The Cash-Strapped Uchiha

Sarutobi Hiruzen forced a chrysanthemum-like smile onto his face and said:

"Since everything has been cleared up, that is naturally for the best."

"But next time, you must have sufficient evidence before making an arrest. Otherwise, it will be difficult to control public opinion."

"After all, you do not want to see the Uchiha hated and rejected by the people of Konoha, do you?"

Xuanye put on a slightly surprised expression.

"Shouldn't managing public opinion be something the Fourth Hokage ought to consider?"

"Our Konoha Security Division is only responsible for arrests and convictions."

"Even if you are the Former Hokage, you should not overstep your authority and meddle in matters that the Fourth Hokage ought to handle, should you?"

At that moment, even Fugaku looked at Xuanye with shock in his eyes.

You're making an issue out of even this?

Sure enough, upon hearing those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze turned dangerous.

Xuanye might as well have pointed at Sarutobi Hiruzen's nose and accused him of occupying a position without doing any work.

Even a clay figurine had its limits, let alone Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had controlled Konoha for more than a decade.

"Of course, this is the Security Division, and there are only the three of us here. You needn't worry about such words reaching anyone else."

Xuanye's words were essentially a warning.

The meaning behind them was very clear. The Uchiha no longer needed to curry favor with him; they had another powerful backer they could rely on.

Although Namikaze Minato had taken Uchiha Fugaku's Hokage position, to be fair, Little Sun was still a dependable man.

At the very least, following him was far better than associating with people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.

And with the support of the Uchiha, Konoha's largest clan, whether Namikaze Minato could still be held so firmly in Sarutobi Hiruzen's grasp as he was now was difficult to say.

The Uchiha had never considered this path before because they could not bring themselves to do it.

But that did not mean they had no such option.

After giving Xuanye a deep look, Sarutobi Hiruzen shifted his gaze to Fugaku.

"Fugaku, the Uchiha have produced an outstanding clansman."

Fugaku gave no response. He merely continued staring at Sarutobi Hiruzen with those fierce eyes.

With things having reached this point, there was no need to continue the discussion.

Sarutobi Hiruzen flicked his sleeve and left. On his way back, he needed to think carefully about how to deal with an Uchiha like Xuanye, one who was completely unlike the others.

This young man was well versed in the rules, and whenever he spoke, he wasted no time before slapping a label onto someone.

Who could withstand that?

First slap on a label, then pick a side—this had originally been the Hokage Faction's specialty.

Yet when it was one day used against him, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt as if he had swallowed a mouthful of blood that lodged in his stomach, leaving him so stifled that he could neither swallow it nor spit it out.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen left, Fugaku immediately brought Xuanye to his office.

Defensive barriers had been arranged all around the Captain of the Security Division's office, effectively shielding it from all manner of sensory ninjutsu and Byakugan surveillance.

Discussing matters here was absolutely foolproof.

Once he closed the door, Fugaku hurriedly asked:

"Did you really kill that man?"

Xuanye nearly sprayed out his mouthful of tea.

He had imagined many questions Fugaku might ask, but he had never expected him to ask something so utterly unimportant.

"If I captured him, burned him, and cremated him, then even if I moved fast, I couldn't possibly have done it that quickly."

Of course, Xuanye only meant that the man had not been killed yet. That did not mean the troublemaker who had attacked the Konoha Security Division would meet a good end.

Seemingly realizing that he had just asked a foolish question, Fugaku changed his wording.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Can you give me a straight answer?"

Only then did Fugaku come back to his senses. It seemed that he had been set up.

Just yesterday, Xuanye had told him how to deal with Konoha's higher-ups questioning him. Yet the very next day, Sarutobi Hiruzen had come knocking.

Just as expected, it was because Xuanye had caused trouble outside. And that explanation full of holes looked as though it had been deliberately designed to lure Sarutobi Hiruzen over.

Xuanye spoke unhurriedly. "Clan Head, let me ask you a question."

Fugaku nodded somewhat helplessly.

Everything about Xuanye was good, except that he liked answering questions with questions.

It made Fugaku sit up straight every time, like a student.

I'm the clan head! Why do you have no respect for me at all?

And Sarutobi Hiruzen too—perhaps it was only an illusion, but Fugaku felt that Xuanye did not regard him as a Hokage at all.

Xuanye asked calmly, "Do you think the Security Division's existence is a good thing or a bad thing for the Uchiha?"

Without waiting for Fugaku to answer, Xuanye answered his own question.

"Because of the Security Division's work, all the Uchiha clan's elite work within Konoha. Aside from their regular duties, the vast majority of missions and commissions they take are only C-rank or D-rank. In other words, they are all low-paying jobs."

"Although the village allocates funding to the Security Division, compared to ninjas of the same rank elsewhere in Konoha, the powerful ninjas of our Uchiha clan earn far less."

"Compared to the other major ninja villages, the Uchiha's average earning level is actually very low."

Fugaku did not understand why Xuanye had suddenly shifted the topic to making money.

"Is money that important?"

Xuanye looked speechlessly at Fugaku's innocent expression.

"...You are the clan head. Since you do not manage the household, you do not know how expensive daily necessities are. What part of being a ninja does not require money?"

"With money, you can use better medicinal baths to recover from the bodily damage caused by training. You can also buy better ninja tools, even scrolls and Summoning Beasts."

"If the price is right, you can even buy inherited ninjutsu from other clans."

"A ninja is a bottomless pit. Aside from Kekkei Genkai and a very small number of geniuses, the more money you invest, the more power you gain."

Money was not omnipotent, but for a large clan, having no money was absolutely unacceptable.

Without money, they could not train more ninjas. Without ninjas, they could not earn commissions... Over time, they might even fall into a vicious cycle.

Fugaku had been removed from the struggles of ordinary people for far too long.

Had he not seen Sunagakure? Because they lacked money, they could only train their ninjas along an elite route.

Did they enjoy training only elites?

They had simply been forced into it!

If they could cover everything, who would be willing to focus on isolated targets?

After Xuanye criticized him for not understanding money's importance, Fugaku also began to ponder.

Indeed, his branch had always produced the clan heads. Ever since childhood, they had never needed to consider the cost of cultivation.

After training, they used only the best medicinal baths to relax and restore their bodies, and they even had people specially assigned to serve them.

They had never lacked ninjutsu, ninja tools, or training equipment.

To put it bluntly, Fugaku had almost never worried about money from childhood until now.