Uchiha Welfare Lottery

Battles between ninjas are all about information asymmetry! Unless one possesses strength on the level of Senju Hashirama, even Kage-level powerhouses can fall victim to a lack of information! (No offense intended to you, Hidan, or you, Master Kakuzu.)

The next day, Konoha East Main Street.

A storefront bearing the Uchiha clan crest held its grand opening. Family businesses like this usually have their own corresponding crests and unique identifiers. As the premier clan of Konoha, it was hardly surprising for the Uchiha to have some commercial ventures.

Which clan in Konoha doesn't have some form of commercial income? Do they really expect to support an entire clan solely on the earnings from ninja missions? That is clearly impossible.

"Hey, have you heard? The Uchiha clan is apparently selling Mangekyo Sharingan!" A Konoha civilian, clearly well-informed, had already sniffed out the news while the shop was still being renovated.

"What? Are you insane? If you want to die, go do it somewhere else; don't stand so close to me, I don't want to get splattered with your blood!" The surrounding crowd quickly put some distance between themselves and the civilian. Are you kidding? Provoking the Uchiha right in front of their own shop? Do you think the Uchiha Police Department is just for show?

The people of Konoha aren't stupid. The sheer deterrent power of that massive Susanoo on the night of the Nine-Tails attack was unforgettable. You'd go out of your way to provoke the Uchiha under these circumstances? One swing from that giant and your next-door neighbor would be joining you on a trip to meet the First Hokage!

"I'm not joking, I specifically looked into it. This new shop is apparently launching something called a 'Welfare Lottery,' and the grand prize is a Mangekyo Sharingan!" The civilian, rarely having a chance to show off, explained with great patience.

"Everyone, let's grab this lunatic and drag him straight to the Police Department." With that, they moved to act.

"Ah, there's no need for that! I'm telling the truth! Once they open the doors, you'll see I'm right. Let go, I can't breathe! Hey, you pervert, stop groping me, I'm a man!" The civilian struggled, shouting and resisting, only to be swarmed and hauled off toward the Uchiha Police Department.

Crack-pop-crack-pop (One hundred firecrackers go off).

"Fellow citizens of Konoha, to thank you all for your support of the Uchiha clan's police work over the years, and to mark the 49th anniversary of Konoha's founding, we are launching a special welfare product to give back to you all!" As he spoke, he pulled the Uchiha Welfare Lottery tickets from a box to the side. The exquisite designs featured various Sharingan patterns, from the basic One-Tomoe to the various forms of the Mangekyo. The designs alone were enough to attract a crowd of children to collect them!

"Look here in my hand. This is called a 'Scratch-off.' If you scratch off five One-Tomoe Sharingan patterns, you can redeem this ticket at the counter for a prize of 10,000 ryo. If you manage to scratch off five Two-Tomoe patterns, congratulations, you can claim 100,000 ryo! And if you can scratch off five Three-Tomoe patterns, you can claim a prize of up to 1,000,000 ryo!" Watching the eyes of the crowd light up, the shop manager took a sip of water, teasing them further.

"Beyond that, we have three major prizes: the first prize is a genuine Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the greatest ocular jutsu in the Ninja World; the second prize is 20 million ryo; and the third prize is 10 million ryo. Scratching one Mangekyo pattern wins the third prize, two wins the second, and three wins the first! Each ticket costs only 100 ryo. For a mere 100 ryo, you can't lose, and you won't be cheated!"

"Is... is what you're saying... true?" A Konoha villager asked, chewing on a steamed bun (looking every bit the beggar).

"Every word is true, no deception here! Someone like you, holding onto a dream, really shouldn't miss out on such a golden opportunity!" The bespectacled manager shouted through a megaphone, pointing at the man in the crowd.

"Even if you don't trust me, you should trust the gold-plated reputation of the Uchiha clan! A thousand years of Uchiha integrity—miss this, and you'll regret it for a lifetime!"

"Give me two scratch-offs!"

"I want two as well!"

"It's only 100 ryo, give me ten!"

The people of the Ninja World had zero resistance to something as novel as a welfare lottery, and one by one, they stepped onto the path of no return, fueled by their dreams.

Once they understood the rules, the enthusiasm of the Konoha villagers soared. Who couldn't spare 100 ryo for such a good deal?

Compared to the common villagers, the major ninja clans were baffled by the Uchiha's maneuver.

What are the Uchiha trying to do? Even if they wanted to invest in business, there's no need to go this far, right? Are they gambling away their clan's reputation? Couldn't they just let some of the clans that pledged allegiance to them handle the mess? At most, they could just assign a few clansmen to supervise!

For a ninja clan, strength is the only thing that matters. What? You say Uchiha Gen is the strongest in Konoha? Oh, never mind then...

At the same time, shops like this were popping up in medium and large cities all across the Land of Fire. The welfare lottery was a first for the Ninja World; there was no competition, and with the thousand-year reputation of the Uchiha clan backing it, it was even more trustworthy than the government guarantees of some smaller nations!

A single week of revenue equaled the total income of the Uchiha clan over the past five years. Nearly one percent of that revenue came from a certain blonde gambler from an enemy clan.

"Mangekyo... Mangekyo... Mangekyo! What? How is it a Two-Tomoe? One, two, three-tomoe, all scattered—this isn't a game of poker! Even five Two-Tomoe would have been better!" The blonde gambler stared at the pattern on the card with a constipated expression.

"Lady Tsunade, I think I won on this one." Shizune suddenly pulled out a ticket with five One-Tomoe patterns, looking proud.

If it were any other form of gambling, Shizune might have tried to talk Tsunade out of it, but the welfare lottery only cost 100 ryo, which was enough to satisfy Tsunade's gambling itch. Compared to the high-stakes games where she would bet millions in a single hand, Shizune was quite supportive of Tsunade getting hooked on this new lottery craze.

"Five One-Tomoe patterns? That's worth 10,000 ryo, right? Hahahaha, I've only spent 8,000 ryo since this morning—I'm in the profit! I'm in the profit!" The blonde gambler laughed boisterously.

How is that a profit? You'll probably lose it all back in a moment. Do you have any idea how much you've lost lately? Shizune thought to herself.

"The Uchiha clan finally did something useful. A good thing like the welfare lottery should have been introduced sooner! Do I, Tsunade, care about this little bit of money? It's just that the patterns on these cards look a bit awkward; it would be even better if they were replaced with our Senju Wood Release!" Tsunade laughed while muttering to herself.

"That's not true at all! The Sharingan is so cool! The Mangekyo is even cooler. When I grow up, I'm going to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan too!" A little brat who had been collecting the losing tickets to play with as cards chimed in. As he spoke, he waved the discarded lottery ticket, looking at Tsunade with utter disdain.