"What is he up to now?"
"That inherently evil Uchiha brat…"
Senju Tobirama muttered under his breath, his expression dark and wary. Despite his complaints, he still followed closely behind Uchiha Makoto as they left the room. The Lord of the Land of Fire had already pushed matters to the extreme, issuing more than a dozen urgent decrees in a single day, all demanding that this issue be resolved immediately.
If Tobirama continued to delay, the consequences would be severe.
The most crucial point was this: if the matter could not be settled satisfactorily, and if no explanation acceptable to the Land of Fire could be produced, then Konoha's budget for the coming year would be in serious danger. Konoha relied heavily on subsidies from the Land of Fire to sustain its development and expansion. Without that funding, it would inevitably fall behind other rising powers—especially Akatsuki Ninja Village, whose financial resources were alarmingly abundant.
The nobles of the Land of Fire were not gentle or forgiving figures. If they seized this opportunity to slash Konoha's budget, the village would be finished.
Senju Tobirama had no intention of letting this incident stain his reputation as Konoha's Shadow Hokage and Grand Elder.
If the budget were cut, the ninja clans would erupt in discontent.
And at the center of all of this trouble stood Uchiha Makoto—the mastermind. Even if no direct evidence could be uncovered, Tobirama was determined to force an explanation out of him.
Once again, he was inexplicably taking the blame because of an Uchiha.
Did that brat really think Tobirama was some kind of "Blame Hokage"?
Cursing inwardly, Tobirama followed in Makoto's footsteps.
Soon, the two arrived at a village.
At first glance, its condition was far from ideal. Yet compared to its previous state of desperation, it had improved remarkably. With the assistance of ninja skilled in Earth Release, the villagers had already constructed a large number of shelters—more than enough to survive the coming winter.
To better advance their business plans, Arasaka Company's technicians intended to overhaul the village's painfully outdated infrastructure. The place was so backward that it did not even have a proper road.
In the past, when the villagers relied solely on farming, this had not been a major issue. But now, Arasaka Company planned to introduce industrial development. Large tracts of land would no longer be reserved exclusively for crops and mulberry trees. Without proper roads, transportation and logistics would be impossibly inefficient.
The villagers were energetically carrying out the tasks assigned by Arasaka Company. After all, having eaten the company's food, they could hardly afford to be idle. Everyone had work to do.
Senju Tobirama entered the village with Uchiha Makoto, his mind filled with doubts. Although he had never been here before, he could roughly guess what the situation should have been like.
Along the way, Tobirama had rushed nonstop, taking only brief breaks to drink water and swallow a Byōganmaru to replenish his stamina. Even during those short pauses, he had seen countless ordinary people across the Land of Fire—ragged, hungry, and hopeless. They lived numb lives, repeating the same cycle generation after generation, just as their ancestors had.
In his youth, Tobirama would have felt sympathy for them. He might even have wanted to change such a world.
But he was a ninja.
And this was not a ninja's concern.
Instead of worrying about commoners, it was more practical to focus on growing stronger—strong enough to eliminate dangerous enemies, especially the Uchiha.
Years of bloodshed and duty had hardened him. He had grown accustomed to this reality, as though suffering were simply the natural state of the world.
The ninja world was a cesspool.
Not only were the lives of ninja steeped in pain and danger, but the lives of ordinary people were even worse. At least ninja possessed power beyond normal humans. Commoners had no such strength—no means of resistance at all. In a world where bloodlines and chakra determined everything, the saying "Are kings and generals born different?" was no longer philosophical nonsense but harsh reality.
The strong truly cared about bloodlines.
For ordinary people, suffering was the norm.
Prosperous Konoha was the anomaly—a rare, beautiful home painstakingly created by the united ninja clans. Those villagers fortunate enough to move into Konoha had seized the opportunity of their era.
With these thoughts in mind, Tobirama expected to see a village full of despair and lifeless eyes.
Instead, what he saw stunned him.
The village before him was still worn and dilapidated, yet it pulsed with vitality—an unprecedented vitality. The villagers bustled about, their movements brisk and purposeful. Most striking of all was the faint glimmer of light in their eyes.
Tobirama knew the difference well.
Eyes with light were not the same as empty ones.
As he gazed at the lively scene, a strange emotion welled up within him. It reminded him of those rare moments when, exhausted from endless work, he would stroll through Konoha's streets. Watching ordinary villagers go about their daily lives would ease his anxiety and lift his spirits.
Uchiha Makoto walked calmly along the roadside.
His elegant attire immediately marked him as someone extraordinary. Though the villagers did not recognize his face, the Akatsuki emblem on his forehead protector identified him instantly—a high-ranking ninja from Akatsuki Ninja Village.
Out of instinctive fear and respect, the villagers dared not approach too closely. Yet they still inched nearer, expressing their emotions in the simplest way they knew.
They knelt.
Hope, gratitude, and reverence filled their eyes.
Before the Akatsuki ninja had arrived, their lives had been miserable beyond words.
They lived hand to mouth.
In years of disaster, they starved.
In years of good harvest, they still starved.
Every year, a portion of their crops had to be handed over to the nobles. In good years, the demands increased. In bad years, they had to gamble with starvation.
After scraping by for an entire year, being able to eat white steamed buns during the New Year was already considered a luxury.
But now?
Disaster still loomed—yet these ninja allowed them to eat three full meals a day.
Even if only temporary, it was nothing short of miraculous.
According to the literate villagers, several large factories would be built next year. Something called "converting rice to mulberry" would be promoted. They did not understand what it meant, but if the ninja told them to plant mulberry trees, then they would plant them.
The women of the households also found work. Newly constructed textile factories needed female laborers. Their wages could help support their families, and most importantly, the factories provided two meals a day.
Two meals a day.
That alone was considered an act of great mercy.
And on top of that, they were paid wages.
Though small, it was income they had never known before.
Arasaka Company promised prompt payment, fair prices, and no delays. With stable funding and powerful backing, their words carried weight.
Under the contract's purchase prices, a family's income was at least two or three times what it had been through farming alone.
With money, they could store more rice, buy extra cloth, and finally see a future worth hoping for.
As long as they could eat their fill, life was good.
Some ninja even spoke of establishing schools to teach children how to read. Talented children might be taken to Akatsuki Ninja Village to attend the Ninja Academy.
To become a ninja.
That single opportunity could change an entire family's fate.
Even a mere genin—whom Makoto casually called "small fry"—was an existence unattainable to ordinary people.
The villagers did not know why the ninja were helping them.
But who cared?
This was a good thing.
Would such a powerful ninja village really deceive people like them?
What did they even possess that was worth scheming over?
"Ninja-sama!"
"Ninja-sama!"
Uchiha Makoto waved his hand repeatedly, signaling them to stop. Yet it had little effect.
Before he realized it, dozens of villagers were already kneeling around him.
Unaccustomed to such displays, Makoto vanished in a flash, disappearing from their sight.
"Uchiha Makoto, what exactly have you done?"
"You didn't use genjutsu on innocent villagers, did you?"
Senju Tobirama found it difficult to believe what he had just witnessed. Based on his long-standing prejudice against the Uchiha, he instinctively suspected Makoto had used powerful Sharingan genjutsu.
"Senju Tobirama, you inherently evil old ghost!"
"Your thoughts are filthy beyond belief."
"Have you become so useless that you can't even detect large-scale genjutsu right in front of you?"
Makoto's face darkened.
If he truly had that kind of power, the first person he would deal with would be Tobirama himself.
"Hm… that's true. I didn't sense any chakra."
"But that makes it even stranger. What did you do?"
Tobirama chuckled awkwardly.
Makoto smiled faintly.
"I let them eat their fill."
The words struck like thunder.
Tobirama fell silent.
In that moment, he sensed it clearly.
This Uchiha was not merely building villages.
He was trying to change the world."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)