Konoha Gatekeeper

Uchiha Qingcheng once again stored four hundred thousand Explosive Tags in his Yomi Space. Then, he took out three billion Ryo and called Yamahuku over.

Yamahuku said with a smile, "Clan Head, how can I help you?"

Qingcheng said seriously, "Yamahuku, buy all the empty land next to Ichiraku Ramen. Many people are pulling out their investments in Konoha right now, so land prices are cheap."

Qingcheng emphasized, "Also, for our Uchiha Clan's street, acquire all the vacant shops. For anyone looking to sell their shop, buy it directly from them."

Qingcheng stated with a serious expression, "I want that entire street to become my Uchiha Street."

Yamahuku looked at the three billion Ryo Qingcheng had taken out and said in surprise, "Clan Head, if you're thinking of investing in shops and land, I advise against it."

Yamahuku warned him, "The series of explosions in Konoha has caused many wealthy people to withdraw their investments. Storefronts will become less and less valuable in the future. If you spend three billion on this, it's sure to be a waste."

Qingcheng looked at the earnest Yamahuku and thought to himself, The empty land next to Ichiraku Ramen won't even be damaged if the Otsutsuki Clan attacks; it's the most prime location in Konoha. And you're telling me it'll be a loss?

Qingcheng said seriously again, "You absolutely must acquire the empty land next to Ichiraku Ramen for me. I want to build a commercial street there."

Seeing Yamahuku still hesitating, Qingcheng directly called out, "Buy all the storefronts on Uchiha Clan's street for me! With my Uchiha Clan overseeing it, no one would dare bomb it."

Yamahuku looked at the succinct Qingcheng, a troubled expression on his face, and sternly reminded him, "Clan Head, this isn't a small sum of money. One misstep, and it'll all be gone."

Qingcheng waved his hand and said seriously, "Go quickly! And run!"

Yunye arrived at the entrance of the Uchiha Clan compound, knocked on the large gate, and called out, "Uchiha Clan Head, I'm here."

The guards at the gate immediately opened it, allowing Yunye and his group to enter the Uchiha Clan compound.

Qingcheng said seriously, "Yunye, what's the matter? How's the one-stop service company's renovation coming along?"

Yunye said flatteringly with a smile, "It's almost finished. We're just missing 200,000 Ryo for new instruments, and the band's uniforms aren't unified yet."

Qingcheng glanced at Yamahuku, signaling him to immediately provide the money.

Yamahuku said doubtfully, "Clan Head, can this funeral company really make money? You even gave them three vacant storefronts to open their business."

Qingcheng smiled and said, "This is Konoha's first one-stop service. In this Ninja World, where people die every day, do you think it can make money?"

Qingcheng thought to himself, If there's no business, I'll just bomb the Sarutobi Clan. I'll see if they want a one-stop service then.

Qingcheng secretly added, And the remaining Shimura remnants, I'll bomb them next time. I'll use them to test the power of the Mutual Exploding Tag.

Yunye, holding 200,000 Ryo, left with a chuckle.

Yamahuku still looked doubtful, but seeing Qingcheng's determined gaze, he picked up the three billion Ryo and said seriously, "Clan Head, if you lose money later, don't blame me for not warning you."

Qingcheng said seriously, "Of course I won't blame you. When I make money in the future, I'll give you a big bonus!"

Watching Yamahuku's retreating figure, Qingcheng thought to himself, The true golden age is about to begin. How could it not make money?

Qingcheng then said with a smile, "Once the Uchiha Clan's commercial empire begins, every Konoha villager will drink Uchiha Clan's milk powder from birth, be taken away by Uchiha Clan's one-stop service when they're old, study with Uchiha Clan's textbooks, use Uchiha Clan's ninja tools for missions, and celebrate with Uchiha Clan's Hot Pot."

Qingcheng's idea was simple: to turn Konoha into a village of hard workers. By opening more Uchiha Clan factories, he would have all Konoha residents work for his Uchiha Clan. Being a ninja risking your life doesn't pay much. This would fundamentally resolve the Konoha villagers' animosity towards the Uchiha Clan.

Qingcheng returned to his room and began refining Chakra. Once his Chakra was full, he prepared to follow behind Kurenai Yuhi to see what was happening.

Kurenai Yuhi and two Chunin were teamed up to complete an escort mission.

These two Chunin were Yugao Uzuki and Hayate Gekko. At this time, both of them still looked very young, just barely in their early twenties.

Hayate Gekko's lung disease wasn't as dangerous yet, but Hiding in Mist Technique had a bloodline illness and was particularly afraid of sensory-type ninjas.

Therefore, among the vast Gekko Clan, only Hayate Gekko remained, which was even more tragic than the Uchiha Clan.

Both of them looked serious, full of confidence for this A-rank mission.

When Yugao Uzuki saw Kurenai Yuhi arrive, her face lit up with a smile: "Kurenai Yuhi-senpai, we have such good fortune! We've been assigned together again this time."

Hayate Gekko stood with his arms crossed, saying earnestly, "Hello, Kurenai Yuhi-Jonin. I'll be relying on you for this mission."

The client was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a very ordinary appearance and some gray hair on his head. Seeing that the escorting ninjas had arrived, he smiled and softly said, "Thank you for your trouble this time."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group began escorting the minister of the Land of Hot Water back to the Land of Hot Water.

When Kurenai Yuhi's mission team reached the main gate of Konoha, they saw Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, the two "gate gods," standing guard.

These two guys had already started making a name for themselves at Konoha's main gate. Even if Pain invaded Konoha, he wouldn't dare use the front gate, precisely because these two gate gods were stationed there.

The two gate gods, seeing Kurenai Yuhi's team setting out on their mission, called out, "Kurenai Yuhi, you're escorting the minister of the Land of Hot Water back to his country. Be careful on the way, and we wish you a smooth journey."

Kurenai Yuhi smiled and said, "Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, thank you for the reminder. We'll be careful."

With that, Kurenai Yuhi's team continued their journey towards the Land of Hot Water.

The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water had many bandits or rogue ninjas, so the journey was not entirely safe.

Kurenai Yuhi and the others were all on high alert. The minister of the Land of Hot Water was still sitting in a carriage, which was loaded with goods.

As the carriage left Konoha, a figure underground directly passed through the ground beneath the village gate and ran out of the village.

Underground, Qingcheng looked at the Konoha gate guards and said seriously, "Even Pain didn't dare go through the front gate, so I certainly can't. These two guys are too strange. If I can't handle them, I'll be in trouble."

Qingcheng's current strength was roughly Kage-level. He couldn't go to war with Konoha's high-ranking officials yet, so he had to be stealthy. Only after killing Danzo could he do as he pleased.

As Kurenai Yuhi's team advanced, half an hour later, they reached the forest outside the village.

Kurenai Yuhi felt that the forest was unusually quiet, with not a single bird chirping, so she said very vigilantly, "Yugao, Hayate, everyone, raise your guard."

The minister of the Land of Hot Water, sitting in the carriage, immediately showed a troubled expression and said fearfully, "Konoha ninja, I paid a lot of money! You must protect my property!"

Hayate Gekko said seriously, "Minister, please rest assured. We Konoha ninjas have a moral code and will prioritize protecting you."