Initial Thoughts

Traveling by day and hiding by night with the three women, they stuck to the smaller roads during daylight. Along the way, they encountered bandits blocking the road, robbers, and vicious refugees. Uchiha Zhuang cut each one down without mercy, while helping himself to the supplies they conveniently delivered. At night, they tried to build a fire beside a stream and cook a meal. When it was time to sleep, they all rested in a hollow Uchiha Zhuang had carved into a tree. After nearly twenty days of continuous travel, Uchiha Zhuang stood atop a giant tree and spotted a Fire Nation border watchtower in the distance. That night, after settling the three women in, he took advantage of the darkness and raced toward the Konoha outpost. When he was about three kilometers from it, he left a package atop the largest tree nearby and carved a Konoha swirl emblem into its trunk. Once he was done, he left at once. Less than five minutes later, a squad of Konoha shinobi arrived. The Byakugan-wielding ninja in charge activated his eye and confirmed that the package was safe, but gave no order to pursue. The border outpost wasn't a combat unit, and they couldn't leave their post at will. Especially since the other party had shown no sign of aggression, there was even less reason to get involved. He signaled for a Genin to open the package. The moment they unfolded the letter, the faces of everyone nearby changed. "Hurry and notify the border management office! This is an emergency! We have extremely important intelligence that must be reported immediately." With that, the squad immediately carried the package toward the border watchtower.

By the time Uchiha Zhuang returned to where the women were sleeping, he had no idea what kind of stir his delivery had caused. When the sun was high in the sky, he took the hands of all three women and activated his teleportation! Inside the Land of Fire, Uchiha Zhuang hid them in a dense forest, then went alone to the nearby town to gather information. He had to admit that while people in other small countries suffered through unrest and lived in wretched conditions, the civilians in the Land of Fire enjoyed a peaceful life. "It really is one world, with heaven and hell existing side by side!" Uchiha Zhuang marveled as he watched people come and go along the streets, while chubby little children ran about. He first went to a clothing store. Faced with money, the owner wisely kept his mouth shut and enthusiastically brought Uchiha Zhuang several outfits for women and girls, hoping the esteemed customer would return. Then, following the shopkeeper's directions, Uchiha Zhuang went to a real estate agency that specialized in selling and renting houses. Apparently, buying a house required proof of identity, but renting one didn't. He handed over nearly all his money to rent a detached house with a courtyard on the edge of town for six months. He also paid the agent to stock it with plenty of food and all the necessary household items.

As Uchiha Zhuang made his way back, he scratched his head. "I'd rather fight a hundred bandits than waste time on all this nonsense. Ah!" Back in the forest, he dressed the three women and led them toward the house he had just rented. On the way, they were dazzled by the town's bustling streets, with people coming and going and carts streaming past. They could barely make themselves keep walking. "Come on, keep moving. Stop dawdling!" Uchiha Zhuang said at just the right moment. The women lowered their heads and slowly followed behind him. There was no need to be curious. The shinobi world wasn't the peaceful place depicted in the original story. The Five Great Nations waged war year after year, and the neighboring small countries were bound to have their lands torn apart and their common people treated like weeds. The towns near the borders were bound to be full of refugees fleeing their homes, as well as people selling themselves and those sold by others as so-called slaves. The wealthy bought them to serve as servants, or kept them as pets and playthings. The world had never lacked darkness; what it lacked were eyes willing to see it. Uchiha Zhuang watched it all without a stir in his heart. After all, he had faced the true misery of ordinary people caught up in war. For these refugees, being sold here was actually something to hope for, even something to yearn for. They simply wanted to stay alive. When they reached the detached house listed in the contract, Uchiha Zhuang pushed open the door and went inside. The women, however, stood anxiously at the entrance. It had been so many years since they'd lived in a courtyard like this. Seeing one again, they began to cry, their eyes reddening. Uchiha Zhuang left them alone and explored his new home. It was well equipped, with three floors above ground and one below. The top two floors were all bedrooms. The master suite occupied the entire top floor and even came with a rather modern bathroom, a walk-in closet, a small sauna, and a broad balcony with panoramic views. The second floor had several smaller bedrooms, while the first floor held the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and storage room. The basement was a fairly large, colorful room—warm and comfortable. It seemed the former residents had gotten up to all sorts of things down there. The detached house sat on high ground in the residential district, with an excellent view of the endless sea of forest and several distant mountains. The sight was enough to lift anyone's spirits. Why didn't these people cherish such beautiful nature? Chasing their desires and pursuing illusions—how pathetic! Uchiha Zhuang sighed with regret. Afterward, he began to think about how to build his own organization. It seemed that letting him take control of this world really was best. When the women came inside, Uchiha Zhuang was sunning himself in the courtyard. "We'll settle in here for now. I'll look after you for a month, then send you money from time to time. Do your part. Go wash up, and the ingredients are in the kitchen. Make us something good to eat." With that, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. The women quietly went inside. By noon, after they'd eaten a decent lunch, Uchiha Zhuang went upstairs. The three women finished tidying up and followed him, then massaged him on the top floor. What a luxurious life! Uchiha Zhuang marveled as he rolled over to enjoy it some more. "Give yourself a name," he said lazily. The woman kept massaging him. "Yes. Thank you for your kindness, Master. Please allow me to take the name Delia." Uchiha Zhuang was a little surprised. Did she still have hope for life? Delia was such a beautiful name. "And the other two?" "Ootama and Tsugutama." After she answered, she tentatively raised her bowed head to see if Uchiha Zhuang was angry. When he wasn't, she breathed a sigh of relief. No slave dared choose such elegant names. In the Land of Rivers, female slaves were given names like Bean, Stalk, or Hemp. Uchiha Zhuang didn't know much about that. He only thought the names sounded pleasant enough. "Serve me well this month. From now on, start living again." "Yes, Master."

Uchiha Zhuang closed his eyes and immersed himself in the system. More than a month earlier, when he'd wiped out the bandits' hideout, the prerequisite for the shop quest had unlocked. But he'd been too busy and exhausted to pay attention to the quest or its rewards. Now that things had settled down, he could think it all through carefully.