Retribution? No, I'm Just Taking Back What's Mine

"The real trouble now isn't the Land of Water, but the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Water is also weakened right now. They merely want to take advantage of the situation to demand some benefits. That vast ocean is their protective barrier, but it is also ours.

The Land of Lightning has already stationed troops at the border. They could truly erupt at any moment."

The Third Hokage rubbed his temples. After the Uchiha Clan incident, none of Konoha's clans seemed to know how much they had contributed to the village.

They clamored for benefits all day long. Did they expect my Sarutobi Clan to cough them up for them?

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon Shimura Danzo. Then Danzo would have to suffer a little.

"In the past, it was the Uchiha Clan and the Land of Lightning that kept each other in check. Now, we need to put forward a new clan. The Hyuga Clan would be a good choice."

Shimura Danzo felt uneasy under the Third Hokage's stare and began offering suggestions.

They were Konoha's higher-ups now, and only then could they obtain benefits from Konoha. If war broke out, they would suffer losses as well.

"Danzo, take a portion of the gains from the Uchiha Clan and compensate the Land of Water.

I will permit Root to continue existing. At the same time, aside from Shisui's Sharingan, the rest will all be yours."

The Third Hokage named his terms—or rather, he was placating Shimura Danzo.

The Uchiha Clan had been a colossal force ever since the founding of the Land of Fire.

Although Uchiha Feng had taken away part of their assets, what remained was still an enormous sum.

"Two hundred million ryo! That's all I can offer?" Shimura Danzo said probingingly.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who were listening nearby, both widened their eyes. Listen to that—was that something a human being would say? Just how much had the two of them taken from the Uchiha Clan?

The Third Hokage's next words shocked them even more.

"Not enough. Add ten more shops. Give the ninja clans in the village some benefits. It's decided!"

The Third Hokage made the final call, leaving Shimura Danzo no chance to object.

Both elders felt their hearts stir. Ten shops in Konoha?

Such shops could continuously generate value. More importantly, they could become the foundation of a clan.

"Fine! But Uchiha Sasuke must be under my control.

Uchiha Itachi has already gone out of control, hasn't he?

Let him fight that Uchiha Clan survivor. No matter the outcome, it will benefit us."

Shimura Danzo first revealed a pained expression, agreed to the terms, then began stating his conditions.

"Fine." The Third Hokage nodded.

The moment Uchiha Itachi refused to acknowledge that he controlled Shisui's Sharingan, he lost their trust.

The Land of Iron was a renowned neutral country in the ninja world. It was close to the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, bordered the Land of Fire, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Fields, and possessed abundant mineral resources.

The Land of Iron supposedly had no ninja, with the nation guarded by its own "samurai." Yet these samurai all refined chakra; they simply practiced a special form of ninja taijutsu.

The capital of the Land of Iron.

This was the most prosperous place in the Land of Iron. Every country had a trading association here to purchase minerals and forge ninja tools.

The Uchiha Clan had a sizable trading association here as well, established together with the Ninja Cat Clan.

After receiving the summoning scroll left behind by the Great Elder, he had tried adding his name to it, but every attempt had been rejected.

Even more interestingly, ever since entering the Land of Iron, he had constantly felt as though he were being watched.

Only after switching to a Yajirobe clone and taking advantage of the glutton's traits did he discover that he was being watched by some stray cats.

Behind those stray cats hid Ninja Cats with chakra.

It seemed the arrangements left behind by the Great Elder had gone wrong.

Now, he wanted to see just what sort of creatures these Ninja Cats were.

What he cared about was not the summoned beasts, but the ninjutsu left behind by the Great Elder!

That was also a complete system of cultivation, one Uchiha Feng had never intended to abandon.

With the boost from his cards, his cultivation of qi had already reached the level of a jonin, but he still needed to understand the profession of ninja.

In battle, intelligence on both sides was a crucial factor in determining victory or defeat.

The Uchiha Clan's inheritance contained many forbidden techniques, as well as knowledge of this ninja world.

Even with the memories in his mind, that knowledge remained immensely valuable.

Uchiha Feng brought his clone to the same inn and smelled the special incense Fujiwara Ichiro had mentioned. It truly was distinctive.

His main body cultivated at the inn while he created a Yajirobe clone and headed for the trading association established by the Uchiha Clan.

This was Uchiha Feng's first time visiting a trading association established by the Uchiha Clan. Traces of the Uchiha Clan could still be seen here. For instance, the Uchiha Clan crest could be seen on a carpet underground.

Before this, the crest should have been hung somewhere to deter those with ill intentions. Now, it was being trampled underfoot.

Anger rose in Uchiha Feng's heart. They really were snobbish.

Only then did he recall the description of the Ninja Cat Clan: [Willful snobs!]

The Uchiha Great Elder must have entrusted his hopes to the Ninja Cat Clan only because he had been left with no other choice in a desperate situation, right?

Our Uchiha Clan has not even died out yet, and we are already being treated like this.

Uchiha Feng's Yajirobe clone walked in, with a stack of silver notes peeking out from his clothes.

That kind of entrance was exceptionally eye-catching.

"Hello, sir. Is there anything you need?" A female attendant whose appearance resembled a cross between a fox and a cat approached him.

These people had signed contracts with the Ninja Cat Clan, though it was a different kind of contract.

After so many years of being eroded by Ninja Cat chakra, they had developed feline habits. Just like Naruto Uzumaki had been affected by the Nine-Tails' chakra since childhood and developed animal-like traits.

"I'm here to take back what I entrusted here!"

Uchiha Feng took out the scroll left by the Great Elder. A golden beckoning cat was printed on it.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The girl receiving him had jewel-like pupils that constricted into slits. Excited, she turned and left.

Before long, an old woman whose appearance was even closer to that of a cat came before Uchiha Feng.

Before they had even exchanged words, the old woman extended claws resembling a cat's, intending to snatch the scroll from Uchiha Feng's hand.

With the enhancement of the Yajirobe card, Uchiha Feng easily dodged. The scroll was still pressed beneath the old woman's hand, leaving her unable to move.

"Bring what belongs to me in exchange!" Uchiha Feng's Yajirobe clone looked clumsy, yet its reactions were even faster than those of his main body.

A strange glint flashed through the old woman's eyes. After signing a contract with the Ninja Cat Clan and being influenced for so many years, her life form had become half-human, half-cat. Her reaction speed was even faster than that of ordinary elite jonin.

Yet this little fat man had actually dodged so easily.

He had even countered her.

"Little fatty, this scroll belongs to our Ninja Cat Clan. Leave it behind! I can keep your whereabouts secret."

The old woman's expression turned unfriendly, and her tone carried an unmistakable threat.

"It seems you have no intention of honoring the agreement!"