"Yeah, yeah, yeah! With the Sixth Hokage's strength, he could totally just take money openly—no need to steal it at all… ∑(°Д°)"
"I think so too. The Sixth Hokage has taken money plenty of times before—why would he make a move over the treasury's petty change?"
Hearing everyone's trust in him, Shinju felt pretty pleased—though some people really didn't know how to watch their mouths.
Shinju: "Whoever just said I grab money—come to my office after work! (*Ӧ)σ"
The manager panicked. "We finally got a lead, and the suspect is still the Sixth Hokage—so what are we supposed to do with this case? (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
Shinju patted the manager on the shoulder.
"You can commission the village's ninja to help investigate this."
"Considering the possible negative impact and the high value of the stolen property, I've decided to classify this as an S-rank mission. I, the Hokage, will personally investigate it for you! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Hearing that Shinju was willing to step in, the bank manager was overwhelmed with excitement.
"Thank you, Sixth Hokage-sama! ꒦ິ^꒦ິ"
Nearby, members of the security force whispered among themselves.
"Does the village even have S-rank missions?"
"According to the Hokage-sama, S-rank should be above A-rank, which means the commission fee will be even higher."
"Got it. The Hokage-sama has started grabbing money again. (;′⌒`)"
...
Three days later, Shinju was browsing reports related to the Byakuya Gang.
Naturally, the task of investigating the Byakuya Gang fell to Naruto and Sasuke.
It wasn't that Shinju was shirking responsibility—there was simply too much going on in the village these past two days, and he couldn't get away.
He could have sent out a shadow clone, but leaving Naruto and Sasuke—two top-tier combat assets—unused would have been a waste.
As for the gemstone stolen from the bank, after seeing the photos, Shinju realized it was a fragment from the crystal mountain he had created years ago using Crystal Release.
So he used Crystal Release to make an identical replacement for the bank and successfully earned a hefty commission fee.
With that, the matter became far less urgent, and he could let Sasuke and the others investigate at their own pace.
That afternoon, while reviewing documents, Shinju received a message from Sasuke saying they had found a recent activity site of the Byakuya Gang and asked Shinju to come take a look.
So Shinju created a clone.
...
In a village dozens of km away from Konoha.
Shinju's clone used Flying Thunder God to appear behind Naruto and asked,
"What did you find? Why call me over so urgently?"
Naruto pointed ahead. "There—see for yourself."
The clone leaned forward and saw a hundred-meter-high cliff before them, with a river flowing below…
Shinju asked in confusion, "What's going on? Explain it properly. (°ー°〃)"
Sasuke stepped forward. "This village is built on a cliff. Water is scarce, and every time the villagers fetch water, they have to walk for several hours. A few days ago, the Byakuya Gang came here and used the money they stole to build a waterwheel for the village, which can transport water up from below the cliff…"
As Sasuke spoke, the villagers slowly gathered around them.
An elderly white-haired man with a face full of wrinkles looked at Shinju.
"You're here to investigate the Byakuya Gang, aren't you?"
"Sir, your status is noble. In the past, I might not have even been qualified to speak to you—but today, could I beg you not to investigate the Byakuya Gang? (｡í _ ì｡)"
As he spoke, the old man's voice began to tremble, and his eyes gradually filled with tears…
He was likely someone highly respected in the village, lowering his dignity for the first time, begging so humbly.
"Our village lacks water. Every trip to fetch it takes four or five hours. We've done this for decades. Our crops fail, food is scarce, and the young and able are exhausted just hauling water…"
"It was the Byakuya Gang who saved us."
"You say they're thieves… that their money comes from improper means—do you think we don't know that? But they helped us… they built the waterwheel, and now the village has water. If you arrest them, we'll have no way to live. The entire village will just wait to die. We don't want to die—we want to live…"
After finishing his words, the old man's cloudy tears streamed down.
Hearing this, Shinju suddenly felt it all sound very familiar.
Beside Shinju, Naruto and Sasuke also fell silent.
After a few seconds, Shinju looked toward the waterwheel under construction in the distance and let out a long sigh. "Ah~"
The Byakuya Gang was certainly wrong—they were thieves.
But these villagers wanted to live, and they weren't wrong to lower their dignity and plead.
"I am the Sixth Hokage of Konoha—Shinju. The construction of your village's waterwheel will be funded by me!"
Shinju suddenly declared loudly.
"I won't say more—but the Byakuya Gang must still be investigated!"
With that, Shinju left with Naruto and Sasuke.
...
On the road.
Naruto walked with his head lowered, his worries written all over his face.
Shinju asked, "What's wrong? Still can't get over something?"
Naruto said, "I never imagined there were places this poor in the Land of Fire. Did you see those kids? Malnourished—dry skin, waxy yellow faces… Even though we were orphans as kids, we never had it this hard… and those elderly people—their wrinkles were so deep."
"I thought that once the ninja world had peace, once there was no war, everyone would live happily…"
Hearing this, Shinju replied, "You've been a ninja for so many years—you should know that reality is always worlds apart from ideals. The suffering we see is only the tip of the iceberg of this world's misery."
Naruto said, "I don't understand. Doesn't the daimyo of the Land of Fire see situations like this? (||๐_๐)"
Shinju spread his hands.
"No idea. I've been Hokage for a year now, and I've only seen the Land of Fire's daimyo once. ┐(´-｀)┌"
"But if you think the world as it is now isn't good, you can try to change it."
"Hokage or daimyo—neither is absolutely correct. They can be overturned."
"Naruto, use your own eyes to see the world. Seek your own answer."
Shinju's tone was calm as he spoke, as if he were just stating what he'd eaten for breakfast—but to Naruto, it was different. He felt something deep inside him begin to shake…
Across from them, Sasuke glanced at Shinju, then at the silent Naruto. (๑°⌓°๑)
It felt like Shinju's words would have an enormous impact on the future shape of the world…
Shinju might be the driving force of reform, and Naruto might be the one who leads it…
Breaking the silence, Shinju said casually, "Alright, don't just stand there. I talked with the upper echelons of the Land of Fire these past two days—we can now run thunder rail vehicles within the Land of Fire. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
"By the way, what should our company be called?"
"I came up with two names—'Make a Fortune Co.' and 'Rake It In Co.' What do you think? ❛‿˂̵✧"
Sasuke said, "Those names are way too tacky… can't you pick something with a bit more meaning? →_→"
...
Elsewhere, in the small mountain village.
Not long after Shinju and his group left, a member of the Byakuya Gang wearing a mask stepped out from a villager's house.
"This Hokage is more interesting than the legends say."
----------------
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