"So, how society can make money aside from ordinary mission commissions is something we must seriously consider right now. Personally, I already have several good project ideas in mind, but the timing isn't mature enough yet. They can only be gradually implemented after the society is officially established. Besides that, do any of you have any good ideas?"
The people present looked at one another and fell silent for a moment before unanimously turning their gazes toward Shinichi, who sat at the head of the table.
Shinichi let out a quiet sigh inwardly, though his expression remained unchanged as he continued, "If not, then let me offer another idea as a starting point. Senior Shibi, during my recent surveys throughout the Land of Fire, I discovered that insect infestations are extremely severe in many places. Vast stretches of farmland have been devastated, leaving harvests completely ruined, and the villagers have no solution at all."
"The Aburame Clan possesses expertise in insect control that is recognized throughout the Shinobi World. When it comes to understanding and controlling insects, I doubt any clan can compare. I was thinking that, without involving the clan's Hidden Jutsus, perhaps the Aburame Clan could cooperate with the society. The clan would provide the technology, while the society would provide funding, distribution channels, and promotion, and together we could develop a locust extermination agent for farmers."
He paused before adding, "Also, mosquitoes and flies become a huge nuisance during the summer. Those things don't care whether you're a commoner or a noble. If you're human, they'll bite you. Even we ninja sometimes suffer because of them. I was wondering whether we could also develop a safe and effective insecticide. The demand for that would be enormous as well, with both commoners and nobles serving as long-term, stable customers."
"Once these two projects are established, they won't just solve real livelihood problems; they will also provide the Aburame Clan with a continuous source of income for years to come."
Shibi Aburame remained silent for a moment before adjusting his sunglasses and saying solemnly, "President Shinichi, I personally agree. However, this matter still needs to be discussed within the clan. I'll relay it to them afterward."
Shinichi nodded and said no more, then he noticed that everyone else was still staring at him expectantly in perfect unison.
Seeing this, Shinichi smiled helplessly and spread his hands. "That's all. I can only think of this much for now. Besides, society isn't my society alone, and you all need to learn to think for yourselves as well. So, as the acting president, I'll assign you a task. Over the next few days, think carefully about how your ninja techniques can be used to improve people's lives apart from combat."
In truth, Shinichi already had contingency plans in mind, but he did not intend to reveal them for the time being.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Smiling, Shinichi pulled out several documents that he had prepared in advance from beneath the table and handed them out one by one.
"Also, regarding the society's first independent asset project, I've actually already decided on it. Take a look."
The group accepted the documents, but the moment their eyes landed on the cover, they all froze.
The cover depicted a young man holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a large cooking ladle in the other. He wore a tall white chef's hat and carried a confident smile on his face. The boy resembled Shinichi by 70 or 80 percent, especially in the eyes.
"Wow! It's Shinichi! Cooking Master Boy!" Kushina Uzumaki leaned over and immediately cried out the moment she saw it. As a devoted fan of the manga Cooking Master Boy, she recognized the boy on the cover at a glance, the protagonist of the manga, also named Shinichi.
'Cooking Master Boy?'
The others looked puzzled.
Although they all knew that Shinichi was a Master Chef of the Land of Fire and the author of this popular manga, they could not immediately understand why a manga character was being used as the cover image for a society asset proposal.
Could it be that the popular manga Cooking Master Boy was going to be incorporated into the society's operations?
With this question in mind, they opened the documents. On the title page, a striking headline immediately came into view, proposal for the establishment of the Kikkaro Restaurant chain.
"Kikkaro Restaurant?" Ren Inuzuka scratched his head. "President, are we opening a restaurant?"
"A restaurant, yes, but more accurately, a restaurant chain."
"A restaurant chain?"
"That's right!"
Shinichi nodded and explained, "Kikkaro Restaurant is a chain restaurant brand. The first branch will open in Konoha. Once the model and standards have been fully tested, we'll expand into the towns and cities of the Land of Fire. Our ultimate goal is to cover the entire Shinobi World."
At the end of the meeting, Shinichi explained his overall development plan for the Kikkaro Restaurant chain to everyone.
To Shinichi, the existence of a chain restaurant held extraordinary significance.
For this purpose, he personally designed the brand symbol, and the inspiration came from the logo of the globally famous fast-food chain from his previous life: A white-haired and white-bearded old man with a kind smile.
It was perhaps one of the most successful brand symbols in the history of global commerce.
Its image had long transcended the scope of a mere trademark, becoming a super-symbol that carried the brand's soul, business wisdom, and collective cultural memory.
Whenever people saw that symbol anywhere in the world, they needed no written explanation to understand what it represented.
The brand symbol Shinichi designed for Kikkaro Restaurant carried the same ambition.
Combined with the other trump card he held in his hand, it would be enough to spread rapidly throughout the Land of Fire and neighboring regions during wartime.
After the war, it could naturally expand across the entire Shinobi World, turning Shinichi himself into a world-class, historic culinary icon.
Using cuisine as the point of contact, Shinichi Higashino's name and image would truly enter countless households. By then, it was entirely possible that his culinary-related talent would become the first to advance to Purple Level 2.
Thinking of this, Shinichi, who was walking along the streets of Konoha, stirred inwardly and summoned his personal status panel.
Compared to before, the panel had undergone some changes.
The first thing that caught his eye was that the green talent, Good Teacher, had quietly advanced into the blue talent Mentor.
[Mentor (Blue): You now possess the vision and responsibility of a true teacher. When guiding others in training, regardless of whether they are your formal students, their training efficiency is significantly increased. If a student is formally acknowledged and accepted under your tutelage, that student gains the effect of Mentor's Legacy, even when you are absent; their daily training receives a slight passive growth bonus, as though your teachings have been internalized into their instinctive guidance during training.]
[When you personally instruct them, their training efficiency increases dramatically. At the same time, under your direct guidance, there is an extremely small chance that the student may break through the original growth limit of their innate talent. The more faith a student has in you, the stronger the effect of Mentor's Legacy becomes.]