Conflict, Senju Tobirama's Open Scheme

The two guards saluted immediately upon seeing him.

"Clan Head! This guy was drunk and harassing this woman in the street, so we apprehended him."

The drunkard lifted his head, his face flushed and eyes unfocused, still shouting:

"So what if I harassed her? I'm out there on the front lines risking my life, killing enemies and earning merit! Doesn't Konoha enjoy peace because of us ninjas? What's wrong with me touching her a bit? It's her good fortune!"

The surrounding crowd whispered among themselves; some frowned, while others nodded.

Xuandou's expression darkened.

"Take him away and deal with him according to the rules."

The two guards acknowledged the order, hoisted the drunkard up, and dragged him away.

The drunkard continued to yell:

"A ninja's status is higher than a civilian's! I'll harass whoever I want!"

"You bunch of Uchiha, abusing your power for personal gain! By what right do you arrest me!"

The voice gradually faded into the distance.

Xuandou stood where he was, watching the onlookers slowly disperse and glancing at the woman being helped away, feeling an indescribable bitterness in his heart.

These ninjas were capable of committing any atrocity on the battlefield.

Civilians of enemy nations were killed or robbed without consequence.

Some even used women from enemy nations to vent their desires, and no one cared.

But upon returning to Konoha, that lingering bloodlust didn't vanish overnight, easily leading to trouble.

To correct them, one could only resort to forceful measures.

And the ones responsible for enforcing the law were the Uchiha.

Those arrested wouldn't hate Konoha, nor would they hate the Hokage; they would only hate the ones who caught them.

This was reality.

The public and the law enforcers were naturally at odds, destined to have a strained relationship.

Sometimes, even when using firm measures, they would be subjected to malicious speculation by the public.

Xuandou sighed helplessly.

It seemed that for the foreseeable future, the Uchiha's reputation would only worsen.

He suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Handing the Police Force over to the Uchiha looked like granting power on the surface, but in reality, it was placing the Uchiha on a spit over an open fire.

By making the Uchiha the ones to do the arresting, day after day, it would be a miracle if the public liked them.

This was an unsolvable open conspiracy.

He had no good solution for now and could only take things one step at a time.

Just as he was thinking, someone suddenly appeared beside him.

Shisui's figure emerged at his side:

"Clan Head, I have found the craftsmen you asked me to look for."

Xuandou felt a surge of joy upon hearing this.

"Let's go, take me to see them!"

With these craftsmen, the clan's construction could finally begin.

Once the Indulgence Apartment and Desire Hot Spring were built, the population could start to grow.

Following Shisui back to the clan grounds, he saw a large group of people standing in an open space from afar.

Leading them was a young craftsman, dressed quite meticulously, arms crossed, his face full of impatience.

Seeing Shisui bring someone over, he immediately started shouting:

"Hey! We are from the Land of Artisans! Do you know what the Land of Artisans means? The best craftsmanship in the entire ninja world! You Uchiha are too arrogant, making us wait this long?"

Xuandou ignored his temper, stepped forward, and handed over the [Clan Ancestral Hall] blueprint provided by the system.

"My apologies, I am the Uchiha Clan Head, Xuandou. Take a look at this blueprint first; can you build it?"

The young craftsman took the blueprint, his mouth still running:

"I come from a family of builders; my ancestors have built countless houses. What kind of blueprint haven't I seen..."

Halfway through his sentence, he looked down at the blueprint.

His expression froze.

He took another look.

His brows furrowed.

He simply crouched on the ground, spread the blueprint out, and began tracing the lines with his finger bit by bit.

"Hiss... this place... something's not right..."

Xuandou didn't rush him, simply waiting on the side.

The young craftsman studied it for a long time before looking up. The arrogance on his face had vanished, replaced by a smile:

"Um... please wait a moment, I'll go call my father."

He turned back and shouted into the crowd:

"Hurry and invite my father over!"

He then turned back to explain:

"It's not that I can't understand it, it's just that your building is too precious. I have to bring in the old man, who has more refined skills. This is me being responsible to you!"

Xuandou held back a laugh and nodded.

Before long, a burly, middle-aged craftsman walked over quickly.

The young craftsman leaned in:

"Dad, take a look at this blueprint..."

The middle-aged craftsman slapped him on the back of the head:

"I told you to study your craft properly before, but you wouldn't! Now you're out here embarrassing me! What kind of blueprint could possibly stump your old man..."

He took the blueprint and lowered his head to look.

"Eh?"

The contempt on his face slowly froze.

His brows furrowed.

He crouched down to examine it closely.

"This... this structure... hmm... how could it be like this?"

After studying it for a while, under his son's suspicious gaze, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Xuandou:

"It's not that I can't build this, it's just that inviting my father to come out of retirement would be a bit safer."

He turned back again:

"Go, invite the old man!"

Xuandou:

"..."

Not long after, an old man leaning on a cane walked over slowly.

"I was already preparing to retire. What kind of blueprint could you two not handle, forcing you to bother these old bones of mine?"

The middle-aged craftsman hurried forward and handed over the blueprint:

"Father, take a look at this..."

The old man took the blueprint and glanced at it nonchalantly.

His gaze suddenly locked onto it.

He put away his cane, crouched down, and spread the blueprint flat.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Hmm... this part... marvelous..."

"This corner treatment... it's a work of genius..."

"Back when I built the palace for the Daimyo, I never saw such an exquisite design..."

The more the old man looked, the more excited he became, his fingers gently stroking the blueprint.

Xuandou breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to ask:

"Old sir, can you build this structure?"

The old man looked up and sized Xuandou up from head to toe.

"I can build it. But the materials required are particular, and the craftsmanship is complex..."

He paused:

"Materials plus labor, it will cost five hundred million ryo."

Xuandou had been mentally prepared, but hearing the actual number still made him gasp.

Five hundred million ryo...

But thinking of the effect of the Ancestral Hall: a 10% increase in the probability of awakening the Sharingan, this money had to be spent.

With the Ancestral Hall, the clan would be able to produce a steady stream of geniuses!

He gritted his teeth:

"Very well. Also, please take a look at these two."

He handed over the blueprints for the Indulgence Apartment and the Desire Hot Spring as well.

The old man took them, squinted at them for a long while, and nodded:

"Two hundred million ryo per apartment building. The hot spring will be one billion ryo."

Gento felt a pang of pain in his chest again.

But he didn't let it show on his face:

"Fine. Please start construction as soon as possible."

Hearing him agree so readily, the old man looked him over once more.

"I'll state this upfront. I am Goumu Ganweng from the Land of Artisans, and even the Daimyo of every nation must show me a modicum of respect. The work taken on by our Goumu clan is never done on credit."

Gento pulled out a sealing scroll and handed it over directly:

"Here is five hundred million ryo, as an advance for the materials. Please start the work as soon as possible; the sooner, the better."

Goumu took the scroll, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

"Good, worthy of the Uchiha, a prestigious clan of the ninja world; you certainly do things with flair!"

"I'll take this job!"

He tucked away the scroll and waved at his son behind him:

"The craftsmen currently in the Land of Fire likely won't be enough. Return to the clan immediately and bring over another batch of skilled artisans!"

Seeing this, Gento pointed to Shisui:

"This is Shisui of the Uchiha. If there are any further needs, you can deal with him directly."

He took out another scroll and handed it to Shisui:

"Inside this is two billion ryo. For the Ancestral Hall, the hot spring, and the five apartment buildings. As the construction progresses, you will settle the payments with them."

Shisui took it with both hands and bowed his head in response:

"Yes, Clan Leader."

With the arrangements made, Gento felt relieved.

Next, all he had to do was wait for the buildings to be completed.

Meanwhile.

Deep within the Root base.

Aburame Torune knelt on one knee before Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, the investigation has yielded results."

"I discovered that during the war, Uchiha Gento distributed a special type of Military Ration Pill to various clans. Someone in the Aburame clan kept two of them."

He pulled two brown pills from his robes and offered them up with both hands.

Danzo took them and sniffed them at the tip of his nose.

He picked up one and popped it into his mouth.

After chewing for a moment, the Military Ration Pill began to take effect.

A moment later, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"This Military Ration Pill..."

He stood up and paced twice with his hands behind his back.

"Good stuff. Far superior to what Root is currently using."

"These Military Ration Pills should be used by my Root!"

He turned around and looked at Torune:

"Go and find out the source of the formula. Also, find out how many more he has in his possession."

Torune lowered his head:

"Yes."

Danzo waved his hand.

Just as Torune was about to withdraw, Danzo suddenly spoke again:

"Wait."

Torune stopped.

Danzo was silent for a moment, his voice low:

"Send a few people to capture some Uchiha clansmen. I want them alive."

"Make them talk and explain the matter of these Military Ration Pills clearly."

Torune looked up at Danzo, then quickly lowered his head again:

"Yes."

His figure flickered and vanished into the darkness.

Danzo stood alone in the dim room, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.

Uchiha Gento...

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.