I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 54 The Money-Making Plan of Kikyo Orphanage!

The sky was clear and blue, and the sun blazed fiercely.

Nara Rinka left Konoha alone, carrying only a backpack.

Seeing that it was approaching noon, he slightly changed his itinerary. Instead of returning directly to his clan's territory in Kikyō City, he went to the Kikyō Orphanage first.

Kikyo Orphanage has its own precise daily schedule.

When Nara Rinkei arrived at the Kikyō Orphanage, the children were gathered in the kitchen having lunch.

Outside the kitchen.

The plump nun and the thin monk—let's call them that for now—were pulling Yakushi Nonou along, talking about something.

Nara Rinka moved closer, and the three people's conversation could be heard clearly.

"Director, the amount of aid funds allocated to the village this month is significantly less than in the past."

"With war approaching, not many families are willing to adopt children."

"The orphanage has been operating at a loss for a long time, and its financial situation is becoming increasingly strained."

"And if war breaks out, the orphanage will definitely see even more children..."

Yakushi Nonou listened quietly to the reports from the fat nun and the thin monk, and only spoke slowly after they had finished.

"I'll figure something out... Please give me a little more time."

The plump nun and the thin monk exchanged a glance and sighed helplessly.

They also know that these things can't be forced.

For Yakushi Nonou to open such an orphanage for orphans while being a ninja, and to use her mission income to fill a large portion of its operating funds, already shows her compassion.

What more could the fat nun and the thin monk ask of such people?

"Dean, if you ask me..."

The plump nun pursed her lips.

"We can ask the village for more money—who's there?!"

The fat nun's distressed expression vanished instantly, replaced by a serious look she usually wore to intimidate children.

But after they saw who it was...

The plump nun's expression instantly changed, becoming kind and approachable.

"Oh, it's Nara! What brings you here at noon? Have you eaten yet?"

"The fat nun, the thin monk."

Nara Rinka nodded to the two people in charge of the orphanage, and then looked at Yakushi Nonou.

"I'm here to see Nono-nee."

The thin monk wanted to say more, but seeing the ninja headband on Nara Rinkasa's body, he moved his lips but ultimately didn't utter a sound.

Yakushi Nonou nodded to the fat nun and the thin monk, and then went with Nara Rankei to the latter's private room.

Upon entering the room, Yakushi Nono, who had been standing ramrod straight, suddenly became somewhat hunched over, and a look of exhaustion appeared on her gentle oval face.

Don't be fooled by her usual gentle and approachable nun image, or how mature and reliable she may seem.

But in reality, Yakushi Nonou is only just over twenty years old. (21 years old)

"Nonou-nee-nee".

Nara Rinka put her backpack on the bed, then went to pour herself a glass of warm water and came back.

"Drink some water and catch your breath."

"Thanks."

Yakushi Nonou took the teacup with both hands, held it in her hands, and took small sips.

"You've really made a fool of yourself, Lan Gui."

"What's the big deal?"

Nara Rinka sat on the bed and shook her head.

"I knew this moment would come from the day Nono-nee opened the Kikyo Orphanage."

"What I didn't expect was that you, Nono-nee, could persevere until now."

If we were to rank the Konoha ninjas according to their degree of faith in the Will of Fire, then Yakushi Nonou would definitely be near the top.

They took in orphans, protected children, and provided them with a place to live to the best of their ability.

In this war-torn, bloody, and dark ninja world, people are cold and indifferent. Only this gentle and kind blonde nun can bring some warmth to the children.

A cup of warm water from Nara Rangsuke seemed to infuse the pharmacist Nonou with immense strength.

She put down her teacup, a gentle smile appearing on her fair face as usual.

"Lan Gui, you probably haven't had lunch yet at this hour, right? I'll go prepare it right away."

"No need, Nono-nee."

Nara Rinka raised her hand to stop Yakushi Nonou's actions and pulled her to sit on the bed.

"Take a rest first, then listen to me."

Yakushi Nonou adjusted her round-framed glasses and said softly, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"I heard what the fat nun and the thin monk said."

Nara Rinka got up again, poured a glass of warm water for the pharmacist Nono, and handed it to her.

"The Kikyo Orphanage is indeed experiencing a cash flow shortage, right?"

Yakushi Nonou shook her head, about to say something.

"Do you remember our promise?"

Nara Rinka interrupted the other person beforehand.

"If anything happens to the Kikyo Orphanage, we'll discuss how to earn money to support the family."

"Don't speak so ambiguously, like a little adult."

Yakushi Nonou lightly touched Nara Rinka's forehead, her fingertips, which had just left the teacup, were warm and soft.

"I'm the older sister."

"In short, regarding this issue of making money..."

Nara Rinka pushed her head forward, knocking Yakushi Nonou's fingers away.

"Has Nono-nee considered this?"

"Ever since that night, I've been thinking about this whenever I have a spare moment."

Yakushi Nonou nodded and said softly.

"I'm a ninja, and I even know some medical ninjutsu... Lan Gui, what do you think about me opening a clinic next to the Kikyo Orphanage?"

Nara Rinka was stunned by Yakushi Nonou's "genius idea".

"...You mean, open a small clinic next to the Nara clan's settlement?"

"Is that not allowed?"

Yakushi Nonou gazed at Nara Rangsuke, her brownish-green almond eyes revealing a purity untouched by society.

"Actually, I'm quite confident in my medical ninjutsu."

"In addition, the Nara clan is good at Yin Release, and Kikyo Castle is relatively lacking in specialized medical ninjas. I think opening a clinic is a pretty good idea, and it doesn't require any additional preparation space."

"Ah, that sounds about right. There's a lack of competitors, a promising market, and low barriers to entry..."

Nara offered a few dry compliments to the laurel tree, then abruptly changed the subject.

"Nonou-nee, would you like to hear my idea?"

What kind of competition? What kind of prospects? What kind of barriers to entry?

Yakushi Nonou seemed a little confused, but nodded subconsciously.

Before we discuss how to make money, let's first take stock of the resources and capabilities we have.

Nara Rinka said earnestly.

"Nonou-nee, what kind of human resources do you think the Kikyo Orphanage has? Or rather, what kind of earning labor?"

Yakushi Nonou glanced cautiously at Nara Ranka and spoke softly.

"Me...and you?"

"And then there are these children in the orphanage!" Nara Rinka said helplessly, "as well as the fat nun and the thin monk."

"No, no!"

Yakushi Nonou shook her head subconsciously, almost knocking her glasses askew.

"The children in the orphanage are so young and don't know how to refine chakra, so they can't do missions at all."

"Nuns and monks are just ordinary people; they can't do the work of ninjas."

"Don't bring your ninja mindset into this, Nono-nee."

Nara sighed.

"The ways ninjas and ordinary people make money are very different."

"Sorry, Lan Gui."

Yakushi Nonou bit her lip lightly, but still spoke frankly.

"I don't understand... and I didn't understand much of what you said before either."

"I'm the one who should apologize; what I said was a bit beyond the scope of what I was supposed to say."

Nara Rinkaku reflected on his actions.

"Let's skip the technical fluff and get to the point."

"Sister Nono, considering our own capabilities and resources, I think we should go into the catering industry, which has low barriers to entry and low risks."

"How much do you know about the food and beverage shops in Konoha, Nono-nee?"

No, not too many.

"I'm talking to Yakushi Nonou, and I'm stammering a little," she said.

"But after I complete the mission and collect the reward, I sometimes buy some snacks from the confectionery shop to bring to the children."

"The confectionery shop is part of the same family, but apart from that..."

Nara Rinka nodded and listed the many famous restaurants in Konoha Village.

A meatball shop that sells three-colored meatballs served with red bean and rice cake soup.

"Gan Li Gan, who is in charge of high-end desserts;"

"Q, a barbecue restaurant specializing in catering for gatherings and parties;"

"Ichiraku Ramen, a restaurant that was just opened recently."

Other types include various izakayas and tea rooms.

"This includes mobile oden shops, barbecue stalls, and so on."

"As for those ultra-high-end restaurants, such as the Richo Ryotei which only serves the Hokage and various important figures, we will not consider them."

Yakushi Nonou's eyes widened, her pink lips slightly parted, "W-Wow, that's amazing!"

"Just some small survey."

Nara Lan Gui shrugged, thinking that it was his clone who was tired, not him.

"What are your thoughts after hearing those shop names, Nono-nee?"

"Konoha...has a lot of people?"

Yakushi Nonou racked her brains and came up with an answer.

"So... you want to eat a lot of different types of food?"

For Pharmacist Nonou, even asking her to kill someone would be easier than asking her to answer these kinds of market economy questions.

"almost."

Nara nods.

"Konoha has a large population and a wide variety of tastes."

"So if you want to enter the catering industry and make money as quickly as possible, you need to segment the market, preferably targeting a specific group of people, and then creatively develop a new dish."

"Considering the location of Kikyo's orphanage, I'm preparing to target a certain ninja clan..."

Yakushi Nonou, trying to salvage her lost face, blurted out, "The Nara clan?"

"……No."

Nara Rinka glanced at Yakushi Nonou with a subtle expression.

"What I want to talk about is the Akimichi clan."

"The Akimichi clan has a great demand for food, especially high-calorie food."

"My plan is to sell fried chicken in front of the Akimichi family's house."

The shops mentioned in this chapter are all from the original work.

The opening time of Ichiraku Ramen is based on the movie Lost Tower.

(End of this chapter)