Chapter 195 (Patreon)

That afternoon, after the meeting concluded, Kizaru returned to the Hokage’s office and drafted his second official order.

It was not the list of candidates for the permanent secretaries of the newly established Secretariat.

Instead, the order called for increased funding and support for the “Project for Accelerated Organ Cloning and Disability Treatment Using Hashirama Cells.”

It also included a new welfare policy. Once the research succeeded, every shinobi and civilian who had been disabled in the line of duty would be entitled to free treatment from the village.

Kizaru had not issued the order merely to use his authority for personal reasons and have Yoshihiko’s disability treated as soon as possible.

After reviewing Konoha’s records, he had seen just how many shinobi had been left permanently disabled while serving the village—and how difficult their lives had become after retirement.

He wanted to do something for them.

For the many disabled shinobi who had struggled to survive after leaving active duty, Kizaru’s order restored a hope they had long since abandoned.

It would also reassure Konoha’s active shinobi before the coming war and ease some of their greatest concerns.

After all, ordinary missions were not what caused the greatest number of deaths and permanent injuries among shinobi.

That was the battlefield.

Just as Kizaru expected, the Administrative Office refined the wording and details of the policy before officially announcing it the following morning.

The announcement immediately became the subject of heated discussion throughout the village and received overwhelming support from Konoha’s shinobi.

News of the research project had already circulated among a small number of people, drawing considerable attention. Now, however, the village had formally confirmed its existence and attached a welfare policy that directly benefited its shinobi.

The entire village was set abuzz.

Beyond Konoha’s third ring lay an old commercial street that rarely saw much traffic. It was especially quiet in the mornings, when most of the shops had only just begun opening for business.

Near the middle of the street stood a grocery store that primarily sold daily necessities and various seasonings.

The store’s owner was named Nakata Shidō.

He had once been a chūnin, and a particularly capable one at that. Among shinobi of the same rank, he had been considered one of the best. Had he continued to develop, he might even have become a jōnin one day.

Unfortunately, during the previous Great Ninja War, Shidō’s team had been ambushed by Amegakure shinobi while carrying out a mission in the Land of Rain.

His strength had allowed him to survive, but he had paid a terrible price. A large portion of his left forearm had been amputated as a result of his injuries.

Shidō had been only twenty-five years old at the time.

He had been in the prime of his life, filled with energy and determined to accomplish something worthy of being remembered.

All his dreams and ambitions died in that ambush in the Land of Rain.

The deaths of his teammates and the loss of his arm had left him unable to continue as a shinobi, both physically and mentally.

He spent several months recovering in the hospital, drowning in helplessness and despair. In the end, rather than accept one of the reassigned positions offered by the village, Shidō chose to retire completely.

Upon retiring, he received 560,000 ryō from the village—roughly equivalent to the reward for completing an A-rank mission.

He returned to the old house his parents had left him and opened a grocery store on the ground floor.

Compared with many shinobi who had been forced to retire because of their injuries, Shidō’s life was relatively comfortable.

At the very least, he had inherited a two-story house along the street and could earn a living by running his own shop.

Some retired shinobi were far less fortunate. Not only were they unable to ease the burdens on their families, but they still had to find some way to earn money and support them despite their disabilities.

While recovering in the hospital, Shidō had met another patient who had been forced to retire after suffering a permanent injury to his right leg.

The young man’s circumstances had been particularly difficult.

He had been less than twenty years old at the time. His father, who had also been a shinobi, had died years earlier, leaving behind a wife, two younger sons, and a daughter who all needed to be supported.

Worse still, the young man’s aptitude as a shinobi had only been average.

He was still a genin when his injury forced him to retire, so he did not even qualify for reassignment to another village position.

His retirement compensation consisted of a single payment of 300,000 ryō and a monthly living allowance of 30,000 ryō.

That small allowance was nowhere near enough to support an entire family.

If they had not also received survivor benefits following his father’s death, the family might have collapsed long ago.

Taking pity on the young man he had met in the hospital, Shidō hired him to work at the grocery store despite his own limited finances, placing him in charge of deliveries.

That morning, after finishing breakfast, Shidō opened the store and looked out at the empty street.

A slight frown appeared on his face.

“Why hasn’t that kid Domon arrived yet?”

He turned toward the wall clock hanging inside the shop.

It was already past nine-thirty.

The grocery store was rarely busy in the mornings, and Shidō understood that Domon had an entire family to look after. For that reason, he had arranged fairly generous working hours for him.

Domon worked from nine-thirty in the morning until six in the evening, with an hour-long lunch break, a meal provided by the store, and one day off every week.

“Brother Shidō! Brother Shidō!”

Just as Shidō began wondering whether something had happened to Domon’s family—and whether he should go and check on them—an urgent voice rang out from farther down the street.

Recognizing Domon’s voice, Shidō’s furrowed brow relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

However, as soon as he saw the young man approaching, he quickly suppressed the smile and put on a stern expression.

“Domon, you’re late today. If you’re late again this month, I’m docking your pay.”

Shidō had employed Domon for four or five years, yet he had never deducted so much as a single ryō from his wages.

If anything, he often paid part of Domon’s salary in advance whenever the young man’s family needed money.

Domon limped to the entrance of the shop and stopped in front of Shidō, panting heavily. Despite being out of breath, an excited smile covered his face.

“Brother Shidō, something big has happened!”

“Did your younger brother get into the Academy’s medical program?”

That was Shidō’s first thought.

For civilian-born shinobi like them, particularly those without exceptional talent, becoming a medical ninja or a research shinobi offered far better and safer prospects than becoming an ordinary combat ninja.

“He passed!”

At the mention of his younger brother, Domon’s smile widened even further.

“Congratulations, Domon!” Shidō said happily. “Don’t go home immediately after work today. I’ll take you out for barbecue and drinks so we can celebrate.”

As he spoke, Shidō silently calculated how much spare money he had. He wanted to prepare the largest congratulatory gift he could afford to help Domon’s family.

“Thank you, Brother Shidō.”

Domon rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Just as he was about to thank him properly, he suddenly remembered why he had rushed there in the first place.

“Wait, Brother Shidō! That isn’t the good news I came to tell you!”

“Then what is it?”

“On my way here, I heard several shinobi talking on the street. The village has invested in a new project at the Scientific Research Institute. They’re apparently using medical ninjutsu to accelerate the cloning of human organs and tissue so they can treat physical disabilities!”

Domon had only just heard the news himself, so he did not know all the details. He could only give Shidō a rough explanation.

“Treat disabilities?”

Shidō’s expression immediately became serious.

If his left arm could be restored, then even if he never had the opportunity to return to active duty as a shinobi, it would still make an enormous difference in his daily life and work.

“But wouldn’t treatment like that cost a fortune?”

Shidō knew a little about Konoha’s Scientific Research Institute. It specialized in developing new technologies, and the things produced there were rarely inexpensive.

“It won’t cost anything!”

Domon waved his hands excitedly.

“The Fourth Hokage issued a new policy. Once the research succeeds, every shinobi in the village who was disabled in the line of duty will receive treatment for free!”

Shidō could no longer contain himself. Excitement spread across his face as he stared intently at Domon.

“Is that true? Domon, are you certain you didn’t mishear them?”

“It’s true! I heard those shinobi say that the official announcement has already been posted on the bulletin board in the village center.”

“Then let’s go and see it for ourselves!”

The hope of having his disability treated left Shidō unable to remain still.

He immediately stepped out of the shop and locked the door behind him.

The moment he finished, Shidō and Domon hurried toward the center of the village without the slightest hesitation.

The two of them were merely a small reflection of what was happening throughout Konoha.

The moment they heard the news, countless retired or reassigned shinobi who had been injured or permanently disabled rushed toward the bulletin board in the center of the village.

Throughout the entire morning, the crowd gathered around the bulletin board hardly diminished.

After reading the official announcement, many disabled veterans were unable to hold back their tears.

Kizaru had brought them a tangible benefit almost immediately after taking office, earning the praise of nearly every shinobi in Konoha.

The Fourth Hokage understood the sacrifices made by shinobi.

The Fourth Hokage cared about those who served the village.

The Fourth Hokage would surely become a good Hokage.

The wave of public support generated by Kizaru’s policy even prompted many of Konoha’s senior officials to admit that the new Hokage certainly knew how to win the people’s hearts.

The project had originally been viewed as a lucrative business opportunity, with the major ninja clans rushing to invest in it in hopes of earning enormous profits.

Yet through Kizaru’s handling of the matter—and the way the policy was presented to the public—it had become a welfare initiative designed to benefit both the village and its people.

In a single move, Kizaru had secured both reputation and profit.