I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 377 and 378: Konoha Village

"Ugh, it's so annoying. Seeing the faces of greasy middle-aged men and old geezers makes me lose my energy."

Having escaped the entanglements and attempts to curry favor with various factions, Sakaki Namir returned to the Sakaki family's ancestral home, complaining with a hint of helplessness:

"If you want to please me, you should at least bring some handsome guys who are good at talking."

Sakaki Namikazu got up and walked to the window, looked around a few times, and said to Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo:

"There are still quite a few people outside. If you want to go back to Tokyo, you'd better wait a while, otherwise you'll be surrounded and intercepted again. Now that your brother-in-law is gone, these people should disperse."

"It's okay, we don't have class tomorrow."

Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo sat on the floor by the fire pit in the living room. After exchanging a glance, Uchiha Naruto said indifferently.

"Since it's not convenient for us to go out right now, let's chat when we have some time."

Although she now has long hair and wears light makeup, Sakaki Nami occasionally reveals her tomboyish side, sitting down directly opposite Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo.

"Chiyo, you're in the economics department, so let me test you."

Sakaki Nami passed on the challenge of reviving the village's economy, which had been entrusted to her by the Uchiha Senmon, to Matsudaira Chiyo.

"Nami-neechan, may I ask what the village's main products are?"

Matsudaira Chiyo sat up straight and asked the question.

"We mainly make a living by farming, eating rice and vegetables, with rice making up the majority."

Having lived in the village for over a decade, Nami Sakaki knew it like the back of her hand, counting on her fingers as she spoke:

"Also, they live off the land. It's not too close to Mount Arakawa, so they have all sorts of mountain products like mushrooms, camellias, herbs, and wild walnuts. They also make some handicrafts like round fans, but they're just so-so. They're not famous outside of Kawanone Town."

Matsudaira Chiyo pursed her lips.

"It's really tough in our poor place, isn't it?" Sakaki Nami said with a grin.

"Sister Nami-ru, this place is so rich in resources, it must be a wonderful place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery."

Sakaki Nami had heard similar compliments countless times, but she knew perfectly well the village's situation; its output had no advantage compared to the villages surrounding Arakawa-gaku.

Even if they wanted to develop tourism, the famous Mount Fuji is just a hundred miles away.

The remaining tourism resources have been divided up by several villages closer to Arakawa-dake.

Using the Uchiha clan's name would certainly attract some tourists, but there wouldn't be much to see. They can't exactly open the Uchiha clan's ancestral home to the public; it's just an ordinary old country house.

"Among those who came earlier were the president of the Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural Association and the president of a local food processing and tourism-related company."

After a moment's thought, Matsudaira Chiyo said with a smile:

"As long as Sister Nami talks to the head of the farmers' association, it won't be difficult to raise the purchase price of agricultural products. Then the foundation can take over the centralized purchase and sales of the village's mountain products and specialties."

Having established connections with the farmers' association and secured their main source of income, wouldn't it be only natural for the villagers to repay the kindness by handing over their sideline produce to the foundation?

It's not like we won't pay; we can even offer a slightly higher price than the original selling price, saving us the trouble of sales. Why not?

Matsudaira Chiyo, who was all smiles and hidden daggers, stretched out her hand and gestured, as if she were sharpening her knife to slaughter pigs and sheep.

"Those local companies in Shizuoka Prefecture would certainly be happy to purchase mountain products and handicrafts from the foundation at 'preferential' prices, and we don't need to be polite."

With this back-and-forth exchange, the villagers earn a small share, while the foundation earns the large share.

As expected of a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who famously said, "Farmers are like sesame seeds, the more you press them, the more oil they produce," and the daughter of a capitalist, she is indeed ruthless.

Matsudaira Chiyo's idea was "power-money exchange," the simplest and most effective method.

The village of Uchiha's hometown is so tiny that its annual agricultural output is negligible. Even if it doubles, let alone improve, it's still just a small amount of money. The Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural Cooperative will not refuse to give Uchiha any face.

The real money is in the by-products sold by the foundation, which sell out even at a tenfold premium.

So many people who want to flatter Minister Uchiha are like pigs trying to find a temple gate, but they can't even find one.

It was a case of one party willing to give and the other willing to receive; the wealthy people of Shizuoka Prefecture who were taken advantage of should even thank the foundation for giving them this opportunity.

"Damn it!"

Namikazuchi looked as if she had expected this, made an X with her hands, and said:

"My brother-in-law instructed me not to take advantage of local officials and businessmen."

Matsudaira Chiyo's plan did indeed produce immediate results, significantly increasing the villagers' income and allowing the foundation to make a steady, substantial profit. However, in essence, it was about making people find various ways to curry favor with the Uchiha Sage.

"He who eats another's food is bound to be grateful; he who takes another's money is bound to be grateful." The Uchiha Sage Sect's original intention was not to make money, nor did they want to give certain people the opportunity to take advantage of them.

"Any other ideas?"

"Hmm... I was inspired by Uncle Uchiha's tree burial ceremony for the elderly today, and I have an idea."

Matsudaira Chiyo's eyes darted around, revealing a cunning look like a little fox; she had clearly come up with another idea.

"How about building a tree burial cemetery centered around the hill where Uncle Uchiha underwent his tree burial?"

In order to eradicate the church after the Amakusa Tokisada Rebellion, the Tokugawa Shogunate established the "Temple Invitation System" in 1664, which placed Buddhism under the control of the people's faith. This effectively placed Shintoism and Confucianism under the jurisdiction of Buddhism, which then became a prominent religion and almost became the state religion.

In addition, the Tokugawa Shogunate required all citizens to undergo a "monastic registration" process, similar to household registration. This required all citizens to register at nearby temples and become nominal Buddhists. This measure turned Buddhist temples into institutions that performed household registration functions on behalf of the Shogunate.

As a result, temples of all sizes across the country further participated in secular political life and monopolized cemetery burial plots in Japan, accumulating wealth and power for centuries thanks to the real estate in the underworld.

However, with the changing times, traditional temple-style cemeteries have also been impacted, and new burial methods such as tree burial and columbariums have become very popular.

Tree burial, as the name suggests, involves burying the ashes of the cremated body in the ground and then planting a tree on top as a marker.

Although tree burial has noble benefits such as saving land and protecting the environment, its popularity in Japan is largely due to economic downturn, lack of money for ordinary people, and a large number of elderly people dying alone.

"A traditional funeral, no matter how frugal, will cost at least one million yen, the bulk of which is the burial plot, and there is also an annual burial plot management fee."

Matsudaira Chiyo spoke eloquently, as if she had conducted thorough research.

"Tree burial costs only one-third of a traditional funeral. Moreover, even if there are no surviving family members, the tree will be managed and supported, so the burden after burial can be reduced. It is a permanent support, which is the biggest advantage of tree burial."

Japan is a super-aged society. As the number of deaths rises year by year, the supply and demand imbalance has led to increasingly higher prices for cemetery plots, deterring many families who are not financially well-off.

More and more elderly people are choosing to keep their funeral arrangements simple in order to avoid causing trouble for their children and grandchildren.

In addition, Japan's low birth rate, rising rate of lifelong unmarried individuals, and increasing trend towards smaller families have led to a growing number of elderly people living alone, resulting in many unattended and neglected graves.

For all these reasons, the Japanese have had to explore various new funeral models. Where there is demand, there is a market. Since the 21st century, Japanese funeral companies have been constantly innovating and launching various new types of funerals, such as balloon funerals, space funerals, and diamond funerals.

However, the mainstream new funeral practices are still tree burial and columbariums.

Data from 2022 shows that the number of Japanese people choosing new burial methods that year exceeded the number buried in traditional cemeteries.

"Tree burial has a 25-year history in Japan, but it started a little late and can only be considered a half-blue ocean market."

Matsudaira Chiyo said with a smile:

"But our village has one major advantage. With the spiritual tree planted by Uncle Uchiha with his extraordinary power, even an ordinary hill will become a feng shui treasure."

Indeed, is there a more suitable place for tree burial than the location of the spirit tree created by Uchiha's Wood Release technique?

The village could make a fortune simply by building a mausoleum on the hill where Uncle Uchiha's tree burial took place, and then selling the land where the tree burial took place.

"Ah Ming, what do you think?"

Sakaki Nami asked, her words carrying a hint of approval.

Matsudaira Chiyo's ingenious idea, at first glance, seems far-fetched, but upon closer examination, it becomes more and more interesting and actually quite feasible.

Naruto Uchiha's face remained expressionless, but a strange glint appeared in his eyes.

Matsudaira Chiyo is such a ruthless girl.

Whether it's the traditional or the new funeral industry, the more people die, the more prosperous the business becomes.

Although the three years of the Sekiji Tenchu ​​were relatively peaceful, even the mastermind behind it all, Uchiha Naruto, did not know what would happen after the Crimson Moon descended again.

But the odds are definitely against them. The apocalypse that Naruto Uchiha described to Yamashita Toru in the simulated world line, with rivers of blood and corpses strewn everywhere, might actually come true.

The more Japanese people die, the more demand there will be for tree burial plots, and the more money can be made.

Matsudaira Chiyo might actually have stumbled upon a gold mine for the village by sheer luck.

"I have no objection."

That being said, as an outsider, Uchiha Naruto felt something was amiss about building a cemetery and developing the funeral industry near the village.

However, the Japanese are not so sensitive about cemeteries.

A peculiar sight in major Japanese cities is the presence of large cemeteries within residential and commercial areas, including Tokyo.

Historically, Japanese people were buried in temple cemeteries after death, but with urbanization, temples located in the suburbs were incorporated into city centers. Even if the temples moved, the cemeteries usually remained in place.

The Japanese have become accustomed to living near cemeteries.

From a cultural and religious perspective, the Japanese believe that once the deceased is buried in the cemetery, they have already attained enlightenment and will not affect the living.

Moreover, many cemeteries were originally the sites of temples, which are considered to have excellent feng shui and the blessing of gods and Buddhas. There have even been strange cases where the property prices in the vicinity have increased instead of decreased.

"Chiyo, wait a minute, let me talk to my brother-in-law about this."

Sakaki Nami picked up her phone and dialed Uchiha Senmon, wanting him to make a decision.

"Yes, yes, I understand. Yes, brother-in-law!"

Sakaki Namikazu hung up the phone, turned to Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo, and said:

"Chiyo, my brother-in-law said we should give it a try!"

Having received the initial approval of Minister Uchiha, Matsudaira Chiyo couldn't help but show a hint of joy on her pretty face.

"However, my brother-in-law has another suggestion: to change the village's name. But both of these things require the consent of the village chief and the villagers."

Miru Sakaki said:

"The original village name was very rustic, and changing the name will also benefit development."

"Yes, that's true."

Matsudaira Chiyo said earnestly.

The two women were seriously considering building a tree burial cemetery and renaming the village, without any intention of getting the villagers' consent or a vote.

Twenty million US dollars, equivalent to three billion yen, was like a godsend for this small village of just over a thousand people that was on the verge of extinction.

When gleaming silver—no, colorful US dollars—are delivered to your door, how could anyone object?

Furthermore, after Uchiha Senmon became famous throughout the country as the head of the Supernatural Police Department, people in both Shizuoka Prefecture and the village suggested using Uchiha Senmon's fame to rename the village.

The matter was dropped because the Uchiha Sage Sect disagreed.

Whether it's renamed Uchiha Village or Senmon Village, it's just going back to the original path.

"Uncle Uchiha, what village name do you want to change it to?" Matsudaira Chiyo asked curiously.

"Konoha".

"Cough, cough!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Naruto choked on his saliva and coughed incessantly.

"Ah Ming, what's wrong?"

Uchiha Naruto had a strange expression on his face, his mouth opened and closed, but he hesitated to speak.

In the end, he shut up, waved his hand, and indicated that nothing had happened and they could continue.

"Konoha Village? What a nice name."

Matsudaira Chiyo nodded repeatedly.

Although it sounds somewhat simple, it is extremely appropriate and fitting, both for the Wood Release power of the Uchiha Sage Sect and for the tree burial cemetery that developed later.

After finalizing the new village name, Sakaki Namiru and Matsudaira Chiyo discussed the follow-up construction work of the tree burial cemetery with great enthusiasm, even discussing details such as inviting Taizan Fujun from Shinsensoji Temple as the main deity.

Naruto Uchiha could only stand by and watch helplessly.

"By the way, what are your thoughts on the promotion of the tree burial cemetery, Nami-chan?"

"Since it's a funeral for the dead, and it's Konoha Village..."

Naruto Uchiha suddenly interjected:

"Wherever leaves dance in the air, fire will burn, its shadow will illuminate the village, and new leaves will sprout."

Sakaki Namiru and Matsudaira Chiyo exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat subtle.

Naruto Uchiha, however, was completely unaware of this and remained very confident:

"How about this promotional video being rejected?"

"Ah Ming, I've felt this way since high school, but I was a little afraid to ask..."

Matsudaira Chiyo's lips curled into a smile. She wanted to be serious, but she couldn't hold it in any longer and could only cover her lips, her eyes full of laughter.

"Pfft, are you suffering from chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?"

(End of this chapter)