Chapter 42 – Yujiro: Money Can Solve Most Problems — Konoha's Great Revival!
Jiraiya had been completely outmaneuvered by Uchiha Yujiro's logic.
He could only let out a helpless laugh in the end.
After that, though, he said nothing more.
He might have accepted Yujiro's reasoning in his heart, but he was still one of the Legendary Sannin—being talked down to by a junior bruised his pride a bit.
After all, Yujiro wasn't Naruto.
He didn't have a "Kotoamatsukami" growing on his tongue.
So Jiraiya simply turned toward Minato and said, "Minato."
"Yes, sensei?"
"I'll be honest," Jiraiya began, his tone softening. "When I first heard you'd become Hokage, I was worried—especially given the timing. But seeing you now… I'm relieved."
It was indirect praise for Yujiro, of course—
as if to say, with Uchiha Yujiro by your side, you'll do just fine.
Minato smiled faintly. "Yes… I'm truly grateful to Yujiro."
But the tone of his voice made it sound less like gratitude and more like he was forcing himself to swallow a durian-stinky-tofu-blue-cheese smoothie.
Yujiro squinted at him and muttered,
"What's with that face? You're acting like I made you eat rotten tofu mixed with durian, not… you know, save your entire economy."
---
And with that, the initial saga of the Ryūchi Cave Vitality Tonic and Rejuvenation Powder came to an end.
What followed was an unprecedented commercial frenzy.
Merchants from across the Land of Fire flooded into Konoha, bags of money in hand, shouting for double orders, triple orders, as much as possible!
The factory workers had no choice but to work overtime—996 schedule, nonstop.
But in the ninja world, that wasn't exploitation.
In fact, having work was considered a blessing.
There were plenty of people who'd kill for a 996 job—if only they had arms left to do the killing.
Yujiro's factory, of course, had political motives.
He gave hiring priority to disabled veterans and their families—the maimed, the broken, the forgotten.
Both former soldiers and ex-ANBU found work there.
That single move not only boosted Konoha's employment rate but also temporarily patched the hole in the war pension budget—though it still cost Minato two more strands of hair.
At the same time, it dramatically increased Yujiro's political capital—paving the way for his eventual bid for higher office.
Because, really, ninja could endure anything.
What was a little 996 to them?
They'd probably thank him for it.
---
Uchiha Yujiro was on top of the world.
His investment had paid off—massively.
He'd risked everything: the newspaper profits, his savings, his reputation—and it had all worked out beautifully.
Not in a year.
Not even in six months.
Two months.
In just two months, he'd already recouped his entire initial investment—
and that was only from deposit payments.
In shinobi trade terms, the usual deposit-to-principal ratio was 20/80.
Meaning Yujiro's profits had already quadrupled his costs.
And there was no risk of getting scammed—
he was dealing with shinobi merchants, not merchants from Industan.
There were crooks, sure, but not that many.
And the best part?
This was just the first wave.
More merchants were already lining up, shouting the equivalent of:
"Shut up and take my money!"
They were paying multiple times the price just to secure shipments of Ryūchi Cave Tonic and Powder.
And that was only within the Land of Fire.
The other four Great Nations—and countless smaller ones—hadn't even joined the party yet.
Yujiro's vision was simple:
turn Konoha into a high-tech industrial powerhouse.
Steel, metallurgy, ships, automobiles, heavy and light industry alike—he wanted it all.
A complete transformation from a ninja village into an economic empire.
If ninety percent of Konoha's civilians ended up depending on the Uchiha for their livelihoods…
Would they dare not vote for an Uchiha as Hokage?
Would they dare risk him pulling out his investments?
Of course, that was just talk.
In truth, there was no safer or more convenient city in the entire shinobi world than Konoha.
The surrounding Forest of Death might look intimidating,
but compared to the poverty-stricken, monster-infested regions around the other Hidden Villages,
Konoha was practically paradise.
Naturally, the merchants didn't just come for vitality powder.
While here, they bought and sold all sorts of smaller goods,
stimulating Konoha's economy and boosting the Hokage's tax revenue.
When they left, most hired Konoha's transport teams for shipping—
and while they were at it, they hired Konoha's ninja for "protection."
Protection from what?
Well… rival merchants sometimes had accidents.
---
It went without saying that Yujiro got a cut of everything.
All distribution ran through Konoha's own logistics network—
no profits left the village—and loyal partners even got a 20% discount.
Everyone won.
And when everyone profits, that's true prosperity.
From a macroeconomic standpoint, Yujiro reasoned,
what mattered wasn't how much he personally earned,
but how much liquidity he created for Konoha.
---
Minato was thoroughly pleased with Yujiro's "philanthropy."
So was Jiraiya.
Neither of them knew that Yujiro had also quietly funneled a generous portion of the profits to Orochimaru—
a research grant, he called it—
worth twice what Danzō used to give him.
And it would only grow with time.
Orochimaru's last bit of hesitation melted away.
He was finally ready to execute his beautiful betrayal of Danzō without restraint.
Meanwhile, neither Minato nor Jiraiya realized the meaning of a single, dangerous new word that was about to reshape Konoha's future:
"Political Donations."
As the funding provided by Uchiha Yujiro began playing an enormous—indeed, irreplaceable—role in Minato's administration, Yujiro's influence rose like a rocket.
Not gradually.
Not steadily.
But explosively.
When the treasury relied on his money to keep running, when the orphanages, hospitals, and reconstruction projects all bore his financial fingerprints—Yujiro's voice carried weight.
And in the event of a disagreement between them, would Minato really dare pull a "Third Hokage" move and tell him, with righteous fury:
"I'm the Hokage!"
The very thought made Yujiro's grin widen.
He turned toward Orochimaru and said cheerfully, "Well then, partner—everything I promised you, I've fulfilled. Now I'll be waiting for your good news. Heh… heh… heh."
If Minato and Jiraiya hadn't been sitting right in front of him, he probably would've broken into the full Uchiha signature cackle right there.
Still, a silent laugh couldn't hurt.
"Hahahahaha…"
---
And thus, the grand saga of the Ryūchi Cave Vitality Powder came to a joyful conclusion.
The conversation then shifted into deeper, more serious waters.
It was time to discuss the Rain Village, Akatsuki, and—inevitably—Jiraiya's troublesome disciples.
"Danzō will never admit to his involvement," Yujiro said firmly.
"Sending regular shinobi won't work either," Minato added, rubbing his temples.
"Then what about official diplomatic envoys?"
"Hmm…" Minato frowned.
After a long, fruitless debate between Yujiro and Minato, the room fell silent.
Then Jiraiya slammed his hand on the table, eyes blazing.
"Enough talk. I'll go myself!"
Both men looked at him in shock.
Yujiro, meanwhile, stared at the man's resolute expression—then, inwardly, his imagination started to spin.
"Next episode: Death of the Great Toad Sage: Jiraiya!"