Thirty Kilograms

Time flew by like a white horse passing through a crack. If you didn't make a point of keeping track, it would slip away in an instant. By the time you realized it, you'd find yourself wondering in a daze, Oh. Has it really been that long...?

More than a month had passed since Yuya proposed the Wetland Bridge project. During that time, he had finally succeeded in forming the Flying Thunder God mark.

For a ninja of ordinary talent, that was a decent pace.

But compared to Namikaze Minato in the manga...

Yeah, better not. That'd be embarrassing.

Successfully forming the mark was only the first step. Flying Thunder God wasn't just about the mark; it had many other applications, too.

The Ninja Academy had gone on break as well. One thing worth mentioning was that Yuya had scored full marks on the Clone Technique in the end-of-year exam.

That was because he had eventually shamelessly begged Senju Tobirama to teach him the Shadow Clone Technique.

Building on that, Yuya had told Senju Tobirama he was interested in the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, but Tobirama had flatly refused.

The Multi Shadow Clone Technique was excellent for helping with training, but the pain and fatigue each clone's disappearance inflicted on the original body would pile up.

Without a strong constitution, you couldn't handle it.

Obviously, there was no way Yuya's constitution could compare to Naruto's, with Kurama inside him.

So if he used Multi Shadow Clones to study ninjutsu, he might end up damaging his foundations.

Although he'd earned full marks in the Clone Technique, everything else was a failing grade except for math, which he'd also aced.

Still, overall, that was good enough. Yuya had passed the practical combat test. It was a little embarrassing that he hadn't beaten Hyuga Kazuko or Rou Uchiha, but nobody else had beaten them either, so he'd done pretty well.

More than a month had passed, and Yuya went out again. This time he headed north of the village, continuing north from the cliffs.

Once he reached his destination, he followed his usual routine and used his ability to absorb the gold underground, gathering it into a single golden cube. He weighed it with the scale in his Sealing Scroll. Not bad—there were a full three hundred and sixty kilograms of gold at this location.

After sealing it inside the scroll, shrinking the scroll, and tucking it against his body, Yuya took out thirty kilograms of gold, shaped it into an irregular mass, and returned to Konoha.

Having Senju Hashirama around really was great. He didn't have to worry about enemy spies showing up around Konoha.

After all, the God of Shinobi's combat prowess was guaranteed.

One thing worth mentioning was that Senju Hashirama seemed to be getting healthier lately. His complexion was rosy, his voice strong, and his breathing deep. He showed no signs of being seriously ill.

Yuya was starting to wonder more and more whether the point in the manga when Senju Hashirama died would ever come to pass.

Well, it'd be nice if it didn't. Even if you added it all up, Yuya had no more than five hundred and fifty kilograms of gold on hand—nowhere near enough to keep up with his growth.

With Senju Hashirama around, he didn't have to worry about Konoha being attacked, and could focus on growing stronger in peace.

The Wetland Bridge was expected to be completed by the end of February next year. The project would take three months, and the total cost wasn't high. Including the workers' wages, the entire project would cost no more than fifty million ryo.

But as Yuya had calculated earlier, that money would bring a visible increase in the residents' happiness and the village's prosperity.

A few minor incidents had happened in the meantime. For instance, some people had grown jealous and tried to cause trouble. Kagami Uchiha had wanted to intervene, but Yuya had used the Ninja Scroll to stop him.

Yuya could accept a certain amount of troublemaking.

Or rather, if nobody made trouble, he'd find it strange.

After all, I'm eating scraps while everyone else gets rice every day and new clothes. Of course they're going to feel resentful.

The thing is, I'm willing to put up with hardship, but you won't give me the chance!

Well, that said, the people already benefiting from the project—the workers on the job now—would definitely object if the troublemakers tried to take what they had.

They wouldn't let those people steal their benefits, so conflict was inevitable.

And Kagami Uchiha's other role, captain of the Uchiha Police Force's action squad, made him the perfect person to step in at a time like this.

It would also help raise the Police Force's reputation.

After all, there weren't any entertainment options these days. The village's only amusement came from people with a gift for gab, spinning tall tales.

And this was something worth bragging about.

Kagami Uchiha saw all this with his own eyes, and his admiration for the "advisor" the Second had assigned him only grew.

More than once, he'd told Tobirama that he wanted to learn from this advisor—how to get things done, how to manage relations among the people in the village, and how to create more value with fewer resources.

For some reason, Lord Hokage always looked rather strange when he heard this.

But that didn't matter. As long as Kagami Uchiha could learn these things and spread them throughout the Uchiha Clan, he could surely change the clan's image and make it stronger. Then the clan elders wouldn't spend all day looking for trouble.

Senju Tobirama neither agreed nor refused. He only told Kagami Uchiha to keep up the good work, and said he could keep the Ninja Scroll for himself and ask about anything that came up.

Kagami Uchiha was thrilled. He asked a question almost every night, and the next morning Yuya would see it and write back with an answer.

But Yuya had gone to dig for gold today, so there hadn't been any more of that.

By the time Yuya returned to Hashirama's residence, it was already evening.

And just as Yuya had expected, Senju Tobirama was there today.

Generally speaking, the Second, Senju Tobirama, didn't visit without a good reason.

And today, his purpose was obvious.

Yuya couldn't be bothered to pull the same stunt as last time—pretending to be a child and crying for a reward. Instead, he casually shook the gold out of his backpack and grinned at Senju Tobirama. "This is about thirty kilograms. Uncle, have you decided what ninjutsu you're going to teach me?"

Senju Tobirama couldn't help swallowing. He thought for a moment, then said to Yuya, "How about you just tell me where the gold mine is?"

Yuya rolled his eyes. "It's not a gold mine. Gold elements from underground seep into the surface, and my ability lets me sense them.

"If there really were a gold mine, I wouldn't have come back. I'd just live and eat in the mine every day."

Yuya was telling the truth. He really could fill his stomach by eating gold.

The key was that the more gold he had, the stronger he became. If there really were a gold mine, Yuya wouldn't leave until he'd absorbed enough to strengthen himself.

Senju Tobirama didn't take it seriously. He assumed Yuya was exaggerating.

Still, he did believe Yuya. If there were a gold mine, it was impossible that nobody had discovered it by now.

The Land of Fire had been a battlefield all over not long ago. If there had really been a gold mine, word of it would have gotten out somehow.

But that left Senju Tobirama in a quandary. He'd taught this brat Flying Thunder God for a little over ten kilograms last time. What about more than thirty kilograms this time...

Thirty thousand grams. Five thousand ryo per gram. That was a hundred and fifty million ryo... Uh...

Should he teach this brat Impure World Reincarnation?