Katō Ninja Tools Shop.
Reiji returned to the shop with Rie for the first time in a long while.
Gone was the lively crowd that once filled the place during Reiji's time. Now, it was quiet and empty.
Uncle Ippongi was still there, snoozing deeply on his beloved counter—just like the old days.
Reiji stepped inside and walked up to the counter, knocking on it playfully.
"Knock knock knock!"
The noise jolted Ippongi awake. Startled, he hurriedly wiped the drool from his mouth before finally seeing who it was.
"Reiji!" Ippongi shouted, happily coming out from behind the counter and giving Reiji a firm slap on the shoulder.
"Good kid, you've even grown taller than me."
"Uncle Ippongi!" Rie greeted sweetly from the side.
Ippongi immediately beamed and patted her head.
"This girl just keeps getting prettier!"
Then, as if remembering something, he smacked his forehead and tugged on Reiji's sleeve.
"Come on, let's go home and eat!"
Reiji waved his hands and chuckled.
"Old man, let's talk about food later. I came today because I want to buy a house."
Ippongi's eyes widened in surprise.
This kid hadn't been around for years and now he's buying a house?
"How big?"
"Nothing too fancy. Something around thirty or forty million ryō."
"..." Ippongi froze.
Well damn, showing off like that without even trying.
Excited that he was finally going to sell one of his long-idle houses, Ippongi shut up shop and led the way immediately.
As they walked, Reiji glanced sideways and asked casually,
"How's business these days, Uncle?"
Ippongi's round face instantly drooped as he sighed.
"Same old. Ever since you quit, it's just been going downhill."
He actually enjoyed bragging to Reiji.
His wife, Kyōko, didn't know a thing about business, and his son, Dan Katō, was always off dreaming about becoming Hokage.
Reiji was the only one he could talk to about business stuff he found interesting.
Thinking of this, Ippongi's eyes suddenly lit up. He leaned in like a conspirator and whispered,
"But hey, I recently found a pretty sweet gig."
"What kind of gig?" Reiji asked, curious.
"Iron. Pig iron!"
He spoke mysteriously, scanning the area. Once he saw no one was around, he continued,
"Pig iron's price has been steadily climbing for the past three years. I mean it—it just keeps going up bit by bit. Never once dropped.
This past year alone, I made a decent profit off it.
In fact, I've stocked up an entire warehouse! Just waiting for the right moment to sell!"
The more he talked, the more animated he became, his grin practically stretching ear to ear.
"And get this! I heard even the daimyōs from a few small countries are getting in on it. The rich folks from the Land of Hot Water are hoarding it too.
I mean, it's rock-solid in value!"
"You're killing it! Can't believe you spotted such a huge opportunity," Reiji praised.
Hadn't seen him in years, and now the guy was dabbling in futures.
While chatting away, Ippongi cheerfully led Reiji to a slightly remote house.
He pulled out a long string of keys and unlocked the gate.
"Reiji, this is the biggest house I've got. Biggest one in the whole neighborhood too!"
Reiji nodded and took a quick tour of the place.
It was massive. Traditional Japanese design, and the backyard alone was over 1,000 tsubo. With the buildings included, it easily topped 3,000 tsubo.
"How much, Uncle?"
Ippongi, the well-off merchant, pulled out a small notebook, flipped through it carefully, and then looked up.
"Uh... twenty-two million ryō!"
Just as Reiji was about to nod, Ippongi waved his hand generously.
"We're old friends—how about twenty-one point ninety-five million?"
Heh, I'll take that as a gift!
Reiji smirked to himself and nodded.
He then had a shadow clone bring the money, and the two completed the deal.
After saying goodbye to Ippongi, Reiji took Rie and stepped into their new home.
Gazing at the classically styled building in front of them, he patted the girl's head and smiled.
"From now on, this is our home."
At those words, Rie, who had been barely holding back her excitement, suddenly jumped for joy, her eyes brimming with tears.
Even though Kyōko Katō had always treated her with kindness, and even though the Senju estate was spacious and luxurious, none of that could compare to having a place of her own.
"Big brother! You're way too good to me, I'm seriously touched.
I'll take care of you in your old age and even coat your tombstone in gold!"
Reiji instantly choked.
Damn! Where's my heart medicine?!
It took him a good while to recover. Then he asked hoarsely,
"What about your little underlings? How are they doing now?"
"You mean Meiko and the others?" Rie blinked her big eyes innocently.
Reiji nodded.
Rie lit up, patting her chest proudly...
"Brother, don't worry! I've trained them well—they're ready to rally behind you anytime to help you become Hokage!"
Reiji stared up at the sky in silence.
This girl's got a screw loose or something.
Seriously, who taught her to be this unreliable?
Rie's mom, could you please come get your daughter?
With a long sigh, Reiji cast a hopeless glance at Rie.
"Fine, say whatever you want. Go call them over, I need to talk to them."
"On it!" Rie gave an excited salute and dashed off like a gust of wind.
...
About an hour later, Rie came storming into the courtyard with a whole group behind her.
Reiji sat on the outer corridor, holding his head, a low-pressure aura radiating from him.
"Brother! Meiko and the others are here!"
Rie bounced over cheerfully to Reiji.
Behind her, Meiko and the others—children who had once followed Reiji to Konoha—stood nervously, watching him with awe.
From the beginning, they had always held deep respect for Reiji.
Many of them were already adults now, no longer living in the orphanage.
But life hadn't been kind to them—not because they weren't capable, but because they lacked the means to thrive.
The orphanage had taught them survival skills, but in the face of fierce competition, those skills fell short.
And with new orphans constantly aging out of the system, the pressure on them only grew.
Most of them were proficient in ninjutsu—some, like Meiko, even reaching Chūnin level.
But none of them were willing to sell their skills to Konoha. After all, everything they knew had been taught by Rie.
After getting a quick sense of their situation, Reiji couldn't help but think they were way too earnest.
It reminded him of characters like Haku and Kimimaro in the original story—so sincere it came off as stubborn.
With a slight frown, Reiji finally spoke up.
"So here's the deal. I recently started a company called Konoha Unlimited Liability Company.
I'm planning to hire a team, so I wanted to ask if you all—"
Before he could finish, the group erupted.
"President Sakuhō! I'm with you all the way!"
"Same here! As long as there's food, I'm in!"
"Boss! Whatever you need us to do—fire, blades, you name it!"
Rie stood proudly next to Reiji, puffing out her chest as if to say, "See, big bro? Look how loyal my crew is!"
Loyalty or not, Reiji didn't know—but right now, his stomach hurt from the stress.
All he'd wanted was to build a proper company, work together, hustle with friends, and enjoy the beauty of youth.
Now it felt like he'd founded a gang. And they were even calling him President.
Pressing his fingers against his temples to fight the urge to throw a punch, Reiji straightened his expression and said sternly,
"From this point on, when I speak, no interruptions!"
The group snapped to attention, standing straight and staring forward like soldiers receiving a commander's orders.
Seeing that, Reiji just felt more drained.
"I'll keep it brief. I've started a company—regular nine to five, weekends off, decent pay.
There's training involved, and you'll be expected to show loyalty to the company.
Who's in favor? Who's against it?"
He paused, looking at the silent group, then repeated,
"Who's in favor? Who's against it?"
Still, no one spoke.
At that moment, Rie tiptoed up beside him.
"Brother, you didn't tell them they could talk."
Reiji gave her a tired look and muttered, "Talk."
"I agree!" they all shouted in unison, like pledging allegiance to a boss.
At that, Reiji was completely done. He waved his hand weakly and told them to scram.
Then he slowly stood, hands clasped behind his back, hunched slightly, and walked away—shaking his head the whole time.