The Problem of Finding Work

To the accompaniment of crisp birdsong, clear droplets of dew had formed on the eaves throughout Konoha beneath the rising sun. A rare thin mist had settled over the village today.

Some of the food establishments had opened their doors, and employees outside were continuously unloading packages of various sizes from delivery carts.

At that moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from within the mist. A few idle employees glanced in that direction and saw an adorable little boy wrapped in a large scarf. His rosy complexion made him instantly likable.

As Shuichi walked briskly, he glanced at those watching him and occasionally grinned at them, leaving some people rather surprised. Does a child not sleep in? they wondered, yet that smile made their repetitive, dull work feel somehow new.

After successfully winning over a wave of Konoha villagers, Shuichi followed his plan and headed toward the more heavily wooded outskirts of the village.

It was not as though Shuichi had deliberately been practicing his acting to become the good child in everyone's eyes.

In this war-torn era, where lives were worth less than grass, everyone had their own unhappy experiences. Those as miserable as Shuichi, who had lost both parents, were everywhere.

Life was hard enough already. How could someone who still vented their negative emotions on others possibly be accepted by everyone?

The Uchiha Clan in the original story was the most typical negative example. Although there were quite a few people among the true Uchiha elite who could think rationally, most of them gave others the impression that they could easily lose control.

These past few days, Shuichi had occasionally seen members of the Konoha Military Police Force wearing clothes emblazoned with the flaming fan crest. While things had not yet reached the point of open hostility between them and the villagers of Konoha, most villagers still instinctively avoided Uchiha whenever they encountered them.

Lost in thought as he walked, Shuichi soon found a forest path with hardly anyone around. After roughly estimating the distance of one lap, he began today's physical training.

He had chosen this location because not far away was a small river that ran through the forest outside Konoha's residential district.

After finishing his physical training, Shuichi planned to learn Naruto's method of catching fish and see whether he could catch anything to offset his spending on ingredients.

Since his body had only just begun developing, Shuichi did not imitate the protagonists from the manga and derivative works he had once read, training to the limit from a very young age while firmly believing that hard work would surely surpass talent.

In his previous life, he had watched far too many videos on scientific diets, fitness, and the like. He understood that physical training had to be done in moderation. If improper handling left hidden injuries that affected his body in the future, then he would truly have no one to blame but himself.

Just like God Itachi, whom he admired most. He had begun high-intensity training at a very young age, and combined with his overwhelming talent, he had been so outstanding that even the Ninja Academy teachers began to question their lives.

But a body that was nearly dying of illness at twenty-one was not what Shuichi wanted. What he needed to do was improve gradually while ensuring his own stability, so when he became somewhat out of breath from running, he slowed down and recovered while walking.

He had arranged for himself to increase his running distance a little each day. The Ninja Academy's enrollment was not far off now, but he still had enough time.

As he walked, he arrived beside the stream. Shuichi did not have particularly high hopes for catching fish.

Trying to fill his stomach on fish alone would probably mean wasting the entire day by the river. At present, the most likely way to earn money was still to use the knowledge from his previous life to find a part-time job.

He had already expected that looking for part-time work in Konoha's various shops would be difficult. He was simply too young, and most owners probably would not trust him. He could only take things one step at a time.

Shuichi had not brought any fishing tools with him today. Since it was winter, he certainly could not wade into the river to feel around for fish.

With the initial intention of scouting the place out, he paced along the riverbank. After observing for roughly half an hour, the result exceeded his expectations somewhat.

There were unexpectedly quite a few fish swimming in the river, though they varied in size and most were very small. He also knew that farm-raised edible fish and wild fish differed greatly in taste, hygiene and safety, and processing methods.

After thinking it over for a long time, he decided to buy some fishing equipment tomorrow and give it a try. If he got lucky, he could improve his meals.

After completing his morning tasks, taking a simple rest, and eating, Shuichi began wandering around the village that afternoon to see whether he could find suitable odd jobs.

In his previous life, Shuichi had studied big data and finance, and he had a thorough grasp of statistics and accounting. In the world of Naruto, with his knowledge reserves and the System's enhancements, he would have had no trouble even serving as the Land of Fire's finance minister.

However, Shuichi went through all kinds of shops and still could not find one willing to take him in. First of all, the owners thought he was too young, and that he would certainly be far less efficient than an adult at work.

Shuichi's opening request for an odd job had merely been bait. When the owners rejected him because of his age, he suddenly told them, "Actually, I'm a genius. Really. I can help organize the account books for shops like yours with the greatest efficiency. Ask me any addition or subtraction problem under one hundred thousand, and I can give you the answer within seconds."

The shop owners: "..."

In the end, Shuichi still could not find a shop willing to take him in. Some owners thought he was joking and impatiently chased him away. Most of the others, however, became curious. After asking Shuichi several related questions, they discovered that the kid really did know his stuff.

The fundamental reason Shuichi left was that the owners were unwilling to pay enough to hire him. Although some said they could provide basic meals, Shuichi saw that the ordinary employees ate nothing more than plain food with vegetables. That level of nutrition was not enough for his training.

Moreover, these shops' turnover and cash flow were simply too low. The owners could roughly calculate it themselves each day just by counting on their fingers.

Although Shuichi was highly capable, using him for such financial work was like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken. But these shops were chickens that could be killed with bare hands, leaving his sharp blade with nowhere to prove its worth.

Shuichi was not too discouraged. If it came to long-term plans for making money, he had countless ideas in mind. Back when he had first arrived and had not yet activated the System, he had already sorted out what he could do in the future.

He had imagined that once he was a little older, he could study how to make some specialty snacks and open a small shop. After all, having spent many years as an international student in his previous life, knowing how to cook made living alone abroad much more comfortable.

He could also publish novels in the future, or even draw manga. He could write stories suited to the ninja world, such as tales of onmyoji and samurai, or tragic love stories about a reincarnated shrine maiden who traveled through time and the handsome dog demon she could not help but love. They would definitely catch the attention of the ninja world's natives.

His usual playlist even contained many classic Japanese songs that he had listened to countless times. If he became a star, he could probably even become a guest of honor for the Daimyo.

But all of those ideas required a great deal of preparation time. He had been so young when he transmigrated here that there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, having come to a world with Chakra, would he not be wasting his life if he did not become a ninja?

Since he had decided to become a ninja, he would not waste too much time on unrelated matters.