The End of the War

"Boss, you're back."

Upon seeing Cain return, Natsukawa greeted him with a bow and a greeting, alongside another person with a missing arm, likely Kaikou Mirai.

Cain has been away from Konoha for some time, and his Pharmacy has since opened for business. After receiving training, Kaikou Mirai, skilled in medical ninjutsu, joined the team and started working at the Pharmacy.

"Yep, I'm back. This must be Kaikou. With a store manager skilled in medical ninja arts, I can rest assured."

Cain encouraged Kaikou and entrusted him with responsibility, which moved him. Kaikou quickly saluted and said, "Please rest assured, Boss. I will work hard."

Cain nodded and then entered the store to check on the recent revenue. The snack sales were still impressive, and as the saying goes, the easiest money comes from children and women. Once the dessert factory opened, Cain's Desserts could supply various places in the Fire Country.

The other items sold well, but the food seemed to have reached a limit. Each ninja clan in Konoha had its own purchasing channels. Most civilians who bought food from Cain's store were commoners. There weren't many civilians in Konoha, so Cain decided to strike food off his list. Although American food was cheap, it was not worth bringing it over with his space backpack. Instead, Cain would become a local landlord in the ninja world, hire people to sell food in the ninja world, and then go to small countries to expand.

However, Cain wouldn't be as foolish as Gatō. The family of Cain doesn't have people that stupid who would play themselves to death at the beginning of the game.

"Boss, Kushina said you allowed her to book desserts early, and many others followed suit. Here's the list and the number of bookings."

While Cain was contemplating the revenue, Natsukawa reported something and handed him a list.

Cain was slightly surprised after reading it. "Over eighty families? Over 3 million Ryo in bookings? Are there so many people in Konoha who like desserts?" He only thought of making money from children but looking at the numbers on the list, many wealthy ninjas also made bookings.

Ordinary civilian families wouldn't spend tens of thousands of Ryo to buy desserts which didn't match their income level.

Natsukawa nodded and said, "Indeed, many ninjas came to make bookings. Some of them even like chocolate, and even I... cough, cough." She had secretly bought some for herself and her children. They were indeed delicious, and after eating them, she wanted more. Natsukawa would have bought a box to take home if they weren't so expensive.

"I understand. I'll handle this matter," Cain said, taking the list and turning to Natsukawa, telling her about the dessert factory in Kawaiki Town. "Natsukawa, I need to ask you a favor. Let someone else take care of this place, and hire a few more people. I need you to take care of a business outside of Konoha."

Kawaiki Town's dessert factory needed a trustworthy person to guard it, and Cain could only trust Natsukawa for now. Although they had only dealt with each other for a short time, he found her relatively honest.

After hearing Cain's request, Natsukawa thought for a moment and decided. "I understand, Boss. Many members of the Senju Clan still have nothing to do. If there's work available, they'll definitely be willing."

Moreover, Cain's salary is not small, 80,000 Ryo per month, almost equivalent to more than 10 high-quality D-level missions. If you're not willing to take this job, it can only be said that you're relying on your family's money and not willing to work.

Cain reminded her, "Although Kawaki Town is not far from Konoha, accidents can still happen. Natsukawa, please be safe on your trip there. I will also hire some guards to accompany you."

"I understand, don't worry, boss," Nasukawa said, smiling shyly. "Actually, we know some ninjutsu to some extent. After all, we come from a ninja family."

The current generation of the Senju clan still has some ideas about protecting Konoha. When they are cultivating the next generation, they plan to send them to the Ninja Academy. Natsukawa's child is not yet of age. Still, when they reach six, Natsukawa will also send them to the Ninja Academy.

However, before sending the child to the Ninja Academy, they must receive pre-school training. The Senju clan has lost their surname and disbanded, so parents must conduct ninja training in advance. Natsukawa knows the Transformation Technique and a few C-rank ninjutsu. Still, she has not attended the Ninja Academy nor has a ninja status in Konoha. She does not plan to become a ninja because if something happens to her on the battlefield, her four-year-old child will likely be sent to an orphanage.

"It seems that I underestimated you. But it's good as long as you can ensure safety," Cain said with a smile. "I will take you and eight other people. You can choose the others yourself. I trust you, Natsukawa."

"I understand. Thank you, Boss," Natsukawa said, nodding. She felt grateful to Cain. Without him, she and many of her friends and relatives would not have such a lucrative job with relatively light work.

After instructing Natsukawa, Cain waited for her to gather everyone so they could go to Kawaki Town.

Four people help Cain manage the dessert factory while the other five patrol the cocoa tree plantation. This time, Cain plans to buy some land.

Although the cocoa tree cannot produce the best quality here, they must make do for now. When Cain expands his influence in the Tea Country in the future, that will be the best place to plant cocoa trees.

Besides expanding his influence, Cain also keeps an eye on the Second Great Ninja War.

Recently, there have been many returning ninjas from the battlefields, mostly from the Rain Country. After the Rain Village surrendered, the Sand Village did not last long. It directly retreated to the border, indicating they had lost the war.

However, the Sand Village still appears to be quite tough on the surface. Even if they retreat to their own borders, they have not signed the peace agreement proposed by Konoha. That so-called peace agreement is actually an exploitation of the Sand Village led by the Hawk faction headed by Danzo.

Konoha spared the Rain Village and now wants to recover the benefits from the Sand Village. Although many ninjas returned from the Rain Country battlefield, the remaining ones can still deal with the Sand Village.

However, the most discussed topic among the Konoha ninja who was withdrawn from the battlefield is the Tailed Beast and Jinchuriki deployed by the Sand Village in the war. Although they did not explicitly state it, Cain could guess from their descriptions that there was a giant tanuki the size of a small mountain and powerful Wind Release jutsu that felt like natural disasters.

If it were not for Danzo and Orochimaru finding a solution, Konoha's ninjas would have suffered a big loss.

However, Cain cannot participate in such matters now. His goal is clear: to expand his influence in the shortest possible time.

Ninjas are a strange group of people. They are brainwashed from generation to generation, and even the most powerful ninja cannot escape their identity as a ninja. They are often constrained by wealthy and influential civilians.

Perhaps Uchiha Madara took a half step forward, but there was a stronger Senju Hashirama who pushed him back!