…
Later that day, Murakami stood on the orphanage rooftop, legs swinging off the edge. Below, the children were in the courtyard.
Some we laughing over a joke while some others were arguing over card games.
Hoshino-san was lecturing one of the younger boys for trying to sneak extra dumplings.
He took in the sight with a smile then turned his gaze outward making mental note of area his eyes could see. He needed the imagery to be able to restructure the area around the orphanage layout tomorrow.
30 minutes later, before the sun set behind the horizon, he was done and like the wind, disappeared with no one knowing he had been there.
…
Next day.
The scroll rustled softly beneath Murakami's fingers as he traced the edges of the layout he'd drawn. A neat and structured blueprints of the Lotus Orphanage lay sprawled across his desk.
Beside them, a second set of plans: a larger, more open structure. Sparring rings. Weapon racks. Meditation halls. He tapped the corner of the parchment thoughtfully.
The idea had been brewing for a while but his fear of disrupting the plot had kept him from making any moves. But as matters stood now, he couldn't care less.
The Lotus Orphanage was thriving. Hoshino-san had done a fantastic job overseeing the day-to-day. The children were well-fed, well-clothed, and educated in everything from basic arithmetic and herbal medicine to practical life skills.
And the orphanage was no longer filled only with children from Konoha. The war had brought an influx of orphans into the village.
Some were children of Konoha shinobi who had died during the fighting. Others had come from nearby villages that had been devastated by the war, their parents killed in the conflict.
The orphanage had taken in some of these children and more children meant more needs.
And considering I had been providing these children with food, shelter, education, and a future, it only made sense to think about what came after that.
The Lotus Store was already growing, and with it came more responsibilities.
Transporting goods, protecting caravans, guarding storage sites, handling deliveries through places where bandits or opportunistic shinobi might become a problem.
I couldn't rely on Konoha shinobi for every little task. I needed my own people.
Not only shinobi but people I could train from a young age, teach discipline, and eventually employ within the Lotus Company.
Some would have no interest in combat, and that was perfectly fine. They could pursue accounting, medicine, administration, craftsmanship, or whatever suited them.
But those that would inevitably gravitate toward martial arts would receive a proper training ground.
They would learn Taijutsu, bukijutsu, and basic combat skills. Not to become killing machines, but to protect themselves and the people under their responsibility.
A merchant convoy didn't always need a shinobi.
Sometimes, it just needed capable guards who could discourage trouble before trouble became a fight.
That was why I wanted the empty plot beside the orphanage.
So I could build a martial training center there.
There would be sparring rings, weapon racks, meditation halls, open training grounds.
It wouldn't be a shinobi academy, more like training institute.
A place where the children could develop their bodies and mind, learn discipline, and acquire skills that could eventually give them a place within the Lotus Company.
I wasn't pretending this was entirely selfless.
If I was going to invest resources into raising these children, I wanted that investment to benefit them and my organization.
They would gain skills and a livelihood and I would gain reliable people I could trust.
A fair exchange… at least, that was how I saw it.
Murakami rolled the plans under one arm and walked out.
…
Normal POV
The Hokage's office was warm with mid-morning sunlight when Murakami stepped inside.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, no pipe in hand yet, several scrolls arranged neatly to his left.
He looked up as Murakami entered.
"Murakami-kun. Come in."
He had clearly been informed of his arrival.
"Hokage-sama." Murakami offered a respectful bow before approaching the desk.
"I understand you wanted to discuss the Lotus Orphanage."
"Yes."
Murakami placed the plans on the desk and carefully unfurled them. "I want to construct a training institute on the plot beside the orphanage."
Hiruzen lowered his pipe slightly and studied the plans. "A training institute?"
"Yes." Murakami pointed toward the plans. "It would focus mainly on physical conditioning and practical lifestyle skills. The children need somewhere to exercise, learn discipline, and develop useful abilities."
Hiruzen's eyes moved across the parchment again. "And this would not be a shinobi academy?"
"No." Murakami shook his head. "The purpose is simply to give the children a broader education and keep them physically healthy. Those who eventually choose a different path can pursue it later."
It was technically the truth. He simply had no obligation to explain what those physical skills might eventually become.
Hiruzen's eyes lingered on the plans for a moment. "I see."
Murakami wasn't under the illusion that the Hokage's office had no idea what was happening around the Lotus Orphanage.
The growth of the orphanage, the arrival of children from outside Konoha, and the resources being invested into it were hardly things the village could overlook when they're also receiving resources from the same source.
There was no point pretending otherwise.
Hiruzen tapped the edge of the parchment with one finger.
"Have you considered coordinating with Konoha's existing training institutions? It may be more efficient than establishing another facility."
Murakami's expression remained calm. "Respectfully, Hokage-sama, that's precisely what I want to avoid."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"The children under my care are civilians. I want them to remain free to choose their own paths. If some of them eventually decide to become shinobi, I'll have no reason to stop them. But I don't want combat training to become a means of quietly directing them into the shinobi system."
His gaze hardened slightly as he looked at the plans. This world has always been divided along a simple line.
Shinobi and civilians.
The difference wasn't merely occupation. It was opportunity.
Shinobi clans possessed bloodlines and generations of accumulated knowledge that gave their children advantages ordinary civilians could rarely match.
Among ordinary people, those with exceptional chakra potential existed, but they were uncommon. Most civilians who entered the shinobi system would never rise particularly far.
There were exceptions, of course, there always were.
But Murakami had no intention of building his organization around exceptions.
The village already had ways of dealing with that gap.
ANBU and Root.
Organizations that could take civilians with useful abilities, provide them with training and resources, and turn those abilities toward the village's interests.
There was nothing inherently wrong with giving someone an opportunity.
The problem was what came afterward.
Once the village invested in a person, loyalty was expected in return.
Absolute loyalty.
And if necessary, their life.
Murakami understood why such systems existed. He simply had no intention of allowing the people under his protection to become another source of manpower for them.
If the Lotus Company needed guards, messengers, escorts, administrators, or craftsmen, he would train them himself.
If someone wanted to become a shinobi, that would be their choice.
But it would remain their choice.
Hiruzen was silent for several moments before finally speaking.
"You're asking the village to approve an institution that will operate outside the shinobi system."
"Yes."
"And you're confident you can manage it?"
Murakami met his gaze. "I wouldn't have brought the proposal if I wasn't."
Hiruzen rubbed his chin for a few seconds.
"Surely a little cooperation wouldn't hurt—"
Before he could finish, a faint pulse of chakra passed through the room.
Murakami's eyes shifted toward the source as a figure stepped out from the shadows behind the Hokage's desk.
Danzo.
Murakami's expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered slightly.
He hadn't sensed him while he had been there, not even a trace. Although he hadn't actively searched, his passive sensor allowed him to sense subtle chakra fluctuations.
Interesting.
His eyes briefly studied the man before returning to the room around him.
The concealment wasn't simply a matter of suppressing chakra, Danzo had remained completely outside Murakami's awareness until he chose to reveal himself.
Murakami mentally filed it away while thinking, 'So this is what genuine presence concealment looks like.'
He would have to learn it
"Danzo," Hiruzen said, his tone carrying a hint of warning.
Danzo ignored it. "I don't think this is necessary."
Murakami knew Danzo was referring to the establishment of the training institute so he couldn't help but ask. "Why?"
Danzo glanced at the plans on the desk. "The village already has an institution for training young people. If you're trying to prepare them for the future, why create another one? Why not send them there?"
"Because I'm not trying to turn them all into shinobi."
Danzo's brow tightened slightly. "Then what are you preparing them for?"
"Life."
The answer was simple enough that Danzo paused.
Murakami continued. "A healthy body is useful regardless of someone's profession. So are discipline and moral ethics, basic medical knowledge, arithmetic, and practical skills."
Danzo studied him. "You're investing a considerable amount of money into children who may never give anything back to you."
Murakami's eyes narrowed slightly, he understood that way of thinking. "You're assuming that's a bad investment."
Danzo said nothing.
Murakami rested a hand on the plans. "The Lotus Store already supports the orphanage. If I can give those children useful skills while they're young, some will eventually work with us. Others won't."
Murakami's tone remained matter-of-fact. "And that's fine."
Danzo looked at him more carefully. "You're willing to spend money training people who may leave?"
"If they leave with something useful, I haven't wasted the money."
That answer seemed to catch Danzo off guard.
Murakami didn't elaborate, he wasn't going to explain the plan he had for the children, nor was he interested in arguing philosophy with a man who had only just begun forming his own.
Danzo looked toward Hiruzen. "The village should at least know what this institute is intended to become."
Hiruzen gave Murakami a questioning look.
Murakami answered before Danzo could continue. "Then I'll provide regular reports."
Danzo turned to him. "And if some of these children want to become shinobi?"
"And if they don't?"
"Then they don't." Murakami shrugged slightly. "As long as there is no coercion involved, then they can."
Danzo was silent for a moment. "You make it sound simple, but I can't shake off the feeling that it's not."
Murakami shook his head. "It is simple." He glanced at the plans and continued. "They're children. We give them opportunities. They decide what to do with them."
Saying that, he turned his gaze back to Danzo and held it, unflinchingly.
Hiruzen leaned back slightly, watching the two of them until Danzo finally looked away. "I still think the village should be cautious."
"That," Murakami said calmly, "is your job."
A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Hiruzen's mouth.
Danzo's eyes returned to Murakami.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Hiruzen reached for the scroll. "Your petition is approved."
He wrote the authorization and pressed his seal into it before handing it across the desk.
"You'll keep the village informed of significant developments. A monthly report should be sufficient."
Murakami accepted the scroll. "Understood, Hokage-sama."
He bowed slightly and turned toward the door.
As his hand reached for the handle, Danzo spoke again. "Murakami."
Murakami stopped and looked back.
Danzo's expression was difficult to read. "You're thinking farther ahead than most people your age."
Murakami said nothing.
Danzo continued. "Just make sure you know what you're building before it becomes too large to control."
Murakami remained silent for a moment, then gave a small nod. "I will keep that in mind."
He turned and left.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Hiruzen glanced at Danzo. "You seemed particularly interested in this."
Danzo remained silent for several seconds. "That kid is unusual, who knows how this could end up."
Hiruzen smiled faintly, but said nothing as the room fell into silence.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Like it? Read up to chapter 90 on [email protected]/This_Young_Lord