Tomorrow

"Five million ryo in fines."

Fugaku Uchiha replied.

"That's it?"

Sōken raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Five million ryo seemed like a huge sum, but for Sōken, it was no more than what he could earn by taking on a few more high-ranking missions. Besides, his family had a private workshop that made Explosive Tags. At worst, he could spend a little more time there and produce a batch of high-quality tags. It wouldn't be hard to scrape together five million ryo.

Making Explosive Tags required a ninja skilled in Fire Style Jutsu to infuse the tags with refined Fire Style Chakra. When used, the Fuinjutsu formula on each tag released the sealed Fire Style Chakra all at once, setting it off like a bomb to injure the enemy.

The Uchiha Clan claimed that its Fire Style Jutsu was second to none in the Shinobi World.

The Uchiha Clan had been making and selling Explosive Tags ever since they first appeared in the world. It was the clan's biggest source of income. Even without taking on missions, they could make a fortune simply by producing and selling tags.

After all,

an Explosive Tag sold for anywhere between 2,000 and 12,000 ryo. They came in several grades, depending on the skill of the maker. A powerful tag could blow a person to pieces, while a weaker one could only injure them. There was no doubt that the Explosive Tags produced by the Uchiha Clan were the finest in the Shinobi World.

A single Explosive Tag made by Sōken, nicknamed "Camael," could fetch the highest price of 12,000 ryo.

And Sōken also had a cheat skill called Magic Release (Flame), which let him make Explosive Tags several times faster than anyone else. If not for the limits of his Chakra reserves, he could easily churn out ten or even a hundred thousand tags in a day.

To be honest, Sōken suspected that Konan's six hundred billion Explosive Tags had been made by first using a secret technique to prepare the paper, then having Nagato infuse it with Fire Style Chakra.

With the Uzumaki Clan's famously massive Chakra reserves, they could probably make hundreds of thousands, or even over a million, Explosive Tags in a day.

Otherwise,

six hundred billion Explosive Tags—

if they had to buy them, they probably couldn't raise enough money even by selling off the entire Akatsuki Organization.

And they might not even find that many for sale.

Strictly speaking, Explosive Tags were important military supplies. In every country and village, they were strategic goods under government supervision. Selling a few was no problem, but a large-scale purchase would certainly attract attention. No one would sell a huge quantity of tags to some unknown buyer.

"It's not over yet! The fine is just a little extra!"

Fugaku Uchiha rubbed the Kiyomizu-yaki Teacup in his hands. "I'm planning to send you to the Border Defense Force."

"Hey, Lord Clan Head, didn't you say that was something the you from five years ago would do?"

"I never said the me from five years in the future wouldn't do it either... But I'm only the head of the Police Force. I can't interfere with the Border Defense Force. I'm planning to submit a request tonight, saying that the Uchiha are willing to help the village by sending people to guard the border. Your name will be at the top of the list. The village should approve it."

"If things move quickly, you might have to pack for the border by noon tomorrow. No, the request will definitely be approved quickly. If I send it in tonight, you might be able to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Hearing this,

Sōken realized that Lord Clan Head really did have a few tricks up his sleeve.

He could refuse the Third Hokage's verbal invitation, but he couldn't disobey an order issued in the Hokage's name. Until now, he'd been nominally assigned to the Police Force, a body of authority that the Second Hokage had personally promised to the Uchiha Clan. It was both a cage for the Uchiha and a shelter from the storm.

At the very least, even the Third Hokage couldn't overstep his authority and interfere in the Police Force's internal affairs. That was a privilege reserved for the Uchiha Clan.

But now, Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Police Force, was planning to kick him out and offer him up to the village by sending him to the Border Defense Force. Once there, he'd be at the mercy of the Hokage's faction, who could bend him into whatever shape they wanted.

That way,

Fugaku could avoid personally eliminating the traitor who intended to seize power, while still giving the village an explanation. It was killing two birds with one stone! No, make that three!

"Tomorrow?"

Sōken rolled the word around in his mind, the one Fugaku Uchiha had repeated several times.

Suddenly,

his mind sharpened as he realized something.

By telling him in advance, Fugaku was giving him a chance to fight back. If he failed to seize that opportunity, he'd have no grounds to make trouble tomorrow over the transfer order.

Three birds with one stone indeed!

"Lord Clan Head, I used to think you were a clan head who'd completely failed in his duties. To be honest, I still think so. But... it seems you do care about the clan, at least. At the very least, you haven't thrown it away like a piece of worthless trash. Not yet."

As he spoke, Sōken stood up and strode toward the veranda. When he looked down from its edge, he realized his shoes weren't there. He turned and hurried back, his footsteps thudding loudly against the wooden floor.

"You're talking nonsense again. I have no idea what goes through your head all day!"

He heard the sliding door open and close. Fugaku Uchiha shook his head helplessly, completely unable to understand where Sōken's bias against him came from. He knew he hadn't done everything perfectly, but surely he hadn't abandoned the clan?

Just then,

footsteps sounded in the outer hallway.

A woman wearing a beige apron entered the room.

"Fugaku, are you really planning to hand over your position to that boy?"

The quiet, elegant woman, with her gentle features and the refined air of a sheltered young lady, was the Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan—Fugaku Uchiha's wife, Mikoto Uchiha. She hadn't gone out as Sōken had assumed. She'd been sitting in the next room the whole time, listening to every word of the conversation between her husband and the boy named Sōken.

"Everything I do is for the clan."

Fugaku Uchiha sighed.

"This time, the Hokage caught our clan in the act of meeting with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He used it to bring all the village's neutral clans onto the same side, forcing me to deal with Sōken. But the anger and resentment among our clan members are already almost impossible to contain. If I really deal with Sōken now, even with a legitimate reason... the clan members will revolt."

"Besides, Sōken... that boy is strong. I'm not confident I could beat either him or Shisui. If he really has the ability to take the clan head's seat tonight, then... it wouldn't hurt to let him see just how hard it is to sit atop this volcano. The clan really is a volcano on the verge of erupting. Lately, I've spent every night wondering what path the clan should take, but I haven't come up with a single solution..."

With the children all out of the house, Itachi away on a mission and Sasuke at the Ninja Academy, the heavily burdened clan head finally poured out all his worries and frustration to his wife. He shed the tough mask he wore in the eyes of the village and the clan, revealing the weakness and pain in his heart.

Mikoto Uchiha sat beside her husband and listened quietly, embracing his seemingly endless worry and anguish with the gentlest of hearts.