Most people could spend their entire lives without encountering even one such opportunity. Yet, this person, before them, had gone out on a research trip, casually picked up wealth that many of them could never hope to earn in a lifetime, and in the end had even casually brought back an entire treasury.
Although rumors of the young man's incredible luck had long circulated throughout the Shinobi World, and some newspapers had even given him titles such as Child of Miracles and the boy who survived certain death, many people remained skeptical, especially within Konoha, where such stories had often been dismissed.
Good luck?
That was merely an excuse used by outsiders unwilling to acknowledge Shinichi's genuine abilities, using luck as a way to diminish his accomplishments, but now it seemed that the rumors of his extraordinary luck were not entirely baseless.
After all, who could simply wander around and stumble upon this much gold?
Konoha's Child of Miracles truly deserved the title.
A moment later, the third Hokage finally recovered from his shock and turned toward the calm young man beside him.
"Shinichi, do you really intend to hand all of this over to the village? This is..."
He stopped halfway through the sentence, and based on his rough estimate, the total value of this gold was approximately equal to several years of Konoha's fiscal revenue.
And according to customs that had existed throughout the Shinobi World since ancient times, treasures personally discovered through exploration belonged entirely to the discoverer.
In other words, Shinichi could have kept every single coin for himself, and no one could have found fault with it, but judging from what he knew of this child, Shinichi probably had not kept even a tiny portion for himself, and he had brought out everything.
"Yes, third Hokage-sama." Shinichi smiled slightly and replied calmly, "The war is not over yet, and there are too many places throughout the village that require funding, and every project represents a significant expense. I thought that rather than letting these things gather dust in my possession, it would be better to hand them over to the village. At least they can help alleviate some of the financial pressure."
"You've put a lot of thought into this..."
The third Hokage nodded, his tone heavy, then, after a brief pause, he continued. "Regarding the use of these funds, Shinichi, do you have any ideas?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Shinichi smiled. "First, third Hokage-sama, I hope the village will properly publicize this matter. In addition, I hope a selection of the finest gold artifacts and jewels can be presented to the Daimyo, and that the Daimyo-sama's side can help promote the story throughout the Land of Fire."
Of course, a token gesture to the Daimyo would be sufficient. In truth, Shinichi had no desire to give anything away at all.
Traditionally, it was always the Daimyo who provided funding to Konoha, and since when did Konoha need to give money to the Daimyo?
Besides, the Daimyo ruled an entire nation and certainly did not lack such things.
Still, the proper gesture had to be made. Otherwise, why would the Daimyo's side be willing to help spread the story?
The third Hokage nodded lightly, signaling for him to continue.
According to his own instincts, this gold should have been kept secret. Quietly making a fortune was the safest approach. There was no need to leak the news, much less publicize it on a large scale, but since Shinichi had his own considerations, he chose to respect the boy's opinion.
"Third Hokage-sama, the war is not over yet. Everyone in the village is under tremendous pressure. Yet I simply went out on a research trip, wandered around casually, and discovered wealth on this scale. What does that tell us?"
Shinichi smiled as he explained.
"It tells us that fortune stands with me, Shinichi Higashino. More importantly, it stands with Konoha and with the Land of Fire. Heaven is on our side. The Sage of Six Paths himself is on our side. Therefore, this matter should not be hidden away. On the contrary, it should be openly publicized so that every villager and every citizen knows Konoha follows the right path, and heaven will surely aid it!"
If such a story were not properly promoted, how would people know that he was lucky? To him, that perception was the most important thing.
In his eyes, this priceless mountain of gold was not even worth one of his talents.
Gold? Once his strength reached a sufficient level in the future, he could obtain as much as he wanted.
The depths of the earth contained endless quantities of gold, and when he became even stronger, creating matter from nothing or reshaping substances directly might not be impossible.
"Very well. We'll do as you suggest." The third Hokage smiled slightly and nodded.
Although Shinichi's reasoning sounded somewhat forced to him, this was Shinichi Higashino, so they would proceed according to his wishes.
"What else?" The third Hokage asked.
"The other matter is that I hope a small portion of this gold can be allocated as operating funds for the society during its initial stage, covering various daily expenses. Also..."
Shinichi paused before continuing.
"I hope the village can reserve part of this gold as startup capital for future village-owned enterprises, as well as joint ventures funded together by Konoha and the Shinichi Society."
"Village-owned enterprises? Joint ventures?" The third Hokage was slightly stunned. It was his first time hearing these terms.
"Roughly speaking, beyond the traditional systems of mission commissions, fiscal allocations, and tool sales, I want to explore a new path in which the village directly participates in industrial operations, creating a stable and sustainable source of income for Konoha."
Shinichi explained: "Village-owned enterprises would be wholly owned by the village and focus on the large-scale production and exclusive trade of military supplies. Joint ventures, meanwhile, would be established through investments from both Konoha and the Shinichi Society."
"They would target civilian markets and cover the development and promotion of emerging industries based on civilian applications converted from Ninjutsu technologies."
"A portion of the profits would be contributed to the village treasury according to a predetermined ratio, while the remaining profits would be used for expansion, technological research, and development."
"In this way, the village will not only gain a new source of revenue but will also provide a large number of non-combat jobs for retired ninja, disabled ninja, and ordinary villagers."
At this point, he pondered for a moment before adding, "Of course, this is only a rough framework. Once the society is formally established, I will submit a detailed written proposal to you, Third Hokage-sama."
"Very well." The third Hokage smiled. "Then I look forward to seeing your detailed proposal."
He paused before finally asking the question he truly cared about.
"By the way, did you find the thing you were looking for?"
"Yes, third Hokage-sama." Shinichi nodded. "However, I ask your permission to keep it confidential for the time being. It does not have any practical use yet. Once some preliminary results have been achieved, I will personally present them to you."
"You..." The third Hokage shook his head helplessly, though he had no intention of pressing further. This child always acted with proper judgment, and since he wished to keep it confidential for now, so be it.
"In that case, you've worked hard running around these past days. Go back and get some rest."
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