Uchiha Gen had not brought his assistant Haru or his pet Little Kuro this time. Alone, he moved much faster.
Three days later, Uchiha Gen arrived in a bustling city. Looking at the buildings so utterly out of place in the Warring States era, he was momentarily lost in thought.
The roadside stalls were arranged in neat order, without obstructing traffic through the city gates in the slightest.
Uchiha Gen took a brief look before leaving, his figure gradually vanishing into the shadows in a corner by the wall.
Skyfeather Heavy Industries.
Established five years ago, it was renowned for its high engineering quality and rapid construction speed.
It also continuously introduced various high-quality housing designs. If clients did not know what kind of house to build, the company offered hundreds of modules for them to choose from. Its service quality was beyond reproach.
Its after-sales guarantee was equally satisfying. Any damage or collapse within three years would be repaired free of charge.
In just five years, Skyfeather Heavy Industries had nearly monopolized the Land of Fire's construction industry and held vast amounts of developable land.
At first, nobles and officials had set their sights on the company. But after digging deeper, they discovered ninja involvement, with Uchiha and Senju ninja frequently appearing around it. This made many nobles wary of acting rashly.
Before long, however, Skyfeather Heavy Industries began cultivating close ties with officials, making them feel much better about it. As the company grew larger, their benefits rose along with it. Only then did those officials realize what a money tree they had found.
Yet all of this was part of Skyfeather Heavy Industries' plan. It had all come from the boss behind the scenes, Uchiha Gen. In his words:
"An official has two mouths. Feed the officials connected to us until they are full, make them think we're one of their own, and then the resources will naturally tilt our way."
"What about the lower mouth?"
"Heh, that's the common people's mouth. You should know that public opinion can melt gold, so our products must be good. That way, they won't have anything to criticize. And never squeeze them too hard, or we'll have reached the end of the road."
After hearing this, the lackeys deeply agreed and enshrined those words as a family creed, determined to pass them down from generation to generation.
At this moment, Uchiha Gen had arrived at Skyfeather Heavy Industries' branch office in the city. He had already informed the lackey managing the place that he would be coming to inspect the laboratory's progress.
After entering the company, Uchiha Gen could not help feeling sentimental. The familiar floor tiles, the familiar cement walls... it felt as though he had returned to the modern era.
"Who are you?! Who let you in?!"
Behind him, a woman in a short skirt and black stockings shouted at Uchiha Gen. His behavior made him look exactly like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
"Hm? You're wearing Hundred Flowers Consortium clothes? Not bad taste."
Hearing Uchiha Gen's praise, the woman smugly brushed back her long hair. The Hundred Flowers Consortium was on good terms with Skyfeather Heavy Industries, and as employees, they could buy plenty of good products at low prices. What she did not know was that the Hundred Flowers Consortium belonged to the white-haired young man before her.
"Hmph! This outfit cost me over a thousand ryo. Never seen anything like it, have you?" After showing off, she suddenly came to her senses. "Why are you still here?! Don't make me call security to throw you out!"
"Come on, don't get worked up. I'm friends with your boss. We arranged to meet here."
Uchiha Gen did not get angry. Strictly speaking, this place was his property too.
The woman frowned as she looked Uchiha Gen over. He wore casual, ordinary kimono, his snow-white hair draped down his back. His face was impossibly youthful. He was nothing more than a little brat who had not even grown up yet.
"Tch! Trying to fool me?"
"You should be almost late for work, right? Instead of wasting time here, why don't you hurry upstairs?"
Uchiha Gen smiled faintly, gave her no chance to retort, then turned around and vanished into the corridor in an instant.
Seeing Uchiha Gen suddenly disappear, the woman turned pale with fright. An unidentified ninja had infiltrated the company! This was a major incident!
Uchiha Gen moved through the shadows and slowly made his way to the rooftop, avoiding everyone he encountered along the way. This branch had only ten floors. A building like this was already bizarre for this era, yet in a modern metropolis, such structures could be found everywhere.
Standing on the rooftop and taking in the view, he wondered whether accelerating the development of the Naruto World was a good thing or a bad thing.
Thud, thud, thud!
Urgent footsteps came from the stairwell. Before long, a panting middle-aged man climbed up.
"Lord Yuan! I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. I only learned from my subordinates that an unfamiliar ninja had appeared, and it was only from their description that I confirmed it was you."
"Well, it's nothing. The times are moving faster now, so I can't afford to slow down either."
"You mean...?"
"The situation in the Shinobi World is gradually becoming clear. The war in the Land of Fire has ended, and peace will come as early as next year."
"But shouldn't that peace last only a few years at most?"
"But this time is different. This time, the Daimyo will join forces with the ninja clans."
Gasp!
Uchiha Yimu was greatly shocked by that prediction. He had never expected such confidential news to sound like such a trivial matter coming from Lord Yuan.
"After the Land of Fire achieves peace, our next Five-Year Plan must begin as soon as possible, before those ninja clans can free up their hands."
"Yes!"
"By the way, the reason I came this time is the laboratory."
"It is already under construction, my lord."
"Hm?" Uchiha Gen was somewhat puzzled. News had come last year that construction had begun. Why was it still being built now?
"It is already May this year, and it still isn't finished?"
"Uh..."
Yimu did not know how to explain. He took out a blueprint from his robes and handed it to Uchiha Gen.
"My lord, this is the blueprint you gave us. I built it according to this."
"Oh? Let me see what happened."
Uchiha Gen took the blueprint and examined it. The design matched his original plan perfectly. Then he noticed a blurry mark in the lower-right corner. It looked like a cat paw print, and in the very center of it were several barely visible numbers.
"1:500? Who marked this?"
"I don't know, my lord. It was already like that when the blueprint arrived."
Uchiha Gen's mouth twitched. He had already guessed what had happened. Looking at that cat paw print, it had to be Little Kuro's footprint.
Looking over the blueprint, the original design had been for a laboratory of less than one hundred square meters. That was the only way to ensure better secrecy. Bigger was bigger, then...
"Forget it. Build it like this. It's only a little bigger. How far along is it now?"
"My lord, the main construction is nearly complete. The framework has been erected, and it will be ready for inspection in another two months."
"Two months? Just how big is it?"
"Five thousand square meters!"
"Pfft, five... thousand... square meters!"
He did not even know how to complain anymore. He wanted a laboratory, at most an experimental base. Five thousand square meters! Was he building a football field? Was he just begging for whatever they researched to be put on public display?
That was human experimentation! Humanity's forbidden taboo!
"Fine. Use this location as a trading market instead. It's conveniently close to the Land of Wind."
After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Gen continued:
"Then build another one nearby for me. Keep the blueprint unchanged, but reduce the scale by fifty times!"
"...Yes!"
"How long will it take?"
"One month. I guarantee it will be finished!"
Uchiha Gen nodded. Only then was he satisfied. Five thousand square meters was simply too absurd.
Before you continue