance.
On the seventh day after Terumi Mei mastered Sage Techniques, she activated Naruto's Flying Thunder God Seal and summoned him.
This time, the location wasn't the Hidden Mist Village's Library, but Terumi Mei's home.
The time was around dinner, and Naruto had just finished his day of training, so it was his real body that came.
Terumi Mei had prepared a table full of delicacies, including steamed King Crab, steamed Sea fish, steamed Squid, steamed Big Shrimp...
But it was all steamed, clearly showing she wasn't much of a cook.
As soon as she saw Naruto appear, Terumi Mei greeted him with a smile, "Naruto-kun, you're just in time. I've prepared dinner, let's eat together."
But as soon as Naruto saw Terumi Mei, who had changed into a red and white kimono similar to a Miko Outfit, he couldn't help but laugh.
Imagining it slightly, Terumi Mei in this outfit entering Sage Mode, Fox Spirit Matchmaker? Hahaha...
Terumi Mei put down the plate in her hand, touched her cheek, and asked strangely, "Naruto-kun, what are you laughing at? Is there something strange about me? Or do you think the food I made is funny..."
As she spoke, Terumi Mei's voice lowered.
Naruto quickly waved his hand, suppressing his laughter, and said, "It's nothing, I just remembered something happy."
Then, as if to prove that he had no objections to her as a person or the food she made, Naruto didn't mind that Terumi Mei had prepared only bland steamed dishes.
He took the initiative to mix two servings of dipping sauce in the kitchen and started eating.
It had to be said that although the food was simply cooked, it tasted pretty good because the ingredients were good enough.
Seeing Naruto eating heartily, Terumi Mei felt relieved and started eating as well.
After the meal, Terumi Mei made two cups of tea and invited Naruto to sit on the Balcony.
The two of them watched the stars in the sky and drank tea, the atmosphere peaceful and leisurely.
After a while, feeling that it was about time, she finally started talking about serious matters, "In the past three months, thanks to the efforts of me and my colleagues, the Hidden Mist Village has gradually cleared away the haze brought about by the previous Blood Mist Policy, and the policies have become more proactive and open."
"However, because the village has been closed for too long, we don't have much diplomacy with other countries and villages. Apart from the National Defense Mission issued by the Land of Water's Daimyo, there aren't many clients coming here to issue missions."
"Although we are working hard to change this, the effect is minimal."
"Recently, many ninjas in the village are idle at home, and the common people, although they are much more active than before, are still poor. This can't go on."
"Naruto-kun, do you have any ideas?"
Terumi Mei said her worries with concern.
Although she wasn't without ways to solve these problems, it would take a long time.
And before that, the entire Hidden Mist Village would still be in its current state of poverty, backwardness, and isolation.
If possible, Terumi Mei wanted to develop the Hidden Mist Village faster, and also earn more money herself, to pay back the 1.5 Billion Ryo she owed Naruto as soon as possible, so she wouldn't have to keep thinking about it.
And undoubtedly, Naruto had the ability to help the Hidden Mist Village in this regard.
"It's very simple, go catch seafood and actively suppress bandits when there are no missions." Naruto put down his teacup and said.
To accumulate financial power, he had long studied the Hidden Mist Village itself, including the surrounding situation.
The current situation of the Hidden Mist Village can be summarized into two points.
First, job opportunities, that is, missions. Second, the external image, which is to make people realize the new Hidden Mist Village, no longer the one of the Blood Mist.
However, Naruto didn't take the initiative to do anything, but waited for Terumi Mei to speak up herself.
Actively planning and being requested are two different concepts. The former seems ambitious and easily arouses suspicion, while the latter is using leverage and going with the flow, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Just like now, Naruto's words immediately caught Terumi Mei's attention, and she curiously asked, "What do you mean by this?"
Naruto pointed to the seafood remains on the dining table in the restaurant that had just been eaten and hadn't been cleaned up yet: "Do you know how much a seafood feast made from such a table of ingredients costs in the Land of Fire?"
"Three thousand ryo?"
Terumi Mei guessed a number that she thought was relatively high.
These ingredients are readily available in the Hidden Mist Village. Terumi Mei spent only six hundred ryo to prepare such a table, excluding the time she spent cooking.
Since Naruto said it was a feast, considering that the Land of Fire doesn't have as much seafood as the Land of Water, plus the chef's skills, then multiplying it by five wouldn't be too much, right?
But Naruto shook his head and held up five fingers, saying, "Fifty thousand ryo."
Terumi Mei opened her mouth in surprise, feeling like her worldview was collapsing at this moment.
Terumi Mei couldn't imagine that ingredients that were readily available here could be sold for such a high price on the continent.
"These fifty thousand ryo are not just for the ingredients, but also for the service. However, the pure ingredients would cost at least ten thousand ryo in the Land of Fire, and the reasons for all of this are complex."
"In addition to the Hidden Mist Village's geographical advantage of being close to the Sea and having abundant seafood, the more important reasons are the Land of Water's isolationist policy, the obstruction of transportation to the continent, and the fact that those who sell these seafoods are high-end consumer platforms."
Naruto took a sip of tea and explained in a calm tone.
After his Heavens and Earth Hot Spring Hotel became famous, he opened many branches, spread throughout the Land of Fire, almost encompassing the entire high-end consumer group of nobles and wealthy merchants.
Recently, he has also begun to expand his business to the Land of Wind.
In the Land of Fire, he pays taxes to Konoha, plus the Hyuga's face, so no one is causing trouble.
In the Land of Wind, he pays taxes to the Sand Ninja Village, and with Gaara's face, although the store has just opened, it seems that it will be able to make a lot of money in the future.
This leads to him inevitably having a very high demand for high-quality seafood in the future.
And the Hidden Mist Village happens to be able to meet Naruto's demand for high-quality seafood.
Taking the table of dishes that Terumi Mei made tonight as an example, if he takes the goods from the Hidden Mist Village at a price of five thousand ryo, and then sells them to his chain hotel, then he saves five thousand ryo in costs, which is equivalent to earning five thousand ryo more.
And if the Hidden Mist Village sells the seafood that originally cost six hundred ryo for a price of five thousand ryo, then it is equivalent to earning four thousand four hundred ryo more.
Both sides earn, which can be said to be a win-win cooperation.
For ninjas, it is also a profit. They don't have to fight and kill, licking blood from the edge of a knife with their heads held high, and they can easily earn a lot of money to live a better life, which is also wonderful.
In this case, the Hidden Mist Village, which needs a lot of job opportunities, mobilizing all their idle ninjas to catch seafood is completely no problem.
And it's not just ninjas who can catch seafood; ordinary people can also catch seafood.
When they all earn money, they can naturally live a better life, and the village will have more money to train more ninjas.
Speaking of this, Terumi Mei understood why Naruto wanted them to catch seafood.
And she roughly understood the reason for actively suppressing bandits when there were no missions.
Genin can catch seafood, and the stronger Chunin and Jonin, as the face of the ninja village, can go out to suppress bandits.
First, to leave a good impression on the surrounding people, publicize that their ninja village has been completely changed, and attract more people to Hidden Mist Village to issue tasks.
Second, these bandits in the Land of Water have been harming one side for a long time, and they had no intention to care about it before due to internal strife and seclusion.
Now, killing them all and scraping together their accumulated wealth over the years is also a considerable fortune.
In addition, it can also clear the way for the future development of Hidden Mist Village and provide a peaceful environment.
Without Naruto saying more, Terumi Mei could guess that after their Hidden Mist Village overcomes this initial predicament, he will have more development plans in the future.
While he can make money and eat meat, he can also let their Hidden Mist Village have a sip of soup.
This bandit suppression strategy can be described as a plan that kills three birds with one stone. Coupled with the previous plan to catch seafood, it can be said that the entire Hidden Mist Village has been revitalized at once.
"Wonderful!"
Terumi Mei looked at Naruto with bright eyes and couldn't help but clap her hands in admiration.
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