Let Me Translate for Everyone, What is a Surprise.

Masaki Uchiha then took the initiative to recount the events that transpired at the Capital of the Land of Fire to the elders.

There was nothing to hide regarding such matters.

Letting the elders know the direction he intended to take in the later stages was also a means to stabilize the Uchiha Clan from within.

It prevented restlessness and wild speculation among the people.

Speaking openly made it easier to unify the internal ideology.

As for the matter of "selling out" the Uchiha, the elders had no objections.

Previously, they had been "dogs" for Konoha, but Konoha not only looked down on them but even wanted to eat "dog meat." Now that they were "dogs" for the Daimyo, they had already received their first batch of "dog food," with a steady stream to follow. More importantly, with the Daimyo's support, the path to becoming Hokage had become much smoother.

Therefore, everything is a matter of comparison.

In a word, it all depends on the contrast provided by one's peers.

Of course, his truest thoughts were not shared with the elders; after all, that idea was far too shocking, and only Masaki Uchiha's confidants were aware of it.

It was better to wait for the right time to tell the elders.

"Send someone to notify the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of the meeting time and location later. I will first help everyone improve their ocular power."

"The meeting time for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is in a few days, so the elders should attend as well."

Upon hearing that their clan head was going to help them improve their ocular power, everyone present was overjoyed and hurried to call their friends to the Uchiha Council Hall.

A few days later.

Masaki Uchiha and the elders waited in the Uchiha Council Hall for the arrival of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The first to arrive this time was the Kurama Clan Head.

He was also the first to "suck up" to Masaki Uchiha or, rather, voice his support when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was first established.

Following closely behind were the Inuzuka Clan Head and the Gekko Clan Head, who were the second to "suck up" to Masaki Uchiha.

Shortly thereafter, everyone had arrived.

"Today, besides explaining the business of the past month to everyone..."

"I also have two surprises to share."

Masaki Uchiha smiled and kept them in suspense.

As soon as his voice fell, the Kurama Clan Head, acting as the primary straight man, immediately asked: "I wonder what surprise Clan Head Masaki is referring to?"

The Inuzuka Clan Head and the Gekko Clan Head at the table exchanged glances, thinking to themselves: That guy actually beat us to it.

Masaki Uchiha was very satisfied with the tactful Kurama Clan Head and decided to give him a larger share later, treating it as paying a high price to buy a horse's bones, letting others know that following him, Masaki Uchiha, meant having meat to eat.

"Let Uchiha Naoya tell everyone about the first surprise."

He then signaled Uchiha Naoya with his eyes to begin the "project report."

Authorized, Uchiha Naoya walked to the front and began to report to everyone: "This month, we escorted a total of 5 shipments, with 124 deployments of Jonin and 522 deployments of Chunin and Special Jonin."

"We earned a total of 120 million ryo!"

"Whoa."

Everyone present was stimulated by this profit. At this rate, in a single quarter, they would have over 300 million ryo. The Uchiha would take half, and the remaining 100 million-plus would be distributed according to each family's contribution.

Those with smaller contributions would get around 10 million, while those with more would get 20 million.

Isn't this faster than honestly doing missions?

The most critical part was the low risk.

Masaki Uchiha was still being conservative; the annual profit would likely exceed 1 billion ryo.

Just as everyone was calculating how much they would receive in two months, Masaki Uchiha interrupted their thoughts: "Everyone, I have decided to distribute dividends now, so that you all have something to show your clans."

Indeed, pulling so many ninja from each clan would inevitably affect their operations.

If they could take the dividends back today, it would silence those in their clans who opposed doing business with the Uchiha.

Masaki Uchiha was truly a timely rain for Konoha.

Just as everyone was overjoyed, Masaki Uchiha dropped another bombshell.

"Entrusted by the Daimyo, the shipping business of the Land of Waves is prepared to be handed over to my Uchiha Clan for operation. The projected annual revenue is 1.5 billion ryo. I wonder if you are interested in participating?"

"Of course, this is an exclusive commission for the Uchiha. Even if you participate, you are merely helping the Uchiha, so it does not involve other issues." The purpose of saying this was equivalent to having the Uchiha shoulder all the responsibility; they only needed to do the work and collect the money.

Initially, when the Daimyo was mentioned, everyone hesitated. Those with better intelligence knew that the Daimyo had established the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and the purpose was self-evident.

But upon hearing the figure of 1.5 billion ryo, their concerns were cast aside. Nowadays, whoever has money is the boss; besides, being loyal to the Daimyo is only right, as he is the nominal leader.

Although the Ninja World follows the unwritten rule that "the leader of my leader is not my leader," times change.

Plus, with the Uchiha Clan shouldering all the responsibility, what else was there to say? Just one word: Do it!

Then again, in the past, no one dared to take the lead in getting involved with the Daimyo; first, they lacked the guts, and second, they hadn't thought of it.

The Uchiha Clan had the guts, but they lacked the foresight; however, ever since Masaki Uchiha took the stage, everything has become surreal.

What was the purpose of the ninja clans joining Konoha if not for the development of their own families?

Nowadays, Konoha cannot even pay out pensions and disability allowances in full, and the resentment within the clans grows higher with each passing day.

Now that there is finally a boat to reach the shore, would they just wait to die if they didn't board it?

As the crowd pondered, the Inuzuka Clan Head took a step forward and said, "Clan Head Masaki has not only relieved our urgent needs but will also lead our families toward greater prosperity. This kindness is beyond repayment; from now on, the Inuzuka Clan will advance and retreat together with the Uchiha Clan."

The Kurama Clan Head and the Gekko Clan Head immediately followed suit, declaring, "Same here." X2

The rest of those present also hurriedly pledged to advance and retreat together with the Uchiha.

Only Hatake Kakashi sat in the corner, saying nothing, merely recording the events unfolding on-site in preparation to report to his teacher once the meeting adjourned.

Upon hearing this, Masaki Uchiha was in high spirits. "Hahaha, there is no need for you clan heads to rush your decisions. Go back and discuss it with your clan elders. Even if you are unwilling to get involved in the Daimyo's business, it doesn't matter; you can continue with your original ventures."

"The doors of the Uchiha are always open to everyone."

"Just send someone to give me an answer within three days after you return."

"There is no rush."

Masaki Uchiha put on an expression of 'don't worry, everyone,' appearing as if he had their best interests at heart.

"The most important thing now is for everyone to discuss the rules and regulations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, so that if any conflicts arise in the future, they can be handled according to the system. What does everyone think?"

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

Since they had joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and could earn money within it, then whatever the boss said was right!

Now that the boss had spoken and made it clear he intended to set the rules, what was there to disagree with?

In any case, we are sticking with you, Masaki Uchiha!