Chapter 11: The First Transaction
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After breakfast, Tsunade took Cain to the Hokage Tower to quickly resolve the transaction.
Tsunade told Cain that the Konoha Hospital had new patients daily, and the demand for medicine was far greater than before. Without Cain, the Hokage would have to consider seeking help from various ninja clans for a batch of brew.
The Konoha Hospital may not have the deep foundation of some of the more prominent clans yet. Still, after Tsunade’s medical ninja cultivation reform, the foundation of the Konoha Hospital will slowly increase.
Cain slowly understood some of the situations in Konoha based on what Tsunade said, but he felt that Tsunade was being a little careless. Could an outsider like him know about this kind of thing?
“You must be Cain Pent, who is planning to sell medicine to Konoha. I am the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi.”
After arriving at the Hokage’s office, Cain met the middle-aged Third Hokage, who was now in his thirties. This was indeed the prime of a ninja’s life. From the fact that he dared to initiate the war and suppress the Rain Village and Sand Village, it was clear that his title of a powerful ninja was well-deserved.
Cain nodded and said to Sarutobi, “Third Hokage, hello, I am Cain Pent. Do you have any questions about the medicine transaction?”
Sarutobi had already seen the list of items for the transaction yesterday, and the prices were meager. Even rice and noodles were much cheaper than Konoha purchased from the Land of Fire. If the budget was not so tight, Sarutobi would have wanted to buy a batch of food supplies from Cain to sell to other small countries.
“The efficacy of the medicine has been verified and is as expected, but after discussions among Konoha’s higher-ups, we feel that your medicine prices are a bit expensive.”
Before Sarutobi could finish speaking, Koharu Utatane, who was sitting on the other side, interrupted him and said to Cain, “This price is too high for Konoha. After our discussions, we think reducing the price by 40% would be reasonable.”
After hearing this, Tsunade’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, then returned to her previous expression.
As for Cain, he just cursed inwardly and then smiled, tilting his head to ask Sarutobi, “Third Hokage, who is this?”
If it weren’t for Sarutobi’s permission, Cain didn’t believe Koharu Utatane would dare to interrupt Sarutobi’s words and respond. After all, Sarutobi was still a “great ninja” at this time.
“This is Koharu Utatane, an elder of Konoha and also the person in charge of logistics and the Konoha Hospital.”
“Elder Koharu.” Cain nodded and smiled, then said, “It seems we cannot agree on the price of medicine. Does Konoha have any thoughts on trading other items?”
What does this mean, just ignoring the medicine? After Cain finished speaking, whether it was Tsunade or Sarutobi and others, they looked at Cain with shock.
They had only cut the price of the transaction a little. If Cain felt it was inappropriate, they could still negotiate further. What did it mean to just ignore the medicine?
“Um, Mr. Cain, is there no room for negotiation on the price of the medicine?” Sarutobi coughed and said to Cain. He didn’t expect Cain to be so decisive and not intend to conduct the medicine transaction.
Cain waved his hand and smiled, saying, “I’m sorry, Third Hokage, but I don’t have the authority to change the price of the medicine.”
“Buying a large number of unfamiliar medicines carries a great risk for Konoha,” said Koharu Utatane in a slightly displeased tone. She was responsible for medicines procurement, and Cain’s decisive refusal made her feel a bit embarrassed.
“In that case, it’s my fault for not thinking it through,” said Cain, shaking his head. “Let’s cancel the medicines transaction then. If your village doesn’t intend to engage in the food trade, then I’ll take my leave.”
His goods were in high demand; it was the second Great Ninja War, and while Konoha had finished its battle with the Rain Village, the Rock and Cloud Villages and the Rock and Sand Villages were still engaged in combat. Food and medicine were valuable commodities.
If Konoha thought they could intimidate him, they were dreaming.
Hiruzen and the others were also at a loss due to Cain’s decision. They couldn’t give up the medicines trade. These medicines could save the lives of many Konoha ninjas, and if they fell into the hands of enemy ninjas, they would pose a threat on the battlefield.
Tsunade frowned slightly. She suddenly felt a bit resentful towards Koharu Utatane. If Konoha didn’t manage to buy these life-saving medicines because of her, she would have been boycotted by the injured or the families of those who died due to their injuries.
“Please wait a moment, Mr. Cain,” said Hiruzen, taking Tsunade to discuss the matter with him. After some discussion, they gave Cain their final answer.
“Mr. Cain, we will trade with you according to the price list you provided, but we need you to guarantee that these medicines will not be sold to other ninja villages.”
Cain pondered for a moment, then said to Hiruzen, “Third Hokage, I can only guarantee that many medicines will only be traded with Konoha. Your village cannot prevent civilians from buying medicines from me. At the same time, I hope Konoha will allow me to open medicine and food stores here.”
Cain also made some other demands, but the rest were minor issues if there were no objections to the price.
Hiruzen immediately agreed to Cain’s plan to open a store. If the medicine store was in Konoha, it would be easier for the ANBU to monitor it. As for civilians buying medicines from Cain, it was even better. The hospital in Konoha was overcrowded, and during wartime, it was not open to civilians.
The first batch of medicine transactions was valued at around 100 million Ryo, and Cain sold his medicine by pills. Hiruzen Sarutobi bought all of the medication that Cain had with him in one go. However, Konoha could not provide the full payment, only offering 30 million Ryo. The remaining 70 million Ryo was secured by mortgaging houses and gold held within Konoha.
Cain had demanded gold, and as for Konoha’s shops and houses, many areas were still undeveloped, so the prices of homes within Konoha were still relatively low. Although Cain knew that Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had overvalued the houses they offered him, his profit was not small.
No one made more money than middlemen, especially those who operated between two worlds. Only the gold traded with Konoha was more than 50 kilograms. If he sold this gold, it would be enough to cover Cain’s expenses for buying medicines.
After the transaction was confirmed, Cain received a pass from Konoha and left to prepare the medicines for them.
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