This Is Way Too Much

Entrusting someone with something was a very serious choice. It could not be settled with a few empty words, even if everything had been explained.

At midnight, Uchiha Yu slipped into Shisui's mansion. Following a faint bloodstain scent that refused to dissipate, he found Uchiha Nobutada waiting for him.

The old man was dressed formally and wore Warring States Era-style armor over his clothes. He sat on a small stool, with several huge chests behind him and another one placed before him.

He smiled. "Only now, seeing you here, can I truly rest easy."

"There are seven chests here in total. They belong to Uchiha Nobutada, Uchiha Kunzan, Uchiha Yuehui, Uchiha Feizuosheng, Uchiha Changdian, and Uchiha Yuji."

"And the last one?"

"The last one was deliberately left behind by Uchiha Madara after he raided the clan treasury. We tried to stop him and were knocked down."

Holy shit!!

Uchiha Nobutada patted the chest in front of him and said wistfully, "Hehe, we were surprised too. But that man didn't say anything. He took what he wanted and left, leaving only this chest behind."

"All those things I said to you this afternoon were a gamble on whether you would come looking for me tonight. Fortunately, you really came."

"Old man, from the sound of it, you've gambled more than once before?"

"It wasn't just me. All of us gambled, but every single time, we failed."

"The Uchiha clan... they're either too stupid or too naive. Every last one of them has their head in the clouds. None of them understand that people need to eat, and saving the clan costs money."

"We lost our bets again and again, too many times. Later, the old fellows died off one by one, leaving only me barely clinging to life, still struggling for the Uchiha clan's survival."

"We're placing such a heavy burden on you. You won't blame us for not trying hard enough, will you?"

Uchiha Yu shook his head. "I won't."

How could he blame them?

The first ten years after Konoha was founded were the honeymoon period between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. The godlike man and the Asura-like man joined forces to suppress the entire Ninja World. Even if the Uchiha clan had been dissatisfied, they would not have dared to speak.

Ten years later, Uchiha Madara regretted it, but the situation in the Ninja World had already changed. In the era of ninja villages, there was no room for a clan to exist alone. The Uchiha clan could not follow him in seeking independence.

But after Uchiha Madara left, he came back and fought Hashirama again, leaving the Uchiha clan in an incredibly awkward position. Senju Tobirama seized the opportunity to control them. Even knowing that many things were traps, they had no choice but to jump in.

By the time Senju Tobirama was gone, these old men had grown old as well. In the Ninja World, the one with the biggest fist ultimately had the final say. They no longer had the strength to revive the clan on their own and could only place their hopes on the younger generation.

Yet the Uchiha clan seemed cursed. Although young geniuses emerged one after another, none was powerful enough to unite the clan.

What disappointed the old men even more was that these geniuses all seemed to be missing a screw. They either put on a tough front while demanding a direct fight, or blindly trusted the Hokage without using their brains.

Pah. Were all Hokage the same?

The First Hokage had been Konoha's absolute leader and was completely worthy of trust.

The Second Hokage had a black heart and was always plotting against the Uchiha, but as long as he said something to your face, he could be trusted.

The Third Hokage could not even keep his word on too many matters. Anyone who trusted him was an idiot.

They waited and waited, until they themselves died, yet never found a descendant in whom they could place their hopes.

Uchiha Yu asked quietly, "If there had been no me, would you have entrusted your hopes and these seven chests to Shisui?"

The old man shook his head. "No. Shisui is too kind, so pure-hearted that it pains people to see it. Giving him such a burden would crush him. This old man doesn't want to get him killed."

"If I hadn't met you, I would have placed these things in Cat Castle, and after that... let fate and Cat Granny decide."

Uchiha Yu nodded. He did not tell the old man that even without these things, Shisui's talent alone was enough to get him killed.

It was not that Shisui lacked strength. He was simply too kind and trusted authority too much. He neither understood who his enemies were nor possessed the determination to truly use his power. That was what brought about his death.

One had to possess both strength and the determination to use it in order to sufficiently deter enemies. Otherwise, strength itself would become something fatal for Shisui.

But it had to be admitted that before the Fourth Great Ninja War began, Shisui's strength was already powerful enough.

As long as Uchiha Yu could use his own influence to replace the Third Hokage as the authority Shisui believed in, Shisui's power could serve as a deterrent.

Internally, he could suppress the Uchiha clan, eliminate outdated ideas within the clan, and achieve ideological unity. Externally, he could deter the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō, ensuring the clan's survival.

If they were lucky, they would only need to wait for the Fourth Hokage to take office. Whether the Fourth Hokage was Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or Namikaze Minato, the Uchiha clan could use the opportunity to integrate into Konoha.

If they were unlucky, the Fourth Hokage would still be Namikaze Minato, he would still be forced to die, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would return to power.

That would not matter either.

With ideological unity achieved, the Uchiha clan, under Shisui's leadership, could hold on until the Third Hokage became completely decrepit and the dawn of the Fifth Hokage's ascension arrived.

By then, with two Mangekyo users within the clan ensuring its safety, they could, with the new Hokage's help, follow the Senju model and implement a plan for the lower ranks to fully integrate into Konoha. Most members of the Uchiha clan would dissolve into Konoha like mycelium.

At the same time, those who awakened the Sharingan would retain the Uchiha surname, becoming the Uchiha clan visible aboveground like mushrooms.

Even if such an Uchiha clan was wiped out, it could grow again in the next generation. The clan's safety would be fully secured, and its reputation would be elevated as well.

Perfect!!

So—

As long as I handle Uchiha Shisui, I can complete the mission to revive the Uchiha clan. That means all this capital for the clan's revival will! All! Be! Mine! Right?!

Even more perfect!!

With this money, I'll never leave the house again!

To hell with all those damn missions. I'm financially free! Free! It means I can do nothing whenever I want!!

Calm down, calm down. Damn it, I can't let Heart Monkey lose control. I need to calm down!

Ah, I can't calm down!

Right!!

I still don't know how much money there is, or whether it's even money!!

...I'm calm now.

Uchiha Yu gave a light cough. "This task is quite challenging for me, but my surname is also Uchiha, so I accept it."

Uchiha Nobutada smiled and nodded. He opened all seven chests and displayed their contents to Uchiha Yu.

"Actually, I only know what is in the chest I prepared and Madara's chest. I haven't seen what the others prepared either."

The two stared with their Three-Tomoe Sharingan and quickly took inventory of everything.

One was an old ninja from the Warring States Era, while the other was a transmigrator who considered himself peerless. Both were stunned by the value of this fortune.

Uchiha Nobutada muttered, "It seems to be no less than the Uchiha clan's publicly known assets."

Uchiha Yu sighed repeatedly. "This is way too much. Forget putting this wealth into operation—even selling it all for cash would be a massive undertaking that a few people couldn't manage."

"We should hide it first. Other than the gold and cash, hide everything."

"Do you have a way to hide it?"

"Please rest assured, I have a way."