After finishing their meal, Yuzuru and Kabuto prepared to leave.
From now on, Yakushi Nonō would serve as the head of this orphanage, responsible for maintaining its daily operations.
Yuzuru smiled as he asked, "Nonō, do you feel confident you can handle this?"
Nonō nodded, her voice steady. "I will not disappoint you, Lord Yuzuru."
She had already reviewed the orphanage's welfare standards, which were far superior to anything in Konoha.
Funding, supplies, facilities, education, staff…
Every aspect was plentiful.
If she couldn't succeed in such an environment, she might as well go find a tree and end it.
"If you ever need anything, just come to me."
Yuzuru was preparing to leave when Nonō suddenly called out, "Lord Yuzuru, please wait."
Yuzuru stopped and turned around.
"What is it?"
Nonō stepped in front of him and immediately knelt.
"Lord Yuzuru, you are the kindest person I have ever met."
"As long as you ever need anything, I am willing to give everything."
With that, she bowed deeply, performing a perfect dogeza (deep bow).
Yuzuru helped her up, righteous and firm. "I don't do these things for personal gain."
"When the shinobi world is unified in the future, every orphan will receive the same treatment as those in the orphanage of Kumogakure."
Life is a stage, and acting is everything.
Whether he could achieve that in the future didn't matter. What mattered was painting a beautiful picture first.
As expected, after hearing him, Yakushi Nonō froze in place.
Yuzuru could practically hear the violent pounding of her heart beneath her pale skin.
"Lord Yuzuru…"
Upon hearing her whisper, Yuzuru rested a hand lightly on her head. "Let's work hard together."
Only after Yuzuru and Kabuto completely disappeared did Yakushi Nonō nod vigorously, raising her fist.
Work hard together!
————
————
After leaving the orphanage, Yuzuru led Kabuto to Orochimaru's research base.
Seeing the notorious former Sannin—who had defected for human experimentation—Kabuto felt tension flash across his face.
He could feel the dangerous aura radiating from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's golden slitted eyes glanced at Kabuto as he asked, "Yuzuru-kun, why did you personally bring me experimental material today?"
In one sentence, Kabuto almost collapsed. "Experimental… material?"
"Just a joke."
Not funny at all.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, unwilling to meet Orochimaru's gaze.
Orochimaru licked his lips, curious. "Yuzuru-kun, what's special about this child?"
"His name is Kabuto. He's very smart—an excellent fit as a research assistant."
"With his help, you should save quite a bit of effort."
Hearing this, Orochimaru examined Kabuto more carefully and nodded. "To earn Yuzuru-kun's praise, you must indeed have some value."
"I'll take you in. But if your performance disappoints me later, I won't show mercy just because of Yuzuru-kun."
Kabuto bowed respectfully. "I understand, Lord Orochimaru."
After arranging things for Kabuto, Yuzuru had no intention of staying any longer.
Ever since he'd sensed the complicated look Orochimaru gave him last time, he'd kept his distance.
So he simply said, "If that's all, I'll take my leave."
"Yuzuru-kun, wait." Orochimaru took two steps forward. "The village hasn't provided experimental funding for two months. If you have time, speak to the Third Raikage about this."
"Is that so?"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow.
With the Third Raikage's personality, he wouldn't cut funding on his own.
Could there be a financial issue?
With that thought, Yuzuru waved a hand. "Leave this to me. I'll handle it—Sayonara~"
————
————
Raikage Building.
With a ripple of space, Yuzuru appeared directly inside the Raikage's office.
The room was still piled with documents. The Third Raikage sat to one side drinking tea, while Tōdai and Mabuma worked through the paperwork at the desk.
Seeing Yuzuru appear, the Third Raikage's eyes lit up.
"Yuzuru, are you free lately? How about a spar?"
"Sitting in this office all day is suffocating me."
Yuzuru replied calmly, "If you want a fight, go see A. He's also a battle maniac."
The Third Raikage waved dismissively. "Beating him is like a father beating his son. No fun at all."
"…"
Yuzuru's mouth twitched.
He wasn't wrong. It really was a father beating a child.
"Right, did you come here today for something?"
Yuzuru nodded. "Orochimaru told me the lab's funding has been cut for two months. What happened?"
Hearing this, the Third Raikage looked toward Tōdai.
Tōdai lifted his head and explained, "Lord Yuzuru, since we occupied the Land of Rain, the Land of Iron, the Land of Hot Water, and more, we've been following your instructions to establish basic infrastructure there."
"But the scale of the projects is too large. We're running short on funds."
Yuzuru skimmed the financial report Tōdai handed over, expression steady.
In recent years, the Land of Lightning had been peacefully strengthening itself, constantly developing land and building public facilities.
Though these would all yield long-term profit, the early investment required was massive.
And with no more plundered income, the treasury was running thin.
But that was fine—when money ran low, you just went and took some.
War was always the fastest way to get rich. Some nations had been fattened up for years. It was time to harvest them.
He couldn't let others enjoy prosperity while they struggled. And it was the perfect chance to visit Konoha—no way they were living too comfortably.
Thinking of this, Yuzuru tossed the file on the table. "Leave this to me. I'll head to the Land of Fire for some sponsorship."
The Third Raikage's eyes brightened. "I'll go with you!"
"Next time for sure."
Yuzuru finished speaking and vanished with Kamui.
He was going to ask his old home for 'support.' Bringing the Third Raikage along would be ridiculous.
And after a period of focused research, he had developed a new forbidden technique.
The last time he'd left Konoha, the explosive tags hadn't delivered the effect he wanted.
This time, he would definitely give the people of Konoha a surprise.