Konoha
Uchiha Hikaru followed behind Uchiha Ren, curiously stepping on the paved streets, craning her neck to look at everything around her.
Every now and then—
She let out a small gasp.
Konoha—
Was far too "modern" for her.
Her reactions quickly drew attention from passersby.
Then—
Their gazes shifted.
To Uchiha Ren.
"Hey! Isn't that the Hokage?!"
"Back from a trip—got a new girlfriend already?"
"Cough—don't talk nonsense! The Hokage is a loyal man!"
"Exactly!"
Uchiha Ren noticed more and more people recognizing him.
At this rate—
He'd get surrounded.
Being too popular…
It was troublesome.
So—
He casually reached out and ruffled Uchiha Hikaru's hair, messing it up completely, then grabbed her hand and quickly slipped through the crowd.
Straight back to the Hokage Building.
This trip…
Had gone far longer than expected.
What was supposed to be a short "vacation"—
Turned into:
Establishing the Konoha United Fruit CompanySecuring the Land of GrassRecruiting Uchiha HikaruBuilding a global trade frameworkAligning with Iwagakure and SunagakureDesigning a Ponzi scheme
Even Uchiha Ren himself—
I was a little surprised.
But—
All good outcomes.
Back in the office.
Uchiha Hikaru sat carefully on the leather sofa, looking a bit out of place in the luxurious environment.
A country girl—
Seeing the world.
Soon, word spread:
The Hokage had returned.
Meanwhile—
Nara Shikaku rushed over immediately.
He looked…
Dead.
Dark circles.
Lifeless eyes.
"Long time no see, Shikaku."
"…Indeed, Hokage-sama."
"Not sleeping well lately?"
"…Thanks to you, I haven't had a proper night's sleep in over two months."
He said it through gritted teeth.
Uchiha Ren had been throwing projects at him nonstop:
Konoha United Fruit implementationTrade system regulationsSorting decades of Fire Country archivesEconomic modeling
The workload—
Was inhuman.
"Hmm… that sounds rough," Uchiha Ren nodded.
"Alright. All overtime—triple pay."
"Overtime hours—five times pay."
"End-of-month—bonus payout."
Money.
Solved everything.
Shikaku's expression instantly changed.
"I feel… full of energy now."
"Good," Uchiha Ren said.
"I have another important task for you."
Shikaku's face immediately collapsed.
No.
Not again.
No amount of money—
Was worth dying for.
He quickly changed the subject.
"…Hokage-sama… who is this young lady?"
I am only now noticing Uchiha Hikaru.
"Her name is Uchiha Hikaru," Uchiha Ren replied calmly.
"A lost member of the Uchiha clan, now returned."
Technically—
Not a lie.
Just…
Omitting the part where she was from over a century ago.
"Hello…" Hikaru said softly, standing up awkwardly.
She was still shy.
Still adjusting.
Most of her time lately—
I have been playing arcade games.
Social skills?
Minimal.
"Please register her identity," Uchiha Ren said.
"Understood!"
Shikaku tried to leave immediately.
"Wait," Uchiha Ren added.
"…I have something else."
He explained the Ponzi scheme plan.
In full.
Shikaku listened.
Silently.
Then exhaled.
"…Hokage-sama… you truly have a talent for making money."
Kumogakure—
I was about to suffer.
This was even more ruthless than the previous futures strategy.
It targeted—
Human greed itself.
But Shikaku…
Was already overloaded.
"Let me be honest," he said.
"I'm handling commerce, parts of finance, intelligence, futures trading, power grid expansion…"
"And now trade systems."
"And Grass Country operations."
"And—this."
"I'm going to die."
He looked like it too.
Uchiha Ren paused.
…He had a point.
Then—
A thought crossed his mind.
If Shikaku dies from overwork…
He could just useEdo Tensei._
A tireless, immortal worker.
A nuclear-powered labor unit.
Just like Tobirama Senju.
…
He blinked.
That was…
A bit too dark.
"…Right," he said.
"You can recommend someone to take over."
Shikaku immediately began thinking.
Candidates:
Hyūga — overworked already ❌Uchiha — unsuitable ❌Senju — politically sensitive ❌
Then—
One name.
Perfect.
"Kakuzu."
Moments later—
Kakuzu sat in the office.
Uchiha Ren placed snacks and drinks on the table.
Kakuzu ignored them.
Hikaru—
I was already happily eating cake.
"Good…"
She murmured, eyes shining.
Kakuzu leaned forward.
"Hokage. Speak."
"I have business this afternoon."
"Don't waste my time."
Excellent.
A natural workhorse.
Uchiha Ren smiled.
"Kakuzu…"
"How would you like to become…"
"The new God of Investment?"
Kakuzu's eyes flashed.
A painful memory surfaced briefly—
Then it disappeared.
This time…
It was different.
Very different.
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