Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Wandering Healer (Seeking Votes and Support)

In the end, Kakuzu agreed to Karn’s proposal. For him, it was all gain with no downside, the main benefit being how easy it would be; the patrons of the casino were mostly ordinary people, and even the rare ninja who showed up wouldn’t pose any trouble. If there was any disturbance, Kakuzu could resolve it effortlessly.

Moreover, by partnering with Karn’s casino, Kakuzu secured a stable new source of income; even if nothing happened for an entire month, Karn would pay him three million ryo. Upon hearing this, Kakuzu’s demeanor improved noticeably. Though his mask concealed his face, leaving only those emerald eyes visible, both Karn and Natsukawa sensed the shift.

Three million ryo a month was a trivial sum for Karn. Once his casino opened, it would be but a small fraction of the daily takings; more importantly, he would have a Jonin-level ninja at his beck and call.

For ease of contact, Kakuzu arranged for one of his subordinates to stay in Kawaki Town as a liaison. Whenever Karn needed him, Kakuzu could return within a day or two—unless he happened to be far from the Land of Fire.

In the early stages, Karn planned to open casinos in both Kawaki Town and Tanzaku Street. The locations had already been scouted, and Natsukawa was dispatched to handle preliminary preparations and recruitment. During the fifteen days Karn was away, the dessert factory had produced a batch of qualified products, with flavors nearly identical to those Karn had brought.

With no change to the recipe or raw materials, the taste naturally remained the same. Karn was pleased with the factory’s performance, though the supply of ingredients was limited and production finished quickly. The chocolates produced during this period were partly sent to the Karn Food Store in Konoha, while the remainder was sold outside Kawaki Town.

The pricing was equally steep, matching the rates inside Konoha. From the outset, Karn’s intentions were clear: ordinary people should focus on filling their stomachs, not indulging in snacks.

Having settled affairs in the ninja world, Karn returned briefly to the Marvel universe.

...

There was little in the Marvel world requiring Karn’s attention, save for the pharmaceutical wholesale and trading company, which needed some oversight. During his absence, his sales team had already closed three deals, bringing the company its first revenue.

Market research indicated strong demand for pharmaceuticals in certain countries. If Karn could fully capture those markets, annual revenue for his company could reach five or six hundred million dollars.

Karn encouraged his team and ramped up recruitment, expanding the company’s staff. He also interviewed three candidates for an assistant, but only one passed, becoming Karn’s administrative assistant at the pharmaceutical trading company, tasked with executing his orders.

This would ease Karn’s workload considerably; from now on, he could simply issue commands and rely on his assistant to monitor progress.

Beyond this, progress elsewhere was minimal. Most notably, the talents Karn most hoped to recruit—Killian and Maya—remained elusive, and he had no idea if they were even in America.

After returning, Karn commissioned the purchase of numerous slot machines and gambling equipment. Because the language needed slight modifications, he waited nearly half a month. Meanwhile, he handled other matters, such as sourcing raw materials for the dessert factory and cultivating relationships.

He even found time to relax, finally fulfilling his promise to Carl by clearing a saved game together. Yet after finishing, Carl found it dull—several new games had already been released, and he was still playing last year’s.

The Marvel world was, for the time being, uneventful. Things were relatively stable; SHIELD lacked the power to monitor every move in America, and internal chaos was rampant, to the point it could practically be called HYDRA—SHIELD’s serpent division.

Karn’s greatest concern was that the Ancient One of Kamar-Taj might seek him out. The Sorcerer Supreme possessed the Time Stone and could glimpse myriad future timelines. If the Ancient One grew curious about Karn’s frequent disappearances, he could be in danger—not necessarily of death, but his deepest secrets risked exposure, which would be deeply unsettling.

Thus Karn flitted between two worlds, never daring to relax, even when exhausted, all in pursuit of power. Compared to the ninja world, the Marvel universe was far more perilous.

Alien invasions, the snap of the Mad Titan, even the early “justice” of the Avengers affected countless lives.

Even hiding in the countryside could mean losing one’s entire family—let alone living in New York, as Karn did.

...

Karn gathered all his belongings and returned once more to the ninja world.

He first arrived in Kawaki Town, depositing all the slot machines and gambling paraphernalia in the casino. Once enough staff were hired, the casino could open for business.

Security was essential; casinos were rife with troublemakers, and losing one’s temper was the norm, not the exception. In addition, a professional manager was needed to oversee operations—but few in Konoha truly understood gambling, so Karn had to rely on Natsukawa to ask around.

As for the orphan boys recruited for the food factory, it would be four or five years before they could be entrusted with real responsibility.

“Skilled and trustworthy subordinates are far too rare. If possible, I’d even try to recruit Kimimaro and Haku…”

Karn sighed to himself. Either their abilities were lacking, or he couldn’t trust them. Training orphaned children from scratch required time; while Natsukawa was barely reliable, he couldn’t simply split her in two.

Thus, Karn’s organization developed slowly—he had money and a plan, but lacked executors.

“Ah, Yakushi Nonoyu. That woman’s ability and talent are considerable. She should still be a child now—perhaps I can snatch her from Danzo’s hands?”

Karn recalled that she would one day earn the moniker “Walking Shrine Maiden,” and felt she could become his most valuable assistant, provided she hadn’t yet attracted Danzo’s attention or joined the Root. By his calculations, Yakushi Nonoyu should be around ten years old.

Karn remembered Danzo had recently been at the battlefield in the Land of Rain; even if he returned, it wouldn’t be soon enough to expand his Root forces. Karn might just have a chance.

If she was attending the ninja academy, Karn could ask Kushina for information—after all, Kushina was clueless, and even if Karn tricked her, she’d hardly notice.

“I must hurry back to Konoha. I can use a donation to the orphanage as a pretext to inquire…”

With this thought, Karn set out for Konoha at once. In matters like these, the earlier the better; the sooner he found Yakushi Nonoyu, the greater his chance of recruiting her before Root did.