A week passed. I was sleeping in my bed. When a detection alarm woke me up. I jumped up with a kunai in hand, only to see a White haired man in a Red jacket in my window. Nene and Hina rushed in, swords raised and tags in hand. "Is it an intruder, Lord Ren?"
"No, it appears it's a Sanin." I lowered my weapon.
"So, what brings the Toad Sage to my humble abode?"
"Your tags detected me. Impressive," he was examining the alarm system now. Usually, you would call this rude. But when a Sanin does something. You step back, smile, and say thank you.
"I try my best, Lord Jiraya, especially when it concerns the safety of me and my clan."
He continued his examination. Then, seemingly satisfied, he nodded and raised his head.
"You have an interesting perspective in your seals, Kurosawa-kun."
"I can see why Sensei likes you."
Ah, so he was here to inspect his sensei's pet project.
"You are too kind."
"Ah, yes, since I'm here already, give me a few storage scrolls. Send the bill to the Hokage's office."
I tilted my head. Was he really here to buy scrolls? He could have bought them at shops or auctions. Maybe it was just a ehim. I gave him the 6 scrolls that were ready and asked him to sign a receipt. He left shortly after. Perhaps to gather intelligence for his Icha Icha Paradise. As an avid reader in the past. I was actually curious about what was in that thing.
I went back to clan management and research. I had things to do. I was making the Lost Mirror seals in Overtime. Currently, I am making the Lost Mirror seals and storage seals. I wanted to arm my whole clan with these three things. One storage scroll. One Lost mirror bracer. And two cluster Grenades. It was a massive endeavor. I had diverted a lot of clan members into this thing. As a result, the base construction and profits had slowed down considerably. But Souta's death had shaken me. And I was not prepared to lose anyone else I knew.
A stupid wish in this world. But that did not stop me from wishing it.
Hotaru came in. Bringing the news of an Anbu's arrival. I got up, dressed myself a bit, and went out to greet him.
It was the bear. Like always. "Hokage-sama has asked you to meet him in his office at 5 pm today."
"Understood. Thank you."
What did he want? Was it something to do with the clan council meeting tomorrow?
I guess I'll just find out then. I decided to make rounds. The clan had been awake for a while now. Only I slept in late.
Most of them were making tags, while some were practicing ninjutsu. We had switched to a commission-based system now. The more tags they made, the more they earned. They also gave a bit of money from the limited Genin Missions they were allowed to take. Yes, the Hokage had levied those restrictions again. This time for good. We could not go too far out from Konoha and could not take any high or even medium-risk missions.
I understood his thinking, but I did not agree with it. We would only be safe if we knew how to defend ourselves. I would regain them eventually. Which is why I was arming them all.
Although it did not make Hiruzen a popular man here. They all were looking forward to their grand shinobi adventures. Now they were stuck in a workshop making tags.
Ah, the innocence of youth.
-----
Was it Meet Your Sanin day or something?
I stood in front of Orochimaru in the Hokage's office.
"Are you really certain you cannot convince the Yamigami? I promise no harm will come to them or their contractors."
"No, sir, I have already tried."
The reason was research, of course. He wanted to study the strange new Yamigami. I was nervous at first, but dealing with clan heads on a regular basis to negotiate tag deals had made my nerves stronger.
"The Yami firmly says no."
I manifested the YamiGami on my hand. The cute little blob said "No" in a loud and clear voice. Then dissolved again.
"I guess then it can't be helped." Orochimaru shrugged and took his leave.
When I bowed, the Hokage stopped me.
"How are you holding up, Ren? I knew you and Souta were close."
I breathed deeply.
"Lord Third. I will not go crazy over revenge if you're asking me that. But this much I can tell you. If one day I had enough power and the opportunity. I will kill Kuroki Renzo."
The Hokage sighed. "The one who digs graves shall dig two of them. There's wisdom in those words, Ren. I will not ask you to let go of your resentment. But keep in mind that your life is not yours alone anymore. There are people depending on you. I only ask that you keep that in mind. At least for a few days before you choose a path."
He smoked his pipe and signaled that I could leave. I bowed and walked out. I knew why everyone thought I would go off the rails for vengeance. Better men than I had fallen prey to its allure. But I was a different man. My fury was cold and calculated. I needed to make that SS bomb faster. I needed power.
As my political Acumen increased, I noticed the attitude of the clans. The smaller ones were respectful. Just like they are to everyone else. The medium ones were kind of wary. But since we did not clash with any of their interests. So they had no need for conflict. Many of them could easily provoke us, but why bother? There were no stupid young master incidents. Not because they didn't exist here. But because this world killed them off long before they began to matter.
But the major clans. They treated us and all other clans like glorified merchants. And now I knew why. You weren't considered a major clan, officially called a strategic clan unless you had at least 5 Jonin-level fighters. We were not anywhere near that level of firepower.
But in order to influence things without getting assassinated or suppressed, I needed that power.
Hence, my excitement for the SS bomb.
For now, I will focus on that and making my clan a financial behemoth. We needed businesses.