Listening to Music at the Brothel, Women are Ephemeral

The Nine-Tails, in the middle of a hearty meal, suddenly noticed the strange look the little maid was giving it.

What does that mean?

Did I eat too much?

Wasn't it promised that food and lodging were included?

Xia Lian was actually just worried that it wasn't getting enough to eat, yet afraid that giving it too much would make it sick.

"By the way, do you have a special way of contacting each other?" Uchiha Yang asked directly once the Nine-Tails finished eating.

"We have a way to contact one another, but we generally don't. It's been decades since the last time," the Nine-Tails replied after giving it some thought.

"Do you want to bring them all to your side?"

The Nine-Tails began to feel a bit jealous.

"No, I was just asking out of pure curiosity. They hold no appeal for me."

Uchiha Yang had no interest in the other eight Tailed Beasts, and even all eight combined couldn't beat a single Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails let out a sudden huff and turned its head away. In a direction where it couldn't be seen, the corners of its mouth curled up slightly.

Back in the capital, Uchiha Yang's life was very ordinary and stable, a simple routine of home, work, and leisure.

On the first day back, he took his pet for a walk, stopped by a pleasure house to listen to music, then walked home.

On the fourth day back, he took his pet for a walk, stopped by a pleasure house to listen to music, then walked home.

On the seventh day back, he took his pet for a walk, stopped by a pleasure house to listen to music, and walked all night.

On the tenth day back, he took his pet for a walk, stopped by a pleasure house to listen to music, then walked home.

A month after returning, he supervised the Nine-Tails' walk, stopped by a pleasure house to listen to music—the ladies there truly had lovely voices—and went home when finished.

Just like that, over the course of two months, Uchiha Yang visited every entertainment venue in the capital, under the pretense of taking the Nine-Tails for a walk.

In the end, Uchiha Yang reached a conclusion: the next place was always better.

During these two months, Uchiha Yang lived a carefree life, while the situation in the outside world grew tense because of him.

Senju Hashirama, having failed to obtain the Nine-Tails at the time, could only helplessly procure the One-Tail Shukaku from the Land of Wind under the constant nagging of his elders.

It was actually a coincidence; news of the One-Tail was discovered by accident.

In truth, Black Zetsu was working behind the scenes like a doting parent; since the Nine-Tails had been snatched away by the Uchiha Clan, Black Zetsu had to ensure the Senju had a Tailed Beast of their own.

Uzumaki Changfeng had also paid a massive price to rescue his daughter, Mito, convincing the Senju Clan to step forward and negotiate with the Uchiha.

However, Uchiha Madara's attitude was extremely firm; he refused to hand over Uzumaki Mito under any circumstances.

This was a woman his cousin had taken a fancy to, and not even Senju Hashirama could change that.

No matter how Senju Hashirama tried to negotiate, Uchiha Madara would not budge.

Senju Hashirama wasn't angry yet, but Senju Tobirama was fuming, believing the Uchiha were openly provoking the Senju.

Consequently, Senju Tobirama used unknown methods to gain the unanimous consent of all the elders to force the Uchiha to hand over Uzumaki Mito by military might, something even Senju Hashirama could not stop.

After all, Uzumaki Mito was still nominally his fiancée, and Uzumaki Changfeng was currently living with the Senju Clan. Even a patient man has his limits, and Madara was simply going too far.

To Senju Hashirama, the price the Senju Clan had paid far exceeded the value of Uzumaki Mito herself, and as for the claim that Madara's cousin had taken a liking to her, he didn't believe it for a second.

Thus, Senju Tobirama personally deployed a large number of ninja to the border, most of whom belonged to the affiliated clans.

Uchiha Madara did not show the slightest weakness; if they wanted to fight, they would fight. The Uchiha Clan would not take a single step back.

Uchiha Madara summoned a large number of ninja from affiliated clans to gather at the defensive line, with the Great Elder personally overseeing the command.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Izuna had gathered enough researchers and began constructing a secret research laboratory beneath the clan grounds.

He provided the researchers with a concept and supplied all the necessary equipment; he wanted whatever they needed, and as long as the results were good, the process didn't matter.

Everything was proceeding secretly according to plan.

At the border, over the course of two months, the two sides engaged in minor skirmishes time and again. Tempers flared, but both sides exercised restraint, stopping at the point of conflict without easily triggering an all-out war.

However, every move made by the Senju and Uchiha drew the attention of many major ninja clans.

The Hyuga Clan, also living in the Land of Fire, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, and the inseparable Ino-Shika-Cho trio were all watching the friction between the Uchiha and the Senju.

If war were to break out between the two clans again, they might have a chance to profit from the chaos, or at the very least, make a fortune by selling war supplies to both sides at high prices.

During the last war, these clans had profited significantly from both the Uchiha and the Senju.

Of course, there were also many with ulterior motives planning to snatch a piece of the pie from the Uchiha.

Southwest City, located to the southwest of the Uchiha defensive line, was a large city inhabited by an alliance of over a dozen ninja clans.

Southwest City frequently harassed the Uchiha's southwest border defenses whenever they were engaged with the Senju.

It seemed they were already beginning to stir.

"The personnel we've trained can now easily operate the equipment on the production lines, and all the factories are running smoothly. Feudal Lord, just wait to collect your share of the money."

Inside the Daimyo Mansion, Uchiha Yang carelessly raised his cup and downed the contents in one gulp. As the fiery liquor slid down his throat, he could only think of one word: refreshing.

"Then I shall wait for my share of the dividends."

The Daimyo covered half his face with a folding fan, letting out a cunning, wheezing laugh.

These factories were running smoothly and held immense potential; they were destined to bring in a fortune every single day.

He felt that his cut was too small, but the moment he remembered he was dealing with the Uchiha Clan, he had to swallow his dissatisfaction to achieve his goal of winning them over.

"Rest assured, Daimyo. As long as these production lines face no issues, you will become the wealthiest Daimyo in the entire world."

Uchiha Yang watched the pot-bellied Daimyo of the Land of Fire with a beaming smile.

If the man refused to be obedient, he wouldn't mind helping a more compliant Daimyo take the throne.

All power required strength as a foundation; otherwise, authority was nothing more than ethereal clouds, ready to burst at the slightest poke.

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, Uchiha Yang took his leave of the Daimyo and boarded the carriage that had been waiting for him for quite some time.

"My Lord, shall we head back now?"

Seeing that his master reeked of alcohol, Uchiha Sake couldn't help but suggest, "Perhaps we should find a place to relax."

Uchiha Yang rolled his eyes. "Are they relaxing you, or are you relaxing the masseuses? I don't even want to talk about you."

"Don't go picking up bad habits from Uchiha Ya."

"My Lord, I'm being framed! He didn't learn that from me."

Uchiha Ya, who had been watching the show, felt a heavy pot of blame being forced onto his head and cried out in protest.

[Brain: Fallen, we have truly fallen. My mind is now filled with images of relaxing the masseuses.]

[Hand: Soft... girl, hehe.]

[Leg: I have to say, those fair legs—next time, I must find little sister Xiao Ye to properly make up for my lessons.]

You lot just have poor mental fortitude. Look at your master; I am only thinking about making money now. Women are nothing but fleeting clouds.

Having been in a "sage mode" for an entire day, Uchiha Yang could spout nonsense without even needing to draft it.

Upon hearing this, the Brain and the others silently watched the little maid in black stockings massaging their master's back, her face flushed red.

The way their master could lie with his eyes wide open—they still had a lot to learn from him.