Konoha's Gate Gods

Uchiha Qingcheng stored another four hundred thousand Explosive Tags in Yomi Space, then took out three billion ryo and summoned Yamahuku before him.

Yamahuku smiled. "Clan Head, what do you need?"

Qingcheng said seriously, "Yamahuku, buy up all the vacant land beside Ichiraku Ramen. A lot of people are pulling their investments out of Konoha now, so land is cheap."

He emphasized, "And on our Uchiha Street, take over every vacant storefront. If anyone wants to sell their shop, buy it outright."

Qingcheng said solemnly, "I want that entire street to become Uchiha Street."

Seeing Qingcheng take out three billion ryo, Yamahuku said in surprise, "Clan Head, you want to invest in shops and land? I advise against it."

Yamahuku warned him again, "The string of bombings in Konoha has made many wealthy people withdraw their investments. Storefronts will only become less valuable in the future. If you spend those three billion, it will definitely go down the drain."

Looking at Yamahuku's earnest expression, Qingcheng thought to himself, The vacant land beside Ichiraku Ramen wouldn't be damaged even if the Otsutsuki Clan came attacking. It's the prime location in Konoha, and you're telling me I'll lose money?

Qingcheng said seriously, "You must secure the vacant land beside Ichiraku Ramen for me. I want to build a commercial street there."

Seeing that Yamahuku was still hesitating, Qingcheng directly shouted, "Buy every storefront on Uchiha Street. With the Uchiha Clan stationed here, no one would dare bomb the place."

Yamahuku looked troubled by Qingcheng's blunt words and reminded him gravely, "Clan Head, this isn't a small sum. One careless move, and the money will go down the drain."

Qingcheng waved a hand. "Go! Move it, double-time!"

Yunye arrived at the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound, raised a hand, and knocked on the doors. "Uchiha Clan Head, I'm here!"

The guards on duty immediately opened the gates and let Yunye's group into the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Qingcheng asked seriously, "Yunye, what is it? How is the One-Stop Company's renovation coming along?"

With a fawning smile, Yunye said, "It's almost finished. We're still short two hundred thousand ryo for new instruments, and the band uniforms haven't been standardized yet."

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

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

Qingcheng smiled. "This is Konoha's first one-stop service. In a ninja world where people die every day, do you think it will make money?"

Qingcheng thought to himself, If there's no business, I'll blow up the Sarutobi Clan and see whether they want one-stop service.

He continued inwardly, And the remaining Shimura Clan remnants—I'll blow them up next time and use them to test the power of the Mutual Exploding Tag.

Yunye took the two hundred thousand ryo and left with a cheerful grin.

Yamahuku still looked doubtful, but when he saw Qingcheng's resolute gaze, he picked up the three billion ryo and said sternly, "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 later, I'll give you a huge bonus!"

Watching Yamahuku leave, Qingcheng thought to himself, The true golden age is about to arrive. How could I not make money?

Qingcheng said with a smile, "Once the Uchiha commercial empire begins, every Konoha resident will drink Uchiha milk powder from birth, be carried away by Uchiha One-Stop Service when they grow old, use Uchiha textbooks in school, use Uchiha ninja tools for missions, and eat Uchiha hotpot when celebrating."

Qingcheng's idea was simple: in the future, he would turn Konoha into a village of workhorses. He would open several more Uchiha factories and make every Konoha resident work for the Uchiha Clan. Risking one's life as a ninja only earned so much money. That was the only way to fundamentally solve Konoha residents' hostility toward the Uchiha Clan.

Qingcheng returned to his room and began refining Chakra. Once his Chakra was full, he planned to follow behind Kurenai and see what was going on.

Kurenai Yuhi formed a team with two chunin to carry out an escort mission.

The two chunin were Uzuki Yugao and Gekko Hayate. Both still looked young and inexperienced, barely in their early twenties.

Gekko Hayate's tuberculosis was not yet too dangerous, but the Hiding in Mist Technique came with a Bloodline Disease and was particularly vulnerable to sensory-type ninja.

Thus, the enormous Moonlight Clan had been reduced to Gekko Hayate alone, making them even worse off than the Uchiha Clan.

Both wore serious expressions and were full of confidence in this A-rank Mission.

When Uzuki Yugao saw Kurenai arrive, her face lit up with a smile. "Senior Kurenai Yuhi, we really are fated. We've been assigned together again this time."

Gekko Hayate folded his arms and said earnestly, "Hello, Jonin Kurenai Yuhi. I'll be counting on you for this mission."

The client was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man in his fifties, with a few patches of white hair on his head. Seeing that the escort ninja had all arrived, he smiled and said softly, "I'll be troubling you this time."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group began escorting the Land of Hot Water's minister back to the Land of Hot Water.

When Kurenai's mission team reached Konoha's gates, they saw Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, the two gate gods, standing guard at the entrance.

These two had already begun shining at Konoha's gate post. Even Pain had not dared use the front gate when invading Konoha, precisely because these two gate gods stood watch here.

The two gate gods saw Kurenai's team heading out on a mission and called out, "Kurenai Yuhi, you're escorting the Land of Hot Water's minister home. Be careful on the road, and have a safe journey."

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

With that, Kurenai's team continued onward toward the Land of Hot Water.

There were many bandits and wandering ninja along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, so the journey was far from safe.

Kurenai and the others remained alert. The Land of Hot Water's minister rode in a carriage loaded with a cartful of goods.

As the carriage left Konoha, a figure beneath the ground passed directly under the village gates and ran out of the village.

Underground, Qingcheng looked at Konoha's gate gods and said seriously, "Even Pain didn't dare use the front gate, so I definitely can't. These two are too damn uncanny. If I can't handle them, I'll be screwed."

Qingcheng's current strength was roughly at the Quasi-Kage Level. He still could not wage war against Konoha's upper ranks, so he had to keep quiet, sneak into the village, and only act freely after he took out Danzo.

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

Kurenai sensed that the forest was unusually quiet. Not a single bird could be heard, and she immediately warned, "Yugao, Hayate, everyone, stay alert."

The Land of Hot Water's minister, seated in the carriage, immediately looked troubled and fearful. "Konoha ninja, I paid a great deal of money. You must protect my property."

Gekko Hayate said seriously, "Minister, please rest assured. We Konoha Ninja have professional ethics and will prioritize protecting you."