Hearing that, Tsunade's brows furrowed again. Although she was proficient in Sealing Jutsu, she was not considered a master-level expert.
The sealing formula before them had already integrated the simplest solution she and Shinichi could think of, while still maintaining the effect.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she abruptly raised her head as a name appeared in her mind.
"I know who can help with this! Right! For this kind of problem, finding her may be the fastest solution! Stay here and wait for me! I'll be right back!"
After saying that, Tsunade did not even wait for the three to respond. She turned around energetically and strode rapidly toward the outside of the laboratory, her pace even more hurried than when she had arrived.
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared through the doorway, leaving only Shinichi, Shizune, and Kurenai Yuhi inside the laboratory.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Shizune recovered first. She looked at the more than thirty scrolls on the experimental table, her eyes filled with light as she softly said: "Kurenai, once this kind of medical scroll can truly be mass-produced, everyone in the village will be able to carry one during missions."
"At critical moments, it'll mean an extra layer of security. There'll be much less bleeding, far fewer sacrifices. Even in remote areas during missions, people could still receive timely treatment."
Just thinking that she herself was able to personally participate in such a great undertaking, one that might save countless comrades' lives, even if only by doing the most basic recording work, caused a surge of excitement and pride to rise in her heart.
"Yes, Shizune! If this kind of scroll can truly be mass-produced stably, it'll first become standard equipment for every ninja squad during missions, greatly improving survival rates and operational endurance. That alone would directly strengthen the village's overall power. But it's not just about missions."
Kurenai Yuhi was clearly thinking further ahead. She put down the recording board and said, "Think about it. Once the village's own needs are satisfied, it probably won't remain limited to Konoha's internal use."
"Cities throughout the Land of Fire, other friendly nations, and ninja villages, even wealthy merchants and nobles, everyone would definitely be willing to spend enormous sums to buy them. This could completely develop into a brand-new, massive source of income for the village, becoming one of its pillar industries. It could bring unimaginable wealth and resources to the village. With those resources, we could build better facilities, improve the lives of more ninja and civilians…"
The two girls exchanged glances, and both saw the brightness in each other's eyes.
Afterward, they simultaneously turned their gazes toward the black-haired boy still standing before the experimental table, slightly lowering his head as he examined the blueprints and materials.
The driving force behind this great innovation is their companion, Shinichi Higashino.
Was Shinichi always this handsome?
This thought almost simultaneously surfaced in the minds of both girls.
In their memories, the boy had always given people the impression of being gentle, reliable, intelligent, and strong, but, appearance-wise, he could at most be considered clean and refined.
Yet somehow, perhaps due to his rapid growth in height over the past year, his increasingly calm temperament, or because the contours of his side profile appeared especially distinct under the light while he concentrated on his research, they suddenly felt that the person before them seemed somewhat different now.
Probably… he had simply reached the age where he grew into his looks?
The two unconsciously gave themselves the same explanation in their hearts, then slightly shifted their gazes away, though the tips of their ears had become faintly warm in a way difficult to notice.
At this moment, Shinichi was completely unaware of the subtle thoughts that had passed through the two girls' minds. His thoughts had already wandered much farther.
The economic effects of medical scrolls?
This was merely the beginning.
Healthcare, beauty, cosmetics, and even the physical enhancement fields, certain men would enthusiastically welcome… The market was unimaginably vast.
And this was still limited only to the medical and related derivative fields.
In the future, for example, food chain stores under the Shinichi brand, as well as clothing, entertainment, transportation, communications, various industrial products, and even the internet…
There were far too many ideas and plans in Shinichi's mind capable of igniting demand rapidly, reshaping industries, and bringing enormous wealth and influence.
However, Shinichi was not in a hurry.
Most of these were moves that could only truly be unfolded comprehensively and maximized after he sat in the Hokage's seat and gained supreme authority and resources.
He was confident that once he took control of Konoha and gradually implemented the many concepts in his mind, Konoha's economic strength and living standards would experience explosive growth within a short period of time, directly achieving economic independence, to the point where it could completely maintain normal operations without relying on the Daimyo's support or mission commission fees.
Within ten years, it could become the world's number one metropolis, far surpassing every other city in the Shinobi World in terms of living standards, economic vitality, development level, and technological application.
But at this moment, his primary goal remained becoming stronger, strengthening his foundation, perfecting his system, generating and upgrading more talents.
At the same time, continue to accumulate prestige and win people over.
A medical scroll capable of mass production and benefiting all the village's ninja and civilians was more than sufficient at this stage.
As for his other grand ambitions, there was no need to unfold them until after he sat in that position.
After all, no matter how well Konoha developed, the greatest prestige and benefits would ultimately belong to the person sitting in the Hokage's seat.
And no matter how much he accomplished, at most, he would merely become the highly meritorious second-most-important figure.
That was not what Shinichi wanted.
...
At Minato Namikaze's home, a lively gathering was underway.
Warm light enveloped the living room, and the long table was covered with colorful, aromatic dishes.
Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze, and Team 7's Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara sat together.
"Come, let's have another toast!" Kushina Uzumaki once again raised the drink in her hand with the cheerful demeanor of the hostess.
"Cheers!" Everyone echoed as they raised their cups. After the crisp clinking sound, each took a drink.
The moment he put down his cup, Obito Uchiha impatiently resumed devouring the dishes before him. His cheeks bulged full as he praised indistinctly: "Mmm… delicious! Big sister Kushina's cooking is amazing, it's almost as good as Shinichi's…"
The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly choked, realizing what he had just said. He hurriedly raised his head, cheeks reddening as he frantically tried to fix it.
"Ah, no! I mean, big sister Kushina's cooking tastes even better! Right, even better!"
Beside the table, Kakashi did not even raise his eyelids as he flatly uttered one word: "Idiot."
Under normal circumstances, Obito Uchiha would definitely have jumped up to argue with Kakashi, but at this moment, he only nervously looked toward Kushina Uzumaki, afraid his careless words might upset her.
Hearing this, Kushina Uzumaki was first stunned, then burst out laughing as she waved her hand carelessly.
"Oh my, it's nothing. A lot of my cooking skills were learned from Cooking Master Boy. If we're talking about it, Shinichi can even be considered my teacher."