In a place not far away, Uchiha Shisui stood quietly, his heart filled with a quiet gratification.
For a long time, the Uchiha clan had been like people groping through the darkness, lacking a reliable channel to reach high-level information in a timely manner. Within the Anbu, high-ranking Uchiha were few and far between. By the Hokage's side, there were none. The inherent arrogance of the Uchiha made their relationships with other clans delicate and far from harmonious.
Beyond the Jonin meetings, the massive Uchiha clan was like a headless fly, unable to find a single source to detect the shifting winds of the village leadership. News always arrived late, trickling into the clan only after matters had been settled.
Now, Shisui's presence finally gave the Uchiha a pair of eyes looking upward. They finally had a dependable path to high-level intelligence. At the very least, from the current situation, Shisui was highly regarded by Orochimaru.
After his wealth began to accumulate at a dizzying pace, Hiruko's popularity skyrocketed. He truly possessed a breathtaking talent for generating revenue. The competition between Konoha's various departments flared up like a lit powder keg, but compared to the old days of cutthroat tension, the atmosphere was much healthier.
Even the weakest sectors—the orphanage and the nursing home—ushered in a new era. With ample funding, all difficulties were swept away. The old, dilapidated shacks were torn down and replaced by sturdy, modern concrete buildings. The ratio of caretakers to children improved from 1:30 to 1:10, ensuring the children received much better attention.
The orphans, who once only tasted sweets in their dreams, now had candy every few days. Even nutritious staples like meat, eggs, and milk were supplied in abundance. The children's faces gradually grew rosy, and the light of hope flickered in their eyes once more. Since this was Hiruko's "private plot" in Konoha, he was naturally willing to pour capital into it.
Danzo was extremely displeased with Hiruko's method of nurturing the next generation, as a portion of Root's recruits were traditionally scouted from the orphanage. Hiruko was effectively digging up the very roots of the Root organization.
Under Hiruko's insistence, any child who wished to could receive basic shinobi enlightenment education at the orphanage, including the foundational Three Basic Jutsu.
Hiruko's actions weren't merely humanitarian; they held a deeper strategic meaning. In the current Konoha, the Great Clans held a disproportionate amount of resources, which hindered the village's balanced growth. Minato Namikaze agreed with this view, advocating for more resources to be allocated to civilians to weaken the influence of the shinobi clans.
Hiruko drew upon knowledge from his past life—enlightening the masses and mimicking an imperial examination system. Civilians far outnumbered ninjas; if enough civilians could be trained to balance out the clan ninjas, the latter's dominance would gradually fade before the sheer weight of numbers.
While ordinary ninjas lacked secret techniques or Kekkei Genkai and were born with weaker constitutions, geniuses still emerged from the civilian ranks. Since the Senju clan integrated into Konoha, talents had appeared in succession, with Minato Namikaze being the prime example. Few bloodline ninjas could suppress him among his peers.
When the number of civilian ninjas reaches a certain threshold, the advantage of bloodlines will eventually be smoothed over, making them the backbone of Konoha. However, the biggest obstacle to this plan was the immense cost. Fortunately, as a tycoon with a knack for profit, Hiruko could continuously provide the necessary financial backing.
After several days of continuous work, Hiruko finally found a break. Today, a drizzling rain fell. Feeling unburdened, he decided to visit the orphanage. He viewed this place as his own territory and needed to visit often to spread his philosophy.
When the small children swarmed toward him like birds returning to their nest, a gentle smile played on his lips. Facing these innocent lives, he instinctively withdrew his aura; after all, children's hearts are not yet stained by the world's cynicism. Candy and trinkets rustled in his palms, eliciting cheers of joy.
The commotion alerted the caretakers on duty in the backyard, who came over to bow in unison.
"Lord Hiruko!"
Hiruko waved them off. "Take the children inside. Even light rain can give them a cold."
He walked inside, passing through the corridors and pushing open the inner wooden door. Nonō Yakushi was at her desk, working; the black-and-white nun's habit outlined her mature silhouette. Having removed her shinobi gear, this medical ninja appeared even more elegant with her bare face, her eyes reflecting a tranquil, reassuring warmth. Beneath the loose robe, her graceful figure was faintly visible. The way she focused on reviewing documents looked like a delicate ink wash painting.
Seeing Hiruko, Nonō immediately stood up and bowed deeply. "Lord Hiruko, you've come!"
Hiruko nodded and sat down at the table. "Miss Nonō, has everything been well lately?"
A smile instantly lit up Nonō's warm face. "Thanks to you, everything is going very smoothly. There's nothing to worry about. Yesterday, several teachers from the Academy visited; they said a dozen of the children have excellent talent and plan to have them study at the Academy."
The Academy usually accepts very few students, and after the final exams, only a handful end up under a Jonin's tutelage. Cases like the Neji-Lee-Tenten trio were not outliers; while elite education played a part, it was largely because the school lacked the funds for enough teaching staff.
With sufficient funding and more teachers, Genin and Chunin could play a much larger role on the battlefield. Konoha, seasoned by war, understood the importance of talent. Now that Konoha was flush with cash, many Jonin were attracted to teaching positions. Compared to the past, the village had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
"I see. Then I'll leave it in your hands," Hiruko said.
He had given Nonō many tasks. These little ones would need to inherit his will in the future—they were his long-term play for the shinobi world. As a transmigrator, he didn't want any "side effects" when he eventually conquered this world.
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