Come, Call Me Uncle

"Master Fuyou is back! Master Fuyou is back!"

"Quick, inform the clan head! Master Fuyou is back!"

"..."

This was the Uchiha clan grounds.

A helpless expression sat on the face of the black-haired young man as he watched his clansmen suddenly bustle about because of his return. In the end, he shook his head and sighed. Without paying them any more attention, he slipped off his shoes, walked into the old Japanese-style wooden house, stepped onto the tatami mats, and sat directly across from the stern-faced man sitting with his arms folded, shrugging his shoulders.

"Brother, don't keep such a grim face all the time. That expression is really terrifying~"

However.

His words did not change the man opposite him in the slightest. He still wore that cold, aloof, handsome expression with his face set stiffly in place.

Uchiha Fugaku.

His older brother.

The current clan head of the Uchiha Clan.

Ever since birth, he had been a serious, earnest, expressionless person. Of course, anyone familiar with him knew... his brother, Uchiha Fugaku, was merely someone who was bad at expressing his feelings.

Besides, most Uchiha clansmen had that same tsundere, expressionless look. Other than their hereditary mental illness... there was not much of a problem.

As for him...

Uchiha Fuyou, an unlucky bastard.

When he had first arrived and discovered his identity, he had considered defecting right away, lest he eventually become a ghost beneath his nephew's blade.

Unfortunately.

Young, ignorant, and unfamiliar with the world, defecting without Kage-level strength would only make him easy prey. At least while he stayed in Konoha, his father had been the Uchiha clan head. After his father passed on, his brother became the Uchiha clan head as well.

Though... he had now been expelled from the clan registry.

"What did you come back for?" Uchiha Fugaku snorted coldly, staring at Uchiha Fuyou with his arms folded. There was a complicated look in his eyes as well.

Although they were nearly ten years apart, this was still his younger brother.

He recalled that day... his younger brother had just graduated, and as his older brother, he had already prepared a graduation gift for him. Yet then...

Being a ninja cannot save the Uchiha.

After roaring those words at their father, he voluntarily removed himself from the ninja ranks, then resolutely left home and embarked upon a business path despised by ninjas.

This was a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!

"You were expelled from the Uchiha Clan by Father. You are no longer a member of the Uchiha Clan. Leave immediately!"

"Brother, don't be so cold~" Uchiha Fuyou shrugged, unconcerned. He poured himself a cup of tea, then poured a cup for the pitiful man of the future as well.

He had not died at the hands of the village's assassination unit, but at the hands of his own son.

Though he had not complained at the time and had instead seemed relieved—or perhaps even willing to die by his own son's hand—it was still a family tragedy, one comparable to the Otsutsuki Clan's tragedy of imprisoning their mother.

And when he had been expelled from the Uchiha Clan, his eyes had not been gouged out. His name had merely been crossed off the clan registry.

Who did not know the Uchiha Clan's situation?

Although the Uchiha Clan had continuously sent ninjas to the battlefield in order to regain the village's acceptance, and now even sent children to war, after the Second Hokage took office, the Uchiha Clan had been directly labeled an evil clan and isolated.

Therefore.

Whether the Uchiha would be exterminated now did not depend on how many people they could lose, but on whether their Kekkei Genkai remained.

So, was being expelled from the Uchiha Clan not also a form of protection?

"Brother knows my situation as well. I've made a little money now, and the village has been unstable lately. The shinobi world has also been in chaos during this period, so I came back to see whether the clan needed any help?"

Although there were too many troublemakers in the Uchiha Clan, especially the Hawk faction, who were sharpening their knives at the Hokage and dreamed all day of producing a genius within the clan who could reach the strength of their ancestor, Uchiha Madara, kill the Hokage, and become Hokage themselves.

Whenever a genius appeared, they would shout that the Hokage's seat took turns, and this year it was their family's turn!

But unfortunately.

Those with strength all ended up becoming traitors, and the Uchiha Clan was ruined by its own clansmen!

"After all, my surname is Uchiha too."

If the Uchiha Clan ended up finished as well, he probably would not feel good about it either.

Uchiha Fuyou vaguely remembered that time... when he had received a huge graduation cash gift upon graduating, a system had activated.

It was the game Richest Man Arrives, which he had played back when he was a poor guy fantasizing about becoming wealthy.

A game about doing business, making money, and supporting a family.

It had directly become a system.

Earning money and leveling up could improve his bonuses—such as stamina, energy, business ability, and so on... so perhaps once he stacked it to level one hundred, his abilities would definitely improve too, perhaps even quite significantly.

Thus, tempted by the prospect of working hard to earn money and level up, build his fortune, become rich, and enhance his money power, he immediately abandoned his original dream of training hard to become the new God of Shinobi.

Of course, there was also the reason that he had not received a suitable cheat. According to the clan's assessment, he could probably become an elite jonin or something, but he was still far too weak compared to a Konoha Genin. He could not become the God of Shinobi.

Without cheats.

An elite jonin... was merely easy prey. When the time came, he would probably only be able to watch his brother's family tragedy unfold, then live the wandering life of a displaced rogue ninja.

From the beginning, the Uchiha Clan had been viewed through prejudiced eyes by the higher-ups. Unless someone reached Uchiha Madara's height, they could only intimidate others and prolong the clan's existence for a while longer.

Unfortunately.

The Uchiha absolutely could not produce geniuses. Any genius they produced would not have a good ending.

They might as well go into business.

After all.

Being a ninja really cannot save the Uchiha! —Uchiha Fuyou.

"By now, I have nearly thirty milk tea shops spread across every major city in the Land of Fire. My personal annual income alone is equivalent to what others earn from dozens of S-rank missions, and I employ over a hundred workers, including members from the village's major clans."

If members of the major clans could not become ninjas, or lacked talent as ninjas, their status would drop a level and they would become servants within their clans. There were quite a few such people in the Uchiha Clan as well.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Uchiha Fugaku's hand holding the tea cup trembled, but he still stared at Fuyou expressionlessly. "That is your business. It has nothing to do with my Uchiha Clan. What does having money matter? Without strength, it will all come to nothing!"

"Now that I've made money, I naturally have to return home in glory and give back to the village!"

He had seen what happened to those who did not pay taxes. As for Uchiha Fugaku's mockery, he ignored it outright.

What did a mere ninja know about his grand ideals?

Of course, the road ahead was long and arduous. He had to move quietly, without drawing attention. Otherwise, before he could even establish himself, the commercial empire he had painstakingly built would likely be seized by the Shadow of Konoha.

And this was now the Third ninja World War. Every region was in chaos, and business was not easy. Profiting from war was not as simple as merely thinking about it.

"So, I heard that because of the war, the village has had quite a few orphans and elderly people left behind recently. I've decided." Uchiha Fuyou patted his chest, looking like a rich man returning to develop his hometown. "Every year, I'll set aside part of my funds to help the clan support its widows, orphans, and elderly!"

However.

"Hmph!" Uchiha Fugaku snorted. "My Uchiha Clan does not lack such a small amount of money! The Uchiha's widows, orphans, and elderly will be handled by the Uchiha Clan ourselves..."

Before he could finish.

"At least one or two hundred million every year," Uchiha Fuyou said.

Uchiha Fugaku choked on his tea, then fell silent. After that... he folded his arms again and stared expressionlessly at Fuyou.

Typical!

Ninjas fought back and forth for money in the end anyway.

Uchiha Fuyou smiled faintly and calmly took a sip of hot tea, fully displaying the bearing of a wealthy man.

Other than life, there was nothing money could not buy. If there was... it simply meant you had not spent enough. You could even buy lives with money.

"Of course, I will also have the right to supervise how this money is used. After all, I know the clan's situation."

A group of Hawks, a group of fence-sitters, and a group of traitors. Once the fence-sitters suffered unfair treatment, they would become Hawks, while the traitors would directly raise their blades against their own clansmen. So if this money were handed over directly, it would probably only be used by the Hawks to train ninjas.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Uchiha Fugaku remained calm and said nothing, but his trembling hand revealed that... he was not as composed inside as he appeared.

A free one or two hundred million!

How many S-rank missions would they need to complete to earn that?

If they brought it before the Third Hokage, he would probably tell his old friend to accept the money immediately, then pat his shoulder with emotion and relief. "As expected of an inheritor of the Will of Fire. I can feel a powerful Will of Fire within you." Then he would lavishly praise him and reward him with a banner.

That was reality.

No ninja looked up to ordinary merchants, yet ninjas served ordinary merchants for money.

At that moment.

While the two quietly drank tea, a gentle, beautiful woman entered with a tender and adorable little child.

Uchiha Fuyou's eyes immediately lit up. He quickly pulled out a thick stack of large-denomination bills from his ninja pouch and stuffed it into the adorable child's hands. "Come! Call me Uncle, and this money will be your allowance!"

"???"