Pupet Master in Konoha

"Obviously, it's just a toy made from the cheapest wood. So, how dare Hideki Kimura sell it for such a high price?"

Danzo felt that his world view had been seriously challenged and couldn't help but wonder:

"What's even more outrageous is that so many people are actually willing to pay that much money to buy it!"

"We ninjas risk our lives on missions, but the reward isn't even close to what we make from selling toys. Is this really justified?!"

The Third Hokage, clearly feeling similarly when he first read the report, couldn't help but sigh and explain:

"Danzo, you should check the back. Hideki has written an analysis on the reason."

"Aside from us ninjas, the main customers for these toys are the employers who come to entrust us with missions."

"Although, after Hashirama-sama quelled the Warring States Period, two more ninja wars broke out..."

"But those wars were confined to small countries and only occurred between our ninja villages."

"The five great countries have been recovering for decades and have accumulated a lot of wealth."

"So at least the people who come to the village to give us missions aren't lacking in money, and they're willing to spend it on entertainment."

"Plus, the new toys invented by Hideki are very fun and unique, only available here. They're perfect as souvenirs for kids back home. No wonder they sell so well."

When Danzo heard this, he gradually understood the reason, though he was still a little embarrassed.

Due to the massive sales of these toys, he felt that the current ninja world was becoming increasingly unfamiliar.

It was as if someone was whispering in his ear, "The times have changed, my lord."

Unlike the new generation of ninjas who were becoming more mercenary, Danzo and his clan, Shimura, still upheld the traditions of the old ninjas.

While other ninja clans have begun to expand their resources through business ventures and are slowly stepping into the light, his clan still hides in the darkness, like roots buried deep underground.

Anyway, where there is light, there is also darkness. Someone has to do the dirty work to allow others to live in the light.

It was just that the more Danzo thought about it, the more his heart shook with disbelief.

He practiced hard, killed his humanity, risked his life on missions, and yet earned far less than the money made by selling toys.

The pride and faith in his heart trembled, and he muttered:

"The world has really changed, hasn't it?"

The Third Hokage continued, somewhat slowly:

"And the profits here aren't as outrageous as you think, Danzo."

"Because these toy stands sell toys invented by Hideki, which aren't available anywhere else, that's why they're priced so high."

"In the future, everyone will imitate and copy them, and naturally, the price will drop."

"Also, we now have students help make the toys as part of their work-study program, so the labor costs are almost nonexistent, which is why we can make such high profits."

Danzo couldn't help but curl his lips when he heard this.

Copying toys?

Let Hideki Kimura invent a new toy!

Labor costs?

The five great countries are at peace, but refugees from smaller nations are everywhere. Isn't that cheap labor?

At that moment, Danzo adjusted his mindset.

His roots were still in development and needed a lot of nutrients. For a long time, he had been worrying about funding, so how could he care about keeping the tradition alive?

In his current mindset, it didn't matter whether you were a new ninja or an old one. If you could make a lot of money, you were a good ninja.

The more he thought about it, the more he disagreed with the Third Hokage's perspective, and he said:

"Hiruzen, let me have Hideki Kimura!"

"You can't use all of his talents in a ninja school."

"Only with the ROOT will he be able to fully develop his business skills!"

You're thinking nonsense!

The Third Hokage rolled his eyes.

If Hideki really wanted to use his business talents, wouldn't Hiruzen Sarutobi do it himself? Why does Danzo need to worry about his ROOT organization?

The reason Hiruzen didn't do that was because he valued Hideki's teaching and talent more than his business skills.

No matter how much money you make, if you don't have the ability to protect yourself, you're just a piece of meat for others to feast on.

Just like Konoha, which, despite being in the richest country, is now only able to fend for itself due to its declining power, making it a target for other major ninja villages.

As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very aware of the importance of his village's strength.

Therefore, fostering more puppet users among the civilian ninjas through the work-study program was the best way to enhance Konoha's strength.

Not to mention, Minato had recently told him that Hideki had an incredibly rare talent for sealing jutsu. Even before studying sealing techniques in depth, he had created the unprecedented "Flow Sealing Technique."

Such talents reminded Hiruzen of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and his disciple, Orochimaru.

How could he possibly allow such a treasure to fall into Danzo's hands to waste?

So, the Third Hokage slammed his pipe on the desk and warned in a very serious tone:

"Hideki is a good kid with true will of fire."

"Minato and he will definitely become the pillars of Konoha in the future. I will never allow anyone to scheme against him."

"But…"

"No buts, remember, I am the Hokage!"

Danzo hadn't expected Hiruzen to be so decisive this time. Not only did he interrupt his argument, but he also used his powerful authority to shut him down completely.

Is Kimura Hideki really as important as Hiruzen says?

A small doubt sprouted in Danzo's heart.

However, his roots were still in the process of development, so he didn't confront Hiruzen directly.

After all, Hideki would always remain in Konoha, and Danzo wasn't worried about missing out on an opportunity to use him for his own ends.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

Danzo spat those words out, then turned and slammed the door behind him.

The Third Hokage, still seated in his office, took out his pipe, lit it, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

For a moment, the smoke filled the air, hiding his face.

To be honest, he did have some regrets.

He shouldn't have thrown that report at Danzo out of anger, as it had made Hideki the target of Danzo's interest.

However, with the workshop about to officially open, it probably wouldn't stay hidden from Danzo's eyes and ears for long, so he had to get a head start on things.

Fortunately, the Third Hokage wasn't too worried.

After all, Danzo's ROOT was still under his control, and he didn't fear Danzo making trouble.

He just had to hurry and release the new funds for the workshop quickly, lest Danzo kidnap Hideki for leverage.

The Third Hokage shook his head and smiled bitterly.

At that moment, he realized another small problem:

It seemed Danzo had taken Hideki's market research report with him...

---

Hideki suddenly shivered.

It wasn't because he had awakened his premonition ability and sensed that a shadowy threat was targeting him.

He just felt a little uncomfortable with what he was seeing in front of him...

"Oh, Mr. Dai, you have a hole in your stockings. How about I help you patch it up later?"

"How embarrassing, Mrs. Kelly."

"Anyway, I'm an old bachelor. No one looks at me when I walk down the street. It doesn't matter if my clothes are torn."

"But these stockings have a hole right in the crotch area..."

"Um... then I'm sorry to bother you. By the way, you can call me A'Dai. I really can't stand being called Mr. Dai."

"Alright then, A'Dai, just call me Kelly."

"Then I have to take care of the kids. When the clothes are mended, I'll bring them back to you, A'Dai."

After that, Aunt Kelly left the room, a little shy while holding a pile of clothes.

Matt Dai also seemed reluctant to leave.

This left Hideki, standing at the door, feeling a bit uneasy in his stomach.

He had walked around the construction site for a while, but why did Matt Dai and Aunt Kelly look at each other as soon as they entered the orphanage room?

Aunt Kelly had been so busy taking care of the children that she had delayed her marriage.

Now that the conditions in the orphanage had improved, it was normal for her to want to find a man.

But Matt Dai, why was he so eager for love?

Didn't the Matt family reproduce by mitosis?

Well, Hideki knew that Matt Dai had been married before, but his wife passed away shortly after Akai was born.

It was understandable that Matt Dai, having been widowed for many years, would want to find another companion.

But had they considered the feelings of Hideki, a man who had been single for ten thousand years?

With so much to do, Hideki hadn't had time to find a partner. Thinking that maybe he'd have to eat expired dog food from these two every day in the future, his stomachache became more obvious.

To rid his mind of such grim images, Hideki decided to meet the future Guy first...

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