Days passed.
As the Sunagakure Reform Society finished consolidating its resources, more and more people learned of the faction centered around Hoshino.
In particular, at Hoshino's direction, Temari organized the operations of the caravans, plantations, and shops, then issued missions to involve more ninja in the Sunagakure Reform Society's enterprises.
These missions not only paid generously but were also moderately difficult, attracting large numbers of Chunin and Genin.
As a result, both the number and quality of missions in the village increased significantly.
In Hoshino's words, he was using the Sunagakure Reform Society's resources to drive economic development throughout the village and provide civilian ninja with more opportunities and paths forward.
At the same time, he was beginning to bind the society to the village's grassroots through shared interests, rapidly expanding the Sunagakure Reform Society's influence.
The ninja who benefited from the Reform Society would naturally protect the Sunagakure Reform Society's interests and become its staunch supporters.
As for the puppet factory and mining operations, those were entrusted to the ninja Arashi had put forward, all of whom came from that "forgotten place."
They had once been outcasts forgotten by the village, living in poverty and despair. Now, thanks to Hoshino's support, they had gained new lives and job opportunities.
Their trust in and loyalty to Hoshino were almost unconditional, and they were willing to give everything for the Sunagakure Reform Society.
Once the situation had stabilized somewhat, Hoshino launched a new plan with Rasa's tacit approval.
First, some jobs in the Sunagakure Reform Society's enterprises did not necessarily require ninja, so he handed them directly to ordinary villagers.
Hoshino's objective was clear.
By binding their interests together, he would bring ordinary villagers into the Sunagakure Reform Society's support network as well.
Although these villagers lacked the fighting strength of ninja, their numbers were vast, and they could become another force at the grassroots that the Sunagakure Reform Society could not afford to overlook.
There was one other point...
The money spent hiring one Genin long-term was enough to hire five or six ordinary villagers, making it extremely cost-effective.
This strategy not only reduced costs but also expanded the Sunagakure Reform Society's influence further.
By taking part in this work, ordinary villagers gained a stable source of income, and their living conditions improved.
Their gratitude toward the Sunagakure Reform Society would naturally turn into loyalty and support for Hoshino, gradually forming a solid base of popular support.
This rapid rise, however, had not gone unnoticed.
Especially by the families and elders who had once controlled the allocation of the village's resources.
They feared that Hoshino's reforms would shake their standing and even threaten the village's traditional order.
That was not all. The situation outside the village had also changed. After analyzing intelligence from their spies, neighboring villages concluded that this was a sign that Sunagakure was trying to strengthen itself.
Before long, the village was full of spies from other ninja villages, with Iwagakure's spies the most numerous.
But this had little to do with Hoshino. Dedicated Anbu handled the task of hunting down spies.
In any case, the core enterprises were staffed entirely by people he could trust, so the possibility of betrayal was slim. What Hoshino truly found troublesome was setting up the research institute.
There were too few talented people he could use!
The Sunagakure Reform Society headquarters.
Located in the heart of Sunagakure, it was a building constructed of sand, stone, and steel.
It was a little shorter than the Kazekage's building and had three floors.
The first floor served as the public-facing area and was the busiest part of the entire headquarters, with a reception desk and a public service area.
The second floor housed the offices, primarily used for administration and decision-making discussions among the management.
The third floor was the core area of the Sunagakure Reform Society. It housed the exclusive offices of its four core leaders-Hoshino, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara-and was where the Sunagakure Reform Society made its highest-level decisions.
Once Hoshino had money to spare, he hired ninja to build it, a job that took half a month.
It was meant primarily as a symbol of the Sunagakure Reform Society.
Rather than relying on traditional family influence or blood ties, it centered on a community of shared interests, binding together the village's economy, technology, and grassroots forces.
The intention was to use this model to break the power structure through which a handful of major families and elders had long controlled Sunagakure.
The third floor of the Reform Society headquarters.
Hoshino sat in his spacious office, holding a thick document in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed.
The document recorded the progress of preparations for the research institute in detail, including funding, personnel assignments, equipment purchases, and plans for research directions.
Despite the substantial resources invested, the institute's progress was still far short of his expectations.
"Funding isn't a problem, and the equipment is already in place, but talent... there's still too little of it," Hoshino murmured to himself, a trace of helplessness in his voice.
Sunagakure's scientific research foundation had always been weak.
Even where it had accumulated some expertise, most of it was concentrated in the Puppet Technique.
What Hoshino envisioned, however, was the broader field of mechanics, even extending to cutting-edge technologies such as energy and automation.
The Puppet Technique... could only be considered a branch of mechanics at most.
To recruit more talent, Hoshino had even gone to the black market to post missions, offering substantial sums to find "Shinnō," "Hiruko," and experts in mechanics.
If someone could bring them directly before him, the mission reward would be increased by another fifty percent.
But the missions had only recently been posted, and he had yet to receive any relevant news.
"What a hassle!"
Hoshino's gaze swept over the radio headset on his desk and the computer beside it.
Who on earth made such modern things?
During this time, he had been gathering intelligence, trying to find the source of this modern equipment.
But neither Sunagakure's internal intelligence network nor the Sunagakure Reform Society's caravans had turned up any clear leads.
Even asking the sellers had yielded the same result.
The equipment seemed to have appeared out of thin air, yet there it was, sitting right in front of him.
It couldn't have been made by aliens and given to merchants to sell, could it?
Just then, the office door was gently pushed open, and a tall figure walked in.
Hoshino turned to look and immediately stood and bowed slightly. "Lord Kazekage, what brings you here?" he asked tentatively.
Rasa did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked around Hoshino's office.
The room was spacious and tidy. Sunlight streamed through window frames built of sand and stone, bathing the entire room in a soft golden glow.
A map of Sunagakure and a development plan for the Sunagakure Reform Society hung on the walls. The desk was covered with all manner of documents and reports, all neatly arranged.
"Hoshino, your office is grander than my Kazekage's Office."
A meaningful smile curved Rasa's lips as he teased him.
"Looks like they were right. This Reform Society of yours really is wealthy. Even the Kazekage's building pales in comparison."