The changes in the Land of Rain, especially within the Rain Ninja Village, have been tremendous.
Compared to the extreme depression and perpetual hunger following the Second Great Ninja World War, life in the Rain Ninja Village now feels like living in heaven!
For Rain Ninjas who had grown up suffering from poverty and starvation, simply having fatty meat and white rice to fill their stomachs was already a great happiness.
And those broken rice grains provided by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation—so cheap they were practically free, and barely better than livestock feed in the eyes of ninjas from other clan villages—enabled previously starving villagers to have something close to a full meal, gradually recovering some of their physical strength. This gave them priority in securing jobs under the work-for-relief program for canal excavation projects.
All this eventually resulted in thunderous cheers as the villagers gathered to welcome the arrival of Hyuga Soushu and his entourage at the Rain Ninja Village Headquarters, where they were about to attend the Southern Front Canal Opening Ceremony and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Northern Front Canal.
"Ten thousand victories!"
Amidst the cheers, Hyuga Soushu waved at the enthusiastic villagers from among the entourage of Servant Ninjas, earning even louder applause.
"This is the voice of the people of the Ninja World!"
Hyuga Soushu, filled with confidence, thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere as he said to Mahiru Uchiha, "This proves that as long as we do what's within our power—even if it's driven purely by self-interest—it can prove more impactful than those abstract ideals."
"Even the legendary figure who once ruled here and never bowed to anyone has learned how to flatter you now,"
Mahiru Uchiha smiled slightly while sending him that message through Chakra-based sound transmission.
Sanshouo Hanzo, serving as the host, found himself quite content with the current atmosphere.
After all, just a tiny bit of favor slipping from the fingernails of the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation was enough to sustain the impoverished Land of Rain. If they wholeheartedly supported these changes and worked on improving the country's conditions, perhaps in the future, the Land of Rain might finally rid itself completely of poverty and hunger!
For Sanshouo Hanzo, who had always yearned for the revival of the Rain Ninja Village and his entire country, this seemed like a promising outcome.
Moreover, under the current geopolitical landscape of the Ninja World, small countries like the Land of Rain had essentially lost any chance of rising again.
Sanshouo Hanzo still retained enough basic insight to realize this truth.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, traveling north to Hakone Prefecture, didn't get to meet Hyuga Soushu immediately upon arrival.
Nevertheless, even without Soushu—the top leader of the Hyuga Clan—at hand, the Hyuga ninjas responsible for daily affairs still fully fulfilled their obligations according to the arrangements made before the inspection tour, providing Orochimaru with essential research and residential facilities.
Though the laboratory assigned to Orochimaru felt rather empty due to the short preparation time, apart from equipment which would require more time to set up, both the space itself and its level of cleanliness met his satisfaction quite well.
We've prepared eighty cold storage chambers, all designed by experts in Ice Release techniques from the Suiton clan. They can skillfully induce experimental organisms into deep hibernation, preserving the freshness and vitality of the research materials for extended periods.
When the Uzumaki ninja responsible for guiding the tour introduced the laboratory's features, the refrigerated chamber was the area that Orochimaru found most satisfying.
His experiments required numerous dissections and pharmaceutical trials. Even though he could no longer conduct human experiments due to various restrictions, those primate test subjects still needed cold storage after use for subsequent verification of experimental effects and sustainability. This made the refrigerated chamber particularly valuable.
"Excellent!"
Orochimaru praised enthusiastically, "Everything is quite good indeed. I'm very satisfied!"
"It's good that Honorable Orochimaru feels satisfied," the Uzumaki ninja responded politely with a respectful bow.
"How many staff members are assigned to this lab?"
Orochimaru continued his questioning.
"There will be fifty researchers, sixty-six administrative ninjas, plus a unit of the Standing Ninja Army stationed outside for security. However, the security personnel will rotate periodically, so the exact numbers will fluctuate."
"So many administrative ninjas?"
The young Anko Mitarashi couldn't help but comment, "There are even more than researchers! Isn't that wasteful?"
"It's not wasteful at all, and in fact, administrative ninjas play an absolutely essential role." The Uzumaki ninja patiently explained, "Thanks to their professional support, researchers can be freed from repetitive logistical tasks, document management, and detailed experimental record-keeping. This means they can wholeheartedly dedicate every precious moment to the sacred pursuit of discovery and research without any distractions."
"That's truly excellent news!"
Orochimaru grew even more pleased.
"Now I guess we'll be busy every day?"
Clearly, Anko's focus was somewhat different from her teacher's.
"Of course, each researcher can arrange their own schedule freely," the Uzumaki ninja hastened to explain.
"As long as they meet their research goals on schedule!" Orochimaru looked rather anxious as he spoke, "Then now, please dispatch some personnel immediately—the experimental equipment I brought needs urgent installation."
"Additionally, these are necessary devices that need to be purchased right away!"
"As you command!"
Without hesitation, the Uzumaki ninja took the list directly from Orochimaru's hand before instantly body-flickering away.
"Teacher,"
Anko tugged gently at Orochimaru's sleeve.
"What if I take you out for a stroll later tonight?"
Orochimaru gently ruffled Anko's hair, speaking with surprising tenderness.
"Great!"
Feeling her teacher's familiar yet strangely novel warmth through his touch, Anko immediately burst into joyous excitement.
Despite its bustling appearance, Konoha was business as usual—nothing remarkable happened, nor did anything go wrong. Just another ordinary day.
Although many Konoha ninja and even civilian families suffered significant losses following the initial issuance of paper currency by the Fire Daimyo, the commercial order in Konoha quickly recovered after the rapid circulation of Golden Certificates introduced by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation, along with the establishment of new Currency Exchange Houses within the former Hyuga District and Uchiha Compound.
As for their financial losses, the ninja of Konoha could do nothing but accept their misfortune with resignation.
In today's structure of the Ninja World, the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation has firmly grasped control over production and logistics, becoming an undeniable center of power. Though Konoha still carries the glorious title of "First Hidden Village," its actual influence and strength have gradually entered a phase of relative decline.
Of course, this doesn't mean Konoha has stagnated or is heading toward decline—it's just that the rapid development of the ninja clans has advanced like a tempest, making every step forward made by Konoha seem gentle and sluggish by comparison, thus appearing relatively backward.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, saw this fact all too clearly.
Yet, he was powerless to change it.
Because the ninja world of today had become something incomprehensible to him—a relic of the old era.
Although he had always dismissed age as a trivial matter and believed he could continue contributing to Konoha for decades more, under these drastic changes, he felt a deep sense of helplessness from the bottom of his heart.
The seemingly endless supplies that the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation suddenly began flooding into Konoha, the widespread and unexplained acceptance of Golden Certificates, and especially how the younger generation of ninja rapidly abandoned their pursuit of the Will of Fire upon leaving the Ninja Academy, largely due to the new economic realities—each of these things was difficult for the Third Hokage to accept, yet he could not ignore reality.
And that was precisely what troubled him the most.
"The march of time..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed sadly at the bustling streets of Konoha shown in the crystal ball.
Even his most accomplished pupil, Orochimaru, had abandoned him, adding another blow he found hard to bear.
Though he claimed to be fine with people coming and going freely, deep down, he couldn't truly let go.
With a wave of his hand, the scenes of Konoha in the crystal ball kept changing, and soon the Third Hokage had reviewed every corner of the village.
It remained as lively and peaceful as ever before, the only noticeable difference being that most of the carriages used by merchant caravans at the village entrance were now four-wheeled carriages manufactured by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation.
"I should go check out the school."
Suddenly inspired, the Third Hokage decided to take his usual stroll around the Ninja Academy, which would also give him a chance to teach the correct values of the Will of Fire to the children there.
He rose at once, pulled on his Kage cloak, and strode out of his office.
As he emerged from the Hokage Tower, he ran into Hatake Sakumo, who appeared to be slipping out early.
"Good day, Lord Hokage."
Hatake Sakumo gave an awkward smile.
While their relationship had never been particularly close, getting caught skipping duties during daytime inevitably created some tension.
"Sakumo!"
The Third Hokage greeted with a chuckle. "You haven't been getting enough work lately."
"There's not much administrative work left for the Jonin Unit to handle," said Sakumo Hatake. "Now, we just need to register personal files and mission records. So it only takes two or three hours to finish everything."
"That's good. Any plans on where you're headed?"
The Third Hokage nodded without elaborating.
After all, the decline of the Jonin Unit's power was the result of many factors — and as Hokage, he himself hadn't been innocent in this process.
"Just planning to take a walk around," replied Sakumo Hatake.
That was also true — staying in the Jonin Unit office had gotten far too dull.
"Then let's walk together," said the Third Hokage.
Not waiting for Sakumo's reply, he strode forward with his hands clasped behind his back.
Sakumo hesitated slightly before following closely behind.
"The village has become increasingly peaceful."
As high-ranking officials of Konoha, they naturally wouldn't appear publicly. For them, those disguise techniques were child's play. So as they stepped onto Konoha's main street, none of the passing villagers or merchants from across the ninja world recognized them.
"That's true. The villagers' lives have improved significantly as well."
Sakumo Hatake nodded in agreement.
Yet this was precisely what troubled him most.
Both ninjas and civilians had seen remarkable improvements in their quality of life, enjoying unprecedented peace and prosperity. However, beneath this prosperity, a quiet but undeniable trend was taking shape — the ninja villages' influence and standing were steadily fading.
To Sakumo, the root cause lay in the Ninja Clan capital companies' deep and growing control over the economy. They built sprawling commercial empires that reshaped the economy of the new era, posing a real challenge to the traditional ninja villages.
And most ninjas focused their attention primarily on their own lives. Without experiencing society's harsh realities, the Will of Fire was nothing more than a faded trend — once popular, now meaningless.
"Orochimaru has already left."
The Third Hokage suddenly revealed an embarrassing family secret: "On the Ninja Clan capital company side, they reportedly dangled resources at an outrageous cost — even Orochimaru couldn't say no."
"Is that so? That truly is a pity!"
Sakumo sighed. "Originally, with his strength and reputation, he would've been sufficient to contend for the Fourth Hokage position. Unexpectedly though..."
"Indeed, it is a tragedy," the Third Hokage similarly lamented. "But people have different aspirations. There's nothing I can do about it."
Sakumo remained silent.
With the Third Hokage's abilities, preventing Orochimaru's departure should have been well within reach.
Yet ultimately, he still chose to let him go. This alone spoke volumes.
Whether out of reluctant resignation or deliberate intention, this decision made by the Hokage was one Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had to make. Sakumo Hatake had no intention of interfering.
"Oh? It's Hiashi!"
At that moment, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed Hiashi Hyuga strolling down the street as well and immediately waved to greet him.
"It's you."
Without even using his Byakugan, Hiashi instantly saw through their disguise.
However, considering they must have their reasons for wearing such disguises, Hiashi did not expose them but instead nodded respectfully toward the two top leaders.
"Rare to see you out doing some shopping, Hiashi."
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi approached with a smile.
"I'm preparing to buy some supplies."
Hiashi replied calmly. "I plan to get married soon."
"Is that so? Who's the lucky one?"
The Third Hokage responded happily.
Any offspring from a Ninja Clan remaining in the village could become part of Konoha's strength, and he would never oppose such matters—especially when it came to someone like Hiashi, who held a special position among the Ninja Clans and was therefore a key figure to gain favor with.
"My fiancée was chosen by my father before he passed, but various things kept delaying it until now."
Hiashi spoke gently yet firmly, almost as if casually recounting an insignificant anecdote flowing naturally through time, showing no trace of emotion or urgency.
"I see... then it really is about time."
Thought the Third Hokage inwardly, his mind racing.
From another angle, it might also mean Hiashi had finally moved on from the past and chosen to build a life in Konoha for good.
Although Sarutobi couldn't fully grasp what Hiashi had gone through internally, he recognized that this change would ultimately benefit the village.
"That's great news! Don't forget to send me an invite."
The Third Hokage smiled warmly.
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