Root headquarters.
Seated at the head of the room, ensconced in shadows, Danzo Shimura held a report in his hand. For once, a rare smile graced his perpetually grim face.
This document thoroughly recorded every detail about Satori's factory.
By following its contents, he could replicate the factory entirely and launch an identical business venture.
After a moment, Danzo lifted his head and looked at Tatsuma Aburame standing before him, who was visibly drained.
"Tatsuma, you've worked hard."
"I see everything you've done. Once the factory is successfully built, you can serve as its supervisor and take some time to recover."
He could tell that Tatsuma wasn't in good shape—clearly, gathering intelligence had taken a heavy toll. He needed time to recuperate.
Still, Tatsuma was one of his most trusted operatives—leaving him idle wasn't an option.
Therefore, the newly established factory and project were handed over to Tatsuma for management.
Given Tatsuma's exceptional capabilities, Danzo was confident he would accomplish every task assigned perfectly.
Once the factory was up and running, a flood of money would flow into Root's coffers.
With more funds, he could bolster military resources and recruit and train more subordinates.
Then, the safety of Konoha would lie solely in the hands of Danzo Shimura.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Tatsuma straightened up with renewed energy upon hearing he would lead this new project.
An average worker? That wasn't for him. But leading the operation? That, he was ready for.
In the machinery plant, he had been one of the workers tightening bolts while watching the supervisors chat and sip tea enviously.
A life like that sure sounded tempting.
But just as he was leaving, something came to mind, and he looked up at Danzo, asking, "Lord Danzo, what kind of products will our factory manufacture?"
Danzo replied, "Do I need to spell that out for you? Whatever sells well in Satori Hyūga's factories—we copy that."
"We'll just imitate their top-selling products."
"As long as Root's factory does a good job, we can drive Satori Hyūga's business into the ground and make Root the dominant force."
Tatsuma hesitated for a moment, stunned.
It made sense in theory, but he suspected it wouldn't be that straightforward.
Still, if that was Lord Danzo's order, he just needed to work hard and do his best.
Root operated in secret, even beyond Anbu's oversight, holding immense influence within Konoha.
Under Danzo's command, hundreds of ninja mobilized at once, quickly constructing a massive factory.
News of this spread like wildfire through the village.
The Third Hokage, along with members from every major clan, reacted with expressions ranging from curiosity to concern upon receiving the news.
"So Danzo has finally made his move," Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, seated behind his desk, puffing slowly on his pipe as he gazed at the massive factory reflected in his crystal orb.
He knew Danzo all too well—his old friend would never ignore the growing influence of Satori Hyūga's factories.
Satori's rapid expansion of factories, employing villagers and retired ninja, brought certain benefits to Konoha.
Yet, at the same time, these actions posed unseen dangers to the village.
Other than that, being a member of the Hyūga clan already made Satori Hyūga's position politically precarious. Simply put, he lacked sufficient political purity and correctness in the eyes of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. In his view, only commoner ninja were deemed fully acceptable candidates.
Although Satori was an apprentice to Orochimaru, his affiliation with the Hyūga clan made him politically undesirable. Naturally, Danzō was more than willing to let his close friend take on the undesirable task of opposing Satori for influence and benefits.
However, since he had received numerous favors from Satori, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to show open support. Luckily for him, his trusted ally Danzō didn't disappoint—he was always ready to shoulder the blame.
Upon hearing this news, all the heads of the major clans immediately began strategizing, each harboring their own hidden motives. They had noticed Satori's actions all along but hadn't considered them significant—just minor business ventures.
But as more and more factories were built, wealthy merchants from all over the country kept coming in, buying batch after batch of products. Not only did this increase the number of missions available to Konoha ninja, it also boosted the overall prosperity of Konoha. All of this was plain to see.
Now that sly schemer Danzō had chosen to follow the trend, the potential for enormous profits was clear. If Satori could build factories and Danzō could imitate him, why couldn't they do the same?
Even though Satori was just a junior member, nobody would ever turn down money.
The prestigious top-tier Uchiha clan of Konoha, following tradition, gathered inside the Naka Shrine of their clan compound for a meeting.
They held weekly meetings as part of tradition—a long-standing one.
Previously, these meetings focused mainly on voicing various grievances toward the village. But today, things were different.
"Elder Setsuna, shouldn't we start building our own factories too? Otherwise, all the money will be taken by that upstart young Satori Hyūga and that old bastard Danzō!"
"Besides, I've realized establishing factories may be the key to advancing both the Uchiha clan and Konoha itself."
Madara Uchiha, still young back then, knelt seiza-style on the tatami mat and addressed Elder Setsuna Uchiha at the head of the room.
As a newly joined young member of the Konoha Police Force, he maintained a sharp awareness of new developments.
In recent months, Satori's factory operations had caught his attention. Initially, he hadn't taken them seriously, dismissing the idea outright in his mind.
Why abandon the noble path of a ninja to run ridiculous factories? How much money could one possibly make from such trash?
In truth, that was precisely what most villagers believed as well.
In this backward feudal world where war and bloodshed were the norm, capitalist ideas existed in a state akin to Schrödinger's cat—half-formed, neither fully alive nor dead.
Capitalism only truly started emerging after the Third Great Shinobi War, when the central protagonists began to emerge.
During Naruto Uzumaki's time, many novelties and technological products had already begun appearing across Konoha and other regions.
To Madara, seeing wave after wave of people entering factories—regardless of clan background, commoners or ninja alike—was eye-opening.
He had seen members from various clans gather together time and again, commuting to and from work en masse. It left him deeply unsettled.
Besides attending the Ninja Academy and taking missions, members from the major clans usually didn't gather together.
However, the factory brought together people who otherwise would never have interacted, helping them form friendships and mutual understanding.
This deeply shocked him, prompting him to reflect seriously on the significance the factory represented.
As he gradually learned more, he realized that the factory had actually resolved the income shortage for a large portion of the villagers.
It was like an inexhaustible treasure trove.
Once you controlled it, you could continuously generate profits.
Take the members of the Hyuga clan, for example—aside from their fixed tasks assigned by the village, most of them were now relaxing in the shade near the factory security booth.
In contrast, members of his own Uchiha clan were still stuck patrolling the streets—and still weren't accepted by others.
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