Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

In the early morning, before the sun had fully risen, a ray of dawn fell on the quiet streets of Konoha, illuminating the silhouette of a well-trained bull.

Taro Inuzuka is thirty-five years old this year, but he is a genin.

The early bird catches the worm.

Getting up early in the dark didn't dampen Taro Inuzuka's good mood. The reason he had to get up early was to grab more high-paying job offers.

As a ninja who passed the genin exam in his early thirties, Inuzuka Taro was considered to have successfully joined the ranks just before the age limit.

After getting ashore, his back, which had been bent for nearly thirty years, finally straightened. His usually domineering parents' attitudes changed completely, and even Xiao Mei next door, who had previously ignored him, began to secretly flirt with him.

Even Wangcai, his old dog who had been by his side for many years, received custom-made dog food distributed by the family.

After becoming a genin, Taro Inuzuka can earn money through missions, which is much more than he used to earn from day labor. It's not only stable but also easy, and he can earn money to marry Komi in no time.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

"As expected, I'm the first one!"

Since it was still dark and the streets were deserted, Inuzuka Taro quickened his pace, leading his old dog Wangcai, and rushed to the entrance of the mission hall. Seeing the gate the guard had just opened, a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Same as always, D-level."

Walking briskly into the mission hall, Taro Inuzuka found the mission issuer and familiarly reached out to ask for a D-rank mission slip.

He has to work incredibly hard today; he won't stop until he's closed at least fifty deals.

"Taro, you're here early as always."

The clerk, who had just sat down at his workstation, looked up and recognized the person as the recent "task king," immediately smiling as he handed over a stack of task sheets.

"Take a look and see if there's anything suitable."

"Thanks."

Taking the task sheet, Taro Inuzuka frowned slightly. He could clearly sense that today's task sheet was much thinner than usual, but making money was the priority, so he temporarily suppressed his doubts and carefully began to read through it.

As Inuzuka Taro flipped through the entire book, his face grew increasingly grim. It was filled with extremely troublesome D-rank missions—from weeding hundreds of acres of farmland to clearing silt from ditches—each one incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the rewards were meager.

"What about the errand-running task?"

He placed the task sheet on the table and asked,

As a qualified Inuzuka, Taro Inuzuka excels at errands, especially after activating his Four-Legged Technique. His speed far surpasses that of other genin of the same rank, allowing him to complete more tasks in a shorter amount of time.

"Oh, you mean those tasks? They've all been taken by crowdsourcing teams."

Recalling the large-scale high-level personnel changes that occurred in the mission hall yesterday, the mission issuer pondered for a moment before patiently providing him with an answer.

"Crowdsourcing teams? What the hell? Aren't tasks supposed to be first-come, first-served?"

Taro Inuzuka had never heard of such a team before and immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

At his age, a low-ranking ninja like him couldn't possibly support a family by relying on these time-consuming and laborious D-rank missions. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here every day before dawn to take on jobs; it's all for survival.

Now, his only source of income has been cut off, so how could Inuzuka Taro not be angry?

"Sorry, we received the notification at the last minute. Not only today, but from now on, D-rank missions will be selected by crowdsourced teams first, and the rest will be handed over to ordinary ninjas."

The word "ordinary" in the task assigner's words struck a nerve with Taro Inuzuka.

"What ordinary ninja? I am a member of the Inuzuka clan!"

Even if Inuzuka Taro is a complete waste of space, he still bears the name Inuzuka. In this era that values ​​bloodlines, ninjas with a clan to rely on naturally possess a sense of superiority.

"Sorry, according to the rules, all ninjas except those from the crowdsourced team are ordinary ninjas."

The staff strictly followed the newly issued regulations. Even though he felt somewhat helpless, he couldn't argue with the authorities and had no choice but to follow the rules.

"Damn it, give me some dog walking and training tasks."

As ninjas streamed into the mission hall to accept orders, Taro Inuzuka gritted his teeth, temporarily abandoning his argument with the new rules, and instead asked the staff for specific missions that only the Inuzuka clan could receive.

When it comes to dog training tasks, the person posting the task usually prioritizes the Inuzuka family, who are skilled at dealing with dogs, to accept the assignment.

Therefore, these types of tasks are considered exclusive to the Inuzuka clan. The rewards are meager, but the advantage lies in the skill required to complete them.

"Sorry, all these types of missions have already been accepted."

"Huh? There's an Inuzuka even before me?"

Seeing the staff member shaking his head, Taro Inuzuka asked incredulously,

He's the earliest riser in the Inuzuka clan, could it be that another new bull or horse has been born?

"No, these kinds of tasks have also been taken over by crowdsourcing teams."

"I want to file a complaint!"

Taro Inuzuka was trembling with rage. He had to report this situation to the higher-ups in the mission hall. The existence of that crowdsourcing team was blatantly stealing their living space as low-ranking ninjas.

"I'm sorry, the complaints office was demolished last night and is supposedly going to be turned into a convenience store."

"I'll eat a lemon!"

After cursing, Inuzuka Taro realized he had spent far too much time there; at his usual pace, he would have almost finished his third order.

"Alright, alright, I'll come back to your boss to report this after I'm done with my work today. Give me back those tasks from earlier."

Despite his complaints, life had to go on. If he didn't complete a few D-rank missions, he might not even have money for food that day. So, Inuzuka Taro compromised and picked up the missions he had just abandoned to choose from.

"This, this, and this."

After selecting three relatively acceptable tasks, Taro Inuzuka prepared to sign his name on the task list, only to discover a discrepancy in the reward distribution section.

"Wait a minute, wasn't the commission for tasks always 10%? How come it's 30% now?"

Don't underestimate the price difference; it adds up to a considerable sum.

"The 10 billion yuan village subsidy program has ended. Starting today, the commission rate for tasks will increase to 30%, but don't worry, this is only temporary, and it may increase again in the future."

The 10 billion yen village subsidy program was a public welfare initiative launched by Izuna Uchiha, who personally funded the program to boost mission retention and completion rates.

The purpose is to ensure that every ninja on a mission maintains a positive and enthusiastic attitude, completes the missions assigned by their employers with 100% seriousness, thereby increasing the mission satisfaction rate in Konoha, building a better reputation for the village, and laying the foundation for its long-term development.

"The event is over? Lord Izuna didn't say that. He promised that as long as he's around, the 10 billion yen village subsidy won't stop!"

Taro Inuzuka recalled that on his first day accepting the mission, he happened to run into Izuna Uchiha, who was giving a speech in the hall. Izuna had promised, in front of everyone, that the 10 billion yen village subsidy would be implemented indefinitely.

It was because of Uchiha Izuna's promise that Inuzuka Taro worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk to grab orders, all in order to enrich himself and repay Izuna-sama's generosity.

"Lord Izuna did say that, but now..."

When Uchiha Izuna was mentioned, a look of nostalgia appeared on the mission issuer's face. As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed in a direction in the hall. Inuzuka Taro's gaze shifted in that direction, and a look of surprise instantly filled his entire face.

In the east corner of the hall, the plaque that should have displayed the Uchiha clan emblem had been removed at some point, replaced by a clan crest that Inuzuka Taro found somewhat familiar but couldn't quite place.

"That is?"

"Lord Izuna withdrew from the Mission Hall yesterday. The Mission Hall is now under the full management of the Shimura family."

"ha?"

At the same time, all the ninjas in the same predicament as Inuzuka Taro exclaimed in unison.

It's important to know that under Uchiha Izuna's well-organized management, the mission completion rate in the mission hall remains consistently high, and the satisfaction levels of both employers and ninjas have repeatedly reached new highs.

Even Tobirama Senju, who was at odds with him, once praised Izuna Uchiha's exceptional management skills.

"The Shimura Clan."

Upon hearing this name, Inuzuka Taro frowned deeply. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he loudly questioned,

"That crowdsourcing team, could it be..."

"That's right, it's the official organization of the Shimura clan."

"I'll blanch it!"

The Shimura family is truly despicable. Not only did they cancel the 10 billion yen village subsidy, but they also created a crowdsourcing team that allows them to prioritize high-paying, low-difficulty tasks. They're treating us like cattle, exploiting us like we're Japanese citizens.

"Are you going to answer or not? There are people waiting in line!"

Seeing the exasperated Inuzuka Taro, the mission issuer, knowing he couldn't change the situation, gradually turned cold.

His job is no longer as easy as it was during Uchiha Izuna's tenure. Performance is now tied to the daily order rate. If Inuzuka Taro continues to waste time here, he will earn a lot less money today.

"catch!"

In the end, Taro Inuzuka gave in to life's hardships, gritted his teeth and took on the task that the Shimura clan had rejected, successfully transforming himself from an ordinary ox into a professional ox.

"Damn it! The Shimura family has gone too far!"

The massive changes to the mission hall rules quickly spread throughout Konoha, and the members of the Shinobi Alliance who knew the inside story were furious.

The Shimura clan, being a member of the Ninja Clan Alliance, should logically be entitled to such extensive authority and should work for the benefit of other members of the alliance.

Now, things are even worse. Not only are there no welfare points, but there are also one exploitative clause after another.

Judging from this, the Shimura clan is about to completely break ties with the other ninja clans for the sake of their own interests.

"Kenichi, what you're doing is indeed inappropriate."

Soon, Sarutobi Sasuke, having received complaints from his members, swiftly located Shimura Kenichi at home, who was drinking and eating pork head meat. Looking at the man's flushed face, he frowned and said...

"Is it wrong? What's wrong with it? Other villages take 30% of the cost of their missions. Our Shimura clan isn't as wealthy as the Uchiha."

Kenichi Shimura, who was chewing on the fatty pork head meat, put down his wine glass and glanced indifferently at Sarutobi Sasuke, whose expression was slightly cold.

"I don't care about the commission, I'm talking about that crowdsourcing team. Are you trying to kill the lives of the lower-level ninjas by doing this?"

Sarutobi Sasuke could turn a blind eye to the commission-sharing issue, but the crowdsourcing team was indeed resisted by all the lower-level ninjas, and its disbandment was imminent.

Snapped--

"They live? Then who will let me live!"

Kenichi Shimura, who was eating meat with his eyes half-closed, suddenly sprang up and slammed his hand on the marble table. His eyes, which had been narrowed to slits, suddenly widened.

"Sasuke, ask yourself honestly, how much has our Shimura clan contributed to the future of the Shinobi Alliance?"

"Forehead"

"Hmph! Let me tell you! Five hundred billion! Do you know how long it takes to accumulate five hundred billion?"

"this"

After being pushed against the wall by the aggressive Kenichi Shimura, Sarutobi Sasuke gave a bitter smile.

Five hundred billion is no small sum. According to the Sarutobi clan's annual financial statements, if they wanted to save that much, everyone in the clan would need to tighten their belts for ten years.

"Sasuke, don't worry, I'll only do D-rank missions. I'll stop when I've saved up enough."

Kenichi Shimura chose to focus his crowdsourcing efforts on D-rank missions for two reasons: firstly, because D-rank missions were plentiful and rewarding, and secondly, because they were easy to complete and any ninja could do them.

"Then at least return the task of dog training to the Inuzuka clan!"

"Can't our Shimura clan have a natural talent for raising dogs?"

The employer noted that Inuzuka was preferred, but didn't say it had to be Inuzuka. It's just training a dog, right? Feeding it pork head meat will definitely make it obedient.

"You! Rat's tail juice."

Seeing that Shimura Kenichi refused to back down, Sarutobi Sasuke, feeling frustrated, threw down a sentence and left without looking back.

In the following period, the incident in the mission hall escalated again. Because crowdsourcing had snatched away a large number of high-quality orders, the ninjas who had no orders began to riot collectively, threatening to report to the village's higher-ups and seek their support for justice.

Among these ninjas were members of ninja clans allied with the Shimura clan. They went directly back to their clans to complain and ask their respective leaders to demand an explanation from the Shimura clan.

Konoha Main Street

Having just left the clan's territory, Shimura Danzo keenly sensed several furtive figures behind him. At first, he didn't pay them any mind, assuming they were just admirers.

Just as he was about to turn around and greet someone, a rotten egg came flying straight at his face.

Snapped--

With a crisp crack, the rotten egg exploded on Shimura Danzo's head, and a stench immediately filled the air.

"Young Clan Chief!"

Upon seeing this, the clansmen who were traveling with Danzo immediately stepped forward to help him clean up the filth.

Soon after, the egg liquid that had been clinging to Danzo's head disappeared without a trace, but the stench just wouldn't go away.

"Damn it, I'll go and capture them right now, and let the young clan leader do whatever he wants with them!"

"No need, the meeting is more important."

Danzo shook his head expressionlessly. Today was the first meeting for him as a newly appointed elder, and he absolutely could not be late for such a trivial matter.

Creak~

After standing at the door of the Hokage's office for a while, gathering his emotions, Danzo straightened his clothes, pushed open the door, and entered.

"Monkey, let me do it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been waiting in the office for a long time, was holding a freshly made sweet drink when he took a big sip. At the same time, a strange stench filled his nostrils.

"Ugh, Danzo, didn't you wipe your ass properly?" (End of Chapter)