Chapter 22

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Why is Hiruzen Sarutobi so formidable?

It's because he controls both Konoha's finances and the Book of Seals.

The bulk of Konoha's income doesn't come from mission commissions but from military funding allocated by the Daimyo. The money earned from C-rank and D-rank missions, which even civilians avoid, is minimal. After paying the ninja teams that complete the missions, Konoha barely receives 20% of the earnings.

The ninja squads that complete these missions rely on them to support their families, so if the village takes a bigger cut, the ninjas might quit and return to farming, where civilian incomes in Konoha can sometimes surpass those of ordinary ninja.

Hence, the real funding for essential divisions such as the Konoha Garrison, the ANBU, and the border defense troops comes directly from the Daimyo's government.

Take Sunagakure as an example. The reason they collaborated with Orochimaru was that the Wind Daimyo had drastically reduced their funding. Sunagakure was in financial ruin and unable to train its ninja. They were ready to use Konoha as an example to show the Wind Daimyo the importance of a well-funded ninja village.

However, their plan backfired when Orochimaru's scheme led to the death of their Kazekage, severe losses in their elite ranks, and nearly resulted in the capture of their jinchūriki. If Konoha hadn't valued peace, Sunagakure might have been removed from the Five Great Shinobi Villages entirely.

A village without a jinchūriki is akin to losing its nuclear deterrence; it becomes vulnerable to other villages.

Toki seized control of the Ministry of Defense because of the high military funding from the Daimyo, a far more lucrative income stream than the Konoha Garrison, which mainly acts as the village's police force.

This massive budget allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi to significantly develop the ANBU. Additionally, he forced the ninja clans to participate in the Third Shinobi World War at their own expense, thereby elevating the Sarutobi clan to the second-largest clan in Konoha.

After the war, Sarutobi resigned, but not before negotiating an unconditional peace treaty with Iwagakure when many Konoha ninja had nearly secured victory. This deal stripped the ninja clans of the spoils they expected to help rebuild their finances. Many of them were left frustrated, as they had lost warriors but received nothing in return, while the Sarutobi clan had largely preserved its strength.

Now that Toki has assigned the Uchiha clan to guard the borders, the military expenses that used to flow to Sarutobi will be redirected to the Uchiha.

...

Toki picked up a bullet-sized scroll, placed it into a specially crafted firing glove, and waved his hand. An explosive fireball shot out, instantly obliterating the wooden dummy in the lab. Nodding with satisfaction, he murmured, "A portable rocket launcher, instantaneous... the future of ninja warfare will be transformed."

This innovation would usher in a shift from the ninja world's reliance on traditional weapons to an era dominated by scientific tools. Toki could already envision his clan wielding enchanted gloves, firing off endless ninjutsu "bullets" at their enemies while proclaiming, "Brother, the times have changed."

With these weapons, as long as his troops had enough "ammunition," they could challenge even elite ninja. After all, even someone like Kakashi can only use two A-rank jutsu with his Sharingan. A standard jōnin might manage five.

But with these scientific tools, a ninja could carry dozens of A-rank scrolls, launching a barrage of firepower that even jōnin would struggle to survive.

The best part? These scientific tools were system-exclusive, meaning no one could replicate them. If anyone wanted to use them, they'd have to buy the "bullets" directly from Toki. Even if they had the firing gloves, they'd be useless without the necessary scrolls.

Toki suspected that Boruto's world lacked this kind of technological advancement because it was simply a fan-made extension of Shippuden, with a vast technological gap between the two universes.

At this moment, a supervisor approached Toki and reported, "Patriarch, the R&D center's materials are almost exhausted, and we've run out of funds."

Toki frowned, but remained calm. "Don't worry. Once the village chief approves the military funds in a few days, we'll be able to purchase more materials. Until then, have the clansmen at the borders bring back supplies to open up a trade route."

Even with cutting-edge technology, it was impossible to create scrolls without raw materials. The system didn't provide everything for free; it mostly offered bonuses in experience and technical expertise.

If this were an overpowered system where he could instantly summon god-like abilities, there would be no need for such logistical headaches.

Toki turned to Uchiha Setsuna and ordered, "Keep a close eye on this place. Don't let anyone near it—especially Fugaku's group."

Currently, Toki was just an ordinary elite jōnin, with a standard Sharingan and decent combat ability. He wasn't anywhere near Uchiha Itachi's level of genius, and in a direct confrontation, he might not even match Sasuke's strength when Sasuke fought Danzō.

If Fugaku's group discovered these secrets and leaked them to the Konoha elders, there was no telling what risks they might take. Right now, both sides appeared evenly matched, but if the elders realized they were on the losing side of an arms race, they might take drastic action.

Toki wasn't looking for a direct confrontation with the Hokage and the elders, especially considering Orochimaru hadn't defected yet, and Hiruzen was still in his prime.

In a full-blown conflict, the only ones likely to survive unscathed would be Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru.

Once a ninja reached the Kage level, the sheer numbers of regular chūnin or even tokubetsu jōnin were no longer a threat. Only elite jōnin or others of comparable power could pose a challenge.

As Toki pondered how to fill the gap in his high-end combat forces, a guard suddenly appeared beside him, whispering something in his ear.

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