Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

Under Kaito's strong leadership, the lifeless atmosphere of Komorebi Village was replaced by a bustling scene of activity.

The villagers had emerged from their homes once more, and a bit of life had returned to the streets.

At the village entrance, the three-story tower that Yamabiko Yuto had been tasked with building was now complete. At nearly fifteen meters, it was the tallest structure in the village, and from its highest point, one could see the entire village at a glance.

Now, at Kaito's request, Yuto was digging a large, deep pond in a spacious, empty plot of land within the village. He would then carve out a canal from the river behind the village to feed into it. Once completed, the villagers would be able to fish more conveniently and safely without having to leave the village.

It had to be said, ninja were perfect for infrastructure projects. It was just a shame that Komorebi Village currently only had one proper ninja in Yamabiko Yuto. Otherwise, they could have built a village the size of Konoha in a month.

In front of the tower at the village entrance, villagers, one by one, carried their grain supplies and voluntarily brought them over. The one in charge of receiving them was Shiori, whom Kaito had appointed as his secretary. She was responsible for inventorying and recording the amount of grain and distributing the corresponding contribution points. Eager to repay Kaito, she threw herself into this important role, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Konan sat beside her, tirelessly folding paper cranes over and over again. Their shape was looking more and more like the one Kaito had folded for her.

Meanwhile, Kaito was hard at work underground. He had originally wanted to excavate a large, hidden underground base, but the soil in the Land of Rain was too damp and unstable. He had to settle for temporarily creating a small, secret room to store the grain. He seared all six walls of the room with a great fire and then plastered them with cement, which made it barely usable.

The villagers who were free were all assigned tasks. Some assisted Yamabiko Yuto with the pond, some followed Kono Taisei's lead in clearing the collapsed houses, and others cleared debris from the streets.

When it was time to eat, Kaito used a large pot to cook a simple meal of rice porridge and fish soup. Each person held a bowl, sitting together and eating the same food, their hearts filled with an immense sense of satisfaction.

One person couldn't help but tear up. "I haven't had such delicious fish soup in so long..."

"I know, right? It's just plain fish soup, but why does it taste so good?"

"It's not that the fish soup is delicious; it's that you now have hope for the days to come," Kaito said with a smile. "Work hard, and together we will build this sanctuary. In the future, everyone will have enough to eat and drink, and everyone will be able to live a happy and fulfilling life."

"Yes! To a beautiful future!"

"Let's finish this bowl of fish soup together!"

"Yeah!"

After a busy day, the villagers gradually returned home to rest. Only Kaito, Yamabiko Yuto, Kono Taisei, and Shiori—the first-generation leadership team—remained, holding a meeting on the second floor of the tower.

"Lord Kaito, today all 21 households in the village have handed over their grain. In total, we have 113 kilograms of rice and 25 kilograms of flour," Shiori read from her record book.

"Is that all? That probably won't even last a month. It seems the food problem is still the most urgent issue to resolve," Kaito said, his expression serious.

He turned his head to Yamabiko Yuto. "Yuto, how long will it take to complete the pond?"

"About two days."

"Good. After the pond is finished, you will lead some villagers into the forest to gather mushrooms and hunt some animals. It's not good to eat fish all the time."

"Me? Go outside?" Yuto was a little surprised and hesitant.

"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you'll be fine. Just go."

With Kaito's assurance, he felt a little more at ease and nodded.

"Chief Kono, did the village grow any food crops before?" Kaito turned to ask Kono Taisei.

"Due to the lack of sunlight here, we only ever grew meal-roots. But after the war broke out, we were forced to hand over our grain several times, and then the Konoha ninja came and looted us repeatedly. They even dug up the roots," Kono Taisei replied. "The rice we have is what we managed to secretly buy from traveling merchants and hide."

As he explained, meal-roots were a food crop that loved moisture and didn't need much sunlight to grow. Its tubers could be ground into flour to make bread and was the main food source for civilians in the Land of Rain. The flour Shiori had mentioned was from these meal-roots.

"You can't even grow rice? What a hassle," Kaito sighed. "I guess I'll have to wait for the Rain ninja to come here again and negotiate with them to see if I can buy some grain."

If that didn't work, he planned to just take it. In the chaotic mess of a three-way war, it was the easiest time to fish in troubled waters.

"For now, we'll rely mainly on fishing and hunting for food. That should last us a month or two," Kaito said. "Besides the food problem, are there any other issues?"

Kono Taisei looked around. Seeing that the other two were silent, he raised his hand. "Sir, many villagers have relatives in other villages. They were asking if those people could also come here to receive your protection."

"Of course, they can. I welcome all ordinary people threatened by the war to come here. There is strength in numbers, after all."

This was exactly what Kaito wanted. He was still worried about how to spread his reputation.

"Thank you for your benevolence, sir." Kono Taisei breathed a sigh of relief. He also had a sister who had married into another village. Now he could finally ask them to come here for refuge.

"There's one more thing," he continued. "Since you have established a sanctuary here, sir, it doesn't seem appropriate to keep the name Komorebi Village. Therefore, I suggest we come up with a new, resonant name."

"A name for the sanctuary?" Yamabiko Yuto was the first to agree. "If we're going to accept people from other villages, the name Komorebi Village will make them feel like they don't belong. It's necessary to choose a new name."

"That's right. Komorebi Village doesn't reflect your importance, sir," Shiori added in agreement.

"You have a point. Let's all think of a good name, then," Kaito said.

"How about the Jinmu Sanctuary?" Shiori said enthusiastically. "It has two meanings. One refers to Lord Kaito, who can shine with a golden light. The other is that 'Jin' represents firmness, and 'mu' represents life."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Yamabiko Yuto offered a different opinion. "'Jin' also has the meaning of swords or metal. It might be misunderstood as intentionally targeting Konoha, especially during a time of war."

"Hmm, that's a valid point. I was not thorough enough in my consideration." Shiori readily admitted her mistake.

"Then how about 'Dawn Sanctuary'? It would signify that the sanctuary is the dawn of hope in the hearts of the people of the Land of Rain."

"Isn't that a bit too plain?"

"..."

The four of them debated endlessly, but in the end, it was Kaito who made the final decision.

"Let's call it the Spark Sanctuary. 'A single spark can start a prairie fire.' I hope that we, like a spark, can spread the fire of hope from here to every corner of the Land of Rain, so that more people can escape the persecution of war."

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Spoken like a true leader!" All three of them looked at him with respect in their eyes and began to applaud, unanimously approving the name.

"Heh." Kaito didn't expose their clumsy performance. He stood up, threw out his hand in a grand gesture, and announced loudly, "Then from this day forward, the Spark Sanctuary is officially established!"