After hearing Little Master's plan, Hongle positively glowed. His earlier anxiety had given way to absolute confidence.
"Hongle, will this really work?" Aunt Ichiraku had rarely gone out over the years, so she naturally lacked Hongle's knowledge and experience. She wanted to know how feasible the plan was.
"Yes, it will." Hongle nodded solemnly.
Naruto smiled at that, too. He was glad he had decided on the spur of the moment to recruit Hongle after learning about his life, but he had never imagined the man would be so useful.
There were limits to what one person could do, after all.
This matter, for instance, really had to be handled by Hongle. Naruto couldn't do it himself.
He was too young to dare reveal knowledge beyond his years to the Konoha High Command, and his background wouldn't support it, either.
Hongle, however, was different.
There were three reasons for that.
First, shortly after returning to the village, Hongle had caught the Konoha High Command's attention through the riverside ramen contest. That meant they already knew his basic background.
Second, with that foundation in place, the booming sales of the Peerless Noodle and Hongle's barbecue gave him a perfectly reasonable motive to request ninja assistance with construction: his thriving business desperately needed it.
Third, there were political factors in his favor. The Five Great Nations and their five hidden villages weren't exactly flush with funds. Thanks to their strength and large populations, Konohagakure and Kumogakure had decent internal economies and weren't particularly dependent on financial support from their daimyo.
But that didn't mean Konoha had money to spare. Otherwise, the Third Hokage and Danzo wouldn't have pocketed Minato's and the Uchiha's assets. Under those circumstances, taxes on the village's shops became an important source of revenue.
Taking all of that into