The Days of Being the Richest Man in the Ninja World

Chapter 128. Thinking Too Small

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"…"

The atmosphere grew awkward. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand trembled slightly as he held his pipe. 

He had just been planning tonight's celebration banquet. 

And now this? 

Danzo was actually telling him… that they had suffered a huge loss today?! 

I am very disappointed in you, my best friend! 

Hiruzen steadied his shaking hands, took a deep breath to calm himself, and hesitated before saying, "Should we… cut our losses now?" 

We still have some money left! 

Let's just stop! 

This business is not for us! 

However— 

Danzo let out a cold snort, his expression dark as he glared at Hiruzen. "I lost money too. What are you panicking for?! You're too weak, Hiruzen!" 

"You don't understand, Danzo!" 

"If we quit now, we'll lose face—we'll be failures!" 

"So what if we lose? At least it won't be too bad!" 

"Weak! You'll regret this, Hiruzen!" 

"I'm the Hokage, Danzo!" 

"This isn't about being Hokage! Listen to me! One failure means nothing!" Danzo's eyes widened as he stared intently at Hiruzen. "We still have hope! Before we even opened, people were flooding in! Your reputation, combined with my wisdom—trust me! We will succeed!" 

"…" 

It's your wisdom I'm doubting right now! 

Hiruzen's mouth twitched, but when he thought back to the huge crowd from that morning, he had to admit—Danzo had a point. 

Still… why did this happen? 

He frowned slightly. 

"Have we figured out the reason yet?" 

"People think breathing fire and spitting water jutsu are unhygienic—and it's not safe!" 

"...Fire Release, Water Release—they come from the mouth! It's just chakra conversion or manipulating the environment's water. It's clean!" 

"We know that! But those idiots don't!" 

"There's always a gap in understanding between ninjas and civilians. I suppose we failed to consider that." Hiruzen sighed in realization and turned to Danzo. "So, what's your plan?" 

"We have not failed! The overwhelming crowd before we opened proves we already won!" Danzo's eyes shone with determination. His lips curled into a confident smirk. "We'll remove Fire Release and Water Release from the show! I've studied that brat's business tactics—If he messes up, he apologizes and calls in family members, then hands out some cheap little trinkets! How pathetic! But we'll do it too! We'll apologize! We'll call in family members! First, we soothe the customers' anger—then, we give away free items! But not some worthless trinkets—We're giving out premium beef platters! Top-grade premium beef! One platter per table!" 

"…" 

Isn't that a bit too much?! 

Giving away cash and premium beef across hundreds of stores—Even if the discount could only be used once per visit, the sheer volume would still cost over 100 million ryo! 

Hiruzen winced. 

He hesitated. "How about I come out and apologize in person?" 

The moment he said that— 

Danzo shook his head in disappointment. "Small-minded! Too small! You're thinking too small, Hiruzen!" He slammed his palm onto the table, staring at Hiruzen with utmost seriousness. "Trust me! Konoha's Light and Konoha's Darkness—how could we possibly fail?! Do you remember that year?" His eyes filled with nostalgia, and even his tone grew sentimental. "The spring flowers were blooming—rain was falling… You entrusted me with the darkness! You believed in me! So why don't you believe in me now?!" 

"I…" Hiruzen stared blankly at Danzo, memories surfacing in his mind. After a long pause—He sighed deeply. And nodded. "I believe in you, Danzo." 

"Hiruzen!" 

"My best friend!" 

"My best friend!" 

"Then let's do it?" 

"Let's do it!"

…

[To thank both new and old customers, Root BBQ will now give every table a free premium beef platter on top of the existing discounts—whether you spend 100 ryo or 1,000 ryo, you'll get it!] 

[Thank you all for your support!] 

Today, the weather was still clear and beautiful. 

Mr. Koji listened to Root BBQ's new promotion, and his curiosity was piqued once again. 

Yesterday had been… a disappointment. 

That was supposed to be a "ninja-themed" experience? 

He had brought his wife and children out for a meal— 

As a result, the water he wanted to drink came out of the mouth, and the grill fire also came out of the mouth! 

Was that hygienic? 

Just watching it killed his appetite. 

And this was supposed to be the barbecue the Hokage himself recommended?! 

Did the Hokage… get paid for this endorsement?! 

So, in the end—he canceled his order and left. 

But now, Root BBQ had apologized. 

And they were even giving away free premium beef platters. 

Maybe… it was worth giving it another shot? 

After all, this was still the barbecue that even the Hokage himself had praised. 

He hadn't really tasted it properly yesterday… 

And since they corrected the mistakes today— 

After thinking for a moment, he decided to bring his wife and kids back again. 

After all—this was the Hokage! 

How could he lie to them, right?

So, once again, they came with curiosity. 

At this moment— 

Just like yesterday, the place was packed with curious customers. 

It seemed many people still trusted the Hokage. 

With his child by his side, Mr. Koji walked in with anticipation. Just like yesterday, a waiter greeted them and led them to an empty table. And just like yesterday, he ordered the Jonin Set Meal.

After a short wait— 

Just like yesterday, a waiter dressed in ninja attire arrived to set up the charcoal grill. 

But this time— 

No Water Release. No Fire Release. 

Instead, they just brought out a pre-lit grill. 

Mr. Koji let out a small sigh of relief. But at the same time… 

Wasn't this a bit disappointing? 

That's it? 

This is the "ninja theme"?

Soon— 

The dishes started arriving. 

The plating looked almost identical to yesterday's—just a standard ninja headband design on the plate and… nothing special beyond that. 

Some customers frowned slightly—but no one said anything. Maybe… the barbecue itself would still be amazing? 

After all, this was the barbecue that even the Hokage himself had praised!

Mr. Koji picked up the tongs, looked at his child, and smiled. "Then… let's grill!" 

With that— 

He carefully placed fresh meat on the grill. 

Soon— 

The delicious aroma of grilling meat filled the air. 

It smelled pretty good. 

Mr. Koji smiled and picked up a freshly grilled piece of meat. He shared some with his wife and child, then took a piece for himself. Dipping it into Root BBQ's special sauce, he carefully placed it in his mouth. 

Chewing slowly and thoughtfully— 

This was the barbecue that even the Hokage himself praised! 

How delicious would it be?

Suddenly— 

Mr. Koji's expression froze slightly. 

A hint of confusion crossed his face. 

He mumbled to himself, "…Why does this taste kind of like the barbecue sauce from Yuto BBQ?" 

He hesitated— 

Then picked up another piece of meat, dipped it again, and tasted it. 

A few moments later— 

He fell completely silent. 

A thought flashed through his mind—[Did the Hokage… actually get paid for this endorsement?!] 

… 

Meanwhile...

Danzo, who had just received news of another day of booming business, had a rare smirk on his otherwise grim face. Nodding to himself, he muttered, "As expected… how could I possibly fail?" 

With that— 

He waved his hand grandly and turned to his subordinates. "Make sure to bring me today's revenue as soon as possible!" 

Then, standing tall with confidence, he marched forward. "I'll go to the Hokage now." 

Hiruzen was too weak. 

Even before the restaurant reopened, he kept sending people to ask about the situation! 

Thinking too small! 

His vision is too small!

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