"So, you want me to join this so-called merchant guild of yours?" Kyo asked with a frown.
For the past hour, Toji had been outlining the basics of the merchant guild, enticing Kyo. From the beginning, he had only intended to use Kyo to gain access to the Tepei estate, but after learning about his vast business operations, he decided he wanted Kyo to join the guild.
From what he had learned from talking to Kyo, the business he ran was mostly luxury clothing that only the nobility could buy. Because of this, he has accumulated a massive network of relationships with nobility in the Land of Tea and the Land of Fire.
What Toji wanted from Kyo wasn't the luxury goods, but his connections with nobility that spanned from two different nations.
Of course, there was a problem. Toji had nothing to offer Kyo, as he mostly dealt in luxury clothing. The closest thing the merchant guild had to clothing was wool, which wasn't exactly a luxury product.
Kyo scoffed, "Let's say I do join this merchant guild… What exactly do I gain from it? You have already stated that your guild provides cheaper goods. So can you provide me with cheaper silk?"
Toji was silent, because the only answer was: No.
However, Toji didn't give up. He cleared his throat and answered, "No, we can't provide you silk." He paused for a beat, then continued, "But we can provide you with something better."
Toji took a scroll from his pocket and performed a release handseal.
At first, Kyo was afraid. He thought the man before him was about to use ninjutsu to kill him. But that fear was quickly replaced by confusion—and excitement.
Before Toji could explain, Kyo yelled out in excitement, "Is that a jutsu that can store items?!"
Kyo was a businessman who had experienced nearly everything a merchant could experience. From life-threatening bandits, to amusing inventions that later stood as a foundation for many merchants.
And every invention he saw, he would always wonder, "Wouldn't it be great to have something that can contain items?"
Bandits were rampant, even if you have a secure route. Not only that, it takes money and manpower to transport goods, which is something he had been trying to lessen over the years.
Thus from a single demonstration, he knew what the scroll was for: storing items.
Toji let out an amused chuckle, "Yes, you've guessed correctly. This is a scroll that can store items."
Although Toji wanted to keep these scrolls a secret, Taro had told him to not worry about it. He didn't understand why, as he believed that the scrolls were a revolutionary item that could help the clan in dominating the Land of Wind.
But Taro remained unmoved and ordered him to sell the manufacturing process for a high price.
Toji was about to propose the manufacturing process, when Kyo suddenly cut him off, "How much do you want? I'm willing to join you and buy the manufacturing rights of that scroll."
Kyo paused for a moment to think before continuing, "I'll give 5% royalty for every scroll sold. Not only that, since you have mentioned that anyone who joined the merchant guild would have to pay 7% of their profit, I'll gladly accept it with the 5% royalty added."
Amused, Toji chuckled as he sealed the item back into the scroll. "I hope you understand that this scroll is important—not just for merchants, but for everyone. Nobles, civilians, even ninja… this will change the world of logistics."
In the anime and manga, sealing scrolls were used everywhere—from the beginning of Naruto to its very end, even carrying over into Boruto. The sealing scroll is something significant even in Taro's original world, where it would cause massive improvement in logistics if it were ever invented.
Kyo's face became stern as he said, "340 million ryō, plus everything I've said before."
Toji's eyes widened, but it quickly went back to normal as if it never even happened. It was understandable that Toji was surprised, as 340 million ryō is a significant amount, especially in the Land of Wind.
To put things into perspective, clans like the Hosai clan only amount to 20–50 million ryō yearly, and this is only if people hired them. However, larger clans with reputation across the Land of Wind could earn up to 100 million ryō, with the help of nobility and merchants hiring them.
However, larger countries like the Land of Wind could gain billions of ryō. Even though the Land of Wind is considered poor in the eyes of the other major countries, it was still far richer than smaller countries.
This was all because of the vast territory controlled by the Land of Wind. Within this land, many mines could be found. Although they weren't as rich or expansive as the mines of the Land of Iron, they were still sufficient. What's more, the Land of Wind was known for producing one thing: gold.
With the production of gold, the Land of Wind could maintain their yearly income with the help of massive taxes on vital equipment for ninjas.
However, even with gold and taxes, the income of the Land of Wind can't compare to the Land of Fire, who is considered to be the richest nation in the world.
Toji shook his head and said, "600 million. I'm not going any lower."
Kyo gritted his teeth, and said, "I don't have that much. I'm already stretching my funds here…"
It's true that Kyo was a wealthy merchant, but he wasn't a nation. 600 million ryō was an amount that would take him years to collect. Even now, if he were to gather all of his liquidated assets, it would only amount to 468 million ryō.
Kyo sighed and asked, "Can you really not lower it? Even if I were to sell everything now, I can't even touch that amount."
Toji understood that 600 million was more than even Kyo could gather, but he couldn't care less. In his eyes, the scroll was priceless. Yet because of Taro, he was forced to sell it—and Taro had already ordered him to accept no less than 400 million.
Shaking his head, Toji answered, "Mr. Kyo, this scroll is valuable, and you're directly asking us to sell you the manufacturing rights. And yet you're asking us to sell it for less than 600 million? I'm already selling this for a low price."
Toji paused, glancing at the frowning Kyo before continuing, "If I were to go to a capital of any country, I could probably sell this for a billion."
Kyo sighed, "I really can't get 600 million ryō, even if I were to sell my entire business." He looked at Toji with determination, "However, I can give you what no other parties can give."
Toji was taken aback, but he hid his emotions and asked, "Oh? And what's that?"
Kyo knew this was his final negotiation. If he succeeded, not only will he earn massive profits as the only person who can make the scrolls, but he would also be increasing his profits from his business with improved logistics.
He knew that in the future, people would most likely be able to copy the scrolls, but he couldn't care less, because his business was only in the Land of Tea, with some influence stretching to the Land of Fire.
If he could monopolize the scrolls before anyone could catch up, then he can enjoy being the only one selling them in the Land of Tea. He couldn't care less if other countries managed to make their own scrolls.
Without hesitation, Kyo said, "20% royalties on scrolls."
Royalties are the percentage of a sale for a specific product. Usually, most royalty would be around 5%–15%; 20% is something most people would never agree to, as they would be losing a massive amount of money.
Kyo continued, "Not only that, all scrolls produced by me will be sold to the merchant guild with a discount, alongside the discount rule that's already in the merchant guild."
In the merchant guild, once someone joined, they would have to pay 7% of their profit. If they were to sell goods to the merchant guild, the merchant guild is entitled to a 10% discount on everything. However, this goes both ways, as merchants inside the guild are entitled to an 8% discount to anything they buy.
Kyo took a deep breath and said, "And finally, I'll pay 340 million up front…"