Danzo Shimura, seated in the shadows, rose to his feet, a faint smile flickering across his gloomy face.
Stepping forward, he patted Tatsuma Aburame on the shoulder and said encouragingly, "Tatsuma, you've proven yourself my most capable subordinate."
"Take this transfer order and arrange things at the prison right away."
"As for those low-level spies within the village, have them captured, interrogated for intelligence, then send them to the factory for physical labor reform."
Tatsuma nodded swiftly, agreeing without hesitation.
That was exactly what he had in mind—find someone else to do the work for him and free himself from monotonous assembly-line labor.
Just as he turned to leave, Danzo called out again.
"Tatsuma, the children at the orphanage don't have much to do either. Let them work part-time at the factory too."
"They eat Konoha's food, so they should give something back in return."
"Of course, considering their young age, assign them easier and less demanding tasks."
Make full use of everything available—that was a lesson Danzo had recently learned from Tatsuma Aburame.
The orphans were a surprisingly valuable workforce.
Back during the Warring States period, even children as young as four or five once fought on battlefields wielding shuriken and kunai. Working in a factory would be more than manageable.
Danzo wouldn't have said that last part if not for the presence of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In his eyes, anyone who couldn't produce value for him was nothing but waste.
Tatsuma flinched slightly, surprised that Danzo could come up with further plans beyond his own suggestions.
"Lord Danzo truly possesses extraordinary wisdom, far surpassing us with his far-reaching vision and deep strategic thinking."
After lavishing Danzo with flattery, Tatsuma took the transfer order and went to retrieve the prisoners from the jail.
Danzo currently wielded overwhelming influence. Having made no grave mistakes yet, he still held his position as the Hokage's advisor, making his words carry great weight.
Dozens of fearsome convicts were dragged out, completely baffled as they were led into the Fire's Root Factory.
Most had been imprisoned for various offenses and had long been cut off from the outside world.
Seeing the towering factory building and the thundering machines inside, they were totally lost.
"Where the hell are we? When did Konoha build such a bizarre structure?"
"Heh, who cares anyway? Now that we're out of jail, let's make our escape."
The prisoners spoke openly among themselves, plotting ways to flee.
However, due to the sealing techniques placed on them, most of their chakra had already been sealed, leaving them powerless, so no one attempted to run just yet.
Standing nearby, Tatsuma smirked coldly. "Don't even think about escaping—the security here is tighter than in prison. You won't get far."
"Just follow orders and work hard at the factory, and I'll petition the village to reduce your sentences so you can leave earlier."
His words made sense. Most of the Root personnel had been reassigned here, making the place almost as secure as the Root headquarters.
And eager to escape their dull routine, the Root ninja practically had stars in their eyes when looking at the replacement prisoners.
Yet to the hardened criminals, his words were like nonsense to them, falling on deaf ears.
A gaunt prisoner sneered mockingly, "In this life? Never. Don't dream about it."
"I'd rather jump off here and die than work for scum like you!" declared Wang Jingze defiantly.
His words were bold, but the whipping that followed spared no cruelty at all.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
One lash after another landed on his body, making him scream in agony and convulse violently.
When bruises and purple scars covered his skin, the prisoner finally gave in and agreed to work.
After all, ninjas had naturally frail bodies, unable to endure even ordinary whipping.
Not to mention these lashes came from an elite Jonin, striking with full force and no leniency.
Nothing like how comfortably they'd lived in prison.
Having beaten the prisoners into submission, Tatsuma Aburame finally released his pent-up anger.
He took out every ounce of resentment he'd stored from his grueling shifts on them.
Enough hate to fuel ten Evil Sword Sages.
"You better work hard. Don't even think about slacking off here, or else you'll see worse."
Tatsuma finally pulled the Root ninja off the assembly line, leaving a few behind to supervise while sending others out on missions.
Recently, Root ninja had been severely understaffed, leading to many unfinished tasks.
Once freed from the assembly line, most Root ninja staggered, disbelief flashing in their eyes.
"Finally, we don't have to work anymore. Spying and combat are more my speed."
The Death Assembly Line was just too horrifying, unbearable even for experienced Root ninja who had endured countless trials.
The ninja watching the captives like hawks never let their guard down.
They feared even a small mistake might slow production, sending them right back to the line.
Foreign spies infiltrating Konoha faced brutal fates—caught, they were instantly shipped to the factory for forced re-education through labor.
Their productivity even exceeded past rates.
Root preferred to imprison a thousand innocents than let one guilty party slip away.
Under such ruthless efficiency, enemy agents and informants fell one by one, thrown into the machinery of production.
Even children from the orphanage found themselves bewildered and brought to the factory by Root ninja, performing small chores they were capable of handling.
Being young, they at least possessed nimble hands and feet, making their output surprisingly high.
This overhaul successfully filled the labor shortages.
Seeing this, Tatsuma Aburame finally sighed in relief.
"Great! I'm back to being top-tier management!"
"Guess I'm just more suited to leadership. Let someone else handle the whole assembly line mess."
He quickly reported this good news to Danzo, who offered him a satisfied smile.
All for Konoha—he carried its burdens with unwavering resolve.
With the Fire's Root Factory running smoothly, he finally felt some peace.
Just then, a Root ninja suddenly appeared, delivering a piece of intelligence to Danzo.
Looking at the emblem of the Land of Rain, Danzo's eyes gleamed with interest. He swiftly unsealed the letter and scanned its contents.
After finishing the letter, a smile once again spread across his face.
"Excellent news. Sanshouo Hanzo of the Land of Rain, known as the Semi-Immortal, has agreed to my request and is willing to cooperate with me in establishing a factory within the Land of Rain."
His ambitions were grand; naturally, building just one factory was never his intention.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's opposition made it clear that expanding the Fire's Root Factory within Konoha—or even throughout the entire Land of Fire—was impossible.
To vigorously develop and earn massive profits, he needed to adopt a labor-intensive system.
Looking across all of Konoha, only Satori Hyūga's factory generated better revenue than his own, but that was merely because Satori had established his earlier.
Just a junior member. Danzo was certain he could outdo him.
The Land of Rain lay very close to the Land of Fire. For various reasons, it remained underdeveloped, and many of its people struggled to get enough food.
Its closeness to the Land of Fire and the poverty of its people made it the ideal place to establish his factories.
Moreover, gaining Sanshouo Hanzo's support was essentially the same as securing the Daimyo's approval—building factories there would face no resistance.
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