The next day, Senju Tobirama brought Yuya to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Compared to the past, when Senju Tobirama could barely take a few steps into the Uchiha Clan Compound without running into an Uchiha ninja, the place was much quieter now.
Even so, Senju Tobirama sensed several pairs of eyes watching from the shadows.
Tobirama sneered inwardly.
So they've still left some strength behind in their own compound?
Hmph. The Uchiha really can't be trusted.
The Uchiha Clan Head came out to greet Senju Tobirama.
He had taken over as Uchiha Clan Head after Madara. At first, he had wanted to follow Konoha's lead, but after Tobirama took office, he clawed back a number of their powers. The Clan Head had drawn plenty of criticism as a result, and he had little respect for Tobirama.
After all, he had once staked everything on Konoha. Unfortunately, Tobirama, the Hokage, still didn't trust the Uchiha.
"Lord Hokage, what brings you to the Uchiha Clan Compound today?" the Clan Head asked calmly.
Tobirama didn't mind. He calmly took out a scroll. "This is a classified mission I'm assigning to the Uchiha. Move quickly, precisely, and ruthlessly. Don't let a single target escape."
After Tobirama finished speaking, Yuya, who had accompanied him, quietly added, "Also, don't kill anyone. If someone dies, there'll be no room to negotiate."
The Clan Head frowned. What did this boy mean? Did the Uchiha need him to teach them how to do their job?
At thirteen, Yuya was already over one and a half meters tall, nearly reaching one point six. He was no longer a child, but a teenager.
Tobirama didn't seem to mind. He simply agreed, "Then don't kill anyone. The Uchiha Clan should be able to manage that, right?"
The Clan Head immediately bristled. What was that supposed to mean? Did he look down on the Uchiha?
"Of course... We'll see the mission through," the Clan Head said gravely.
Tobirama nodded, then turned to Yuya. "He's one of my assistants in handling government affairs. He has some plans he'd like to discuss with the Uchiha Clan."
The Uchiha Clan Head looked at Yuya, but frowned. "And this is...?"
"Yuya." Yuya grinned. "My name's Yuya."
The Uchiha Clan Head nodded. "All right, young Yuya. What would you like to discuss with us?"
If Tobirama hadn't been there, the Clan Head would have gotten up and left already.
Yuya took a stack of papers from inside his clothes. He pulled out the top sheet, hesitated, then took out a second one. After putting the rest away, he handed the two sheets to the Uchiha Clan Head.
The Uchiha Clan Head accepted the papers. He only had to glance at them for his expression to change.
Frowning, the Clan Head set down the first sheet and read the next. After finishing the second, his brow furrowed even more deeply.
He handed both sheets back to Yuya.
Yuya looked at the Clan Head in confusion. "Sir, is there something you don't understand? It should all be pretty clear."
One of the sheets Yuya had brought described how to build and operate a waterwheel.
The other was a proposal to build a Water Plant in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The Naka River, east of the Uchiha Clan Compound, flowed across the Land of Fire and eventually emptied into the sea in the east.
Its flow was steady and abundant.
It was more than suitable for building a Water Plant.
Yuya didn't know what the Clan Head was thinking. As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha Clan could earn a great deal of money from the Water Plant.
And building a large waterwheel upstream to irrigate farmland would be an excellent way to win people's favor.
Yuya had tailored both proposals specifically for the Uchiha Clan.
In his mind, the moment the Uchiha saw the proposals, they should have dropped to their knees, clung to his leg, and called him their daddy.
But now the other man's brow had furrowed even more deeply.
"...Well... Please allow us to discuss this among ourselves before giving Lord Hokage a response.
"Of course, we'll carry out the mission you assigned us as soon as possible."
That was the response Yuya ultimately received.
Yuya wore a bewildered expression. As he and Senju Tobirama left the Uchiha Clan Compound, Tobirama looked at Yuya, who was deep in thought, and laughed. "Are you wondering why the Uchiha Clan didn't happily accept such a good deal?"
Yuya frowned and nodded. "Yeah. This could earn them millions of Ryo a year. The waterwheel plan would benefit the farmers, but the Uchiha could still earn a good reputation from it...
"Why wouldn't they just agree right away?"
Senju Tobirama sneered. "Because that's the Uchiha Clan! They can't believe anyone would have good intentions toward their clan!"
Yuya looked up at Senju Tobirama. Then his eyes gradually turned into the blank stare of a dead fish.
Tobirama frowned. "What are you looking at?"
"Uncle, I think I know why the Uchiha don't trust me."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because you're too scary. They see you and stop trusting me."
"You little brat! Get back here! Stop!"
Konoha made a major move that very day.
The Police Force sent out three squads and arrested all the owners of the gambling dens on Commercial Street.
Naturally, clashes broke out along the way.
Still, the Uchiha Clan had some fighting ability. They could at least handle this.
Afterward, some people had broken arms and legs, but no one had died.
Then Senju Tobirama stepped forward.
He took the moral high ground, brought out Konoha's laws, and demanded to know why the gambling den owners hadn't followed them.
The owners began making excuses, claiming that they hadn't been lending money; they were only charging a handling fee.
They said each copper coin was worth one hundred thousand Ryo, and that the people had borrowed the money of their own free will.
Then Senju Tobirama publicly read out the relevant laws on Commercial Street. The owners of the gambling dens were left utterly despairing.
After that, Senju Tobirama waved his hand and expelled them from the country.
As for the billions of cash from those eight gambling dens combined? It was confiscated.
And the people who had borrowed money weren't let off the hook, either.
Let me introduce you to the gambling den Konoha runs. No, it isn't called a gambling den. It's called the City of Gold!
Gambling there isn't called gambling. It's called betting, and there's no cash inside—only chips.
When you're done, you exchange your chips for the equivalent amount of money.
Anyway, you won't find the stench of money in my City of Gold.
Also, borrowing money is strictly forbidden in the City of Gold, and minors aren't allowed in.
Please spread the word.
As for the people who owed money to those gambling dens...
Don't think you can run! You owe us now!
Pay up! You can haul bricks at the Steel Mill or do whatever else you have to. Just pay up, damn it!
If you don't, we'll break your legs.
Well, first he took down the gambling dens for a big payday, then turned around and set up his own City of Gold, backed by the authorities and operating fairly, impartially, and openly.
You open gambling dens? Not allowed! We open them? That's fine!
What do you call that—having double standards? (leans back tactically.jpg)
Watching this, the people of Kirigakure and Sunagakure turned it over in their minds...
Maybe...
There was something to it...
So before long, the two villages copied Konoha's playbook and launched their own crackdowns on gambling dens.
And they really did make a lot of money.
Then they opened official gambling dens too. Unfortunately, there was no way they could ever match Konoha's scale.
After all, people from other countries were willing to come to Konoha to spend money. Sunagakure and Kirigakure couldn't attract them like that.
The Uchiha Clan couldn't care less about the changes happening outside.
They were holding their eighth clan meeting.
That's right. They'd already spent eight days debating whether to accept Yuya's proposal, and still hadn't decided...
I've put together a timeline and posted it in the work's foreword. If you're interested, take a look. I wrote this according to the timeline in those sources.
Before you continue