Hashirama looked at Yuya calmly and then sighed, "That's true. Except that you're my apprentice and Tobirama's nephew, you have no other helper.
But what if I told you... you actually have allies?"
After hearing Hashirama's words, Yuya raised his head with a puzzled look: "Who?"
Hashirama spoke softly, "Uchiha."
Yuya was speechless.
Hashirama continued, "Kage Uchiha is the next Uchiha clan leader. There aren't many Uchiha clan members whom Tobirama trusts, but Kagami is a good boy. Tobirama trusts him, and his strength is also good. He's a competitor for the position of the next Uchiha clan leader.
If Uchiha is willing to support you, you won't be alone."
Yuya was silent. After a moment, he shook his head with a smile, "They say, Master, that you know nothing about the affairs of the village. Now it seems that was all nonsense."
Senju Hashirama calmed his expression, returning to his usual goofy demeanor: "Hahaha, really? Is that what they say? Well, you learn things after seeing them enough times."
"Um... so... what do you think?" Hashirama brought the topic back, "If you have this idea... I think Tobirama would be happy to see it happen."
At this moment, Yuya realized that Senju Hashirama had called him over for a reason. It must have been to make arrangements for his future, but there was more to it than that...
Hashirama wanted to see where Yuya stood and then decide how to treat him.
Yuya took a deep breath, looked up at Senju Hashirama, and said, "I'm not interested in the position of Hokage."
Surprise appeared on Senju Hashirama's face, and he looked at Yuya with a puzzled expression: "Oh? Then what are you interested in?"
Yuya raised his head and said to Senju Hashirama with a serious face, "Master, if you really want me to contribute to Konoha, then leave Konoha's economic development to me."
Senju Hashirama was genuinely surprised now: "Economic development?"
Yuya nodded, "The phenomenon I mentioned before—that a fixed amount of money can create multiple times its value once it circulates—is essentially called economics.
Its characteristics are material circulation, spiritual satisfaction, and social stability. A simple way to understand this is that the better the economy, the richer the materials, the more spiritual satisfaction, and the more stable the society will be.
When broken down, material circulation can be divided into production, transportation, consumption, and reproduction. This cycle can continue indefinitely.
The material foundation brought by the economy creates spiritual satisfaction. The richer the material, the more spiritual satisfaction. The two complement each other."
Yuya knew that if he didn't show his "worth" today, he would be kicked out of Konoha Village tomorrow.
Senju Hashirama was a kind-hearted man, but he was also the First Hokage.
It was impossible for him to allow a talented person like Yuya, who had no sense of belonging to the village and was unwilling to serve it, to stay.
The talent Senju Hashirama was referring to wasn't Yuya's knowledge of economics. Hashirama had never heard of such a theory before, so it was impossible for him to understand it in detail.
What Hashirama truly valued was Yuya's bloodline ability, his "Gold Release"—the power to sense, dig, and gather gold.
The Land of Fire was currently the wealthiest of the Five Great Nations, but if Yuya went to another country, that wealth could quickly shift elsewhere within a few years.
So it was impossible for Senju Hashirama to let Yuya leave.
The first step was to test if Yuya had a sense of belonging to the village.
The second step was to test if he had any ambition for leadership.
If he lacked both, then what did he want?
Konoha Village could not afford another upheaval.
Yuya understood this, so he laid his cards on the table.
If what you want is for me to work for Konoha, then I'll tell you straight up: I have no interest in the position of Hokage. It's not because I lack ambition—my ambition is just in a different direction. I want to make money. A lot of money. So, Master, do you understand?
Did Senju Hashirama understand?
Not entirely.
The economy, defined in just a few lines, is concentrated knowledge. If Senju Hashirama could have grasped such concepts easily, Konoha, now 16 years old, wouldn't still have so many ordinary people struggling with poverty.
Of course, everything is relative. The situation in the other four great nations' villages wasn't much better.
At least Konoha ensured that everyone from ninja families had enough to eat and could learn ninjutsu. Few other villages could offer that.
Some smaller countries, like the Land of Iron or the Land of Whirlpools, could manage due to their smaller populations. Ordinary people could survive on meager resources.
That night, Senju Hashirama and Yuya talked for a long time.
No one knows what was discussed specifically, but Yuya went to report to Senju Tobirama the next day. He also didn't attend the ninja academy anymore; instead, he started working as Tobirama's assistant.
Yuya looked disgruntled but couldn't show it in Tobirama's presence.
Senju Tobirama also wanted to see what Yuya was capable of, so he tasked him with planning the development of the southern area of Konoha Village.
Yuya rolled his eyes but refrained from complaining out loud, especially since it was framed as an order from Tobirama.
The south of the city underwent a major transformation.
In short, there was a demolition.
The old houses were torn down, the land was leveled, and new, uniform four-story buildings were constructed, increasing housing by three-quarters.
At the early stages, ninja helped lay the foundation, but Yuya also repeated some of the strategies used in the Wetland Bridge project.
Senju Tobirama was horrified by the sheer scale of the work. How much was this going to cost?
Especially when he heard that not only were new homes being given to the displaced residents, but they were also being compensated with 100,000 ryo each!
Yuya, slightly embarrassed by this, knew that 100,000 ryo per person was equivalent to around 5,000 in his previous life. If this happened in that world, people might revolt.
But here? The people of Konoha had never seen anything like this. They couldn't believe such a windfall was real!
They moved eagerly. Who wouldn't?
Money flowed out, and Senju Tobirama began to panic. Did Konoha really have this much money?
Tobirama couldn't hold back anymore and asked Yuya where all this money was coming from.
Yuya smirked, "Which of your eyes saw me spend any money?"
Yes, each of these people received a payout, but this was a one-time deal. They would still need to buy food and essentials every day. Yuya had stores set up—bun shops open 24/7, grocery stores selling everything.
"Believe it or not, Tobirama-sensei, that money will come back in two months."
He then used the funds to employ those same people in construction.
The goal was for them to use up their own resources without getting equal returns on their labor.
Although it seemed exploitative, no one thought it was wrong. In fact, they marveled at Tobirama's brilliance.
In exchange for the payment of a single jonin's salary for one mission and 100,000 ryo per person, Konoha now had a transformed southern district—tall buildings, paved roads, and new infrastructure like streetlights and public toilets.
Yuya felt a bit unscrupulous about using ordinary people like that, but when Tobirama checked the budget and saw that little had been spent, he looked at the newly developed area...
He began to understand.
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
ninja_jin here:
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $5!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 20 extra chapters
🖤https://www.patreon.com/Gho_🖤
Visit our Patreon for more:
https://www.patreon.com/Gho_
Extra Content Already Available.
**End of Chapter**