Uchiha Ren only thought for a few seconds before understanding the hidden meaning in the shrine maiden's words.
The Land of Demons was weak and poor.
If she wanted the lives of its people to improve little by little, then she had to firmly hug Konoha's thick thigh.
The most direct method was to win the friendship of Konoha's Hokage.
So—
The shrine maiden coveted his body!
Another woman who coveted his body!
Soon, the image of the current shrine maiden surfaced in Uchiha Ren's mind.
Bright eyes and white teeth.
Fair skin.
A shrine maiden uniform full of exotic charm.
And white stockings—
Hiss.
Hmm.
He wouldn't lose out!
"Shikato, help me tell the shrine maiden that I'm very willing to help her with this matter."
No matter what, the shrine maiden's power had a special advantage against Moryo.
For the long-term peace and stability of Konoha, Uchiha Ren decided to sacrifice himself a little.
Although shrine maiden outfits also had a special advantage against him, that would surely be a fierce battle.
However, Uchiha Ren accepted it gladly.
After all, this was all for Konoha!
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Nara Shikato nodded.
"Hokage-sama, the first railway line has already opened."
"It has been operating for some time now, and the results are remarkable. Using trains for transportation has greatly reduced shipping costs."
"At the same time, the value of land around the railway stations has skyrocketed."
"Representatives from the industrial faction, along with wealthy merchants connected to the noble side, hope to purchase land-use rights and invest in the surrounding areas."
"Also, in Sapporo and Nagoya, two major cities, local wealthy merchants hope to discuss railway projects with Konoha."
"They are extremely optimistic about the future of trains, but they have encountered obstruction."
"Some major local landowners and nobles are unwilling to sell their land."
"They hope to obtain Konoha's assistance."
"If Konoha is willing to extend a hand, they are willing to make concessions in terms of profit. The specific plan is still under negotiation."
"After Kakuzu reviewed it, he felt we could still demand more benefits. He plans to personally negotiate with them."
Nara Shikato brought up the railway project.
Moryo's soldiers had worked day and night on the construction site and quickly completed the first railway route.
The distant roar of trains had already become Konoha's morning alarm.
A train could transport thousands of tons of goods at once.
And it could transport them across extremely long distances, completely freeing Konoha from the drawbacks of traditional human transport and the short-distance limitations of motorized tricycles.
Compared with past transportation methods, trains possessed absolute advantages in speed and cost.
And this was only their most basic function.
A single railway line could absolutely drive the economic development of every city along its route.
This had shocked merchants across the entire ninja world.
Trains were definitely a transportation tool that crossed eras.
"Then let Kakuzu handle the negotiations."
Uchiha Ren assigned the task to Kakuzu.
The Shadow Clone Technique truly was a wonderful thing.
It could allow one person to be used as several people.
Kakuzu loved using shadow clones to negotiate several businesses at the same time.
In any case, if he lost a life, he could simply replace a heart.
Thinking this, Uchiha Ren increasingly felt that he was wise and mighty for recruiting an excellent subordinate like Kakuzu.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Then what should we do about the major landowners in Sapporo and Nagoya?"
Nara Shikato continued asking.
"Those major landowners are all officials of the Land of Fire. Let the industrial faction in the court deal with them."
"Send all the dirty materials on these parasites to the representatives of the industrial faction today."
"Not one of these people is clean."
"If they refuse to understand the times, then they must die!"
Uchiha Ren had long collected the dirt on officials large and small throughout the Land of Fire and compiled it into a Land of Fire version of the Records of All Officials.
If they were willing to cooperate and win together with Konoha, then they could be spared temporarily and slaughtered after they grew fatter.
If they refused to understand the times and insisted on opposing him, then they could simply die!
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Soon, Nara Shikato finished reporting the recent important intelligence and left the Hokage office.
Time passed bit by bit.
Very soon, afternoon arrived.
Uchiha Madara's special interview came as scheduled.
To support Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Ren specially took time at noon to return home, bathe, and change into a brand-new Hokage robe before grandly attending Uchiha Madara's interview.
Uchiha Madara had a large red flower pinned to his chest and wore a layer of red cloth over himself.
On the cloth were embroidered four large words:
Model Factory Director.
Facing layer after layer of cameras, even Uchiha Madara, who was used to grand scenes, was actually somewhat timid when he first began speaking.
However, Uchiha Madara quickly adjusted.
In an impassioned tone, he began speaking about his path of progress and how he had gone from an ordinary worker to the factory director he was today.
When he became excited, he raised his neck and laughed loudly.
At the same time, Uchiha Madara's thinking also underwent a slight change.
He was no longer the lofty Asura of the ninja world.
He began speaking from the smallest details about workers' lives and hardships.
Perhaps only beasts of burden could empathize with beasts of burden.
Workers had to wake up before dawn every day and work until very late before resting.
When orders were complicated and the work was at its busiest, they even had to work twenty hours a day.
Even when sick, they still had to show up for work, because taking leave meant losing attendance pay.
Their wages were extremely meager.
They were reluctant to eat.
Reluctant to drink.
All for the sake of paying housing loans.
Uchiha Madara voiced many of the workers' feelings.
His words revealed faint dissatisfaction.
He hoped Konoha could improve this situation.
Konoha had already done very well.
Compared with the entire ninja world, this place was simply fertile soil.
Countless people who wanted to come and work like cattle and horses for Konoha still had to queue through a lottery system.
However, the Uchiha had always been radical.
Uchiha Madara was outstanding even among them.
Otherwise, Uchiha Madara would not have tried to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan, directly wanting to create a world without war in one step.
Konoha was already very good now.
But it could become even better.
"This is exploitation of the working people!"
"I don't think Konoha should be like this!"
Uchiha Madara's words were sincere.
He had become the kind of person Uchiha Ren feared most.
Sitting below the stage, Uchiha Ren broke out in cold sweat.
Are you trying to hang me from a streetlight?
Lord Madara, your thinking is far too progressive.
Please don't keep thinking deeper!
Don't mess with me!
If you continue like this, how am I supposed to sleep at night?
When Uchiha Madara finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted.
Especially from Uchiha Madara's fellow workers.
Their eyes shone with light.
Director Madahashi had spoken their hearts!
Uchiha Ren quickly stepped forward.
First, he shook hands with Uchiha Madara, then waved toward the crowd below.
Konoha's Benevolent Father—
The Sun—
Had appeared!
The venue erupted into cheers.
Everyone stood up together and involuntarily raised both hands, calling out to Hokage-sama.
Some were even moved to tears.
Uchiha Ren picked up the microphone and began emergency damage control.
"Grandpa Madahashi is Konoha's model factory director and one of Konoha's outstanding talents."
"His speech just now was powerful and awakening, but some of the wording was a little intense."
"Let me help reorganize it."
"Konoha is our home!"
"If you think Konoha is not good, then go build Konoha."
"If you think your wages are low, then go progress. Start your own factory."
"If you think factory treatment is poor, then you should be the first to work hard, study, develop technology, develop productive forces, and help the factory earn more money."
"Once the factory has money, naturally, it will improve the workers' environment."
"Start by changing the people around you, instead of attacking the factory and attacking Konoha."
"Konoha has flaws. We correct them together. We slowly become better."
"Instead of shouting things like 'this is exploitation of the working people.'"
"Konoha has its own difficulties."
"Think carefully about the life you had before coming to Konoha."
"Then think about the days you have lived in Konoha."
"The place where you stand is your Konoha."
"What you are like is what Konoha is like."
"What you are is what Konoha becomes."
"If you are light, then Konoha shines with boundless radiance!"
"…"
Uchiha Ren's tone was sincere as he led the people at the scene through their memories of Konoha's original misery.
The First Great Ninja War had just ended.
Konoha had been battered by storms.
Its finances were deeply in deficit.
Prices inside the village had soared.
The economy was blocked.
He had led Konoha's villagers through thorns and hardship, building the village step by step until it became as prosperous as it was today.
How long had they even enjoyed these good days?
And they were already showing signs of forgetting his grace?
How could that be allowed?
If they didn't want to eat gratitude, did they want to eat purple eggs instead?
"Hokage-sama is right!"
"We are Konoha people. We must devote ourselves to Konoha."
"We must begin with ourselves and change the people around us bit by bit!"
"Hokage-sama!"
"We love and respect you!"
Uchiha Ren's speech quickly resonated.
The compounding interest of his grace still remained.
Konoha's living conditions were completely capable of looking down on the entire ninja world.
Outside Konoha, people suffered everywhere.
Refugees filled the land.
Nobles harvested the common people once.
Shinobi harvested them again.
Wandering samurai harvested them yet again.
But in Konoha, one did not need to worry about personal safety at all.
One could keep money safely in one's pocket without worrying that someone would break into the house in the middle of the night and rob everything clean.
The blessing of Konoha's Benevolent Father was truly fragrant!
Moreover, Hokage-sama had his difficulties.
Konoha was currently at the stage where it needed them to shine and release heat.
Young people were precisely at the age when they needed to struggle!
Director Madahashi had relied on his own hard work to buy a house belonging solely to him.
He had paid off a twenty-five-year mortgage.
Later, he had even become a factory director and crossed class boundaries.
When Grandpa Madahashi was fighting hard, he worked twenty hours a day and split twenty Shadow Clones.
Why couldn't they do the same?
It had to be because they were not working hard enough!
The audience below began spontaneously echoing Uchiha Ren's speech.
The atmosphere became incomparably heated.
The waves of cheers rose higher and higher.
Many raised both hands in cheers, tears filling their eyes.
Uchiha Ren looked at the excited crowd, smiled, then turned to Uchiha Madara and slowly asked,
"Grandpa Madahashi, do you think what I said is correct?"
"What you said isn't wrong."
Uchiha Madara nodded.
He felt Uchiha Ren's words were not wrong.
He just felt that something seemed slightly off, but he could not say what it was.
But no matter what, Uchiha Ren was a good Hokage!
Konoha was indeed becoming more prosperous day by day.
Although the workers complained verbally, whenever they mentioned life in Konoha, smiles still appeared on their faces.
Their eyes still shone with hope for the future.
Only, Uchiha Ren had already stolen his spotlight.
This special interview program was clearly prepared specifically to interview him!
Forget it.
For the sake of this junior, he would not argue.
After the special interview ended, Uchiha Ren did not let Uchiha Madara return to the factory to work.
This job could no longer be allowed to continue for Uchiha Madara.
What if he realized something incredible?
That would be far too terrifying.
"Grandpa Madahashi, don't go back to work."
"Uchiha Hikaru has been clamoring to play games with you."
"While you were away, the arcade updated many games."
"Your arcade ranking points are already at the bottom."
"And Uchiha Hikaru has already dominated the arcade. She can't find an opponent anymore."
"Only you, Grandpa Madahashi, are qualified to fight her."
Uchiha Ren wanted to hurry and send Uchiha Madara back to the arcade.
Lord Madara, please hurry and play games with Uchiha Hikaru!
If I let you return to factory work, I won't even be able to sleep peacefully.
"Really?"
"That girl Uchiha Hikaru does have good taste."
"I really haven't gone to the arcade in a long time."
"My points have actually fallen to the bottom? This is intolerable!"
"Only, the factory…"
Uchiha Madara was tempted.
His gaming addiction had returned.
But he still could not quite let go of the work in his hands.
"Relax, Grandpa Madahashi."
"Although factory orders are still high, Konoha has already urgently recruited a large batch of workers from the Land of Fire."
"They will come to work in Konoha factories and experience Konoha's blessings."
"The factory labor shortage has already eased greatly."
"There is no need for you, the factory director, to personally go onto the assembly line."
"It's time to return to the arcade and spend time with Uchiha Hikaru."
Uchiha Ren tried his best to persuade him.
Finally, Uchiha Madara agreed with Uchiha Ren's suggestion.
Still wearing the large red flower on his chest, he headed straight for Konoha's arcade.
Watching Uchiha Madara's departing figure, Uchiha Ren let out a breath.
Damn it!
The Mental Sauna Room project had to be accelerated!
He had to get this project running quickly and cleanse the souls of those beasts of burden on schedule.
Uchiha Ren composed himself and decided to speed up the progress of the Mental Sauna Room project.
He had to get his hands on the Sky Ninja Village's Zero-Tails.
Afterward, Uchiha Ren walked through several streets and arrived at a noodle shop.
The ramen at this shop was very delicious.
Every evening, customers who came to eat noodles had to line up and wait.
However, Uchiha Ren was the Hokage.
The shop owner had thoughtfully prepared an exclusive seat for him.
Hokage-sama liking the noodles from his shop was his honor!
Very soon, Uchiha Ren finished dinner and rushed back to the Konoha Hokage Building.
He went to the archives and picked up the several-thousand-page experimental resource list and the professional investigation report.
He planned to go to the laboratory and settle accounts with Senju Tobirama.
By now, it was already evening.
The sky had begun to be dyed with a gentle layer of sunset color.
The sun slowly sank westward.
Its light was no longer piercing, but soft and warm.
Accompanied by the distant whistle of a train, Uchiha Ren returned to the clan grounds.
Senju Tobirama—
Confession earns leniency.
Resistance earns severity.
Accept judgment!
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