Thirty Kilograms

Time is like a white horse galloping past a crevice; if you do not pay close attention, it slips away from your side in an instant. Only when you finally react do you realize in a daze, "Oh, so much time has already passed..."

Over a month had passed since Yuya proposed the Wetland Bridge project, and during this time, Yuya finally succeeded in condensing the mark for the Flying Thunder God.

For a ninja with average aptitude, this speed was acceptable.

But if one were to compare Yuya to Namikaze Minato from the manga...

Well, better not to compare; it's embarrassing.

Successfully condensing the mark was only the first stage. The Flying Thunder God was not just a simple mark; it had many other applications.

The Ninja Academy was on break, and it is worth mentioning that in the year-end exams, Yuya received a perfect score in the Clone Technique.

This was because he had eventually pestered Senju Tobirama into teaching him the Shadow Clone Technique.

Building on this, Yuya expressed interest in the Multi Shadow Clone Technique to Senju Tobirama, but was sternly refused.

The Multi Shadow Clone Technique is a great tool for training, but the pain and fatigue brought back to the original body when each clone vanishes are cumulative.

If one's physical constitution is not up to par, they cannot withstand it.

It was obvious that Yuya's physical constitution could never compare to Naruto, who had Kurama in his belly.

Therefore, if he used the Multi Shadow Clone Technique to learn ninjutsu, he might end up damaging his foundation.

Although his Clone Technique score was perfect, he failed everything else except for mathematics.

But all in all, it was enough, because Yuya managed a passing grade in practical combat. Even though it was a bit shameful that he didn't beat Hyuga Kazuko or Rou Uchiha, no one else had beaten them either, so it was quite decent.

A month later, Yuya went out again. This time, he headed to the north of the village, continuing past the cliffs.

Upon reaching his destination, Yuya followed his usual routine, using his ability to absorb the gold from underground and condense it into a solid gold cube. After weighing it with the scale from his Sealing Scroll, it wasn't bad; this location yielded a full three hundred and sixty kilograms of gold.

Sealing it into the scroll and shrinking it to carry on his person, Yuya took out thirty kilograms of gold, shaped it irregularly, and returned to Konoha.

Having Senju Hashirama around was truly great; there was no need to worry about enemy spies appearing around Konoha.

After all, the combat power of the God of Shinobi was guaranteed.

It is worth mentioning that Senju Hashirama's health seemed to be getting better and better lately; his complexion was ruddy, his voice was booming, and his aura was deep. There was absolutely no sign of him suffering from a serious illness.

Yuya was increasingly suspicious of whether the point of death for Senju Hashirama in the manga would even occur.

Well, if it doesn't happen, that's fine too. The gold he had on hand, all told, didn't exceed five hundred and fifty kilograms, which was far from enough for his development speed.

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

The Wetland Bridge was expected to be completed by the end of February next year. The total construction period was three months, and the total cost was not expensive; including the workers' wages, the entire budget was no more than fifty million ryo.

But as Yuya had calculated before, the investment of this money brought visible improvements in the residents' happiness and prosperity.

During this period, some minor incidents occurred. For instance, some people grew jealous and wanted to stir up trouble. Kagami Uchiha wanted to intervene, but Yuya stopped his actions via the Ninja Scroll.

Yuya could accept a moderate amount of trouble.

Or rather, if no one caused trouble, Yuya would find it abnormal.

After all, he was eating coarse grains while others were eating rice and wearing new clothes every day; it was inevitable that they would feel unbalanced.

The point is, I'm willing to endure hardship too, but you won't give me the chance!

Well, having said that, those who were already benefiting—the workers currently on the job—would certainly not be happy about the troublemakers.

They would not allow their interests to be snatched away by these people, so conflict was inevitable.

And Kagami Uchiha's other identity, captain of the Uchiha Police Force's action squad, was perfect for stepping in at this time.

This way, he could also boost the reputation of the Police Force.

After all, there was no entertainment, and the village's fun relied entirely on the boasting of those with flexible tongues.

This incident could be considered capital for bragging.

Kagami Uchiha saw this clearly, and his admiration for the "advisor" appointed to him by the Second Hokage grew even deeper.

He had expressed to Tobirama more than once that he wanted to learn from this advisor how to do things, how to handle relationships between people in the village, and how to create greater value with minimal resources.

It's just that the Hokage's expression was very strange for some reason.

But that didn't matter. As long as he, Kagami Uchiha, could learn these things and promote them within the Uchiha Clan, he would surely be able to change the clan's outlook and make it stronger. That way, the elders in the clan wouldn't be thinking about causing trouble all day long.

Senju Tobirama neither agreed nor refused; he just told Kagami Uchiha to work hard and that he could keep the Ninja Scroll, and if he had any questions, he could just ask directly.

Kagami Uchiha was very excited. He basically asked a question every night, and Yuya would see it and provide an answer the next morning.

However, Yuya had gone to dig for gold today, so that had not continued.

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

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

Generally speaking, Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, would not visit without a reason.

And today, his purpose for coming was very clear.

Yuya was too lazy to act like a child and cry for benefits like last time. He simply shook the gold out of his backpack, grinned at Senju Tobirama, and said, "This is about thirty kilograms. Uncle, have you decided what ninjutsu to teach me?"

Senju Tobirama swallowed uncontrollably. He thought for a moment and said to Yuya, "How about you just tell me where the gold mine is?"

Yuya rolled his eyes. "It's not a gold mine. It's just gold elements from deep underground seeping to the surface, and my ability allows me to sense their presence.

If there really were a gold mine, I certainly wouldn't have come back; I'd be living and eating inside that mine every single day."

Yuya was stating a fact; he truly could fill his stomach by eating gold.

The key was that the more gold he consumed, the stronger he became. If there truly were a gold mine, Yuya definitely wouldn't have emerged until he had finished absorbing it to strengthen himself.

Senju Tobirama didn't mind, simply assuming Yuya was exaggerating.

However, he did believe Yuya's words; if there were a gold mine, it would be impossible for no one to have discovered it until now.

The Land of Fire had been a battlefield everywhere previously; if there really were a gold mine, news of it would have leaked out regardless.

But this put Senju Tobirama in a difficult spot. Last time, he had taught the Flying Thunder God to this brat for a dozen kilograms, but this time it was over thirty kilograms...

Over thirty thousand grams, at five thousand ryo per gram, that came to one hundred and fifty million ryo... ah, this...

Should he teach the Impure World Reincarnation to this brat instead?