Satoru understood perfectly: for his grand plans to come to fruition, he himself had to extract benefit from them, accumulate initial capital. Only with significant funds could he truly help others, give them the opportunity to achieve their own well-being. This was the first, necessary step on the path to his dream.
The second, no less important task, the young man saw as strengthening and prospering the Hidden Leaf Village and the entire Land of Fire. And only after that, as the third stage, the young strategist intended to spread his influence and economic model to neighboring small countries, and in the long term—to other Great Powers.
War, by its nature, was always merely the continuation of politics by other means. But even in peacetime, the development of hidden villages and entire countries was a kind of war—a war without the roar of guns and smoke of fires, a war of economies, technologies, and human potential. However, Satoru was deeply convinced that the conflicts between shinobi villages plaguing this world could be avoided.
Take the Land of Wind, for example. Vast territories, but much of them—lifeless deserts where water and fertile land were worth their weight in gold. It was no wonder that the Hidden Sand Village constantly got involved in wars, desperately seeking to seize new lands and resources necessary for survival.
Or the Land of Lightning with its Hidden Cloud Village, located in the northeast of the continent. The locals had a harsh, bellicose temperament; the cult of strength and martial arts was in their blood. They felt cramped in their remote corner, and their main strategy had always been expansion, using neighboring small countries as buffer zones. Among the Five Great Villages, they were rightfully considered one of the strongest militarily.
Each country had its own needs and strengths. The Land of Wind lacked water and fertile lands, its transport routes were difficult, but it was rich in placer gold, and its puppeteer masters had no equals in the world. And most importantly—the endless deserts held inexhaustible reserves of wind and solar energy; its natural resources were truly immense, though not always accessible.
"If some need what others have, and vice versa, why not simply establish mutually beneficial trade?" the young man pondered. "However, no one has dared to take responsibility yet, to loudly declare themselves and establish a fair, working order."
Satoru decided to be that first person. After all, he possessed not only strength and incredible potential, but now, thanks to the Daimyo's support, significant financial resources as well!
First, the young ninja from Konoha allocated a significant sum from his personal funds, increasing the number of orders for the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. Their main tasks became protecting peasants working in the fields and securing emerging food routes.
Then the initiator of change invested another substantial sum as "sign-up bonuses" for those joining his program. Many residents of the Daimyo's capital, especially those in desperate straits, homeless and hopeless, responded immediately upon seeing such an opportunity. For them, it was a chance to start life anew, and they were naturally ready to work with full dedication.
Under the reliable protection of Konoha ninja, peasant cooperatives headed to various corners of the Land of Fire to cultivate lands and develop agriculture. In exchange for their labor, they received food, water, essentials, and monetary rewards. Satoru also spent on building simple but sturdy housing for them. It wasn't much, but undoubtedly a good start, giving people a roof over their heads and a sense of security.
At first, the young man expected no profit; moreover, he was prepared for his investments to be loss-making, "blood money" sunk into the sand. But he firmly believed that by the autumn harvest, his granaries would burst with grain. This food was intended for the Hidden Leaf Village and the entire Land of Fire.
Previously, harvesting and distribution happened similarly, but due to a lack of labor and financial resources, state grain reserves were never particularly large. And shinobi war, in the end, was always a war of economies and food. If a great country was poor, so was its hidden village. And a poor village couldn't properly train and equip its ninja. Poor nutrition, lack of resources—all this affected the warriors' physical condition and chakra levels. What peak form could there be if you're weak and exhausted before the battle even starts? That wouldn't do.
Satoru named his first large-scale project "Granary." It was the first step toward improving the lives of ordinary people and the beginning of his own path to great deeds.
All plans were implemented smoothly and without major delays. The young strategist generously spent the money he had once won in the System's lottery. Development proceeded steadily; every day, more and more people signed up for the "Granary" project. After half a month, it was impossible to find a single vagrant or beggar on the streets of the Daimyo's capital—they were all employed.
Just as Satoru was about to launch the next stage of his reforms, even more decisive and large-scale, Tenzō and the Beast found him.
"We extracted some information from the brains of those two traitors," Tenzō began without preamble, his face serious.
"A big shot from the Hidden Cloud Village was supposed to meet those two. Our task is to do everything to capture this person alive. He surely has very valuable information," the experienced shinobi concluded.
"A big shot? Who exactly?" the young man asked with interest.
"Hm, they didn't say that," Tenzō replied, shaking his head. "But it's definitely not some small fry."
"When is the meeting?" Satoru clarified.
"In three days! In a small forest, about three hundred meters north of the capital's city walls," the ANBU agent reported.
"Got it. Do we have any plan?" the young ninja asked businesslike.
"This 'important guest' doesn't yet know his subordinates are dead and their plan failed," Tenzō said with a slight smirk. "So we can disguise ourselves a bit. I'll pretend to be that doctor, and you—Jizo. When he appears, we need to neutralize him as quickly as possible and take control."
"Understood," Satoru nodded.
"And me? What do I do?" the Beast interjected, who had been silently listening to their conversation until then.
"You stay in the city and handle protecting the Daimyo and the other members of the Twelve Ninja Guards," the young man replied.
"Excellent. Prepare well, accumulate strength. It might be a tough fight," Tenzō concluded, his gaze focused.
"Alright," Satoru nodded and headed to his small courtyard.
Returning to his apartments, however, he didn't waste time on sleep or idleness. Instead, the young shinobi extracted his "Staff of Indestructible Diamond" from his ear—that's what he now called the artifact left by the former Monkey-Demon King Emma—and began swinging it. Honestly, Satoru had never been a master of staff fighting, but it seemed that was his fate. Since his familiar could only transform into a staff, he had to adapt. If he had a choice, he would certainly prefer a sword—it would look much cooler.
Still, the staff wasn't bad. "This stick is indestructible and, they say, grants longevity!" With that thought, Satoru began practicing moves. Time passed; he slowly but surely mastered the new weapon for himself. Feeling slight fatigue, the young man switched to practicing his numerous jutsu. Before, when his arsenal of techniques was small, the choice was simple. Now, with many more techniques, Satoru was surprised to find it harder to control the battle rhythm, choose the most suitable moves at the right moment.
"Seems like a large number of skills doesn't always mean you automatically get stronger…" he pondered. Now, facing an enemy, Satoru could just activate Susanoo and sweep everything in his path with brute force. But what was the point? His own combat level wouldn't grow a bit from that; it would be just a display of power, not mastery.
In many stories he remembered, there was often a clichéd plot: the protagonist, initially quite weak, somehow defeats an incredibly powerful final boss. Besides the "protagonist effect" and the villain's outright stupidity, Satoru believed the key factor in such victories was always the protagonist's ability to land a precise, devastating strike on the enemy's most vulnerable spot! That's what he needed to learn—to hit exactly the weak point, deciding the duel with one blow!
Gradually… fatigue took over, and Satoru fell into a deep sleep. In his sleep, he felt his whole body filling with pleasant warmth, as if some unknown energy was pouring into him, penetrating every cell.
"Hey! Satoru, get up quick! Three days have passed, and you're still snoring!" The Beast's loud voice woke the young man. Opening his eyes, he immediately sensed something unusual had happened to him.
Satoru felt his chakra reserves had significantly increased, and blood circulated freely and easily in his veins, as if washing his entire body with vital force.
"Is this… the effect of the Chakra Fruit?" he guessed. After all, the young shinobi had eaten this mysterious fruit quite a while ago, and now it seemed its power was finally starting to manifest gradually.
"Alright, little Satoru, Tenzō is already waiting at the city gates. If you don't hurry now, he'll leave without you," the Daimyo's bodyguard urged him.
"I'm coming!" Satoru quickly got ready and, using the Body Flicker Technique, shot like lightning to the city gates.