Chapter 32: Assembly Line

A month had quietly passed.

"Boss, thanks to your luck, we've practically struck gold this past month!"

Inside the glass factory, a craftsman with dark circles under his eyes excitedly held out an account ledger to Kakuzu. For the past month, their quartz glass had taken Konohagakure by storm. The new glass had completely crushed traditional sand glass, winning the wholehearted approval of the village's residents. Now, people were flocking to place custom orders every day.

Kakuzu glanced at the ledger. After deducting costs, their net profit for the month was in the hundreds of thousands.

While such numbers didn't impress Kakuzu, it was undeniably a good start. Konohagakure wasn't as prosperous as it would be in the future, but as the village grew, so would their earnings. Moreover, with quartz glass gaining recognition in Konohagakure, it had naturally drawn attention across the Land of Fire.

According to the ledger, trading caravans passing through Konohagakure often stopped to check out the quartz glass. Some merchants were overjoyed, some contemplative, while others were uncertain—but all of them bought samples to test the market back home.

Even the village's prominent clans had begun to take interest in quartz glass. Its superior transparency and brightness made it a natural upgrade for anyone who could afford it. And for these clans, "upgrading" meant replacing all their glass, leading to orders of dozens or even hundreds of pieces.

Additionally, the Hokage's Office and other administrative departments had placed large orders. One department in particular—the Biological Research Lab—ordered a staggering amount, several times more than any other.

Looking at the stacks of order forms, Kakuzu could already see the potential profits: hundreds of millions, maybe even billions. That thought alone was exhilarating.

"Alright, stick to the original pricing for all orders. Prioritize based on who placed their orders first—no favoritism for clans or commoners," Kakuzu instructed.

"Oh, and for the Biological Research Lab, increase their price by 10%."

"Huh? Why?"

The craftsman blinked in disbelief. The lab was part of the village's administration and had placed such a massive order. Charging them extra instead of offering a discount seemed counterintuitive.

"There's no special reason," Kakuzu said calmly. "They're rich."

"Uh… got it."

After giving his instructions, Kakuzu prepared to leave when the craftsman called out to him again.

"Boss!"

"What now?"

"Well… we might not be able to keep up with the workload. A lot of the workers are threatening to quit."

"Oh?" Kakuzu raised an eyebrow, ready to ask why, but he quickly realized the problem.

The craftsman pointed to his dark circles and began to complain. "Boss, with orders piling up every day, the workload keeps growing. The rest of us haven't seen our families in over 20 days. If this keeps up, my wife might leave me! The other workers are in the same boat. We just can't take it anymore…"

Kakuzu raised a hand, cutting him off. The craftsman had a point—this was Kakuzu's oversight. He had anticipated that quartz glass would become popular, but he hadn't expected demand to skyrocket so quickly. With just a dozen workers trying to meet the needs of thousands of villagers, burnout was inevitable.

"Understood. You've all worked hard. Starting now, we'll implement a three-shift rotation. Everyone will take turns working, resting, and spending time with family. None of those will be neglected."

"Also, your wages for this month will be tripled."

The moment Kakuzu finished speaking, the craftsman's dark circles seemed to fade.

"Th-Thank you, Boss! I'll go inform everyone right away! No more complaints—they'll all know you're the best boss ever!"

The craftsman shook Kakuzu's hand vigorously, his face glowing with excitement, before running off to spread the news.

Kakuzu smiled faintly and said nothing. Watching the bustling glass shop, he began to ponder.

'It's time to expand the workshop. No choice but to push through the fatigue for a few days and get this done.'

With that thought, Kakuzu sprang into action.

His plan wasn't groundbreaking by modern standards, but in this world, it was revolutionary: setting up a factory with an assembly line.

By automating key steps like crushing, weighing, mixing, melting, molding, and annealing, everything could be streamlined into a single system. Workers would only need to focus on specific tasks. This approach would not only boost efficiency but also create job opportunities for many in Konohagakure.

After a few days of hard work, the factory began to take shape. Every process was carefully arranged, ensuring a continuous flow of glass production, 24 hours a day. The output wasn't just for Konohagakure but would soon reach towns across the Land of Fire.

Now, Kakuzu's only concern was when the factory would need to expand again.

Of course, Kakuzu didn't need to personally handle these matters. Every day, someone would deliver detailed factory performance data to him. As the boss, all he needed to do was make decisions. The rest could be delegated to his subordinates. With everything running smoothly, Kakuzu could lie back at home, assured that money would continue flowing into his hands.

After ensuring everything was in order, Kakuzu stretched his neck, feeling a bit tired, and decided to head home for a good night's sleep. As soon as he stepped into his courtyard, a young but firm voice called out to him.

"Kakuzu-san, you're back!"

Looking up, Kakuzu saw the speaker—it was none other than Maruboshi Kosuke.

Having not seen him for a few days, Kakuzu was genuinely pleased. Kosuke was a remarkably thoughtful child. Since he essentially lived rent-free in Kakuzu's apartment complex, he made it a point to help out whenever he could. Whenever prospective tenants showed up, Kosuke would handle the arrangements and hand over the payments to Kakuzu. And when the rooms were vacant, he would take it upon himself to clean and dust them.

Kakuzu had once tried giving the boy some money as compensation for his work, but Kosuke adamantly refused. To him, being allowed to stay there for free was already a great blessing, and he wouldn't dream of accepting payment.

Since Kosuke was so insistent, Kakuzu didn't push the matter further. Instead, he made it a habit to bring back some treats for the boy whenever he returned. After all, kids naturally loved snacks, and Kosuke gratefully accepted these small tokens of appreciation. In turn, he became even more diligent in helping Kakuzu manage the apartments.

This time, when Kosuke saw Kakuzu return, he let out a visible sigh of relief. Rushing over, he bowed deeply and said, "Kakuzu-san, you're finally back. There's a guest who wishes to see you."

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