Mamoru's eyes flickered behind his sunglasses, knowing that the real test had come.
How many cards to reveal required careful weighing. Only by being appropriately honest about his abilities could he gain trust.
"My eyes are indeed not the Sharingan." Mamoru took off the sunglasses from his face, revealing the pair of blue eyes underneath.
"I call them the Six Eyes."
"Six Eyes..." Hiruzen pondered slightly, his tone grave. "From my observation, these eyes should be related to your Space-Time Ninjutsu, correct?"
"Exactly." Mamoru admitted frankly. "I can manipulate space to generate gravity. And what the Byakugan can do, the Six Eyes can not only do but do better, it can see things at a deeper level. Because of this, Genjutsu is ineffective against me."
"I see." Hiruzen looked thoughtful, his pipe pausing between his fingers.
This description of the ability clearly exceeded his expectations.
"..."
Standing to the side, Kurenai's eyelid twitched slightly, clearly shocked by this conversation.
"Mamoru, how do you view Konoha?" Hiruzen slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, the white mist swirling in the air, making his deep gaze even harder to read.
Mamoru didn't answer immediately. He pondered for a moment, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the Hokage Office, looking toward some distant corner of the village.
"How should I put it..."
He pinched his chin with one hand while unconsciously spinning his sunglasses with the other.
"There are birds that spread their wings in the sunlight, and there are insects that crawl through the mud but all that is too complicated for me."
At this point, his tone shifted, becoming exceptionally firm. "I only know that Konoha is my home and has the people I want to protect."
He knew in his heart that with the talent he had currently displayed, becoming a top-tier powerhouse of Konoha in the future was a foregone conclusion. This point was naturally clear to those with intentions.
The Higher-Ups of Konoha were bound to have many concerns. After all, for someone like him, if there was a lack of a sense of belonging to the village, he would surely become a huge unstable factor in the future. Therefore, this was not the right occasion for him to speak recklessly.
As the representative of the moderates, Hiruzen had always emphasized ideological unity.
His usual radical remarks were fine to say in private, but if brought to the table, they would be inappropriate. He might even be labeled as 'Orochimaru the Second,' and it wouldn't be fun to be monitored by the Anbu all day long.
Hiruzen gazed at him deeply, as if trying to pierce through his soul.
Mamoru looked back frankly, dropping his usual lazy attitude and straightening his back.
After a long time, Hiruzen finally withdrew his gaze and sighed with an ambiguous tone, "Is that so."
Mamoru added, "Also, I believe that beneath Konoha's prosperity, there are huge crises hidden."
"Explain in detail." Hiruzen took the pipe away from his mouth and leaned forward slightly, showing an attentive posture.
"Our ninja village's income relies heavily on external commissions, this is equivalent to handing over our lifeblood to the market." Mamoru's voice was clear and steady.
"Once an organization with lower prices appears, the village's entire economic lifeline will be heavily hit."
He paused and continued, "We must plan ahead and vigorously develop the economy, such as the tourism industry. This is also an industry I am very optimistic about that can bring us stable income."
His eyes grew brighter and his tone more impassioned. "Turn our Konoha's 'will of fire' ninja culture and natural scenery into a unique brand. This will not only create wealth but also showcase our soft power to the world."
"When the time comes, you can continue as Hokage and concurrently serve as Chairman. I'll serve as General Manager, responsible for specific operations."
Mamoru spread his arms, making a gesture of embracing the future, his eyes sparkling with idealistic light. "We'll turn Konoha into a diversified Ninja World tourist destination."
The office was silent.
The sound of cicadas outside suddenly seemed exceptionally piercing, chirp after chirp, as if accompanying this conversation.
"...Compared to fighting and killing, I believe most people want to live a stable life. Those modern ideas need to be updated."
Mamoru continued to talk incessantly, "By then, the will of fire will be transmitted to every corner of the world in diversified ways..."
"..."
Hiruzen's pipe hung in mid-air, a wisp of blue smoke rising slowly and swirling in front of his face.
"..."
Kurenai, standing to the side, was speechless.
She finally realized that Mamoru's previous seemingly joking 'business blueprints' were for real. What made her feel even more suffocated was that this whimsical plan was currently being stated in such a grand manner.
In the room, Mamoru's crisp voice was incessant, forming a subtle contrast with the solemn atmosphere inside.
"...We can also launch themed programs featuring ninja role-playing, so that tourists can also experience a day as a ninja. I've even thought of the slogan—Step into Konoha, become a ninja for a day."
"...Times have changed. We must jointly build social harmony, reform the Ninja World, and use prosperous and fair commerce to break all inequalities. Let economic ties replace the chains of hatred, this is the way of the future."
Mamoru concluded finally, looking at the Hiruzen with burning eyes. "What do you think?"
Kurenai couldn't help but cover her face, her shoulders trembling slightly as if she were trying hard to suppress something.
Hiruzen was stunned by what he heard, the pipe almost slipping from his hand. He quickly reached out to catch it and gave a light cough to hide his loss of composure.
"Uh... I think I roughly understand your thoughts." Hiruzen gripped his pipe firmly again, his tone carrying a bit of helplessness. "The ideas are very avant-garde, but young people shouldn't think about reaching the sky in one step. Be careful not to take too big a stride."
"Isn't that just old-era thinking?" Mamoru clenched his fist, his tone excited. "Technology changes lives, we should first introduce more advanced technology..."
"Cough, cough..." Hiruzen let out a series of coughs, forced to interrupt the other party.
If he let him continue, he feared that Konoha might truly disappear in some form.
Hiruzen decisively shifted the target, "The ideas are good but your current focus is Yakumo. Solving her problem is your primary mission."
"Alright." Mamoru shrugged.
It seemed his grand plan to dominate the business world would have to be temporarily shelved.
"If there's nothing else, you may withdraw."
"Yes." Kurenai replied respectfully.
Mamoru, however, was already walking out leisurely with his hands behind his head. His hand was already on the door frame, as if he didn't want to stay for another second.