Early morning in Konoha, a thin veil of mist enveloped the ancient, scattered buildings of the village.
In the southeastern corner, before a ruined expanse enclosed by high walls, the black-haired youth Hoshi stood with his hands behind his back.
His deep black eyes pierced through the rusted iron gates, taking in the overgrown courtyard inside.
This had once been the ancestral home of the Senju Clan, the premier clan of the Ninja World.
Now, the yellowed seal stamped with Konoha’s crest on the gate was curling at the edges, exuding the desolation of a fallen hero’s twilight.
“Good grief.
Master is sleeping in caves and woods out there, while this massive villa at home is left to breed mosquitoes.
What an absolute waste.” Hoshi muttered to himself, pulling out the four hundred thousand ryo he had “blackmailed” out of Jiraiya the previous night.
A resolute, confident smile curled on his lips.
To establish a true foothold in Konoha, kicking Sasuke across the school yard wasn’t enough.
In a village so thick with political intrigue, holding land and wealth meant having a real voice.
Revitalizing the Senju properties was the very first red carpet he would roll out for Tsunade’s return.
“Halt!
This is a restricted area.
Unauthorized personnel are not permitted near here!” Two Konoha Administration Chunin wearing cat masks flickered into view, blocking Hoshi’s path.
Their tone was cold, their eyes wary—the look of guards watching over a lucrative piece of meat.
“Seniors, don’t misunderstand,” Hoshi said, flashing his signature sunny smile as he handed over two beautifully packaged boxes of specialty pastries.
“I’m the candidate for the Fifth Hokage…
cough, I mean, I’m Lady Tsunade’s direct disciple, Hoshi.
This is a ‘Property Survey Permit’ signed by the Hokage himself.
I just wanted to go in and check on my master’s home.” Hoshi pulled out a document stamped with the Third Hokage’s red ink seal.
To get this paper, he had spent all yesterday afternoon playing shogi with the Third Hokage, deliberately losing three games straight to trade for it.
The two Chunin exchanged glances and suspiciously examined the paper.
In Konoha, Tsunade’s name still held tremendous weight, even though she had been gone from the village for years.
“Go on in.
But you may only look—you aren’t allowed to touch anything inside!” Hoshi thanked them politely and pushed open the heavy iron gate.
With an ear-grating screech, he stepped onto the long-abandoned restricted grounds.
“Lady Katsuyu, vision sharing active.” Hoshi channeled a tiny strand of Chakra into his palm, and the small Katsuyu on his shoulder slowly opened its eyes.
Thousands of miles away, Tsunade—suffering from a severe hangover headache—saw the dust-covered family folding screen through this shared connection.
“Hoshi…
are you really going to touch this place?” Tsunade’s voice bore a trace of exhaustion and reluctance.
“There’s nothing there but memories I’d rather forget.” “Master, shadows only exist because there’s light.” Hoshi expertly pushed aside the weeds, taking notes in a notebook he carried.
“These buildings may be old, but the foundations are solid.
As long as we repaint, trim the gardens, and introduce a little ‘modern management concept,’ this place will quickly become Konoha’s premier luxury medical rehabilitation center.” “A medical rehabilitation center?” Tsunade blanked.
“Exactly.” Hoshi’s eyes flickered with the twin light of money and wisdom.
“The Third War left behind countless injured and disabled ninja, not to mention the losses from the Nine-Tails incident.
Many ninja forced into retirement due to injuries have nowhere good to go.
If we turn the Senju compound into a high-end sanatorium and hire retired medical ninja to staff it, we won’t just solve employment—we’ll generate massive tax revenue.
By then, if those old sticks-in-the-mud in Konoha want to take this land, they’ll have to ask the healed clan heads and the heroes who bled for the village whether they agree first.” Using their own weight against them—Tsunade was stunned into silence for a long moment.
How did this sound like a twelve-year-old child?
He sounded like a scheming politician.
Had he really been corrupted the moment he stepped back into the village?
However, before Hoshi could finish planning, an aged and authoritative voice came from the main entrance.
“Absurd!
How can the sacred grounds of the Senju Clan be left to the wild antics of a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you?” Hoshi turned around to see two elderly figures wearing high-collared kimono approaching, surrounded by an entourage.
The Konoha advisors—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
These two “evergreens” of Konoha were glaring at Hoshi with grim faces.
In their eyes, the Senju Clan’s land was public property of Konoha, and it absolutely could not fall into the hands of an orphan of unknown origin.
“Advisors, you’re up early,” Hoshi greeted them neither humbly nor haughtily, his eyes completely devoid of fear.
“I wouldn’t call this wild antics; this is a ‘Village Asset Preservation and Appreciation Plan.’ According to Konoha law, Lady Tsunade, as the sole legal heir of the Senju Clan, holds absolute right of disposal over her ancestral property.
As her full proxy, I am merely fulfilling my duties.” “Law?
In Konoha, the will of the Council of Advisors is the supreme administrative standard!” Homura Mitokado snorted coldly.
“This property was sealed because Tsunade left the village and never returned, leaving behind colossal gambling debts.
Unless she returns to the village in person to clear those debts, you shall not touch a single blade of grass here!” “Debts?” Hoshi let out a soft laugh, slowly pulling out the “deed of servitude” signed by Jiraiya from his inner pocket, along with a stack of receipts.
“I’m terribly sorry to disappoint you both.
Lady Tsunade’s civilian debts have already been partially repaid on her behalf by her ‘dear friend,’ Lord Jiraiya.
The remaining portion will be settled through profits from operating the Senju Clan grounds.
Furthermore, I have this document signed by Lord Sandaime…” Hoshi waved Jiraiya’s signed contract and the document from the Third Hokage right in front of the two elders.
Koharu Utatane’s face turned magnificent in an instant, shifting between red and pale white.
She had never dreamed that a wandering pervert like Jiraiya would part with such a massive sum of royalties to fill Tsunade’s financial pit.
“Even if the debts are clear, the renovation of this place still requires approval from the Administration Department…” Koharu Utatane tried to stall.
“I’ve already submitted the approval form to the Hokage,” Hoshi interrupted, his smile growing even brighter.
“Lord Hokage said that great projects like this—’self-funded, beneficial to the village and the people’—should be vigorously promoted.
If the two advisors don’t believe me, you’re welcome to head to the Hokage building for a cup of tea.
Lord Sandaime should be waiting for you both right now to discuss the details.” The two advisors trembled with rage.
They realized that they hadn’t even survived a single round of debate against a twelve-year-old kid.
“Just you wait!
Brat, the waters of Konoha run far deeper than you can imagine!” Watching the backs of the two elders storm off in a huff, Hoshi let out a long breath.
Leaning against a stone pillar as if drained of strength, he wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
“Dealing with these old foxes is even more exhausting than sparring with Master.
My moral bottom line really hit absolute zero today.” “Pfft—” Tsunade’s laughter echoed through the small Katsuyu on his shoulder.
It was the first time since Hoshi returned to the village that he heard Tsunade laugh so heartily.
“Hoshi, brilliant job.
When dealing with shameless people like them, you have to be even more shameless than they are.
I suddenly feel like coming back to Konoha to be the so-called ‘Hokage’ isn’t such a boring idea after all.” “Naturally, Master.” Hoshi stood straight again, his black hair fluttering in the breeze, his eyes firm.
“I’ll turn this place into the most luxurious Hokage residence in the entire Ninja World.
All you’ll need to do is sit back, look gorgeous, and wait to count the cash.”