Masaki Uchiha then took the initiative and told the elders about what had happened in the Capital of the Land of Fire.
There was no need to hide something like this.
Letting the elders know where he planned to take the clan would help keep the Uchiha united.
That way, they wouldn't grow restless or let their imaginations run wild.
It was better to lay it all out and get everyone on the same page.
As for the matter of "selling out" the Uchiha, the elders had no objections.
They used to be Konoha's "dogs," but Konoha had not only looked down on them, it had wanted to eat them. Now they were the Daimyo's "dogs," and they had already received their first "bag of dog food," with more to come. Most importantly, they had the Daimyo's support, which made the path to becoming Hokage that much smoother.
It all came down to comparison.
In a word, it was all thanks to the competition making them look good.
Of course, he didn't share his truest thoughts with the elders. The idea was so shocking that only Masaki Uchiha's confidants knew about it.
He would wait for the right time to tell the elders himself.
"Have someone notify the Shanghai Cooperation Organization members of the time and place for the meeting. First, I'll help everyone improve their ocular power."
"The next Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting is only a few days away. All of you elders should attend as well."
As soon as they heard that the clan head would help improve their ocular power, everyone present was delighted. They hurried to summon their friends and colleagues to the Uchiha Council Hall.
A few days later
Masaki Uchiha waited at the Uchiha Council Hall with the elders for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization members to arrive.
The first to arrive this time was the Kurama Clan Head.
He had also been the first to "suck up" to Masaki Uchiha—or, more accurately, to speak up in his support—when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded.
The Inuzuka Clan Head and the Gekko Clan Head arrived soon after. They had been the second to "suck up" to Masaki Uchiha back then.
Before long, everyone had arrived.
"Today, besides updating everyone on the business we've done over the past month..."
"I also have two surprises to share with you."
Masaki Uchiha smiled as he teased them with the promise of a surprise.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Kurama Clan Head, the first to play along, immediately asked, "I wonder what surprise Clan Head Masaki has in store for us?"
The Inuzuka Clan Head and the Gekko Clan Head exchanged glances across the table and thought, That guy actually beat us to it.
Masaki Uchiha was very pleased with the Kurama Clan Head's sense of occasion. He decided to give him a little extra later, as an investment in a promising ally—and to let everyone else know that following Masaki Uchiha meant getting a share of the spoils.
"Let Naoya tell everyone about the first surprise."
Then he gestured to Uchiha Naoya with his eyes, signaling him to begin his "project report."
With permission granted, Uchiha Naoya stepped forward and began his report. "This month, we escorted cargo on five trips. We deployed Upper Ninja 124 times and Chunin and Special Jōnin 522 times."
"Our total profit was 120 million ryō!"
"Whoa!"
Everyone present was stunned by the profits. At this rate, they would make over 300 million ryō in a quarter. The Uchiha would take half, and the remaining 100 million or so would be divided according to how much each clan had contributed.
The smaller shares would be around 10 million, and the larger ones around 20 million.
Wasn't this much faster than earning money by doing missions the old-fashioned way?
And the best part was, the risk was low.
Masaki Uchiha had been far too conservative in his estimates. They could easily earn a billion ryō a year.
As everyone calculated how much they might receive in two months, Masaki Uchiha interrupted their thoughts. "Everyone, I've decided to distribute the first round of profits right away. That way, you'll have something to show your clans."
It was true that each clan had dispatched so many ninja that it would have affected their day-to-day operations.
If they took their share home today, they could also silence those in their clans who had opposed doing business with the Uchiha.
Masaki Uchiha really was Konoha's savior in a time of need.
Just as everyone was overjoyed, Masaki Uchiha dropped another bombshell.
"At the Daimyo's request, the Uchiha Clan is preparing to take over the maritime trade in the Land of Waves. The estimated annual revenue is 1.5 billion ryō. Would any of you be interested in taking part?"
"Of course, this is an exclusive contract with the Uchiha. Even if you join us, you'll only be working for the Uchiha. You won't be involved in anything else." The point of saying this was to make it clear that the Uchiha would shoulder all the responsibility. The rest of them just had to do the work and collect their share.
At first, the mention of the Daimyo gave everyone pause. Those who were better informed knew that the Daimyo had established the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and their purpose was obvious.
But when they heard the figure of 1.5 billion ryō, their concerns vanished. These days, whoever had money was the one in charge. Besides, serving the Daimyo was only right—he was, after all, their nominal top leader.
The Ninja World had an unwritten rule: your leader's leader wasn't your leader. But times changed.
And since the Uchiha Clan would shoulder all the responsibility, what else was there to say? There was only one answer: get to work!
Come to think of it, no one had dared to take the lead in getting involved with the Daimyo before. Partly, they hadn't had the guts; partly, they hadn't thought of it.
The Uchiha Clan had the courage, but hadn't thought of it either. Then Masaki Uchiha took over, and everything became surreal.
Why did the ninja clans join Konoha? Wasn't it for the growth of their clans?
These days, Konoha couldn't even pay out all the pensions and disability benefits. Resentment within the clans grew by the day.
Now, at last, there was a boat they could climb aboard to reach shore. Were they supposed to stay behind and drown?
As everyone considered the offer, the Inuzuka Clan Head was the first to speak. "Clan Head Masaki, you've not only helped us out of an immediate crisis, you've helped our clans prosper. We can never repay you. From now on, the Inuzuka Clan will stand with the Uchiha Clan through thick and thin."
The Kurama Clan Head and the Gekko Clan Head immediately echoed him. "Same here!" ×2
The others also hurried to declare that they would stand with the Uchiha.
Only Hatake Kakashi sat silently in a corner, recording what was happening so he could report it to his teacher after the meeting.
Masaki Uchiha was in high spirits. "Hahaha, Clan Heads, there's no need to rush into a decision. Go back and discuss it with your clan elders. If you'd rather not get involved in the Daimyo's business, that's fine too. We can keep doing the business we've already been doing."
"The Uchiha's doors will always be open to you."
"Just send me your answer within three days."
"There's no rush."
Masaki Uchiha put on an expression that said there was no need to hurry, as if he had their best interests at heart.
"Right now, the most important thing is to discuss the rules and regulations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. That way, if any disputes arise in the future, we can resolve them according to the rules. What do you think?"
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Since they had joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and could make money there, the boss was always right!
Now the boss had spoken, clearly intending to set some rules. What was there to disagree with?
Anyway, they were sticking with Masaki Uchiha!