041 Reborn as the Third Kazekage

"Alright, alright, everyone, settle down. Please, take your seats." Arashi pressed his hands down gently, signaling the crowd to quiet. Gradually, the large assembly hall fell into silence.

Looking out at the sea of people, Arashi couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. In his past life, he had been an ordinary grid worker, only once helping set up a municipal conference—essentially placing nameplates and cleaning up. Yet now, in the world of Naruto, he found himself hosting a large-scale conference in a ninja village with nearly a million residents. Truly, life worked in mysterious ways.

Once the room was quiet, Arashi cleared his throat.

"Alright, let's begin!"

The attendees straightened their postures, ready to hear the Kazekage's address.

"Today is a rare occasion where we're all gathered here. Not only are the heads of Sunagakure's traditional clans and elders present, but we also have new friends from the Lake Tsuki District and workers from the Hourglass Group of the Land of Rain. This Kazekage Hall is truly filled with honored guests and brilliant minds.

"We were originally convening to discuss the construction and share distribution for the new district. However, since everyone is here, we might as well address a series of newly issued policies—debating and finalizing what we need to. Pakura, your secretariat will handle the logistics for this conference. It's short notice, but ensure that everyone has food and drinks so no one goes hungry or thirsty. Also, arrange accommodations—this meeting may last several days. If you're short-staffed, coordinate with Minister from Human Resources. Expenses should be charged directly to the village's finance department.

"Chiyo, your Anbu squad must be mobilized to secure the meeting and ensure confidentiality. The conference will be long, and I ask for everyone's patience. By the second meeting, these issues should improve. For now, take a one-hour break while we mobilize preparations. We'll start the first agenda item after that."

Though it was hectic, Arashi's past experiences helped keep things on track. Organizing a few hundred attendees wasn't that daunting for someone who had seen large-scale operations before.

The conference lasted five days and four nights. By the end, the representatives were utterly exhausted, their eyes bloodshot. Yet, despite their fatigue, they were energized, buzzing with excitement.

On the first day, they finalized the future casino's share distribution. The initial blueprint divided the casino into various sections, including gambling halls, hotels, restaurants, izakayas, and entertainment district. These sections would be managed independently but share profits collectively under a unified company, Golden Sands Entertainment Group. A professional manager would oversee operations.

Ownership would be a mix of public and private investment: 51% would remain with the village treasury, while the remaining 49% would be open for representatives to purchase. (Keeping it under 50% ensured that external forces couldn't orchestrate hostile takeovers.) The representatives were ecstatic. Many eagerly pulled out cash to buy shares on the spot.

Chiyo, now in her sixties, purchased 20 million ryō worth of shares in one go, becoming the largest individual shareholder. She claimed to have poured in both her grandson Sasori's future wedding fund and her own burial savings. Not to be outdone, Arashi himself purchased 15 million ryō in shares, declaring that, as Kazekage, he should lead by example.

In under two hours, all the shares were sold out, raising 800 million ryō. The financial potential of Sunagakure's prominent families astonished Arashi. He mused that running a Ponzi scheme here might actually work.

(T/N: A Ponzi scheme is an investment fraud that pays existing investors with funds collected from new investors.)

The second day was dedicated to discussing the casino's location, design, infrastructure, industry layout, and personnel. Attendees eagerly voiced their opinions, and Arashi even shared some rules inspired by Hong Kong casino movies. Surprisingly, these ideas were met with unanimous approval. By the end of the day, Arashi had gained another title: Chairman of the Golden Sands Entertainment Group Board.

As plans for the casino solidified, the conference shifted to broader village issues, such as education reform, healthcare reform, ninja military service restructuring, desert highways, resource extraction, and anti-corruption measures. Some discussions even laid out five- to ten-year plans.

Once there was a clear direction, all that remained was execution.

The conference concluded with thunderous applause. In his closing speech, Arashi said, "This conference has been a great opportunity to gather everyone and solve many pressing issues. I believe we should make this a tradition. From now on, Sunagakure will hold a Village Representative Conference every three years, and its resolutions will serve as the highest authority in village governance!"

After the conference, Arashi declared a two-day holiday for all administrative staff, except for essential security personnel. Then, he dragged Tsunade into their villa, threw a blanket over them, and slept like a log. Hosting a five-day conference was more exhausting than completing an S-rank mission!

...

Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind's Daimyo's residence,

The Daimyo held a letter with a puzzled expression.

"Your Kazekage wants to buy land? Does he even have the money for that?"

In the Daimyo's eyes, the ninjas of Sunagakure were still just impoverished warriors under his family's employ. The idea of them purchasing land seemed laughable.

"What's he planning to do? Farm? I heard he's already farming well in the Lake Tsuki area. Are your ninjas switching careers to become farmers?"

Minister bowed deeply, his demeanor respectful.

"Since you graciously granted us the Lake Tsuki lands, Kazekage-sama has led us in farming, pig-rearing, and vegetable cultivation, achieving self-sufficiency. However, the village remains poor. Thus, Kazekage-sama hopes to engage in trade by purchasing land along the border for small business ventures."

"Oh? It seems Arashi has been doing well in Sunagakure, achieving self-sufficiency in food. Excellent, that puts my mind at ease. However, there's no extra land available on the Kunrei Plain."

"Daimyo-sama, there's a misunderstanding. We wouldn't dare touch the sacred lands of the Kunrei Plain."

"Then where do you intend to buy land?"

The Daimyo's curiosity was piqued.