Pilfer

The Land of Rivers had always been a major producer of metal ores. Aside from its metal mines, it was a standard small nation in every other respect.

During the Land of Rain battlefield of the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzō had tried to get his hands on the Land of Rivers, hoping to rise up and become the sixth great shinobi village in the Ninja World. In the end, Konoha and Sunagakure noticed his intentions and, by coincidence, started fighting in the Land of Rain. After that war, Hanzō abandoned the idea.

The Land of Rivers was surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Rain. Although it was rich in metal ores, it had no shinobi village of its own. The Daimyo's Mansion had samurai guards and Ninja protectors, but they were nowhere near large enough to form an actual force.

The Yunhe Iron Mine had only just begun to be excavated. It was said to be the largest iron mine in the Land of Rivers.

Once the news spread, the Daimyos of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind could no longer sit still. They both wanted to reach in and claim a share.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire wanted a larger share. He had married the younger cousin of the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, and he wanted to use that relationship to seize several more portions. However, the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers rejected him. After being refused several times in a row, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire became furious and humiliated.

Thus, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire approached Konoha!

He wanted them to deal with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers and kill two of his heirs. That way, the nephew of the Daimyo's wife could become the new Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire could claim several more shares of the Yunhe Iron Mine.

For such a large iron mine, even one share could bring in one or two hundred million a year. It was enough to tempt the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent Mitokado Homura to personally discuss the matter with the Daimyo at the Daimyo's Mansion. Konoha was definitely going to take care of this, but the Daimyo's Mansion should not be stingy with next year's funding.

The Ninja World was growing increasingly turbulent. The great shinobi villages kept probing one another, and the peaceful situation formed after the Second Shinobi World War was about to be shattered. Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to make more preparations.

Meanwhile, Danzo of Root was also constantly pondering the matter of the Yunhe Iron Mine.

Danzo had never forgotten the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the Uchiha. He also remembered the Second Hokage's policy toward the Uchiha: they were an unstable race. Even if there were people like Kagami Uchiha who cared about the village, they were only a minority among the Uchiha Clan.

"Such an unstable clan, one that threatens the village, should be confined to a corner and kept under strict watch. They should even be exterminated!"

Whenever he recalled the humiliation at the Security Force that day, a ball of fury rose in Danzo's heart. Dozens of clansmen, tens of millions of ryō worth of goods, and the humiliation of being stripped of his position as the Hokage's Assistant—

"Hatake Sakumo."

At the thought of him, Danzo was filled with rage. He refused to believe that Hatake Sakumo could not tell the evidence had been fabricated against him, yet Hatake Sakumo had still chosen the Uchiha.

If Hatake Sakumo succeeded in this mission, he would not only gain immense prestige in the village, but even at the Daimyo's Mansion—

"Ō, notify the Root members outside. Have them infiltrate the Land of Rivers in advance, then... establish contact with the Sunagakure spies."

"Yes!"

A Root Ninja acknowledged him and immediately left using the Body Flicker Technique. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had ordered the Anbu to take over Root, he had returned Root to Danzo after only a few days.

Only Danzo could control Root's operating style. Even if someone else took over, Root would be unusable without one or two months of restructuring.

An idea flashed through Danzo's mind. His eyes turned cold as he muttered, "Only I can lead Konoha in eradicating war."

[Pilfer]: Once per day, you gain an opportunity to steal. After making physical contact, you can steal any one item the target possesses.

This ability...

Uchiha Yoichi studied it carefully. It seemed extremely powerful, and it did not appear to have any "side effects." It could even be used in actual combat.

If he made contact during a fight and the enemy's weapon suddenly vanished, wouldn't they be completely screwed?

"I can try it first."

Uchiha Yoichi glanced outside the window. It was already the middle of the night, but Uzumaki Mina seemed not to have gone to sleep yet. He left the bedroom and walked downstairs.

In the living room, Uzumaki Mina was eating a late-night snack. She had cooked a pot of ramen, along with three pieces of sushi and a plate of sashimi. It was quite a lot.

When Uzumaki Mina saw Uchiha Yoichi coming downstairs, her face immediately reddened. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "Lord Yoichi, I didn't eat enough tonight, so I made myself a little late-night snack."

After saying that, she panicked and regretted it inwardly. I should have taken it back to my room to eat. Now Lord Yoichi knows I eat a lot...

"You don't need to tell me that. Using Chakra every day means you have to replenish the necessary nutrients. Next time, you can prepare more meat at home."

Uchiha Yoichi waved his hand. He was a big eater himself. Whenever Ninja expended too much Chakra, they would use food to replenish it.

He spent so much time training every day, and Godzilla inside him was still growing. As a result, his need for food had increased several times over.

"By the way, Mina, come here and shake my hand."

"Shake hands?"

Although Uzumaki Mina was puzzled, she still reached out her hand. She felt a little embarrassed inside. Why does Lord Yoichi suddenly want to hold my hand? Could it be...

Before the thought could fully form in her mind, Uzumaki Mina suddenly felt weak all over. Her body went limp, and she collapsed directly onto the floor.

At the same time, Uchiha Yoichi, who was holding Uzumaki Mina's hand, suddenly felt a surge of Chakra pour into his body, filling him with strength.

Chakra was a power refined by mixing Physical Energy and Spiritual Energy. To Ninja, it was like a tonic.

Uzumaki Mina said weakly, "Yoichi... Lord Yoichi, I have no strength left..."

Hearing that, Uchiha Yoichi immediately opened the Superpower Roulette. A prompt appeared beside the Pilfer ability.

[Ability activated successfully. One portion of "Uzumaki Mina's Chakra" was stolen.]

It could even steal something like Chakra, then transfer it to him. Truly impressive.

"...Lord Yoichi?"

Hearing Uzumaki Mina's weak call, Uchiha Yoichi came back to his senses. He helped her up and said, "I was testing a Secret Technique just now. Sorry, Mina. You lost some Chakra, so you need to rest properly now."

Uzumaki Mina did not blame Uchiha Yoichi after hearing that. She merely tried to stand, then said, "Lord Yoichi, I don't think I have the strength to get up."

"I'll take you back."

With that, Uchiha Yoichi picked Uzumaki Mina up. He felt a little embarrassed himself. He had used Uzumaki Mina as an experiment and left her weak and powerless.

"Then thank you, Lord Yoichi."

Uzumaki Mina buried her head against his chest. While in Uchiha Yoichi's arms, she even pretended to tilt her head absentmindedly and rub against him.

After returning to the room, Uchiha Yoichi placed Uzumaki Mina on the bed. Just as he was about to cover her with a blanket and leave, he heard Uzumaki Mina remind him softly, "Lord Yoichi, it isn't very comfortable to sleep in socks."

"Then I'll help you."

Over-the-knee White Silk stockings? Why are you wearing something like this to eat a late-night snack?

When Uchiha Yoichi looked at Uzumaki Mina with confusion, she had already turned her head toward the inside of the bed.

"Get some good rest!"

As Uchiha Yoichi left, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately left the pair of White Silk stockings behind. It was not that he wanted to take them back. He was only wondering whether he should put them in the laundry basket on his way out.