🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/c/wildsparkstudios
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.
If the shinobi collective possessed absolute power to suppress Hiruko, he likely would have been stabbed in the back a hundred times and breathed his last long ago.
In the old Konoha, besides handling the minutiae of daily life, the primary tasks were defending against external threats and engaging in combat. Ordinary villagers didn't carry the burden of production or specialized education, so life was relatively leisurely during periods without active missions.
However, after winning the Fourth Shinobi World War, Konoha's scale expanded relentlessly, and its affairs became increasingly complex. There were commercial district renovation projects, counter-intelligence screening operations, patriotic education software for villagers, and peace education campaigns.
Add to that various filming assignments and the occasional reception of foreign ninjas who, drawn by Konoha's fame, arrived willing to defect. Konoha naturally welcomed these defectors. Hiruko even proposed giving them the highest tier of treatment—he wanted the world to know that as long as you possessed value and betrayed your former nation, Konoha would provide the most lavish rewards. This was a strategy lifted straight from certain nations in the real world.
In short, a ninja in modern Konoha had to be used as several people at once. Hiruko aggressively promoted the Clone Jutsu as a vital skill, allowing personnel to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. No one grumbled much; Hiruko provided ample compensation, issuing not just currency but various resources. The standard of living was leaps and bounds ahead of the past.
Of course, with the good came the bad, and the villagers had to grit their teeth and endure the frantic pace. But today, Kakashi found that Hiruko was missing from his post. He decided to head to the Research Department to hunt down the Chief Researcher; he couldn't allow Hiruko any chance to slack off.
When he finally tracked Hiruko down, however, he found the man looking uncharacteristically anxious.
"Hiruko-sama, what's happened? That meeting you just skipped was incredibly important!" Kakashi noted.
"Of course it's important. I scheduled the damn thing; do you think I don't know that?" Hiruko replied, his brow furrowed.
With the influx of massive capital, Konoha's booming economy had hit overdrive. But this triggered a surge in prices across the world. In Konoha's commercial zones, merchant giants were flooding in, bringing floods of cash and resources. It was a double-edged sword—fueling prosperity while driving inflation like a runaway horse, creating a faint undercurrent of instability in the business districts.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/c/wildsparkstudios
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.
"Is there anywhere safer than Konoha?" some might ask. But since these merchants arrived with fortunes in hand, Konoha had to accord them proper respect. Hiruko's tendency to use strong-arm tactics was becoming a diplomatic liability, but he no longer had time for such niceties.
"Kakashi, come here a moment," Hiruko called out.
Kakashi approached, puzzled. Hiruko's expression was grave. "Kakashi, I'm going to tell you something critical. Once I say it, you'll understand my predicament."
Kakashi adopted a posture of serious listening.
"Konoha has too much money. We have to find a way to spend it. If we don't, it will cause an immeasurable impact on the Hokage's lineage and the entire village."
Hiruko spat the words out with a dark expression. Money was pooling in Konoha like a rising tide. Refusing it wasn't a long-term solution; capital only has value when it flows. Gold buried in the ground is useless.
Furthermore, Hiruko's patience with Danzo had evaporated. Previously, he had stayed his hand to prune Danzo's faction and weaken his influence. He also feared that removing a village elder without absolute cause would make the other veterans feel "threatened" by their own mortality.
Privately, Hiruko had hoped Danzo would continue to be useful as a convenient scapegoat. But Danzo had run out of "utility" in that regard. Hiruko wanted this obstacle removed to accelerate Konoha's evolution. At this point, Danzo's actions surpassed mere rebellion in Hiruko's mind.
Hiruko didn't care for the "law" or "judges," nor did he seek procedural justice. In his mind, it was simple: I want you dead. This wasn't a high-stakes courtroom drama.
Listening to Hiruko's venting, Kakashi gradually pieced the puzzle together. "You're going to move against Elder Danzo? So your 'anxiety' is about finding a justification to pin everything on him before taking him out?"
Despite the complexity of village politics involved, Kakashi remained remarkably calm. Given Hiruko's contributions, if he wanted someone dead, it wasn't a difficult wish to grant.
Initially, Hiruko considered rewriting history books over the next decade to frame the narrative. But that was too slow.
"Go find that director who filmed the last movie," Hiruko ordered. "I'm making a new film."
Just then, a massive toad materialized on the outskirts of the village. Had Jiraiya not quickly clarified the situation through Gamaken, the Police Force would have likely engaged the creature as an unidentified threat. No matter how strong one is, summoning such a behemoth inside village limits is a breach of protocol.
Minato received the report and sent word to Hiruzen. Currently, the Third Hokage spent his days at home, seemingly retired from power. But Hiruko knew this was a forced choice. Minato was a man of strict principles; unless Hiruzen yielded to those principles, conflict was inevitable. Thus, Hiruzen only handled minor affairs now.
Minato was gradually handing more authority to Hiruko—not through formal documents, but through action. When Hiruzen arrived at the Konoha Hospital and saw Minato and Hiruko, he felt a sinking sensation in his gut. Jiraiya... he must have rushed off to find Nagato.
Soon, Rumi Uzumaki (Karin's mother) emerged from the operating room. Seeing Hiruko's group, she gave a "thumbs up." "A few days of rest and he'll be fine."
Rumi then leaned against Hiruko, who found it awkward to push her away. In a place where Hiruko couldn't see, Rumi looked at him with obsessive devotion. She had long ago decided how to repay the man who rescued her and her daughter from their living hell. Usually, with Nono and Tsunade around, she had no opening. Even Pakura, Maki, and Rin seemed to keep her at a distance.
But today, finally, she found her chance.
Inside the room, Tsunade stared blankly at her teammate. Through her and Rumi's combined efforts, most of Jiraiya's wounds had closed—even his shattered bones were knitting back together. This was largely due to Rumi's specialized blood. Her healing factor was so potent that people whispered she rivaled Tsunade; she could reattach limbs and pull a man back from the brink of death as long as he still breathed.
However, Hiruko forbade anyone else from drinking her blood.
"Minato, Sensei, Hiruko... why are you all here?" Jiraiya chuckled weakly from the bed. "It's just a scratch. Hahaha, sorry to worry you."
Hiruzen felt a slight relief; Jiraiya at least knew to keep the details quiet. There might still be room to maneuver.
Minato frowned. "Jiraiya-sensei! Who wounded you like this? Your mission was to track the mastermind in the Land of Rain. Is their strength really that formidable?"
"Not really. I just got careless," Jiraiya lied, looking troubled. "Leave it to me once I've healed. I'll settle it."
"The masterminds behind the underground bounties... are they active in the Rain, or connected to the nations to the west?" Hiruko asked suddenly. He noticed no one objected and continued, "I just got word from the Merchant Guild about a giant purple toad racing from the Rain Country. It seems it was coming for Jiraiya."
"Minato, perhaps the ANBU should investigate? If this involves Hanzo of the Salamander, we need to re-evaluate our relationship with Amegakure."
Minato nodded. "Hanzo is deep. If he's tied to the bounty organizations after we spared him, I need to look into it. But acting rashly without knowing if Amegakure is truly involved..."
Jiraiya quickly added, "Exactly! If we trigger a war based on incomplete intel, I'll be the village's villain."
Hiruko countered, "That's why we investigate. Otherwise, we might as well just draft the invasion plan for the Rain now. By the way, how many people did it take to wound you this badly? Surely at least two Kage-level masters?"
"That..." Jiraiya hesitated. He hadn't even fought the bounty hunters; he'd been looking into the Rain.
Minato realized something was wrong. "What is it, Jiraiya-sensei? Is it something you can't say?"
"Minato... can you let me handle this alone?" Jiraiya went silent.
Minato knew then that his master was lying. "Sensei, if this is a personal matter, I won't pry. But if it involves the village..."
Hiruzen tried to intercede. "Minato, let me handle this."
Minato's voice rose with uncharacteristic anger. "Lord Third, you can handle the processing, but as Hokage, I will not be kept in the dark while things happen that could endanger Konoha!"
The room fell silent. Jiraiya's expression was a tangle of emotions. Finally, he spoke. "It's a long story. During the Second War, I stayed in the Rain for three years. I took three students."
He then recounted the entire tale—including Danzo sending Root to kill his disciples, and Nagato's Rinnegan.
He had received these wounds fighting Nagato.
Minato listened, his heart heavy with dread. His own master... had faced such a thing?
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/c/wildsparkstudios
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.