Don't Think You're Too Clever

"What do you need money for?" Madara asked, regarding Qile with interest.

Although he was the head of his clan and possessed immeasurable wealth, he had never cared much about money.

In fact, long ago, he had combined his personal funds with the clan's treasury. Whenever he wanted money, all he had to do was mention it, and someone would promptly bring him whatever amount he needed.

Hearing Madara's question, Qile answered without hesitation. "I happened to run into two people this afternoon. They really helped me out, so I'm planning to treat them to a meal and repay the favor."

At that, Madara instinctively furrowed his brow slightly, then said casually, "I see. Yeling, go see Uchiha Yan tomorrow morning. He'll give you the money."

Yeling, standing nearby, promptly nodded and replied obediently, "Yes, Clan Head. I'll remember."

Then Madara quietly instructed her, "One more thing. Starting tomorrow, I'll be away for a while. During that time, you'll be responsible for overseeing Qile's daily training. Report to me when I return."

"I'm sorry, Clan Head, but..." Yeling looked troubled. She started to speak, then hesitated, as if she wanted to refuse.

But before she could finish, Madara cut her off. "Ah, I forgot. You don't need to do that. I'll find someone else to keep an eye on him."

Madara never once asked who Qile planned to invite tomorrow.

As a result, Qile—who had already prepared what he wanted to say—felt as though he'd thrown all his strength into a punch only for it to land on a soft cushion.

Even more frustrating was the strange, baffling exchange between Madara and Yeling. Qile genuinely couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Still, at least he was going to get the money, which was something.

Just then, an idea flashed through Qile's mind. Konoha had only been established recently, so surely there were plenty of things that hadn't been fully developed yet!

For example, had the shops along the streets even opened yet?

So, when Madara and Yeling stopped talking, Qile seized the opportunity and quickly asked, "Clan Head, does our clan have any plans to invest in Konoha?"

"Invest?" Madara repeated quietly, furrowing his brow in confusion.

After gathering his thoughts, he explained, "As far as I know, the Uchiha Clan hasn't made any such moves so far. However, since we're one of the clans that founded Konoha, the entire street in front of our clan compound belongs to the Uchiha."

"Oh, I see!" A glint of excitement flashed in Qile's eyes, and he hurriedly continued, "In that case, would you consider making some investments in Konoha?

"What if we bought a few more streets? The clan's funds aren't doing much sitting idle.

"Besides, from what I've seen lately, property prices in Konoha are bound to keep rising. It'll surely bring in a handsome return down the road!"

As he spoke, Qile was as excited as if he'd discovered treasure. He talked rapidly, already seeming to picture the bright future ahead.

Madara merely watched him expressionlessly and replied in a calm voice, "When we founded Konoha together with the Senju Clan, we established a rule: no clan could own more than one street. So your proposal won't work."

He paused, then fixed Qile with a penetrating gaze and continued, "Besides, don't forget that the Uchiha are a large clan. Even if you and I aren't suited to certain tasks, with enough clan members, someone will always be capable of handling them.

"So don't get ahead of yourself or think you're being clever. Enough of this irrelevant talk. Go take your medicinal bath."

With that, Madara turned and left, leaving Qile standing there, watching his retreating figure thoughtfully.

In particular, that remark about not thinking he was clever had instantly brought Qile to his senses.

Ever since he'd unexpectedly crossed over into the Ninja World, he'd felt as if he were playing a first-person Naruto game.

Everyone he met seemed like an NPC in a game, while he felt like the one and only protagonist of this world.

But just now, Uchiha Madara's words had exploded in his mind like a thunderclap, jolting him out of that illusory game-like view of things.

They made him realize this wasn't merely a simple game, but a new chapter in his life—a journey with no turning back!

At that moment, Yeling stood nearby, gazing at the dazed Qile. Deep concern showed in her beautiful eyes.

Finally, unable to hold back her concern, Yeling asked gently, "Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

Hearing her worried question, Qile slowly came back to himself. A faint smile appeared on his face, and he gently shook his head to show that he was fine.

Then he replied in a soft but firm voice, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just suddenly figured something out."

Seeing Qile smile again, Yeling still felt a little worried, but his expression seemed normal now, so she relaxed somewhat.

She tentatively suggested, "In that case, shall I take you to the medicinal bath now?"

Qile nodded without hesitation. "Mm, all right. But before that..." He paused, then looked intently at Yeling and continued, "Yeling, from now on, remember to wake me up earlier. I plan to get up early every morning to practice Hand Seals."

"All right. Don't worry," Yeling answered gently. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly seemed to notice something astonishing and froze in place. Then she cried out, "Ah! Your eyes!"

Only then did Yeling notice that Qile's eyes had changed at some point.

His ordinary eyes had become Single Tomoe Sharingan. Their deep, crimson color seemed to hold boundless power and secrets. Just one glance was enough to draw anyone's gaze.

Qile didn't seem surprised by Yeling's reaction. He slowly raised a hand and gently brushed his eyes.

Then he lowered his head slightly and murmured, "I really awakened them..."

His voice was quiet, yet filled with complicated emotions: excitement, confusion, and a trace of worry that was almost impossible to detect.