Chapter 52: Fourteen Years Old
"It's snowing..."
Pushing open the window, Hiiro Rinko leaned out, watching the quietly falling snowflakes, and took a deep breath of the icy air.
He held out his hand to catch a flake, feeling the cold melt in his palm, and smiled. "It's the first snow. A good omen."
Four years had passed since he graduated early and became a Chūnin. Now, at the end of his seventh year in Sunagakure, he was seeing snow for the first time in this world.
"Uu... good morning~ Rinko..."
A short hum came from the blankets. Karura, seemingly woken by the cold air, sat up with messy hair, rubbing her sleepy eyes and greeting her lover by the window.
"Have you gotten lazier lately, little rabbit?"
Rinko walked back to the bed, adjusted her nightgown to cover the red mark on her collarbone, and then tapped her on the head, not too hard. The still-half-asleep girl let out a cute "Uu" sound.
"It's a holiday... holidays from the hospital are precious~"
The little rabbit flopped lazily into his arms, snuggling her face against his neck, her voice muffled.
She had a point. The village hospital was never not busy, and since Sunagakure was a village that specialized in poison, the medical corps was even busier—whether it was developing new toxins or treating the unlucky fools who accidentally poisoned themselves, it was all extra work.
"Mhm... eh? Where's Pakura-chan?"
After getting her "Rinko-charge," Karura finally noticed someone was missing from the bed.
"Pakura woke up way earlier than you, you low-stamina weakling. She probably went to get the morning paper."
Bound by his 'Sleepless' Vow, Rinko had already showered and gone to his study after their night's activities. He only returned to the bedroom when he figured it was almost dawn.
The 'Morning Paper' was also something he'd created in the last few years.
It was a good tool for internal propaganda, concisely informing the average villager about recent events in the Shinobi World and what their own village was doing. It was also another way to stimulate the economy.
Money only has value when it flows.
Rinko would sometimes publish his own miscellaneous essays in it, or run ads for his workshop.
It was worth noting that Sakaki Tatsuma had come to work for him immediately after graduating. While he wasn't a good shinobi, Ahahaha-kun had a real talent for finance and trade.
Thanks to him, Rinko was making a fortune, so much so that he was even subsidizing Sunagakure's finances. His domestic mass-produced puppets, ninja tools, custom orders, storage scrolls, textbooks, and new tech expos were one thing; his exported tin toys, ninja dolls, and blind-box ninja cards were selling out.
After he developed the "permanent magnet drive" core technology—an extension of Magnet Release—and created semi-autonomous puppets, Rinko's, and by extension Sunagakure's, productivity had multiplied.
Of course, limited by the production of the 'permanent magnet cores' from the Third Kazekage (Vegeta) and Bunpuku, the number of these semi-autonomous puppets was not high, with only a few dozen units being produced each month, depending on the model. And these puppets weren't skilled enough for complex work, let alone actual combat.
But to partially liberate productivity... anyone with ambition knows what that means for technological development.
Slowly, slowly. Resources can't be created from nothing. You have to snowball it.
Of course, all foreign trade was handled through layers of shell companies. The security for the transport was evenly distributed among the great villages, depending on the destination. He didn't expect to gain any intel this way; the main goal was to wash the connection to Suna—both from the eyes of other villages and the Land of Wind's Daimyō.
When your Hidden Village starts its own trade, has its own resource channels, makes its own money, and even has its own labor force...
What, is Sunagakure planning a rebellion?
Because of this, very few people even inside Suna knew about the trading company or the production lines.
In short, with money and productivity, many of Rinko's concepts could finally be put into practice. His workshop, located on the outskirts of Sunagakure, had three floors above ground for living, receiving guests, and showcasing results. Below ground, it extended down five massive floors.
It contained a research institute, a testing ground, an assembly plant, a hangar for large-scale puppets, and a library that spanned all five levels, accessible by rails or stairs.
He'd skipped the elevator. The wiring and power consumption for the lights were already giving Rinko a headache; an elevator would be even more trouble. Besides, he might need to expand again. Once his bibliomania was triggered, it wouldn't be easily satisfied.
Novels, plays, travelogues, recipes, specialized textbooks... he collected every type of book, and if they were related to ninjutsu or mythology, even better.
He was in heaven.
As for how he, Karura, and Pakura got to this point...
It was probably an accident.
After the birth of his nephew, Sasori, Rinko's mental state had changed. Simply put, he became gentler, more considerate, and well-suited to family life.
This change made Karura feel that her chances of "capturing" Rinko had increased.
But during that time, Pakura accidentally developed her Kekkei Genkai: Scorch Release (Shakuton).
Karura had been subtly and not-so-subtly reminded by Chiyo to use an "excellent bloodline" to keep Rinko's Uzumaki bloodline in Sunagakure. She had done her homework, hoping to win the champion's seat with her own family's legacy of superior Chakra control.
And then Pakura's Kekkei Genkai shattered all her plans.
That's right! A Kekkei Genkai! What bloodline is more "excellent" than that?
A little-known fact: rabbits get very, very lonely.
In her despair, the little rabbit dug up her family's hidden stash of hard liquor, got completely drunk, and ran to the workshop's training ground, wailing like a defeated animal.
At that exact moment, Pakura was showing Rinko her new Kekkei Genkai.
Rinko's response to Karura's tearful, heart-wrenching emotional breakdown was: "You've come at the perfect time."
Obviously. The atmosphere was already at that point; how could he possibly choose just one? Besides, the whole point was to 'continue the bloodline.' Naturally, the more, the better. The Suna high command would agree completely.
Another little-known fact: rabbits are actually much fiercer than many common animals.
Fueled by liquid courage, the little rabbit puffed out her chest and challenged the great demon king.
And then…