Monopoly

"Ugh, Gen, we might need to reconsider this plan. Knowing the nature of Konoha's higher-ups, if they find out we possess such capabilities, they won't treat us like human beings. Besides, people are inherently jealous; if other villagers find out about our situation, that jealousy will only breed malice. No, no, this plan won't work!" As the head of the clan, Uchiha Fugaku quickly identified the crux of the problem.

"Heh, the world runs on profit. If the Konoha higher-ups can exploit the masses, why can't we do the opposite? Over all these years, I believe our clan must have stockpiled quite a few Three-Tomoe Sharingan, right? As long as they can afford the price, what harm is there in selling them a few?" Uchiha Gen said magnanimously.

"How is that possible! The Sharingan is unique to the Uchiha clan; how can we resell it to others? It's already a miracle we haven't been hiding them away, and you want to sell them? Impossible! Absolutely impossible. Even if I agreed, the elders and the clansmen would never consent! Furthermore, if outsiders were to learn of a heaven-defying ocular technique like Izanagi, our Uchiha clan would never know peace again! We would be met with endless assassinations. The bounty offices would drive the price of our Sharingan to the heavens, and even Konoha wouldn't be able to protect us then!" Uchiha Fugaku looked like a bristling hedgehog.

"No, no, Clan Head Fugaku, we must take a long-term view. Even if they buy the Sharingan from us at an exorbitant price, so what? You must understand that a Sharingan without ocular power is just a blind eye. Without my help, even if they possess the Sharingan, it's nothing but a useless trinket. As long as we control the supply of ocular power, we control their lifeline. As long as they need Izanagi to save their lives, they will forever be bound to the interests of the Uchiha. As for them playing dirty to steal our clansmen's eyes? That's even more impossible. We only recognize the registered list of buyers; anyone else who comes will not be allowed to 'recharge.' A Sharingan that cannot be renewed will only invite us to hunt them down! It's such a thankless and difficult task that I believe any smart person will know how to choose!" Uchiha Gen said with full confidence. This strategy was somewhat reminiscent of the dollar hegemony from his past life.

"That may be so, but our clan's accumulated Three-Tomoe Sharingan simply cannot support long-term sales!" Uchiha Fugaku frowned deeply.

"No, no, we don't need long-term sales. We only need to give them a little sweetness and a little hope. We can set an astronomical price for the Three-Tomoe Sharingan—a price that 99% of people cannot afford. The remaining 1% is who we need to bind. But we can't let the common people lose hope, or it will incite public anger and make the Uchiha the target of everyone's scorn. So, we can set up a lottery mechanism, selecting a few lucky winners each year to be gifted a few Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Even then, we don't lose out; it's equivalent to the public crowdfunding to buy a few Sharingan! If you really calculate it, these few might sell for even more than the astronomical list price! And the winners don't lose out either. Even if they don't use them themselves, or if they are civilians who can't use them due to a lack of chakra, it doesn't matter. They can sell the Sharingan they won at an astronomical price under the witness of the Uchiha! We, the Uchiha clan, can even have priority to buy back these Sharingan. If you, as the clan head, still feel it's too much of a loss, you can simply have 'our own people' take the grand prize." Uchiha Gen spoke eloquently.

"Hmm? Put that way, it is indeed a viable path. However, the technique of Izanagi should not be leaked. When we transmit the ocular power, we can directly use the Transcription Seal to engrave the Izanagi seal formula. It is best if those outsiders know the result but not the reason!" Uchiha Fugaku added.

"That would be for the best. By then, everyone who buys a Sharingan will be a stakeholder in the Uchiha clan. As long as they cannot live without Izanagi for a single day, they will never be able to shake off the Uchiha!" Uchiha Gen gave a wicked smile.

"But with such massive interests involved, the Konoha higher-ups won't just sit by and watch. When they get greedy, they are capable of any dirty trick!" Uchiha Fugaku worried. The cake was too big; with the Uchiha's current capacity, it was a bit risky to try and swallow it all safely.

"There is absolutely no need to worry about that. The foundation of all interests is built upon ocular techniques and ocular power—both are indispensable. Whoever controls these controls the future. The higher-ups who can unite the majority are the ones the Uchiha should fear, but right now, it is the Uchiha who are uniting the majority!" Uchiha Gen laughed wildly.

"Since that is the case, I will make arrangements. Tomorrow morning, we will hold a full clan meeting. All Three-Tomoe members must attend. Then we can pool our wisdom to fill in the gaps!" Uchiha Fugaku was successfully recruited into the Chuanxiao Organization by Uchiha Gen.

"That's settled then. Let's stop here for today; I'll be heading back." Uchiha Gen had achieved his goal, and Uchiha Fugaku had gained much as well. Both host and guest were satisfied.

Watching Uchiha Gen walk away, Little Itachi looked up at his father and asked, "Father, is he the person from that night?"

"Yes. Not only is his strength formidable, but his way of thinking is even more extraordinary. Such a monster—he is truly the fortune of the Uchiha clan!" Uchiha Fugaku sighed.

"Then, is he stronger than Lord Third?" Uchiha Itachi asked innocently.

"Ugh, Lord Third is old and frail; he is no match for him."

"Then is he stronger than Lord Fourth?" Itachi asked again.

"As of now, there is likely no one in Konoha who is his match. If I really had to count, I could perhaps manage to spar with him for a while!" Uchiha Fugaku said with a hint of pride.

"Hmm?" Regarding his father's strength, Uchiha Itachi had always assumed his father was at most an elite jonin. With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his father should be considered among the very best of the elite jonin, but even so, that shouldn't warrant such a statement, right? A person whom even the Third and Fourth couldn't compare to, yet you could spar with him? After spending so much time together, he only just realized his father had a habit of bragging!

If this were in the past, Fugaku saying this would indeed be bragging. But just a moment ago, the internet-addicted middle-aged man Fugaku had already "recharged" 100 million at Uchiha Gen's place. It was no exaggeration to say that when it came to opening the Complete Body Susanoo, Uchiha Gen was number one in all of Konoha, and he, Uchiha Fugaku, was firmly number two! No bragging involved!

Seeing the suspicion in his son's eyes, Fugaku gave a mysterious smile and offered no further explanation.

The next day, at the Uchiha clan meeting...

"Fugaku, are you sure you aren't joking?" Uchiha Yashiro was shocked.

"Divine Grace? Ocular power transmission? How terrifying..." Uchiha Onibi gasped.

"I object! We are the proud Uchiha clan! How can we engage in such merchant-like behavior? What kind of decorum is this?" Uchiha Setsuna looked indignant.

"I support it..." said the jonin Uchiha Kouotsu.