Konoha was growing farther and farther away—one more turn and the Hokage Rock would vanish from sight.
At that moment, Uchiha Yorin felt it:
The gears of fate had begun to turn.
Yes—exactly that feeling.
The storm would hit ten years early and sweep across the ninja world. And he, Uchiha Yorin, would be its eye.
Uchiha Yorin: "Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh~"
Jiraiya: "In high spirits, aren't we, Yorin-kun."
Uchiha Yorin: "Seeing the Legendary Sannin gather—it makes even me excited.
Makes you wonder: if we were enemies instead of allies, who would really be the strongest?"
Orochimaru: "Heh-heh~ Is that how you feel, Yorin-kun? I admit, I'm curious.
Jiraiya—of the three of us, who's the strongest?"
Jiraiya: "You too, huh…"
Chatting about the fun stuff, the three moved on.
Shinobi travel fast; it wouldn't take long to reach the Land of Fire's capital.
The road this time was nothing like a few months ago—public order had improved a lot.
Orochimaru: "Tch."
He clearly wasn't pleased. Whether Ryūchi Cave was short on rations or his lab short on test subjects, who could say.
That said, Yorin found it odd.
With Root's clout, how could they not supply Orochimaru with enough experimental material?
The ninja world lacks many things, but not people.
With a little Danzō brainwashing, dress them up like bandits to ambush travelers—ten bodies a day for Orochimaru shouldn't be an issue. Why go after villagers?
Is it because of chakra? Or kekkei genkai?
It can't just be the shameful reason of "this is more convenient," right?
If it is, Danzō's "deserves to die" level just climbed again.
It was already maxed out.
Lucky for you, old man—no one can kill you twice. And you're no Madara—no revives for you. That's your good fortune.
…
"This improvement owes a bit to you, too, Yorin-kun."
Orochimaru offered a dry take: "Konoha Transport Company was your idea, wasn't it? Because business is booming, the roads in the Land of Fire are a lot safer."
"There's such a backstory? I'm impressed."
Jiraiya's eyes brightened; his look toward Yorin softened.
He'd thought Yorin was just a "quirky Uchiha." Turns out the kid had chops.
As for why a thriving transport corps would reduce bandits—simple.
Before, shinobi took missions passively. Only when merchants or villagers posted requests would they hunt bandits.
Bandits outside the scope of a request weren't touched.
Not everyone thinks like Yorin—clean up the environment, everyone makes more money. Most don't even flip the logic and see that bandits are a shinobi's "rice and grain," their meal ticket; they just grind missions mechanically.
Konoha's transport corps changed that.
Wherever the convoys went, every bandit along the route had to be farmed—only then could Konoha's delivery speed stay high.
Move one extra load a day, and by month's end you've paid for a bowl of Ichiraku ramen. Money piles up like that. Shinobi may fumble other math, but when it touches money, they're very motivated.
With Konoha Transport running smoothly, travelers prospered too. Trade networks flourished, and the country began to thrive.
"Much as I hate to admit it, most of the time shinobi are a profession of destruction more than protection, sabotage more than creation.
Chaos, war, banditry—those are what keep shinobi busy, what make the world 'need' shinobi…
Often, shinobi are the antonym of peace, Jiraiya-sensei," Yorin said with a sigh.
"It can't be helped—we have to eat… But I hope this changes.
If shinobi can live well without starting wars and dealing death, maybe the world will become peaceful by consequence. What do you think, Jiraiya-sensei?"
"…"
"When I was your age, I never thought that far. You're something else, Yorin."
Jiraiya was impressed not only by Yorin's words and vision, but by how he matched word and deed.
Pretty speeches are easy. People who act on them—rare. People who act and get good results—rarer still.
"It's not my achievement alone," Yorin demurred when praised.
"If everyone hadn't pitched in, Konoha Transport wouldn't exist.
Changing the world has never been a solo job. More than a 'Child of Prophecy,' I believe in the power of the many."
…
The phrase "Child of Prophecy" made Jiraiya's heart skip; he nearly asked if Yorin knew the Great Toad's vision.
But with Orochimaru right there—bad timing.
After that thread passed, Yorin lost interest in more talk.
Today's "gentle guidance" for Jiraiya was done. Time to pick up the pace. If Tsunade wasn't in the capital, they'd have to hit other cities, one by one.
Along the way they'd use Konoha intel support. Jiraiya would dispatch his contracted toads; Orochimaru's snakes and Yorin's ninja cats would search too.
After a month of this grind—guess what? They still didn't find Tsunade.
…
"This is getting troublesome."
In an izakaya after a long day, the trio discussed the Tsunade search over dinner.
Jiraiya: "It's strange—several times I sensed Tsunade, but when we got there, no one. Is she avoiding us on purpose?"
Yorin thought, Congrats, you've hit the truth. She is avoiding us.
Of the Sannin, the one most disappointed in Konoha right now might not even be Orochimaru—it could be Tsunade.
Expectation breeds disappointment.
She lost her clan, her kin, her lover—everything… There's nothing left for her to fear.
As for Jiraiya and Orochimaru, they never had those things, so there was nothing to lose.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!