To be honest, Uchiha Fugaku had long since made plans to deal with the clan's finances.
First, he would establish a merchant caravan of their own and trade goods. With ninja from the clan acting as escorts, it was sure to bring in a good deal of money.
Second, he had his eye on the food industry. Uchiha Fugaku had been in the Naruto world for quite some time, but he still wasn't used to its food. And he had drawn the Cooking Mastery skill. Though it was only a white-tier skill, all the dishes it taught were from the Huaxia Cuisine of his previous life.
He could train a few ordinary Uchiha clan members, then let the Shinobi World experience the charm of Huaxia Cuisine.
As for the third plan, it involved the Land of Waves. In the original Naruto story, it was extremely wealthy, after all, having had the wealth of an entire country exploited. If all else failed, he could always rob it. No, robbery was a bit too lowbrow. It'd be better to start by using Genjutsu to control the place. With the Land of Waves providing for the Uchiha Clan, how could they still be short on money?
Why had he put the Land of Waves last? Naturally, it was because he wasn't strong enough yet.
Nagato had grown up by now, and Deva Path, one of the Six Paths of Pain, had already appeared.
On top of that, he had just cut off an enraged child's arm. Black Zetsu might be lurking somewhere in the shadows, keeping an eye on him.
If he left the village now, Black Zetsu might make a move and force him to face Nagato, currently the strongest fighter in the Shinobi World. Even if Nagato's body couldn't bear the Rinnegan, he might still be stronger than Fugaku.
After all, though Fugaku had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, his combat strength was still far below Madara Uchiha's at the same stage.
Madara was Indra's reincarnation, and his body had been altered by Indra's Chakra. Naturally, it was stronger than Uchiha Fugaku's.
Even though Uchiha Fugaku had Senju Bloodline, it was only an ordinary bloodline.
Of the three plans to make money, the second was the most likely to succeed. He could open a shop in Konoha and run a trial period to see how it went.
With that in mind, Uchiha Fugaku left the Konoha Military Police Force, ignoring the aggrieved looks from Izumi Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, and headed for the clan compound.
His goals were to find a cook and a medical ninja.
He planned to open the Uchiha Clan's first Chinese restaurant in Konoha.
The medical ninja was for preparing herbal remedies to assist with Taijutsu training and medicinal baths.
Of course, Uchiha Fugaku wasn't planning to provide medicinal baths for the whole clan yet. They used up far too many herbs.
If everyone received them, the clan's finances wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.
For now, Uchiha Fugaku only planned to provide them for his own family, a few elders, and the clan's geniuses.
That was right—Uchiha Fugaku planned to start training in Taijutsu himself, too.
After last night's exertions, Uchiha Fugaku had gained a clear understanding of his own body. If he didn't start exercising soon, he felt he wouldn't be able to keep going for much longer.
At the thought, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help rubbing his lower back. He felt his face grow even paler.
"Uchiha Oda, the clan head wants to see you."
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Clan Head Fugaku? I haven't done anything wrong, have I? But why would he come to see me himself?
At the thought, Uchiha Oda immediately set aside what he was doing and hurried out.
When he saw his clan head, Uchiha Oda grew nervous and quickly dropped to one knee.
"Clan Head."
"May I ask what you wanted to see me about, Clan Head?"
Seeing him like this, Uchiha Fugaku was taken aback. But he soon understood why.
After all, Oda was an ordinary person with Uchiha blood, unrecognized by the clan and without any talent for becoming a ninja.
The clan head, whom he usually only got to see from a distance, had suddenly come to find him. It was only natural that he'd be a little afraid. It was a perfectly understandable reaction.
With that in mind, Uchiha Fugaku spoke.
"Don't worry. Get up. I'm here with good news."
At the words "good news," Uchiha Oda froze.
The clan head had come to see him? With good news?
The thought helped Uchiha Oda relax.
He quickly followed Uchiha Fugaku's order and stood up.
Once Oda was on his feet, Uchiha Fugaku smiled, led him to a nearby spot, and sat down with him. Then he explained his plan.
A new cuisine? A restaurant in Konoha with a distinct Uchiha style?
And the clan head would fund it and back him.
At the thought, Uchiha Oda grew excited. He could already tell this was his chance.
Whether he could rise to the top all came down to this.
"Clan Head, I'm willing."
"I'm willing to learn those new dishes."
Seeing how eager Uchiha Oda was, Uchiha Fugaku immediately smiled.
"Good. But you won't be able to handle everything by yourself."
"Tomorrow, find two more people and bring them along. I'll come teach you Huaxia Cuisine at this same time."
Uchiha Oda understood Uchiha Fugaku's instructions. He assured him that he'd find two other Uchiha clan members with some cooking experience.
Having found a cook so easily, Uchiha Fugaku hurried off to find the clan's medical ninja.
"Are these the herbs you wanted, Clan Head?"
Uchiha Fujino held up a bundle of herbs and asked Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku inspected them carefully, nodded, and replied, "Yes, these are the ones. Now process them into packets of powdered medicine using the method I tell you."
At Uchiha Fugaku's instruction, Uchiha Fujino got to work.
Uchiha Fugaku watched from the side, correcting his mistakes as he went.
This knowledge came with his Master-level Taijutsu Training ability. Naturally, he only knew the parts related to Taijutsu.
It wasn't long before a batch of Body-Nourishing Powder was ready.
Uchiha Fugaku weighed the Body Tempering Powder in his hand, then asked, "How much does it cost to prepare a batch of these herbs?"
Uchiha Fujino considered it for a moment. "About 400 ryo."
Uchiha Fugaku thought over the price. It was a little expensive, but still manageable.
Then he asked, "How many batches of Body-Nourishing Powder could you make from the clan's current herbs using my formula?"
Uchiha Fujino calculated carefully before replying, "Most of the herbs in this formula aren't commonly used for medical treatments."
"So there isn't much we can make. Probably only a dozen or so batches."
Hearing the number, Uchiha Fugaku fell into thought.
It was far too little.
Still, Uchiha Fugaku understood.
After all, the Uchiha Clan was known for its strength, not its herbs. When it came to stockpiling medicinal herbs, the Nara Clan was the one to look to.
They specialized in the herb trade.
But Uchiha Fugaku didn't want to deal with them for the time being.
They were part of the Hokage faction, after all. If he told them the Uchiha Clan wanted to buy herbs, the Hokage would soon find out what he'd purchased.
Then, by looking at the herbs and the Uchiha Clan's recent activities, he'd be able to figure out what the clan was preparing for.
That was also why the Uchiha Clan did business through the Ninja Cat Clan.
The fact that so many members of the Ninja Cat Clan needed to be supported was part of the reason, but the Uchiha Clan's own needs were the bigger factor.
Otherwise, why was the Ninja Cat Clan the only one in the Shinobi World doing business?
Before you continue