After Hii Kōri announced the setting up of the Ninth Department – which he called the Defense Section, but which was really more like a Military Industry Section – the other department directors on the screen looked at each other without saying anything.
The meeting room went quiet for a moment. The quiet room was filled with the soft sounds of the harbour outside. These included the whistles of boats coming back from fishing, the sounds of workers loading and unloading cargo, and the rustle of the sea breeze passing through the rigging. All of these sounds seemed very clear and noticeable in the quiet.
The director of the Product R&D Section—a middle-aged man with not-unfashionable wire-rimmed glasses, neatly dressed but with wildly disheveled hair—pondered for a moment, then called up a series of data on his computer and sent it to the chat group.
He pushed up his glasses. There wasn't much emotion behind the lenses, and his tone was matter-of-fact: "Boss, please allow me to raise some concerns based on existing data and models. Regarding the hasty tilt of core resources and R&D direction toward the highly sensitive military industry field, I am cautiously optimistic—no, I lean more toward reserving judgment."
Simplified charts and graphs were projected into a corner of the shared view. Even if the others couldn't immediately grasp the full meaning of those curves and bar graphs, it didn't stop this man, who exuded a distinctly technical temperament, from using them to explain his reasoning.
"The guild's product categories do indeed cover a wide range. But our existing advantages are concentrated in civilian applications, agricultural machinery efficiency, specific medical assistance, and specialized customizations across various fields. We do have blind spots in the military industry. To add new, organized production lines—whether for raw material supply, product design, or subsequent testing standards—the time cost and technological accumulation would essentially have to start from scratch."
"Moreover, the market niche is not optimistic either. The traditional ninja clan workshops of the Land of Fire, the artisan-ninja system of the Land of Iron, and even the direct R&D departments of the major hidden villages have already formed a complete closed loop from raw materials to end users. Military goods—especially standardized equipment procurement—presumably requires even more trust and inertia. The ninja tool market has already been carved up. Even with our reputation, it would likely be very difficult to recoup costs in the short term."
Although Hii Kōri had mentioned phrases like "armed operations support," the R&D director did not make the leap to "participating in war." He simply assumed the boss intended to get a piece of the military industry pie.
After all, while the department he was responsible for did conduct market research, in this era, ordinary people could hardly articulate what they needed—or rather, simply being "quite effective" in some aspects was enough to satisfy customers.
The groups and data one interacted with differed, so the conclusions drawn and the thinking patterns formed would naturally differ as well.
Having spent long hours in the lab and rarely receiving "unnecessary" information from the outside world, it was perfectly normal that he didn't have a clear grasp of the current situation.
Meanwhile, the elderly director of the Engineering Section and the director of the Inspection Section—a man with a steady temperament and bronze skin from long-term outdoor work—directed their concerns toward Sasori, who was about the same age as their own grandsons.
"Boss, this... Sasori... he looks rather young, doesn't he?"
The Engineering Section director looked at Sasori's face—slightly immature but as calm as a doll—cleared his throat, and did his best to swallow the word "kid" before it came out. "Even if we trust your judgment, President, and acknowledge that geniuses exist in this world, an acting director this young... in terms of coordinating resources, managing a team, dealing with potential technical difficulties and unexpected situations... wouldn't experience be somewhat...?"
The Inspection Section director nodded in agreement: "The position of director requires a person who is more stable, reliable, and capable of bearing long-term pressure and handling complex situations. A genius's inspiration is certainly valuable, but the operation of an entire department requires solid management and extensive experience."
This wasn't senior members deliberately suppressing the young—it was simply a very normal concern.
To be honest, the director position didn't even necessarily require being particularly skilled in the department's actual functions; the most important quality was coordination ability. As long as one could properly assign work, even a lack of deep understanding of the department's field was acceptable.
The so-called Administration Section essentially operates on this same logic.
At this point, the director of the Commerce Section—a well-dressed middle-aged man with shrewd eyes and a perpetually just right smile—lightly tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention.
"Gentlemen, perhaps we can lift our perspective slightly," the portly man with perpetually curved brows and a gentle voice began. His voice was not loud, but possessed a magnetic quality that made people quiet down and listen.
"The Second Shinobi World War ended less than two years ago. Sunagakure and the Land of Wind need to digest the spoils of war and are busy with infrastructure. Konoha's losses in shinobi aren't something that can be made up in just two years either. Iwagakure's usual approach is to never stick its neck out first, and deploying external personnelly is also quite troublesome... These three major combatant nations each have their own affairs to attend to. In the short term, they have neither the will nor the ability to start large-scale hostilities again."
He counted off examples on his chubby fingers. "I don't visit the Land of Lightning often, so I won't comment on them. The Land of Water is isolated overseas and almost never involved in conflicts on the continent..."
"What does this mean?" He leaned forward slightly. "It means a period of relative 'peaceful development'—or rather, the 'latency period of an arms race'—has arrived. Didn't our guild itself expand rapidly, far surpassing competitors in efficiency and innovation, precisely by seizing the opportunities presented by the disruptions in material circulation around the time of the Second Shinobi World War and the outbreak of civilian needs and post-war reconstruction?"
"During this current period, our guild was already planning to pause expansion and consolidate development anyway. So it's perfectly normal to build up some more 'strength.' After all, we cannot forever rely on shinobi or fragile cooperative relationships with the hidden villages to protect our trade routes, our assets, and even our future 'voice.'"
This Commerce Section director could be described as the most "pure merchant" in the entire Red Hot Sand Guild.
He was both the person who had guessed Hii Kōri's true identity most clearly and the person least interested in that fact.
Ultimately, everyone at this table had joined the guild for different reasons, and he simply enjoyed the act of "transaction" itself. He understood very well that Hii Kōri didn't mind them using the guild to achieve their own goals—but that all hinged on first accomplishing Hii Kōri's objectives.
"I hired you to realize my dream, not for me to spend money realizing yours." [.jpg]
This, too, was a transaction. And he accepted it—and enjoyed it.
Thus, the Commerce Section director was also very willing to put his heart into working for Hii Kōri's purposes.
In his view, shinobi and ordinary people were both equal and unequal.
The equality lay in the fact that even jōnin from the five great hidden villages were no different from ordinary people when it came to physical defense and treatment capabilities. If your arm got cut off, you couldn't reattach it. If your internal organs were crushed, you would surely die. If you suffered extensive infection, you could only bet on antibiotics.
The inequality lay in the fact that even the most ordinary chūnin possessed various killing techniques capable of instantly taking a dozen lives. Not to mention genjutsu that could control people's minds.
It was only that these shinobi, who were so accustomed to killing, hadn't yet realized that even if they didn't know how to make money themselves, they could control and coerce others into making money for them. The moment they figured that out, the world would descend into chaos for who knows how much longer.
"Grasping core power in one's own hands is an essential step. Compared to that, the simple gain and loss of profit and loss becomes unimportant."
Thus thinking, a barely perceptible sharp gleam flashed through the shrewd man's eyes. "Even if we encounter difficulties in technology R&D, the strategic significance of this matter determines that we must do it. And now is the optimal time to begin."
"Of course, regarding this aspect, we'll need Director Akane to give us the bottom line."
Naturally, he then tossed the topic to Akane, who was still at the main headquarters in the Land of Fire. "Compared to technical and productivity issues, the guild's business transformation toward this sensitive field will inevitably attract the attention and reaction of external forces. How much resistance will we encounter, and how much support will we receive... the game here is likely the most decisive factor."
"Since the boss is proposing the establishment of the Defense Section now... I presume you have already prepared some layout in advance."
"You need not worry about this, everyone. Resistance will certainly exist, but the President and I have already made a series of countermeasures in preparation for this. We will minimize external influence on your work."
Akane withdrew her gaze from Hii Kōri, whom she hadn't seen in several months, and answered seamlessly: However, the specific list and partners involve confidentiality and strategic arrangements. We will need to make detailed plans before disclosing them. It is currently inconvenient to elaborate here."
"Since Director Akane says so, I have no further questions."
The Commerce Section director nodded with complete conviction. He trusted Akane's ability to handle such matters just as he trusted Hii Kōri's economic methods.
"Exactly. Also, regarding the issue of Sasori..."
Hii Kōri added, taking over the conversation to address the earlier concerns about Sasori's capabilities.
His gaze swept over the directors of the Engineering and Inspection Sections. "Your concerns are not without reason. Due to personality issues, Sasori does indeed have shortcomings in leadership. But his individual abilities needs no worry. In fact, this is why I have him serve as 'acting director' rather than full director."
He looked toward the expressionless Sasori beside him, who acted as if he were not the topic of discussion, and continued, "The only things Sasori needs to be responsible for are the R&D, improvement, and testing of armaments—aspects that require specialized knowledge. He only needs to oversee technical direction and communicate with the core R&D team."
"As for other work—process design for mass production, production line construction, quality control, cost accounting, as well as daily coordination with other guild departments, personnel management, and routine administrative affairs—I will assign an experienced deputy and a dedicated administrative team to handle those."
"Then, what standards should be used for personnel recruitment for the Ninth Department and its subordinate divisions?"
The director of the Human Resources Section, who had not spoken earlier, now spoke up at an appropriate moment. She had no strong opinions on Hii Kōri's decisions and had always simply executed as needed. "The confidentiality level for this area will certainly be higher than for other departments."
"Ah... that doesn't matter. I have my own arrangements for the Defense Section's personnel. However, recruitment should still continue—just proceed with normal standards."
Hii Kōri tapped the mask formed from shadows and confirmed, "Beyond that, we also need to build more facilities in various locations... anything is fine, as long as it looks reasonable."
"To create a smokescreen and disrupt external reconnaissance, right?"
The director of the Energy Section nodded with an expression of understanding.
As a seasoned operator who frequently worked in the Land of Lightning and had led several power plant projects there, he had been forced to sharpen his nerves by the rather infuriating behavior of the Land of Lightning's natives.
Now that he was back working in the Land of Rain, he felt that even the old killer Hanzō standing there seemed like a Buddha in comparison.
Damn it. The Land of Lightning's crazy people.
"That does make sense."
The elderly Engineering Section director stroked his beard and nodded convincingly.
To this day, the guild's facilities around the world still occasionally suffered sabotage from various unsavory characters. If they were involved in military industry, the number of covetous and hostile eyes would only increase.
"We will arrange follow-up construction plans."
"Everyone. Red Hot Sand has grown from a small guild back in the day to its current state by seizing those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, accumulating resources, channels, and influence far beyond ordinary commercial organizations—even beyond many small nations."
Seeing that the main issue had been sufficiently discussed and the directors' concerns had been alleviated one by one, Hii Kōri placed both hands on the table, his tone filled with emotion.
"I won't deny that there was a great deal of luck involved."
"But even when good fortune comes, those who choose to stand by and watch will only waste the opportunity. That is only natural—because they were never prepared to face the chance in the first place. By the time good fortune arrives and they start thinking, it's already too late."
"To seize good fortune at any moment, to discern in advance where good fortune might fall, to wait there—only those with such a sense of smell receive fate's favor."
Before the camera, Hii Kōri slowly stood up, raising his hands as if to grasp something, closing his fingers around empty air.
"For my dream, and for the goals that rest in my hands—the goals above this guild that you have entrusted to me—please continue to lend me your strength."
"Within the next five years, convert all the resources we have accumulated into tangible power held firmly in our hands."
"And then, leave our own bold and indelible mark upon this world!"
***
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