Chapter 3: Human-Made Disasters Are No Less Than Natural Ones

Kazamatsuri Harume's home is very large, with an especially big courtyard; in the courtyard grows a large tree, its shade enough to cover half the yard.

Yamanaka Chujiu asked Kazamatsuri Harume to go call people, while he himself unsealed the scrolls under the tree's shade, dividing the money into forty-three piles, looking just like a small mountain.

Forty-three.

It is the number of families in urgent need of money to save their lives.

It is the families of Yamanaka Chujiu's comrades who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield, families that could not go on because of their deaths.

According to regulations, when a Konoha Ninja sacrifices themselves on the battlefield, the village will issue a generous pension.

The pension is very generous, enough to support children as they grow up, enter the Ninja Academy, and graduate to become new ninja.

But the Third Shinobi World War has been fought for a full seven years, and the village no longer has the money to issue the full pension.

No one knows which clever person came up with the method of treating the sacrificed ninja differently.

If a ninja from a ninja clan sacrifices themselves, the pension is doubled, and the ninja clan will be even more supportive of the Third Hokage.

If a civilian ninja sacrifices themselves, and there is still a ninja alive in the family, the pension is issued in full, and the civilian ninja will be filled with gratitude toward the Third Hokage.

If a civilian ninja sacrifices themselves, and there are no longer any ninja in the family, the pension is not issued; after all, they are of no use to the Third Hokage anymore.

When Yamanaka Chujiu first learned of this situation, he went to the Administrative Department to inquire, but he was kicked around like a ball between various departments and offices.

Not one person said they wouldn't issue the pension, but not one person could confirm when it would be issued.

It was simply stalling.

Later, Yamanaka Chujiu learned why they dared to stall: because in Konohagakure, one must spend money everywhere, and people without money will die.

And once people are dead, the pension doesn't need to be issued either.

Yamanaka Chujiu was furious and caused a scene at the Administrative Department, even alarming the Third Hokage.

The result was that he received a disciplinary mark, and the problem has still not been resolved to this day.

Helpless, Yamanaka Chujiu could only find ways to earn money, issuing money to the bereaved families of his sacrificed comrades in his own private name so that they could survive in Konohagakure.

Forty-three families, each with children; Kazamatsuri Harume is the oldest among them and is also his helper.

Soon, elderly people with nervous expressions or women with haggard faces came to the Kazamatsuri home, accepting the money from Yamanaka Chujiu's hands with endless gratitude.

Everyone knows that Yamanaka Chujiu cannot support forty-three families all by himself.

He is a ninja himself, having to go to the battlefield to fight enemies, and could die at the hands of some powerful enemy at any time.

When Yamanaka Chujiu dies on the battlefield, these forty-three families will collapse in an instant.

Therefore, the despair of the ninja's bereaved families has not disappeared, but this money allows them to catch their breath; sincere gratitude mixed with longing strikes Yamanaka Chujiu's heart like a tidal wave.

The 【Mind Severing Realm】 operates automatically, absorbing the emotions that come crashing in and converting them into Chujiu's spiritual energy, bit by bit solidifying the foundation of his soul.

Yamanaka Chujiu frowns slightly; there are too many negative emotions, and if this continues, his mind will be dragged into darkness.

No, he must bring them hope and clear away the despair mixed into the gratitude.

To bring hope to forty-three families, he cannot rely on himself alone; he must have everyone participate in work and earn a steady stream of income through that work.

Konohagakure has been established for 48 years; ninja clans, nobles, and merchants have long since finished dividing up the interests, and even the jobs for civilians are all taken, with no extra vacancies.

To provide civilian jobs for forty-three families, he can only establish new industries in Konohagakure.

And new industries will inevitably compete with existing ones, affecting the interests of the ninja clans behind them and triggering fatal conflicts.

Yamanaka Chujiu knows that the seemingly prosperous Yamanaka Clan is actually not having an easy time either.

The Third Shinobi World War has lasted for seven years, and the Yamanaka Clan has had thirty-two ninja sacrificed or disabled, accounting for almost forty percent of the family's total ninja count.

Even worse, the Yamanaka Clan's candy industry was taken over by the village due to wartime policies, and their income was slashed by ninety percent.

If a new candy-selling business were to pop up now and swallow the Yamanaka Clan's last bit of life-saving money, Yamanaka Inoichi would absolutely turn red-eyed and lead his clansmen to wipe out the competitor.

Even the Third Hokage standing in the way wouldn't be enough to stop it!

After distributing all the money and sending off the adults from the bereaved families, Yamanaka Chujiu gathered the children from the forty-three families and took them to the street to eat snacks.

Rice balls, tempura, and radish balls have all gone up in price; the children eat carefully, unwilling to let a single crumb fall.

A tiny bit of snacks can trigger a sense of happiness in the children, and Yamanaka Chujiu comfortably absorbs this pure emotion, balancing out the despair brought by their parents.

These children have been raised by him for a year, and their trust in him has reached its limit; they only need a catalyst to complete the transformation and help Yamanaka Chujiu leap to a higher level of life.

He still must help their families find hope as soon as possible, as that will allow him to reach that catalyst faster.

At the same time, the children are reporting the prices they inquired about to Chujiu.

After the Fourth Hokage died, Konohagakure faced the pressure of reconstruction, and with it came skyrocketing prices.

The prices of luxury goods like sugar, tobacco, and alcohol have more than doubled in just a few days, and fresh meat, milk, and fruit are even more impossible to find at any price, with no stock available on the market at all.

Necessities like cloth and grain have not only increased in price but have also been rationed by the village.

Yamanaka Chujiu's pupils shrink: "Rationed? Are you sure it was the Hokage who ordered the rationing?"

Kazamatsuri Harume, Yano Shoichi, and the other children nod one after another, and show the stamps on their hands.

"Every time we buy rice, we have to get a stamp, and the stamp only disappears after three days."

"We can only buy five jin at a time, and we can't buy it for others; we have all stood in line."

"We can only buy rice in the civilian district; the ninja district won't sell to us."

The more Yamanaka Chujiu hears, the more troubled he becomes, but this is the current state of Konohagakure, a reality he cannot change.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration strikes his heart; he knows what business he can do!

……

"What? You want land?"

Yamanaka Inoichi holds his daughter and asks in surprise: "What do you want land for?"

Yamanaka Chujiu replies: "To reclaim it and grow grain; whether we eat it ourselves or sell it to the village, it can increase the family's income."

"It can also give the bereaved families of my comrades a job to support their households."

Yamanaka Inoichi lowers his eyes and begins to think carefully.

After a long while, he nodded and said, "Growing food is indeed feasible, and it won't conflict with any other ninja clans."

"The problem is that all the clan's land is used for growing flowers, keeping bees, and harvesting honey, and it has also been directly taken over by the village; there is no wasteland available for growing food."

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "I don't want developed land, just give me that slope on the south bank of the Konoha River."

Yamanaka Inoichi frowned and said, "How can you grow food on such a steep slope?"

Yamanaka Chujiu said confidently, "I naturally have a way; you just need to give it to me."

Yamanaka Inoichi pursed his lips and said, "Fine, just take it then."

"If you succeed, everything will be easy to discuss; if you fail, I won't collect any rent from you."

Yamanaka Chujiu shook his head and said, "That won't do, we must sign a contract, written down in black and white!"

Yamanaka Inoichi laughed and said, "Alright, let's eat first, then I will convene the Elder to write the contract for you."

"Thank you, big brother!"