Each with Their Own Designs

Smack!

Yan snapped his fingers.

Before long, three or four waiters came in and cleared all the bowls and chopsticks from the table.

Looking at the newly uncluttered tabletop, Yan took a large sheet of paper, rolled up, from inside his robes.

He spread it out on the table.

The clan heads present glanced at it, and saw a map before them.

It was marked with all sorts of colors, and the area right at its center bore the words "Uchiha Clan."

Wasn't this a map of the Uchiha Special Zone?

"Everyone, take a look."

Yan pointed to the street below the Uchiha Clan's territory. A long red line had been drawn across it, running from west to east and spanning the entire Special Zone.

"I plan to build a large commercial district here. This will also be a key area for the Special Zone's future development, where people, goods, and capital from across the zone will converge."

"Do any of you clan heads have ideas?"

Yan glanced at the expressions on the clan heads' faces and continued.

"If you're willing to join, I can reduce your taxes to thirty percent for two years."

"At the same time, we'll establish a dedicated Business Alliance to give everyone a platform for sharing information and resources."

"Clan heads, this is a rare opportunity!"

As his words fell,

the clan heads present fell briefly silent, exchanging glances as they weighed the pros and cons.

Gradually, they all turned their eyes toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated beside Yan.

Although everyone had come to this gathering as clan heads, no one could ignore his other identity.

If he didn't give the nod, all of this was just talk.

But to everyone's surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen neither agreed nor objected. Instead, he turned to Nara Shikaku and asked,

"Shikaku, what do you think?"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Everyone's gaze shifted to Nara Shikaku once again.

Seeing this, Nara Shikaku gave a wry smile inwardly.

Lord Hokage, you've handed me quite a difficult problem.

But the big boss's intentions were already clear, so Nara Shikaku could only steel himself and ask,

"Clan Head Yan, from what I understand, many ninja clans have businesses in that area, and I'm also familiar with the commercial tax."

"Wasn't the commercial tax already thirty percent?"

Yan smiled slightly and replied calmly, "That area originally belonged to Konoha, but from now on, it will be managed by the Uchiha Clan."

"Things will be completely different then, and the policies will need to be adjusted accordingly. Naturally, that includes the commercial tax."

"Then what rate do you plan to set?" Nara Shikaku asked.

"Forty-five percent!"

"Outrageous!" Before Nara Shikaku could speak, Utatane Koharu suddenly shouted, "Uchiha Yan, we had an agreement!"

"Policies like this, which could affect every villager in the area, require the approval of a majority of the Konoha High Command."

"Have you forgotten?"

Utatane Koharu's furious shout echoed through the tavern. The clan heads present all lowered their eyes, not daring to get involved.

But Yan merely spread his hands and said casually, "Advisor Koharu, I haven't broken the agreement."

"Raising the commercial tax to forty-five percent was a carefully considered decision, made for the Special Zone's long-term development. The revenue will also go toward building up the zone and benefiting everyone."

"When the Special Zone is undertaking major construction in the future, are you going to pay for it?"

"I understand the principle of taking from the people and giving back to the people... much better than you do!"

"Hmph! Easy to say. Who knows what you're really planning?" Utatane Koharu was seething, even angrier now.

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been silent all along, spoke up to interrupt them.

"Let's all calm down first! Yan, go on."

Yan nodded, then turned back to Nara Shikaku.

"Clan Head Nara, this commercial district plan will not only upgrade the infrastructure across the board, but also greatly improve public security. We'll even have a dedicated promotional team to help everyone's businesses."

"Besides, once the commercial district is built, it will bring in a huge number of people and create countless business opportunities. Your businesses are bound to do far better than before."

"And this won't even cost you anything. You'll simply keep paying the same thirty-percent commercial tax as before. Isn't that worth it?"

"What are you hoping to gain?" Nara Shikaku asked. "There are already plenty of clan businesses in that area. Even if you said nothing, we wouldn't leave."

Yan's lips curved slightly as he explained, "Things are different now."

"In the future, every shop in the Special Zone will have to be reorganized. The Special Zone's leadership will remove any that fail to meet the standards."

As soon as he finished speaking, the clan heads burst into an uproar.

Inuzuka Tsume frowned and said, "Remove shops that fail to meet the standards? Who gets to set those standards? Don't go making it so the Uchiha Clan gets the final say in everything!"

Nara Shikaku agreed. "Exactly. If this isn't handled well, it could cause all kinds of disputes and destabilize the entire Special Zone."

Utatane Koharu gave a cold snort. "I think this is just an excuse for the Uchiha Clan to eliminate its rivals!"

"That's not fair!" Yan's lips curled into a cold smile. "My Special Zone has the right to legislate. We can make laws suited to local needs."

"The Hokage gave me that authority!"

At those words, the atmosphere instantly grew even more tense.

Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow slightly, a grave look in his eyes.

"Yan, even so, every decision must be carefully considered."

"Clan Head Sarutobi!" Yan crossed his arms, his expression firm. "Everything I do is for the Special Zone's prosperity and stability, and for Konoha's future."

Those were grand, stirring words!

But everyone present knew that the two sides had long been at each other's throats, and that a clash between them was inevitable.

Yet no one expected that, after hearing Yan's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen would nod and say,

"Very well. Then count the Sarutobi Clan in."

"The Sarutobi Clan's businesses in the Special Zone will follow all directives from the Special Zone's leadership, and our clan will increase its support as well."

Nara Shikaku immediately understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's meaning and chimed in, "The Nara Clan will do the same!"

Seeing that even Nara Shikaku—the brains of the group—had agreed, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza spoke up in turn.

"The Yamanaka Clan will join too!"

"The Akimichi Clan agrees to join the commercial district plan!"

"..."

As four clan heads spoke up one after another,

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, though unhappy, could only nod and say,

"The Mitokado Clan will join!"

"The Utatane Clan will join!"

"..."

Now that the political situation was clear, the remaining clan heads, who had still been waiting to see how things would unfold, also declared their support.

"The Aburame Clan will join!"

"The Hyuga Clan will join!"

"The Haruno Clan will join!"

"The Kurama Clan will join!"

"..."

The tavern quickly grew lively.