Chapter 103: It Won't Be Too Long Now

Itachi Uchiha said in surprise, "So that's how it is; no wonder Father has been smiling more lately."

Kazamatsuri Harume asked nervously, "Big Brother Chujiu, did we go too far and cause trouble for you?"

Yamanaka Chujiu shook his head, cast his gaze toward the west, and revealed a determined smile on his face: "Quite the opposite. You have made me realize that the Third Hokage does not have as many supporters as I imagined."

The other children followed his gaze, seeing only a cluster of ordinary, detached houses.

Yamanaka Chujiu pointed at the houses and asked, "Do you know what place that is?"

The children shook their heads: "We don't know."

Chujiu explained, "Those detached houses are the bachelor dormitories for Jonin."

"If Jonin and Special Jonin of Konohagakure are unmarried, do not wish to squeeze in with their parents, and do not have a large family estate, they can apply for a residence for free."

"Therefore, it is primarily civilian Jonin who live there, numbering as many as a hundred."

"If you had only occupied a small plot of land, the Konoha Jonin might not have noticed, but since you created such a big stir, it is impossible for the Konoha Jonin not to see it, and impossible for them not to investigate."

"However, the fact that the Rising Sun Organization remains unknown to the upper echelons of Konoha shows that the civilian Jonin of Konoha have tacitly kept their mouths shut, and even actively helped you cover your tracks, letting the Chunin of the Anbu help conceal it as well."

"Hahahaha, this is truly wonderful!"

So, the civilian Jonin of Konoha are not blindly loyal followers of Sarutobi Hiruzen; it turns out the old saying, "the eyes of the masses are sharp," is correct.

So, the civilian ninja knew about the tragic fate of the orphans' families after their comrades sacrificed themselves, they just didn't know they would be treated so miserably that their entire families would disappear.

So, after the Shanty Town in the northeast corner of the village was exposed, the civilian ninja were angry, they just didn't know how to vent it or who to support.

Orochimaru's combat record is dazzling, but he has been too cold and too obsessed with experiments in the past, so the civilian ninja were not sure if he was the same as Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But when the civilian Jonin saw the activities of the Rising Sun Organization and learned that the children were trying to save themselves and helping other orphan families, they tacitly kept it from the upper echelons.

This makes things easy!

Pull Orochimaru over and hang the Rising Sun Organization under his name.

The civilian ninja will instantly believe in Orochimaru, believe that he will take care of the children and families of the sacrificed ninja, and then entrust their loyalty and lives to Orochimaru.

When the civilian ninja change their stance, what support will be left under Sarutobi Hiruzen's Hokage throne?

Jiraiya is wandering, Tsunade is grieving, and Orochimaru is clashing head-on with his own teacher!

That only leaves the four major ninja clans: Sarutobi, Mitokado, Utatane, and Shimura.

Thinking of this, Yamanaka Chujiu wanted to laugh.

Shimura Danzo has ruined his own clan, and now he cannot even find a single talent.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura are hypocritical and cannot manage their clans at all; their clansmen are far more comfortable than the Sarutobi Clan, and the two families combined cannot even scrape together five Jonin.

Only the Sarutobi Clan still has some talent, especially the large number of ninja who changed their surnames to Sarutobi; they are truly capable.

But when Sarutobi Hiruzen is surrounded by Sarutobi ninja, and only Sarutobi ninja, is he... still the Hokage of Konohagakure?

Why bother with concealment, why play at low-profile development? There is no need!

With Orochimaru as a towering tree for support, the Rising Sun Organization can stand out openly and flourish in the sunlight.

They will prove to the villagers and ninja of Konoha that Konohagakure can support itself and does not need to be constrained by the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire!

Once the Rising Sun Organization officially appears in the sunlight, even Sarutobi Hiruzen will be unable to lay a hand on the children.

Even if he cannot accept from the bottom of his heart that there is an organization in the village he cannot control, he will have to force himself to endure it.

The only problem is the completely unscrupulous Shimura Danzo.

Especially since this bastard knows that if the Rising Sun Organization possesses Wood Release, he will definitely attack like a madman.

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "The current situation in the village has given us, Rising Sun, an opportunity to develop, but it also hides great dangers."

"But I am already a disciple of Teacher Orochimaru, and I can ask Teacher Orochimaru to provide public protection, so that we in Rising Sun do not need to worry about being suppressed by the higher-ups."

"However, Shimura Danzo's 'Root' must be watched out for; they have always been unscrupulous in their actions—surveillance, kidnapping, assassination, coercion, they use every possible means."

"For now, we must remain cautious, not expand the scale of production, and not break out into conflicts with outsiders."

"Wait a little longer; once Teacher Orochimaru and I resolve the situation with Kirigakure and bring true peace to Konohagakure, we can let go and go all out to build up Konohagakure."

The children were both worried and excited, shouting in unison: "We will listen to Big Brother Chujiu!"

Yamanaka Chujiu continued, "Next, let's take stock of our income and expenditures."

"Itachi Uchiha, you explain the income and expenditure situation, as well as the organization's current balance."

Itachi Uchiha held the account book, but without even opening it, he began to explain fluently:

"Over the past two months, Rising Sun's income was 2.3 million ryo."

"Among this, income from planting rice, wheat, and vegetables was 950,000 ryo, income from refining salt was 1.2 million ryo, and income from simple tasks like harvesting crops and repairing houses was 150,000 ryo."

"Regarding expenditures, the total expenditure for the past year was 1.46 million ryo."

"Among this, expenditure for purchasing seeds, tools, and coarse salt was 350,000 ryo, expenditure for materials to build new workshops and houses was 200,000 ryo, living expenses for organization members were 450,000 ryo, and subsidies distributed to orphan families were 400,000 ryo."

"In addition, expenditure for purchasing books, paper, pens, and ninja tools for Ninjutsu education was 60,000 ryo."

"The total balance is 840,000 ryo, and the money is stored in the old Uchiha Clan compound; it is very safe."

Yamanaka Chujiu listened very carefully, inwardly praising Itachi Uchiha for his competence.

Income is steadily increasing, expenditures are clear and orderly, and the balance ratio is high enough, indicating that the Rising Sun Organization is operating well; not only can it be self-sufficient, but it can also export resources.

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Next, we will stop expanding, so do not touch the 840,000 ryo balance for now; use it as a reserve fund for emergencies."

"I have a bad premonition that once the war with Kirigakure ends, Konohagakure might face major problems, and more orphan families will need help."

Itachi Uchiha widened his eyes: "How could that be?"

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled bitterly: "Even if I explained it now, you wouldn't understand."

"After some time, you will know what will happen, and I will explain to you the reasons behind those unbelievable facts."

"In short, save as much money, grain, cloth, and building materials as possible."

"Wait for the victory of Teacher Orochimaru and me, and wait for the moment when the Rising Sun Organization can appear in the sunlight."

"I promise, it won't be too long now."

The children trusted Yamanaka Chujiu deeply; they obediently stopped asking and instead promised with serious expressions, "We will wait for you, Big Brother Chujiu!"