Naruto-Start by eating the golden fruit

Youya deeply understands that developing the economy requires two key elements: technology and population.

Especially now, when resources need to be exploited, and the foundation for industry needs to be established, the first basic condition for any industry is clear: roads.

What's the use of having abundant resources if they can't be transported? Do we need manpower to build roads? Yes, we do. Do other factories need workers? Also, yes.

Sometimes, Youya feels overwhelmed, wondering if he's taken too ambitious a step. He dreams of laying the foundation for industry, opening factories, and building roads, yet the population doesn't even exceed one million.

There simply aren't enough people. It's really not enough.

Factories are now scrambling to recruit workers. This is just for factories! Youya also plans to build a road running through the entire Fire Country. How much manpower and material resources will this take?

Without a road, it currently takes more than half a month to transport supplies to Yanyin Village. If the road were repaired, this time could be cut in half—cut in half!

In the future, when Yunyin's internal conflict is resolved, Youya plans to seek cooperation with them. The Kingdom of Thunder has excellent domestic resources—pastures, cattle, and sheep. Youya is eager to tap into that potential, but the road will have to come first.

As for Sunagakure? They can wait. After these two roads are complete, Youya will focus on them. Patience is key.

For now, there's simply no manpower to build roads. If only the Konoha road engineering team hadn't been disbanded after completing the village roads! Once disbanded, factory owners swooped in, recruiting workers with every trick in the book. One owner even used a beauty trap, promising his daughter's hand in marriage to three skilled workers to lure them in. After the contracts were signed, the truth came out. Outrageous!

Youya was furious, but what could he do? The labor shortage was critical.

If the local workforce wasn't enough, he had no choice but to look outward. Refugees arriving at Konoha became a crucial resource. Anyone who could endure the hardships of travel to reach the village was resilient and could be trained.

So, Youya issued an order:

Ninja patrol teams were tasked with escorting refugee groups back to the village safely. Furthermore, monetary rewards would be provided based on age:

10,000 taels for children under 10,

20,000 taels for those aged 11–19,

50,000 taels for adults aged 20–30,

30,000 taels for those aged 31–40,

20,000 taels for those aged 41–50,

and 10,000 taels for anyone over 51.

This policy would remain in effect for one month.

As expected, the decree created a stir among ninjas. Money motivates! Patrol teams soon became highly efficient, bringing in refugees by the dozens.

One such team brought over 100 people, led by Umino Musashi, to the special registration office in Konoha's outer city.

"Wow! Kojiro, how many people did you bring this time?" a fellow ninja exclaimed, wide-eyed. "This must be dozens! You're about to get rich!"

Kojiro grinned, urging his colleague to process the registrations quickly. Each refugee needed to be recorded: name, age, and any disabilities.

"By the way, are you hungry?" Kojiro asked Umino Musashi, clearly in a good mood.

It wasn't just his mood—Kojiro's team stood to earn over 3 million taels from this group alone. Even after splitting it among his teammates, Kojiro would take home over a million. That was more than a month's salary.

However, when Umino Musashi hesitated, saying, "There are over a hundred of us... It's a lot to feed..." Kojiro quickly clarified:

"Oh no, I'm not inviting you to my table. There's a porridge shop set up for refugees. Come with me."

Joking aside, feeding over a hundred mouths wasn't something Kojiro could afford.

At the porridge shop, the owner, Uncle Gen, teased him: "Kojiro, you lucky dog! Most people only bring a handful—maybe a dozen at most. And here you are with more than a hundred! How much did you make?"

Kojiro laughed it off, but the truth was undeniable—this opportunity was too good to pass up. He quickly delivered the refugees to the porridge shed before setting off on patrol again with his team.

For Kojiro, every day counted. He dreamed of leading another group like this and earning enough in a month to rival two or three years' wages. Opportunities like this were rare, and civilian ninjas without clan support had to seize every chance to make money.

Meanwhile, Umino Musashi, holding a bowl of hot porridge, couldn't help but marvel at the vast difference between Konoha and his homeland in Kawa no Kuni.

The roads in Kawa no Kuni's Yunin Village were dirt, barely passable in bad weather. Yet here, in Konoha's outer city, the roads were paved with unfamiliar yet clearly superior materials.

Musashi regretted not coming to Konoha twenty years earlier with his elder brother. But regret was pointless now. After finishing his meal, he resolved to find his way to the refugee camp's guide and begin searching for his brother, Umino Kenjiro.

Please visit my PATREON

To read adavance chapter in patreon

patreon.com/Gho_