"It's fine now, it's fine. Little girl from the Hyuga Clan, don't overthink it. Go on back. This old man will have a proper word with that stubborn old fool later."
"Thank you, Great Elder!"
"Big Brother!" Uchiha Sekizawa watched her departing figure, then looked at the Great Elder beside him in confusion. "Why let her leave? As long as we take this chance to get everything settled—"
"You're muddleheaded, utterly muddleheaded!" Uchiha Sekigen sighed and patted Uchiha Sekizawa on the shoulder. "Do you think forcing him like this would work? The money belongs to Fuyou! And Fuyou has already been expelled from the Uchiha Clan!"
"But—"
"No buts. That's settled!" Uchiha Sekigen shook his head. A trace of melancholy filled his clouded eyes as he raised his head and said earnestly, "Do you know how many families are involved in this? Sekizawa! We're old now, no longer young. It's easy for us to lose our heads. Listen to your big brother: these waters run too deep. You can't handle them! Leave it to me! Don't wade into this muddy mess."
With a long, lingering sigh, he patted his shoulder again. Then, saying nothing more, he shook his head and walked away with a face full of emotion, leaning on his cane.
It seemed there were too many newcomers today, so the teams needed to be rearranged. Therefore, they were taking the day off.
That Uchiha Fuyou really was something else!
Since he had already decided to do this, he should have done it properly. What kind of people had he assigned?
He could not even manage such a small number of people!
And he had not even found a better location. There were rocks everywhere, and the roads were difficult to travel. What was he thinking?
It was simply disgraceful!
Uchiha Sekigen frowned and muttered, "When he comes back, I must give him a proper talking-to!"
Meanwhile, Uchiha Sekizawa... silently watched his elder brother's retreating back, feeling just how hunched and helpless it looked.
His big brother...
He was still the same as before, silently protecting the Uchiha from behind the scenes.
"Are the waters that deep?"
If even his big brother said so, then... this must be an extremely troublesome matter. No wonder his big brother had been so busy and tired these past few days!
He rose early and returned late every day. After coming back, he would drag his exhausted body to bed and fall asleep immediately.
It truly broke one's heart to see.
But since his big brother had said so, how could he disobey him?
Still, Uchiha Sekizawa secretly swore, his clouded eyes fixed on the direction his big brother had left. "It seems this old man must have a proper talk with Uchiha Fuyou!"
He was simply... a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!
"Achoo!"
Uchiha Fuyou rubbed his nose and frowned slightly.
It had rained for several days straight. Was he not acclimatized to the local conditions?
Developing the Land of Rain was essential. After all, the Land of Rain bordered several countries, including three major nations.
If he could open up the Land of Rain, then once peace came, it would surely become a commercial hub and bring him substantial profits.
Besides, this place could be considered his secret base. If Itachi truly could not become a prodigal son, then he could only find another place for the Uchiha Clan.
So...
He wondered how the Youthful Prodigal Son Money Corrosion Plan was progressing.
But Fuyou estimated that it was probably not going very well.
After all...
There were too few temptations in the village at this stage.
As a young master of the Uchiha Clan, Itachi did not lack food or clothing. At most, he could spend some money on a cup of milk tea or a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. There was not much else worth spending on, unlike the future Kakashi... who had even developed a hobby.
So, he would need to create some temptations for children later.
Give them money here, then... earn it all back afterward!
At the same time, during this period, he had also had the Land of Rain forge kunai and Shuriken, produce Explosive Tags, and carry out some... research.
For example, research into various Bloodline Limits.
Of course, they were currently researching the Uchiha Clan's Bloodline Limit.
Intense emotional fluctuations could generate a sinister chakra that awakened the Uchiha Clan's Bloodline Limit, while also promoting the evolution of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
That was the Second Hokage's research conclusion.
So what exactly was sinister chakra?
Was sinister chakra truly the only thing that could promote the Sharingan's evolution?
Should he just get rid of his big brother and prevent another family tragedy?
He had originally considered cooperating with Orochimaru, but Orochimaru was now a Konoha idol and one of the Three Ninja. If an unremarkable merchant like himself cooperated with him to research the Uchiha Bloodline Limit, Danzo would probably become suspicious, and even the Uchiha Clan would wonder what he was up to.
So after thinking it over, he decided to forget it. He would secretly arrange for people on his side to conduct the research first.
Uchiha Fuyou fell into thought.
Just then.
Several figures ran over.
"Brother Fuyou!" Yahiko, the orange-haired youth at the front, smiled with the same confident sunlight as Minato. He looked especially happy when he saw Fuyou. "When everyone heard you were coming last time, they were all incredibly excited!"
"Sorry to trouble you all." Fuyou smiled and nodded. "It seems you've been managing things very successfully!"
"It's all thanks to Brother Fuyou's guidance." Yahiko said with a cheerful grin.
If not for Brother Fuyou, the three of them would still be huddled in a cave. How could they have so many people helping them now?
"This is your own achievement." Uchiha Fuyou recalled the strategy he had prepared for developing the Land of Rain.
Unexpectedly, he had arrived too early. The three little ones from the Land of Rain had only just gathered a few little brats, scraping by from one meal to the next, and had not yet established the Akatsuki Organization.
So, he made his move.
He provided funding, guidance, and assistance.
Build high walls, stockpile grain, and delay claiming the throne. There was no need to worry about that God of Shinobi. They only needed to lie low and develop slowly.
Things looked pretty good now.
As if remembering something, Uchiha Fuyou added, "By the way, how is that Demigod of the Ninja World doing now? Has he made any moves?"
"We followed your advice, Brother Fuyou, and did not touch his territory. We only occupied the places he did not want." Yahiko said with a smile. "At the same time, we gathered up all the refugees in the Land of Rain! As you said, we're recuperating and developing right now, so that guy has not paid us any attention."
"Not bad!" Uchiha Fuyou said approvingly, patting Yahiko on the shoulder. Then he added seriously, "But you still need to watch out for that guy... Forget it. I'll see whether I can settle it with money when the time comes. Just keep an eye on him for now. Don't deal with him yet!"
After growing old, Hanzo of the Salamander, the Demigod of the Ninja World, had also fallen into indulgence and merely clung to life. None of his former demigod's grandeur remained. Otherwise, he would not have listened to Danzo's plan later, stopped believing in his own strength, and worked with an old schemer on even more underhanded plots.
So, if Danzo could not get out... perhaps it might work?
Using money to solve problems was something he was rather good at.
He looked at the red-haired woman beside him, who wore a gentle smile and seemed like an older sister. He smiled and nodded at Kushina Uzumaki. After she returned a reserved smile, he turned to the purple-haired little girl nearby. "How are the Explosive Tags, kunai, and Shuriken coming along? I asked you to rush their production some time ago. I plan to bring some back when I leave."
Weapons sold best during wartime. He would see if he could make a fortune.
As for everything else.
That could wait.
However.
Konan, still only a young girl, nodded. "After you told us, Brother Fuyou, we all worked hard on them. We've stockpiled some now. Roughly... ten thousand Explosive Tags, while there are more kunai and Shuriken, around twenty thousand of each!"
After she finished speaking.
Uchiha Fuyou pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh. "Still not enough!"
With so little firepower on hand, he felt somewhat uneasy.
However.
Konan looked speechlessly at Fuyou in front of her.
Ten thousand Explosive Tags... was already a huge amount. Not enough? Did he plan to use hundreds of millions?
What ninja threw Explosive Tags by the hundred million?
Did he have a mine at home?
Even throwing a hundred at once would hurt terribly.
In a helpless tone, she said, "We've already done our best. Everyone gets up before dawn to work and does not return to rest until very late."
"How can you sleep at your age?"
"???"
"Oh, nothing." Uchiha Fuyou shook his head. A nostalgic look filled his eyes as he sighed emotionally, raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle, and said in a weathered tone, "Konan~"
"What is it, Brother Fuyou?"
"Have you ever seen the scenery of the ninja world at four in the morning?"
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