Hot Pot Tycoon or Harvest Moon?

The morning air was fresh and pleasant, carrying the fragrance of dew and the scent of earth.

The blanket demon still held Takahashi Yū sealed away.

Even though Takahashi Yū was physically invincible, arguably the mightiest man in the Shinobi World.

Takahashi Yū had actually woken up long ago. The side effects of his powerful physique had begun showing in childhood: he could no longer sleep in. Tragic.

While he slept, his body rested at full capacity. The instant it had recovered, he woke up, wasting not a single second of Takahashi Yū's time.

It made Takahashi Yū feel that this was all life had to offer.

"Sigh..." Takahashi Yū threw back his thin blanket and sat up on the edge of the bed.

Through the window, he saw a faint glow of dawn slowly rising over the horizon.

A few footsteps sounded outside his bedroom door again.

Takahashi Yū got up and headed out. Opening the door, he saw a red-haired figure bustling around the kitchen.

Uzumaki Shui Ling was absentmindedly eating a fried egg at the table.

"Good morning, Lord Takahashi Yū. Please wait a moment. Breakfast will be ready soon," Mizuki said, turning toward him from her work in the kitchen.

Takahashi Yū waved a hand and headed for his beloved sofa.

"You don't have to be so formal with me. I'll just have a quick bite, then get something else outside."

"The Hokage building isn't even open yet. Damn it, I want to sleep until noon."

Takahashi Yū sat on the sofa and wailed.

Mizuki Uzumaki was rather puzzled. Couldn't he just sleep if he wanted to?

Noticing Mizuki's confusion, Uzumaki Shui Ling explained:

"His body is too strong, and he recovers quickly. He doesn't need that much rest. Naturally, once he's had enough sleep, he can't sleep anymore."

"I saw Third Raikage A back when I was fighting in the war. Even his body didn't feel as strong as yours to my senses. I really don't know what's going on with that body of yours."

Uzumaki Shui Ling added a few more words, but mentioning the war made her unhappy again. What a contrary old woman.

"Oh? You can sense physical strength, old woman?"

Takahashi Yū grew interested. After all, the Shinobi World had long debated who deserved the titles of strongest spear and shield, with Raikage A and Takahashi Yū at the center of the argument.

"The Mind's Eye of the Kagura has many uses." Uzumaki Shui Ling gave Takahashi Yū a meaningful look.

Mizuki approached with a tray and set a plate of fried eggs and a glass of milk before Takahashi Yū.

The corner of Takahashi Yū's mouth twitched. This isn't even enough to fill a gap between my teeth. And what's with the milk? Does she think I'm a kid?

Uzumaki Shui Ling shook her head at the sight as well. Was something wrong with this girl's head?

But looking at Mizuki's timid expression, Takahashi Yū couldn't bring himself to say anything.

He swallowed the fried eggs in one mouthful, downed the milk in one go, and headed for the front door.

"I'm off. Time to collect what Sarutobi owes me."

Hearing "Have a safe trip" behind him, Takahashi Yū felt something a little unusual stir inside.

He rubbed his stomach. I'd better find somewhere to get something to eat.

After finishing a large bowl of deluxe ramen, Takahashi Yū strode toward the Hokage building.

He greeted the ninja guarding the entrance to the Hokage Building and headed straight upstairs.

By rights, he should have waited for the ninja at the entrance to report his arrival, then gone upstairs to the Hokage's office only after receiving the Hokage's permission.

But...

"Why didn't you stop Lord Takahashi Yū? Isn't this against regulations?"

A bead of cold sweat rolled down the ninja's face.

"You stop him, then. Two of me put together aren't even as thick as Lord Takahashi Yū. How am I supposed to stop him?"

Watching Takahashi Yū head straight upstairs,

the ninja at the entrance flatly declared it impossible. His presence was far too intimidating.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Takahashi Yū politely slapped the door to the Hokage's office, then pushed it open and entered without waiting for a response.

"Yo, Lord Hokage. At work so early?" Takahashi Yū greeted him as he walked toward a chair in the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his well-patinated little Tobacco Pipe between his lips. Watching Takahashi Yū push straight through the door and sit down in front of him, he kept his face impassive, but inwardly, he was going mad.

Does anyone understand? The very first thing I get when I come to work in the morning is a massive headache.

"Ah, Takahashi. Aren't you here early yourself?"

The Third took a deep drag, slowly exhaled the smoke, then set down his Tobacco Pipe and addressed Takahashi Yū.

"Hey, hey, hey, enough of that. I'm here to cash in my military merits."

Takahashi Yū had no desire to exchange pleasantries with the Third and got straight to the point.

The Third's body gave an almost imperceptible shudder. Recalling the figures in Konoha's accounts, he thought, The moment has finally come.

"Takahashi, I assume you're not interested in ninjutsu or secret techniques, but you have to understand that this is wartime. Konoha doesn't have much money to spare."

The Third Hokage knew very well that when speaking to someone like Takahashi Yū, he absolutely could not beat around the bush, because the man didn't get it and didn't want to.

Takahashi Yū really would turn on him over a disagreement. If that happened, losing face would be the least of his worries.

What if the other ninja villages caught wind of it and got stirred up again?

"Then what do you suggest? You have to give me something. Surely the Third Hokage wouldn't want people finding out he's withholding the rewards earned by frontline soldiers?"

Takahashi Yū spoke unhurriedly, settling into a posture that said he wasn't leaving today.

Although Takahashi Yū had already decided to claim an entire street, he still tossed the question back to the Third.

The Third looked at Takahashi Yū with a slight headache. Rubbing two fingers together, he produced a flame on his index finger, relit his extinguished pipe, and took another couple of puffs.

Looks like I'm going to have to pay dearly today.

"Takahashi, how about I give you a plot of land in exchange? You can make your own arrangements."

The Third Hokage feigned reluctance, as though Takahashi Yū were getting an enormous bargain.

A plot of land? Naturally, that meant land on Konoha's outskirts. It wasn't worth much.

Takahashi Yū had been about to raise his Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger and berate the old Third. Have I been too nice to you?

But an idea suddenly flashed through his mind, and he quickly calmed down.

The Third Hokage watched Takahashi Yū spring to his feet, then abruptly sit back down without saying a word. He couldn't help setting down his Tobacco Pipe.

Was that going too far?

Takahashi Yū's abrupt movements left the Third doubting himself. Not satisfied? Then make a counteroffer!

Silence fell between them. Holding his Tobacco Pipe, the Third felt awkward both putting it down and continuing to smoke.

Takahashi Yū was deep in thought. He had originally planned to claim an entire street and start a business himself, perhaps a hot pot restaurant, getting all the neighbors to help out so they could easily achieve modest prosperity and live a little more comfortably.

But the Third's words had reminded him: if he claimed a patch of woodland outside and developed it, wouldn't that make a big farm?

And it would be on Konoha's outskirts. Wouldn't that make it easy to move the entire street out of Konoha if he wanted to?

[Hot Pot Tycoon] or [Harvest Moon]?

Everyone from the land of the flowering family had, to some degree, a fondness for farming.

Takahashi Yū was no exception. A hot pot restaurant might not work out, though even if it failed, he could let the others on Hot Springs Street use it for free.

A farm wouldn't turn a profit anytime soon, but it could quickly become self-sufficient, leaving no need to worry about a fallback.

Hiss... What a tough choice.

Watching Takahashi Yū scratch his head and fidget, the Third Hokage guessed that he might have decided how to redeem his military merits before coming here.

Now a single remark from him had left Takahashi Yū this torn, and the Third Hokage couldn't help thinking it over himself.

What other use could a patch of wasteland on the outskirts have that he hadn't considered?

The Third Hokage might not have understood the allure a farm held for a soul from Huaxia.

He couldn't think of any other use. Although he didn't know what Takahashi Yū had originally intended to claim, after mulling it over, the Third felt it was probably something rather excessive.

He couldn't help sweetening the offer to tempt him:

"If you take the land, you won't have to pay taxes, Takahashi."