In the meeting room on the third floor of the Hokage Building, the long table was filled with people.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat at the head of the table with a pipe in his mouth, smoke rising slowly before him.
On his left and right were the two Advisors—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, their aged faces expressionless.
Below them were the Jonin squad leaders.
Kakashi stood against the wall, holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, though his eyes were not on the book.
Asuma had a cigarette in his mouth, his hands in his pockets.
Kurenai Yuhi sat beside him, her expression calm.
Might Guy stood at the very end, arms crossed, his eyes beneath thick brows shining brightly.
There were also some Jonin that Sato Fan hadn’t seen before; they were likely leading other squads.
The Third Hokage tapped the ash out of his pipe and began to speak.
“The Chunin Exams are about to begin.
I have gathered you all today to confirm the recommendation list.”
Kakashi was the first to speak.
“Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno.
All recommended.”
The Third Hokage glanced at him.
“Naruto has been graduated for less than three months.
Are you sure?”
“He is ready.” Kakashi’s tone was flat, but there was no hesitation.
Might Guy followed immediately after.
“Team 3: Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee.
All recommended!”
His voice was at least three times louder than Kakashi’s.
Asuma picked at his ear and said slowly, “Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi.
All recommended.”
Kurenai Yuhi nodded.
“Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame.
All recommended.”
The Third Hokage wrote them down one by one, the smoke from his pipe never ceasing.
After everyone had finished speaking, he put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.
“This year, Konoha is the host of the Chunin Exams.
Candidates from Sunagakure, Otogakure, Kusagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure, and other Villages will be participating.
The number of participants is higher than in previous years, and the security pressure is significant.”
He paused.
“I hereby declare that starting from today, the entire Village of Konoha will enter a state of martial law.
Inspections at all entrances and exits will be strengthened, patrol frequency will be doubled, and the Anbu will be on standby 24/7.”
Koharu Utatane spoke, her voice not loud, but every word was clear.
“Logistics supplies have already had their reserves increased in advance, and all warehouses have completed stocking as required.”
Homura Mitokado added, “Ninjas from various Villages are arriving one after another; ensure there are no disturbances.”
The Third Hokage nodded.
“Dismissed.”
By the time the news reached Sato Fan’s ears, it was already the next day.
Section Chief Yamada came to the warehouse for a look around and dropped a remark: “Everyone is very busy during the exams, so we won’t be checking the supplies.
Be careful yourself and don’t let any slip-ups happen.”
Sato Fan stood in the middle of the warehouse, stunned for quite a while.
No checks?
No checks for a month and a half?
His heart suddenly started racing—not out of fear, but excitement.
A month-and-a-half window, plus Orochimaru’s Konoha Crush Plan on the day of the finals—this chaos would be enough to make everything in the warehouse completely disappear from the books.
He looked around.
The shelves were piled high with Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, food pills, smoke bombs, steel wire, binding ropes, medical kits, sealing scrolls, and Chakra-conductive metal Kunai.
The total value exceeded six million ryo.
Mine!
It’s all…
mine!
Over the next two weeks, Sato Fan worked overtime until late every night.
He created two Shadow Clones, and the three of them worked simultaneously.
The warehouse door was locked from the inside, and the windows were covered with black cloth.
No one knew what was happening inside.
He didn’t record the details of every batch of supplies—there was no time, and it wasn’t necessary.
He only knew one thing: stuff everything on the shelves into sealing scrolls.
If one scroll couldn’t hold it, he used two; if two couldn’t hold it, he used ten.
When he ran out of scrolls, he packed them in ordinary boxes, stacked them in the corner, and waited for Granny Cat to clear up space so he could send them in batches.
Two weeks later, only empty shelves and a few boxes of genuine scrap remained in the warehouse.
All the supplies had been sealed into scrolls and boxes of various sizes, with a total value of just over three million ryo.
Sato Fan spent three days transporting these items to the empty district in five trips.
When Granny Cat saw the first batch of goods, her expression didn’t change.
Seeing the second batch, she raised an eyebrow.
Seeing the third, she put down her teacup.
Seeing the fourth, she leaned back and remained silent for a long time.
Seeing the fifth—she stood up.
“Did you really empty out that warehouse of yours?” Granny Cat asked.
Sato Fan was silent.
Granny Cat stared at him for a dozen seconds, then slowly sat back down and took out an abacus from under the counter.
“I can’t take on six million ryo worth of goods.
I don’t have that much cash, nor do I have such a large distribution channel.
You have to sell them in batches, and you can’t be in a rush.”
“How long?”
“Half a year.
In three batches, one batch every two months.
The price will be as agreed upon; I won’t lower it.”
Sato Fan nodded.
He had expected this.
Six million ryo was no small sum; no matter how capable Granny Cat was, she was just a black market middleman and couldn’t swallow so much at once.
Selling in batches and settling monthly suited him perfectly.
“Take the money for the first batch.” Granny Cat took a thick cloth bag from under the counter and pushed it onto the counter.
“Two million ryo.
The rest will be settled according to progress.”
Sato Fan picked up the cloth bag; it was heavy, and the weight in his hand gave him a sense of security.
He didn’t count it and stuffed it directly into his backpack.
The first batch was two million ryo.
After that, a sum of money would come in every two months.
Within half a year, all six million ryo would fall into his pocket.
He kept a small portion of supplies for personal use—fifty Kunai, twenty shuriken, thirty explosive tags, ten smoke bombs, two rolls of steel wire, five binding ropes, one hundred food pills, two medical kits, and one Chakra-conductive metal Kunai.
He sealed them all into one scroll and carried them with him.
Six million ryo was for his future life.
These items were for self-preservation.
When he left Granny Cat’s, it was still early.
Sato Fan, carrying two million ryo in cash, didn’t head straight back to the warehouse; instead, he took a detour and walked to the perimeter of the exam venue.
It was the day of the Chunin Exams finals.
He had taken the whole day off, not to participate in the exam, but to watch the spectacle—or rather, to watch the plot unfold.
He knew what would happen next.
Orochimaru would launch an attack, the Third Hokage would die in battle, and the Village would fall into chaos.
He couldn’t change those things, nor did he want to.
The candidates entered one after another.
He saw Naruto, wearing his orange tracksuit, his hair still as messy as ever, and his walking posture still exuding an “I’m the best” attitude.
Sasuke walked behind him, his expression cold as ice, but there was an indescribable sharpness in his eyes.
Sakura followed at the very end, looking around as if searching for someone.
When Rock Lee entered, Sato Fan saw him.
A green jumpsuit, tan goggles, and beneath his thick eyebrows, a pair of eyes burning with flames.
His walking posture was upright, every step firm, as if telling himself, “I am ready.”
When Gaara entered, the atmosphere around them changed noticeably.
The red-haired youth walked in front, followed by Kankuro and Temari.
His pace was slow, his expression indifferent, but beneath those dark circles, what was hidden wasn’t sleepiness—it was killing intent.
He carried a large gourd wrapped in bandages; inside the gourd was sand—no, inside the gourd was Shukaku.
Sato Fan stood in a tree and watched the whole thing; because he was wearing a Konoha headband, no one bothered him.
After Rock Lee entered, he began his warm-up exercises.
High knees, jumping jacks, leg stretches—every move was done seriously.
Tenten covered her mouth and laughed, while Neji pretended not to know him.
Might Guy appeared from out of nowhere, standing behind Rock Lee, arms crossed, tears streaming down his face.
“Rock Lee!
Your youth is shining even brighter today than it was yesterday!”
“Guy-sensei!” Rock Lee turned, also teary-eyed.
“I will give it my all!”
The master and student hugged and cried together.
People around them cast sidelong glances; Neji’s mouth twitched, and Tenten’s smile froze on her face.
Sato Fan couldn’t help but smile.
Since he had come to this world, he had to witness it, even if he wasn’t experiencing it directly.
He turned and left the perimeter of the exam venue.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to watch anymore, but because he didn’t need to.
What was meant to happen had already played out in his mind countless times.
Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Rock Lee—they would write their own stories today.
But his story was not here.
His story was in the warehouse, in the ledger, in the alleys of the empty district, and in the sealing scrolls.
Six million ryo.
This was the first page he had written for himself.
Sato Fan, carrying a backpack full of cash, walked back along the path in the Logistics Area.
The sun had risen high; the sunlight shone on his face, feeling warm.
There were far fewer people on the street than usual; everyone had gone to watch the Chunin Exams.
Even the ramen shop was closed—the owner said he was going to cheer for the candidates.
He returned to the warehouse and locked the door.
Then he sat down and opened the ledger.
In the ledger, the inventory numbers for the warehouse were still full—15,000 Kunai, 7,000 heavy-duty ones, 3,000 practice ones, 15,000 shuriken, 5,500 explosive tags…
Every number was neat and tidy.
He flipped through the ledger from beginning to end, confirmed there were no flaws, closed it, and locked it in the steel cabinet.
After the Chunin Exams, Konoha would fall into chaos.
Before that, no one would come to manage this small warehouse.
When the chaos ended, this warehouse would be damaged, and these supplies would be classified as “war losses” and sealed away forever.
And he, with his six million ryo, would continue being a warehouse manager.
No one would suspect him.
Because he had always been that “diligent and honest” Sato Fan.
Sato Fan stood up, put on his backpack, locked the warehouse door, and walked towards home.
Passing by the perimeter of the exam venue, he heard a huge roar of noise from inside—people cheering; he guessed Naruto and the others had passed the first written exam.
He quickened his pace and disappeared around the street corner.