The "Kazekage Office" on the fifth basement level of the Kazekage Building.
This room, now completely relegated to a lounge, was presently filled with the aroma of grilling meat.
The rich fragrance released when animal fat melts under high heat is an exquisite temptation that no omnivorous creature can resist.
And the spices that, in another world, drove multiple empires to spend incalculable wealth building fleets, embarking on overseas expeditions and igniting wars in their pursuit—these could elevate the flavor of grilled meat, a food with an extremely simple preparation method, to another peak entirely.
One of the two most important prerequisites for "humans" becoming "human" was mastering "throwing"—an offensive means surpassing all weapons that contemporary animals relied on through natural evolution.
Long-range thrusting spears dealt high damage; close-range thrusting dealt high damage. The natural evolutionary arms race ended there.
The other was learning to use fire.
Scaring off beasts, illuminating darkness, and then cooking food—perhaps the starting point for the human digestive system evolving to its current state, capable of consuming many foods poisonous or even lethal to numerous creatures, was when some primitive ancestor roasted their food over fire.
Though what Hii Kōri and the others were using now wasn't open flame, but an electric grill.
Obviously, no matter how well the ventilation system worked, no one would dare use charcoal on the fifth basement level.
The Third Kazekage and Sunagakure's "treasure"—two of the highest-status individuals in the village—were presently sitting on small stools around an electric grill, completely focused on the slices of meat being roasted.
"Speaking of which, I suggested Hanzō set up a salamander farming industry in the Country of Rain earlier. If it works out, that'll open up another new industrial line."
Hii Kōri assessed the doneness, used tongs to flip the fatty beef, then mentioned his experiences in Amegakure.
"You're really the expert when it comes to making money. But can salamanders even be eaten?"
Chewing on previously grilled beef, the Third Kazekage's concern was actually elsewhere.
As he said, Hii Kōri was exceptionally skilled when it came to making money.
That trading company of his, in just four or five years, rapidly developing into a very large chamber of commerce with branches in virtually every notable country across the continent—this relied not merely on Sunagakure's behind-the-scenes protection, but more on Hii Kōri's own methods.
Oh, and Ahaha-kun's extraordinary financial abilities.
Just kidding, Hii Kōri was, after all, someone born in Japan's bubble economy era.
The immense negative emotions generated by the contrast between the previous generation's decadent splendor and the rapid societal decline during his growth—a contrast worthy of heaven and hell—could no longer be depicted through imagination and words alone.
Curses spread, cursed spirits surged—this also drove an increase in the number of "first-generation sorcerers." Hii Kōri himself was a first-generation sorcerer awakened by the environment of that time.
Naturally, as a researcher by nature, while studying the dynamic curves of curses, he had also concurrently investigated the economic issues of that period—incidentally learning a bunch of handy little knowledge, useful or not.
And then, he never expected that those little knowledge points he'd only used for "investments" to fund research in his past life could still come into play in this world.
With the escort of ninja village power, the iron fist of capitalism that spanned the ages had directly smashed the economic structure of this primitive society to pieces, sending health insurance cards flying.
Yes! Yes indeed!
This was how past life memories should function—not recalling the plot only to discover that because he hadn't watched the movies or TV original episodes, there was a mountain of intelligence that didn't match up!
"They're edible, and quite tasty."
Facing the Third Kazekage's doubts, Hii Kōri gave this reply with great certainty, while sweeping up the grilled meat slices.
"Sometimes I really wonder if you're some old geezer who possessed a child's body."
Laying out a new round of meat slices on the electric grill, the Third Kazekage poured out the doubts accumulated over these dozen years: "Your breadth of knowledge is a bit too terrifying."
"Su Hui, it's called Su Hui, you know."
Hii Kōri rolled his eyes.
This body was obtained through "trade"—so of course it wasn't possession. And in his previous life, he was only thirty-two—definitely not an old geezer.
All wrong!
"Ha, say whatever you want."
Clearly not too concerned about this matter, the Third Kazekage stretched lazily and reached toward Hii Kōri. The latter habitually tossed him a bag of mixed nuts, then continued grilling meat.
"Hey, in a couple more years, want to take over my position?"
"Don't even think about it."
"That's a pretty decisive rejection?"
Vegeta choked on a nut, eyes widening.
Although he had anticipated Hii Kōri's attitude, a rejection of this without hesitation was too direct, right?
This was, after all, the position of Kazekage, regarded by all Sunagakure ninjas as their lifelong goal?
"What's so surprising? Sitting in that office all day—do you think I could endure that?"
Hii Kōri took a sip of sea buckthorn juice, looking calm at Vegeta.
"True. You and that guy Matazaburō are the same—can't sit still."
"Speaking of which, Dad hasn't been back for several years now. Sasori doesn't even have any impression of his grandfather..."
"Ha, who knows if that guy fell into some mountain valley and got amnesia?"
Mentioning Matazaburō, Vegeta's tone is obviously more resentful.
What resentment? Of course, it was because that guy had run out of the village, dumping the Kazekage position on him, leaving him to do paperwork he wasn't good at for all these years!
"A son criticizing his father—quite rude, Kazekage-sama."
"Stop with the sarcasm!"
Hearing Hii Kōri call him "Kazekage-sama," Vegeta suddenly felt like ants were crawling all over him, squirmed rather uncomfortably.
"And you, kid—clearly the most suitable candidate."
"Then please forgive my selfishness, sir. I have no intention of changing my way of living for the village. Compared to someone capable but uninterested, someone with adequate ability and the right mindset is ultimately the better choice, right?"
"You sure can talk. If you were anyone else, I'd definitely charge you with treason."
Vegeta muttered complaints but didn't pursue Hii Kōri's "treasonous" remarks.
What was there to pursue? Hadn't Hii Kōri always had this egoistic nature? The Third Kazekage had known this full well for ten years.
His arrival had been a transaction from the beginning, and the "payment" he had now presented had long surpassed the boundary Sunagakure had initially set. Being able to rely on the emotional bonds and long-term between Hii Kōri and others, imprinting Suna's mark on him—that was enough.
"Aya, I'm truly grateful for your generosity~"
"Then put down that beef!"
Snatching this round's beef from Hii Kōri's chopsticks, the Third Kazekage's mood is noticeably improved.
"But you've only been back a few days, and you're planning to leave again? Did being confined to the village last too long?"
Sunagakure premium ranch beef—he'd eaten an entire plate in one go!
Having eaten his fill, the Third Kazekage turned the topic to Hii Kōri's purpose for this visit, his tone somewhat hesitant.
"Can't help it. You know Sasori's state. As his uncle, I need to think of something to resolve his psychological problem."
Hii Kōri leaned back against his stool, crossing his arms, shaking his head sadly: "Going on an adventure with peers is a pretty good way to distract and forge friendship, right?"
"That's all?"
"...What else?"
"I doubt it. You always like to rub a few purposes together when you do things. Even with your nephew, you wouldn't give up that idea, would you?"
Picking his teeth with a toothpick, Vegeta wore an expression of having seen through everything, arrogantly.
"...Fine. The experiments I did before—the data needs time to run. I don't have any projects on hand that's easy to start right now, so I'll just use this window to take them out for a walk."
A bit uncomfortable under Vegeta's gaze, Hii Kōri waved his hand, a "can't do anything about you" expression, rather reluctantly explaining: "And... a few years ago, I came across some content about Rōran in the records. I'm going to try my luck—what if I actually find it..."
"Ho, never thought you'd believe in that."
The Third Kazekage almost laughed out loud, then nodded casually under Hii Kōri's suddenly sharpened gaze.
Although the classic records were quite detailed, no one had managed to discover traces of Rōlan after all these years. Sunagakure's top brass, including the Third Kazekage, had mostly written Rōlan off as legend.
Even if that country had once truly existed, maybe it had perished by now.
But given Hii Kōri's personality, being drawn to such "legends" was understandable.
nodding convincingly, Vegeta teased but would never make things difficult for Hii Kōri in such matters.
Standing up, he went behind the desk, took out a hand letter and permit, signed his name, and handed them to Hii Kōri. Then he suddenly remembered he hadn't yet met Hii Kōri's three disciples and mentioned it.
"Ah... I almost forgot. The three little ones' village entry applications haven't been submitted yet. You might as well handle them together."
Speaking of this, Hii Kōri remembered there was indeed such a matter. He searched through the scroll on his wrist, pulled out three files, and handed them to the Third Kazekage.
This really wasn't intentional. When he'd entered the village back then, Chiyo had handled everything. Later, he hadn't had much contact with such matters and temporarily forgot.
"Alright, let me see... Hmm?"
What did "possessor of a kekkei genkai never before seen in the ninja world" mean? What did "another surviving Uzumaki" mean?
"Where did you fish out such good stuff?!"
"Don't worry about it. Found them."
Hii Kōri shook his head Complacently, thinking that if he revealed Nagato's Rinnegan, Vegeta's head would probably be a neurological disorder.
Too bad he couldn't reveal it.
"Go, go. Take my money and get out exploring. Bring back as many prospects like this as you can find."
Pulling out another slip, writing a string of numbers, and tossing it into Hii Kōri's arms, the Third Kazekage eagerly pushed Hii Kōri's back, wanting him to leave the village immediately.
"You make it sound so easy! Don't act like I can just casually find promising newcomers like this!"
Pushed out the door, Hii Kōri called out like this, but facing away from Vegeta, his face showed a different smile. Although it deviated from the predetermined plan, the result was the same.
Just as planned.
A day later, Hii Kōri led four small figures out of Sunagakure's gates.
Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Sasori—somewhat silent but with eyes implicit curiosity toward the outside world—had all uniformly changed into taupe sand cloaks and goggles similar to Hii Kōri's.
With the sound of the As wind-blocking gates slowly closed behind them as their starting point, their journey to the Great Sand Sea commenced.
That said, their first stop wasn't plunging straight into the Great Sand Sea's interior, but turning onto a nearby, sizable oasis nourished by an underground river.
Here was located one of Hii Kōri's most important branches in the Country of Wind. Rather than a simple commercial outpost, it was more like a comprehensive facility integrating warehousing, research and development, and precision manufacturing.
The branch manager, already informed, readily ushered the VIP client, Hii Kōri, and his group into the warehousing area, winding left and right until they reached a secret warehouse.
Heavy metal doors slid open, revealing a vehicle with a rugged design and sharp lines.
Compared to ordinary carriages or beast-drawn carts, it had an unusually high chassis and wide desert tires. The body seemed more like a frame directly built onto the chassis, only covered with necessary armor over the engine. and other components.
Although in Hii Kōri's eyes this was just an ordinary vehicle he was accustomed to, in the eyes of the four children—and even the manager who considered himself well-traveled—this was undoubtedly a product that transcended the common concepts of transportation in the current era.
Yahiko and Konan curiously examined the enormous tires, Nagato's gaze swept over the vaguely visible, intricate structure inside the vehicle body, and even Sasori couldn't help but take a few more glances at the suspension system that seemed usable on puppets.
Meeting their gazes, a mixture of surprise and inquiry, Hii Kōri neatly pulled open the makeshift door and jumped into the driver's seat.
Inserting the key, with a low hum, the engine ignited, the dashboard glowing faintly.
He grasped the steering wheel with somewhat unfamiliar hands, smoothly test-drove a lap around the spacious warehouse, then precisely stopped back at the starting point.
"Anything unexpected? Even though I said I'd take you to train..." in the Great Sand Sea, I never actually intended to make you walk the whole way."
Hii Kōri leaned out, his tone carrying a hint of matter-of-factness.
He found their judgment logic rather subtle—he'd built large golems over ten meters tall that could contend with giant summons, and with the resources of such a chamber of commerce at his disposal, creating this kind of off-road vehicle adapted to extreme terrain should be even easier, right?
"Everything I asked for is loaded, right?" He turned to ask the manager.
Receiving a positive reply, Hii Kōri waved to the four children below the vehicle, signaling them to get in and sit down.
"My little ones, buckle up. Ready to depart."
***
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