Let's do it together

As the hot winds gradually subsided, the leaves turned yellow, and the streets were covered with more fallen leaves, transforming Konoha Village into a vibrant, colorful oil painting. The poplars were the first to don their golden armor, while the maple trees ignited crimson flames, and the ginkgo trees were the most generous, carpeting the entire alley with scattered gold.

A mountain breeze swept through the streets, rustling the yellowing leaves. A person standing in the middle spun around, as if using wind magic. The mountain breeze swept over the rooftops, shaking the wind chimes and producing a crisp, melodious sound. Finally, the mountain breeze, carrying fallen leaves and the sound of bells, rushed towards Fire Shadow Rock, carrying away the voices of the villagers.

In the suburbs, an old man was threshing rice, and many ninja were harvesting. Schoolchildren chased after fallen leaves, their pockets stuffed with roasted chestnuts, their cheerful laughter bringing smiles to those around them.

The Third Hokage walked out onto the street, taking in everything in Konoha, his smile never faltering. He loved strolling through the streets and alleys like this in his free time. He saw school teachers leaving work, and the shops bustling with activity, clearly understanding the children's preferences.

As this area becomes increasingly prosperous, the catering industry in other streets and alleys has become much more depressed.

I've heard that the steamed dish restaurants near the hospital cater especially to those who prefer milder flavors. During mealtimes, orders pour in, and there's even a dedicated takeout window. Fortunately, steamed dishes are easy to replicate and require simple seasonings, and many restaurants have added this dish to their menus, so it hasn't been significantly impacted.

The Third Hokage would at most observe and not interfere, but Naruto was becoming increasingly dependent on the Uchiha girl. His personality had also changed slightly, and he could even get along harmoniously with many people in his class. It was a good thing that Naruto was becoming more ambitious and well-mannered, but he was still a little uneasy about a Jinchuriki placing his emotional attachment on an Uchiha.

What if she is manipulated and does something outrageous to Naruto?

The matter concerning Naruto was something that could neither be taken lightly nor seriously. With Konoha having just stabilized, he really didn't want to cause any major conflict with the Uchiha.

The Third Hokage took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes narrowing involuntarily. He remembered that Danzo seemed to be investigating Izumi Uchiha before he was taken away. If…

The Third Hokage glanced at the villagers enjoying their meal, his old face wrinkling slightly as he slowly walked away, quickly suppressing the thought. Danzo's ambitions were indeed too great; if they weren't properly contained, trouble was bound to ensue.

"Third generation sir."

"Lord Hiruzen."

Diners quickly greeted him and offered him a seat, but the third generation waved his hand, then sat down as if he couldn't refuse. He smiled and looked around, asking in a very approachable manner:

"Wow, it's so lively! The prices look cheap, and the food looks delicious!"

"It's delicious, the price is reasonable, and there's a wide variety of dishes. We don't want to cook anymore." The single ninja smiled and introduced what was best to eat.

“We still need to eat,” the Third Generation said disapprovingly. “How can we go without rice for a long time?”

"They sell it next door, individually." The person next to me said with a smile. The cold dishes here are very flavorful, and they can also be heated up and stir-fried. You can choose to eat them hot or cold.

"The pickled vegetables are free." The villager sitting next to him smiled, thinking it was a great deal.

Following everyone's recommendations, the Third Hokage ordered two servings. One bite and he knew why this shop was so competitive. Such a rich flavor was extremely rare in Konoha; other set meals only had a few options, and the impact on the taste buds was simply incomparable.

"It tastes great." Especially for the elderly, it's quite stimulating. With its excellent color, aroma, and flavor, and its affordability and wide variety, its popularity is no surprise.

"Right, right?"

"If you want to add some dishes, they have braised pork offal over there. A piece of braised tofu is only 50 yuan, which is a lot of money." The customer happily shared this information. It's quite touching for a regular customer to tell a new customer.

"Then I'll give it a try." The third generation went to check it out with a smile, and sure enough, the price was reasonable.

These shops each sell different things, but they depend on each other, like a food kingdom. No wonder other shops can't compete with them.

As expected of the Uchiha clan, they are very united.

>>>>

The news of the Third Hokage's visit quickly reached Luna's ears. To prevent the old man from being too idle, Luna began to devise Plan Two: a re-employment plan for disabled ninjas.

Such a great thing should naturally be approved by the Hokage, who should also personally participate to show his concern for the villagers. Luna attended the consultation meeting with Fugaku and Yashiro. She wanted to involve the interests of the Uchiha clan with those of other clans so that they wouldn't remain isolated.

"Are you going to open a branch?" Chief Qiu asked first, and he wholeheartedly agreed.

“No, Koizumi.” Fugaku glanced at Luna. Her plan was well-written, and he had wanted to polish it, but he didn’t know where to begin.

He was overjoyed to see how capable his son's girlfriend was.

"Yes," Luna replied crisply, handed out the photocopied documents, and then began her explanation.

Currently, no shop can open a branch. This is mainly reflected in the population of Konoha. There are about 10,000 active ninjas, and when you add those over 40 years old, the total number is only about 20,000. The villagers alone number less than 100,000.

With such a large population base, opening more branches would obviously result in increasing losses.

"Apart from ninja families, most people have limited spending power. They are lucky if they eat out occasionally, and they don't have that many customers."

The third generation leader pondered for a moment, then nodded to the invited clan leaders. If there were that many people, the other shops wouldn't be doing so poorly.

“Winter is just around the corner, and I’m thinking of opening a beverage shop first. Most young people these days don’t like drinking tea.” Luna stood there quietly, talking fluently and ignoring the eyes in the shadows.

That ANBU member is Itachi?

Is it to show Fugaku that Itachi is highly trusted?

Beverage shops aren't food stalls, so they won't dominate the market. Selling hot drinks in winter and cold drinks now should have a market. Let's try it out in Konoha, confirm it suits the public's taste, then prepare and open the most popular shops elsewhere.

The raw materials needed for the store will still be produced in Konoha, which will solve the problem of creating more jobs.

"What does the Third Generation Lord think?" Luna smiled after speaking. Since involution is too damaging, it's appropriate to expand outwards.

"This suggestion is indeed excellent." The Third Hokage was in his fifties; he couldn't possibly lack such foresight. He quickly considered more things from a ninja's perspective.

Expanding into new shops is essentially intelligence gathering, isn't it? Those disabled retired ninjas, after some rehabilitation, would find intelligence gathering as easy as eating and drinking.

The clan chiefs were also happy, as the disabled clan members received meager pensions, and medical treatment and daily living had always been a financial problem. Besides money, there were also issues of attitude and stance.

It's politically correct for disabled ninjas to find new employment, and with the Uchiha clan using this slogan, no one dared to utter a word of complaint.

The Third Hokage was a seasoned veteran; he knew that the first shop couldn't possibly accommodate so many people, and that distributing profits would definitely offend someone. So, he directly threw the problem back at the Uchiha.

So who do you plan to choose?

Luna sneered inwardly, but remained calm on the surface. She needed to conduct assessments first, and only wanted people who could actually do the work. Catering was no easy job, so those who were too sick would have their family members take their place.

She will conduct an assessment; candidates must be able to move their hands, have fewer fingers, and not be a burden on their work. Hygiene is very important in restaurants; they need to be clean, proactive in cleaning, and attentive to their tasks. Furthermore, they cannot be the type to speak rudely to customers.

"That's only right." The oil-woman chieftain raised her head slightly. She was a man of few words, but she would also express her opinions.

"Let's leave it like this for now. If this shop goes well, we'll open more workshops, one after another."

"I agree." The Nara clan chief acknowledged her clear and methodical approach; taking things one step at a time was good. In short, let's open the beverage shop first and see how it goes in Konoha.

So, the deal was approved, and once the procedures were complete, it was time to discuss money. This money for opening the shop wasn't from the Uchiha clan's coffers; it came from her personally. If she were to pay for it, she would naturally take the lion's share of the profits, and these people would all be working for her.

If you don't agree to her becoming the boss, then you should each invest your own money.

“If you want to invest, you have to buy the recipes from me, otherwise… I’ll have to share the profits by contributing the recipes.” Luna handed over several contracts, which she had signed with her tribesmen, regarding their share of the profits from buying subsequent recipes from her.

"..."

"..."

Luna's eyes flickered, and she subtly kicked Fugaku, signaling to the clan leader, who was acting as a mascot, to get some work done: Stop pretending to be mute!

Fugaku's eyelids twitched. He was perceptive and knew exactly what was going on. But it wasn't appropriate to lecture someone in this situation, so he cleared his throat and continued, "I thought we were all from the same village, so we should make money together. That's why I revised the plan and reported it to the Hokage. If you don't want to participate, we won't force you. If we don't receive any applications in three days, we will start recruiting."

Actually, if the Uchiha population weren't limited, everyone would mainly be ninjas and wouldn't need outsiders at all.

The clan leaders exchanged glances, understanding that the Uchiha could easily do the work themselves. These tasks didn't require ninjas; Konoha had plenty of people willing to do them.

It's impossible to get something for free; as for investing money, we'll have to discuss that.

"Then let's leave it at that." The Third Hokage's cheek twitched, and he exhaled a puff of white smoke.

[That old smoker, why didn't he die of lung cancer?] Luna cursed inwardly. She had been forced to inhale secondhand smoke for so long, what a jerk!

-evening-

Luna naturally welcomed Itachi's second ride. She stepped on the bluestone slab, happily with her hands behind her back, pretending to be oblivious as she chatted with Itachi about the selection criteria, her eyes sparkling as she asked for his opinion.

Itachi looked directly at her seriously, his voice gentle but full of probing: "You suddenly know so much, things I didn't even know."

These words made Luna's smile disappear. She had come up with ideas for expanding outwards together with Itachi, but she still couldn't accept her change.

Since that's the case, we have no choice but to put in the effort.

She lowered her eyes in disappointment, her long eyelashes casting shadows, a sense of sorrow spreading through her, her eyes reddening in three seconds: "I actually felt it, you've been very distant from me lately, and the way you look at me is unfamiliar, as if you've never known me before."

"..." A look of surprise flashed across Itachi's eyes. How could his thoughts have been guessed so accurately?

"Itachi-kun, do you only like me the way I was before, innocent, naive, always standing behind you? If I marry you, all I can do is raise children and do housework, and I can no longer help my mother run the shop?" Luna bit her red lips, tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffed and asked with a face full of disappointment, "I didn't expect... Waaah~ you're actually a chauvinist who can't stand to see me become useful and excellent! Waaah!"

Luna flung her little hand away and ran home crying. Danzo had already begun his operation; she just needed more time to plan, so she could stall for as long as possible.

Anyway, he had no evidence!

The girl's words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving 13-year-old Itachi utterly terrified. Psychology was a required course in the underworld, and comparing his behavior to that of a chauvinistic man, it seemed to fit perfectly. When he discovered his girlfriend had become so outstanding, his first reaction was suspicion?

His girlfriend is busy with work and is less dependent on him, which makes him feel uneasy.

"Is this really the kind of person I am?" Itachi found it hard to accept this version of himself, and he was slashed until he was charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

But if it weren't for his chauvinistic tendencies, those were all decisions Koizumi made in consultation with him, and they were all for the benefit of the village, yet he was questioning her progress and growth. Didn't he secretly believe that Koizumi shouldn't act this way?