"Konoha Village's selling price for the electrical devices is: two million ryō per power station. Subsequent maintenance for faults is two hundred thousand ryō per instance, though maintenance is rarely needed."
"The average price for the appliances is 5,000 to 6,000 ryō per unit. This is the price point we sell to all other villages. Does the Mizukage-sama find this acceptable?"
When Torifu finished speaking, the Mizukage fell silent.
His eyes, which hadn't opened fully in twenty years, were now wide open. His face was etched with surprise and disbelief, but more than anything, anger.
"How much? How much did you say?!"
Torifu was startled, thinking the Mizukage found the price too high. For such a calm man to behave so out of character, he must have been unhappy with the price.
"Does the Mizukage-sama find this price too high, or something else? We can discuss the details further."
Torifu did not immediately suggest lowering the price, offering a vague statement instead. "Discuss further" meant he was willing to talk with the Mizukage to help him accept the price. It did not mean lowering it. Torifu charged the same price to all other villages; there was no concept of price gouging. Therefore, he absolutely could not lower the price. Otherwise, if the Mizukage went out and discussed it with the other Kage, they would realize the Hokage was being unfair, offering a lower price to a new partner but not giving them, the long-term customers, any benefits. They definitely wouldn't accept that. To maintain the emotional stability of the Kage, Torifu absolutely couldn't lower the price; this was all part of his careful planning.
However, Torifu's internal monologue was a bit excessive; the Mizukage meant something else entirely.
He cleared his throat, quickly regaining his former composure. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, for my momentary lapse. It's simply that the price you offered is far too cheap; it surpassed my expectations and left me quite stunned."
Hearing this, Torifu found the situation intriguing. "Oh? What kind of price did the Land of Whirlpools charge the Mizukage-sama to make you feel Konoha's appliances are cheap?"
Mentioning the Land of Whirlpools made the Mizukage instinctively clench his fist. "The Land of Whirlpools sold us a used power station for ten million ryō per unit! And ten thousand ryō for each appliance!"
Upon hearing this price, Torifu and the Commercial Minister staggered!
Good heavens! The Land of Whirlpools was truly something! They dared to ask for that much! Ten million ryō for a single power station! And a used one at that! A brand-new one from Konoha was only two million! Furthermore, the prices they had sold both the power station and the appliances to the Land of Whirlpools for were "friendship prices"—they were all internal Konoha prices, not the external export rates.
In reality, a power station cost them around 1.5 to 1.6 million ryō, and they resold it for ten million? An appliance cost three to four thousand ryō, and they resold it for ten thousand?
When those princes took control of the Land of Whirlpools, Torifu had thought the Third Prince was capable of shouldering the responsibility. Facts proved he was indeed quite capable... only, he had truly managed to create an enemy. Selling something worth two million for ten million ryō—the Land of Whirlpools was excellent at business.
Although the total cost for the power station and appliances was just over ten million ryō, which wasn't a major issue for a Great Ninja Village and didn't even count as financial ruin, anyone would be furious to be unfairly swindled out of so much money! Especially the Mizukage, representing one of the Four Great Ninja Villages.
With the old matter brought up, the Mizukage was now completely unable to maintain his detached facade. The rage in his eyes looked ready to burst forth! Torifu had to go to great lengths to calm him down.
"Mizukage-sama, regardless of the circumstances, the Land of Whirlpools is still Konoha Village's ally. Their recent actions, likely due to the change in clan head, may have angered Kirigakure. But on Konoha's account, please refrain from drastic action."
But how could verbal reassurance soothe the actual financial pain? These few words clearly weren't enough to appease the Mizukage. Torifu then smiled and said, "How about this? No matter how many power stations you purchase, I will waive the cost of one."
Hearing this, the Mizukage finally cooled his temper.
In truth, even if Torifu hadn't offered these sweet words or benefits, the Mizukage wouldn't have dared to move against the Land of Whirlpools. He knew that the former Daimyō and Clan Head of the Land of Whirlpools was not dead and was currently living in the Senju Clan compound. Given that he was practically residing in their family home, the relationship was clear for all to see.
However, if Torifu hadn't spoken politely and instead used strong-arm tactics to coerce Kirigakure, he likely would have created a lasting enemy in them. For Torifu, having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy. He didn't care about the few million ryō that could solve the problem.
However, the Land of Whirlpools definitely needed a warning. If they continued this behavior, Konoha Village would have to cancel all preferential pricing given to them. Even if he discussed this decision with Ashina, he would support it. After all, the Land of Whirlpools was clearly in the wrong.
"Hokage-sama is far too kind. Actually, I wasn't concerned about this small matter at all; you truly didn't have to do this." Getsuji seized the opportunity to concede, naturally giving the Hokage face.
Torifu smiled and waved his hand. "The Mizukage-sama need not say more. This matter is settled. Furthermore, once my younger brother develops new appliances, I will send a set free of charge for you to try out."
Getsuji's face was now all smiles. "Then I thank the Hokage-sama very much."
Following this, Getsuji and Torifu began discussing exactly how many power stations and appliances Kirigakure should purchase. Kirigakure was not a dictatorship commanded by the Mizukage alone; he couldn't order all the villagers to buy appliances with a single command. He was concerned that the villagers' acceptance of the technology wouldn't be particularly high, so he initially planned to buy enough appliances and power stations to supply about half the villagers. Roughly calculated, this was a transaction worth ten million ryō, but appliances were addictive once used. The subsequent sales would be continuous.
Moreover, Kirigakure could sell to their Royal Capital, just like the other two villages. Torifu offered these suggestions to him, but the Mizukage remained somewhat conservative. He decided to test the waters first, and if the sales were booming, he would return to Konoha for more purchases.
With that, Torifu said no more. He was confident that Kirigakure would soon send people for a second collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Commercial Minister, who appeared to be merely recording the meeting, was actually rapidly drafting the contract. After finishing, he showed it to both Kage for review. Once confirmed, he copied two duplicates. Torifu explained the concept of a contract to Getsuji, and being a Kage of a village, he immediately understood. He promptly picked up a pen and signed his name. Torifu then took out his seal and pressed it onto the document.
With this, the cooperation between Konoha Village and Kirigakure was thoroughly established. Torifu stood up and extended his right hand. "Pleasure working with you, Mizukage-sama."