Chapter 20: Please Call Me a Domineering CEO, Okay?"A total of six hundred and forty-eight children..."The Ninja who came to report looked troubled; this number far exceeded everyone's expectations.Konoha was not unable to afford to support so many children, but they were, after all, orphans from other Ninja Villages. Such a massive number had long exceeded the scope of the Village's conventional resettlement.Hiruzen Sarutobi lightly tapped his pipe with his fingertips, his brow filled with helplessness.As the shadow of the Village, every one of his decisions had to place the safety and interests of Konoha first.He sighed deeply and slowly spoke:"Issue adoption notices to all nations, and be sure to strictly verify the identity and background of the adopters. We must never let these children fall into the hands of evildoers again.""This... this is also the last thing we can do for them."Before the words had even faded, the wooden door of the Hokage Office was kicked open with a bang, the loud noise startling both people in the room.Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, only to see Narutostriding in, furious."Old man! Since you saved them, you should be responsible to the end. What are you doing?"He had already heard the entire conversation in the room clearly.Now, Naruto, having already relied on his illustrious military exploits, made Hiruzen Sarutobiunable to view him as an ordinary child anymore.Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice deepened, his gaze falling on Naruto, carrying a hint of exhaustion and helplessness."Naruto, do you think Grandpa doesn't want to protect them?"He slowly turned around, looking at the towering buildings of Konoha outside the window, his tone heavy."These six hundred and forty-eight children are mostly around ten years old; they are not ignorant toddlers.""They have their own Villages, their own relatives, and their own pain.""Forcibly keeping them in Konoha and binding them with rules and interests will only plant resentment in their hearts. They will feel that they are prisoners of defeat, outsiders living under another's roof.""Human hearts cannot be traded for loyalty just through shelter."The Third Hokage sighed softly."Promoting adoption is giving them a chance to have a family and a place to belong again, a place where they can be genuinely accepted. It is not about keeping them in Konoha and living under the label of 'outsider'."Naruto's brows were tightly locked, his tone still carrying defiance:"But is pushing them onto outsiders necessarily good? Since Konoha saved them, it should protect them to the end. Pushing them around, what kind of protection is that!"Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the youth before him, full of sharp spirit and unable to tolerate even a shred of injustice, and after a moment of silence, slowly said:"It is precisely because we want to protect that we cannot act on momentary impulse.""Naruto... sometimes, wishful kindness is more hurtful than indifference."Naruto naturally knew the logic behind this, but he had come this time specifically to keep these six hundred and forty-eight children...He then continued to put on an act.He took a step forward, his voice resounding firmly, causing the entire Hokage Office to fall silent."Whatever about 'human hearts being hard to fathom' or 'living under someone else's roof', it's all just an excuse!""They are homeless, and it was Konoha that saved them. Now you turn around and want to send them out for adoption. Ultimately, it's because you think they are a burden, a trouble. You're afraid they will consume the Village's resources, afraid of raising a group of disloyal people, and afraid that the gains won't outweigh the losses, right?"Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed slightly; he opened his mouth, but was directly interrupted by Naruto."I know you are the shadow of the Village and must consider things for Konoha, but when I, Naruto, do things, I don't look at the pros and cons; I only look at my conscience!"As his words fell, Naruto's gaze was sharp, looking directly at the Third Hokage."Six hundred and forty-eight children, I will raise them!"The office instantly fell silent, and the Advisor on the side was even more shocked.Without waiting for the two to react, Narutocontinued to speak, his tone incomparably firm:"Don't I have seven million ryo from my two missions?""I will personally contribute seven million ryo to mark out an area above the Hokage Rock and personally supervise the construction of a brand-new Village.""It will be exclusively for settling these six hundred-plus children. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and training—all expenses will be borne by me alone. The Villagedoesn't need to spend a single penny, nor does it need to exert any effort."He paused, his tone carrying an indisputable confidence."I will personally teach them Ninjutsu, teach them how to be decent people, and teach them what protection and loyalty are.""I don't need them to be fiercely loyal to Konoha; I only need to give them a home that shelters them from the wind and rain.""So they don't have to live in displacement, don't have to live under someone else's roof, and don't have to be picked and chosen like commodities anymore.""As for loyalty, I believe that sincerity is exchanged for sincerity.""If you are afraid they will harbor resentment, then I will warm them with my actions; if you are afraid they will become outsiders, then I will give them a home that belongs to them."Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at the youth before him, for a moment unable to find any words to say.He had seen ambitious Ninja and politicians who weighed pros and cons, but he had never seen anyone willing to exhaust such a huge fortune just to support a world for a group of unrelated children from other Villages.Seven million ryo was not a small amount; it was enough to buy up more than half of the shops in Konoha, yet Naruto was going to dump it all on a group of homeless children.After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the helplessness and hesitation in his eyes had all turned into being moved.He nodded gently, his voice carrying a trace of hoarseness:"...Fine, Grandpa approves. I will add another three million ryo for you!""The area above the Hokage Rock is yours to plan and build as you wish. Konoha will cooperate with you with full effort."Upon hearing this, the corners of Naruto's tense mouth finally curled up slightly, and the sharpness in his eyes turned into gentleness.Naruto bid farewell to Hiruzen Sarutobi and headed straight to the temporary resettlement point in Konoha.In the vast campsite, over six hundred children were scattered in various places. Most of them were sallow and thin, their eyes filled with wariness and fear.Seeing a stranger arrive, they all subconsciously moved closer to the companions beside them.Naruto did not have any airs; he walked slowly into the crowd. There was no sharpness of a Ninjaabout him, only a gentle warmth.Looking at these children who were about his own age or even younger, he felt a wave of soreness in his heart."My name is Uzumaki Naruto."He spoke, his voice clear and bright, piercing through the noise of the campsite."I know you are homeless and have suffered a lot.""From today on, no one will send you away, and no one will ever let you be displaced again."The children remained silent, watching him vigilantly.Naruto didn't mind and continued:"I will build a Village of your own above the Hokage Rock for you. I will build houses for you, prepare food and clothing for you, and I will also teach you Ninjutsu and teach you how to protect yourselves. Everything will be borne by me."Once these words were spoken, there was finally a slight commotion in the campsite.The wariness in the children's eyes faded a bit, replaced by some disbelief."We... really don't have to be sent away?" a thin, small girl asked timidly.Naruto crouched down, smiled, and nodded, his tone incomparably firm: "No. From now on, this is your home."This one sentence struck the softest part of all the children's hearts.Naruto looked into the distance, and the abacus in his heart also began to quietly click...
