Benefits Maxed Out—Were They Treating Me Like an Ancestor?

The gates of Hidden Stone Village were even more magnificent than imagined.

Huge stone statues stood on either side, as if guarding this impregnable fortress.

Amid comically festive drums and gongs, the Uchiha Clan's procession marched through the gates in grand fashion.

The moment they entered, the style before them was completely different.

There were none of Leaf Village's delicate, intricate wooden structures.

As far as the eye could see, there were only domed stone buildings—solid, heavy, and brimming with a rough vitality.

The Hidden Stone villagers along the streets did not look at them with hostility.

On the contrary, after seeing the Tsuchikage personally leading the way, they merely curiously observed these outsiders.

"Old man Ōnoki really does have quite the prestige in this village."

Yoru surveyed his surroundings and silently assessed the situation.

Unlike the infighting among Leaf Village's higher-ups, power here was highly centralized.

The Uchiha clansmen's tense nerves finally relaxed somewhat.

"You two, take everyone to rest by the square first. Someone will arrange food and drinks."

Ōnoki turned around and gave Fugaku his instructions with a smile.

"Brother Yoru, Brother Minato, Clan Head Fugaku, let's head to the Tsuchikage Building and discuss business."

Before long, inside the circular conference room on the top floor of the Tsuchikage Building.

The doors were tightly shut.

Yet the atmosphere had dropped to freezing point.

Several elderly Hidden Stone high-ranking advisers sat on the other side of the conference table, their faces dark with anger.

They stared fixedly at Uchiha Yoru, who sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other.

"Lord Tsuchikage! You are being muddleheaded!"

An adviser with a goatee slammed his palm onto the table and rose to his feet.

"Taking in Leaf Village deserters is tantamount to declaring war on the Land of Fire!"

"Not to mention, they're Uchiha! There's an old saying in the ninja world: Uchiha hearts are harder to read than a woman's belt!"

Another fat adviser chimed in, spittle flying everywhere.

"Exactly! Letting wolves into the house! This is absolutely letting wolves into the house!"

"Who knows whether they're spies sent by Leaf Village, trying to tear us apart from within?"

They had spent all their lives sitting in offices and had never experienced that earth-shaking pressure on the front lines.

In their eyes, these people were nothing more than homeless dogs.

Ōnoki sat at the head of the table, holding a teacup as he lowered his head and blew on the floating tea leaves.

He said nothing.

The old fox was shrewd.

He wanted to take in the Uchiha, but he did not want to shoulder all the pressure alone.

He was taking advantage of these old fossils' mouths to test Yoru's limits.

If he could also take the edge off this young man and make the Uchiha obediently follow Hidden Stone's orders in the future, that would be even better.

"Are you done?"

Yoru lounged against the sofa and picked at his ear.

He did not even glance at the advisers jumping about in outrage. He merely gave Ōnoki a casual look.

"Old man, the dogs under you are a little too noisy."

The goateed adviser was so furious that he nearly fainted.

"Outrageous! You, an outsider and deserter, dare spout such insolence in the Tsuchikage Building!"

His hands rapidly formed seals, ready to teach this ignorant brat a lesson with an earth-style technique.

However.

Before he could finish forming the seals.

"Buzz—"

A terrifyingly chilling killing intent, beyond all description, erupted through the conference room without warning!

Yoru remained seated, not even moving a finger.

Yet his eyes had already transformed into scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan!

Tangible blue chakra, like a raging tsunami, instantly flooded the entire room!

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Fine cracks began spreading across the conference room's bulletproof glass.

The heavy solid-wood conference table groaned under the unbearable strain.

An immense chakra pressure, so overwhelming it inspired despair, pierced straight into their souls!

"Th-This is... what is this..."

The goateed adviser's hands froze in mid-seal, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

He felt like an ant being watched by a primordial beast, his very breathing forcibly cut off.

"Bang!"

The fat adviser beside him was the first to give out. His legs went weak, and he slid straight off his chair beneath the table, so terrified that he wet himself.

The entire Tsuchikage Building shook violently beneath this pressure!

"A c-complete-body Susanoo's... aura?!"

The teacup in Ōnoki's hand fell onto the table with a clatter, spilling scalding tea all over the floor.

He had only wanted to test him.

Who could have imagined that this brat had such a violent temper? At the slightest disagreement, he flipped the table—and what he brought out was a nuclear bomb!

"Brother Yoru! Brother Yoru, calm down! We can talk this out!"

Ōnoki hurriedly jumped to his feet and stood in front of the advisers who were nearly scared to death, cold sweat instantly pouring down his face.

He truly believed it now. This brat really had the power to tear down the Tsuchikage Building and rebuild it!

Yoru slowly withdrew his chakra.

The suffocating pressure vanished in an instant like a receding tide.

He leaned back against the sofa again and looked at Ōnoki with a faintly amused smile.

"Old man, I don't have the best temper. What I hate most is people pointing fingers at me."

"For your sake, I'll let this slide this time."

"If they dare bark again next time..."

Yoru paused, and a dangerous gleam flashed through his dark pupils.

"I'll let them know that when the Uchiha wolf eats people, it doesn't spit out the bones."

Ōnoki wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then turned and glared viciously at the advisers huddled in the corner, trembling.

"Shut your mouths, all of you! Is this a place where you get to speak?!"

The old fox seized the chance with incredible speed and immediately put on a fawning smile.

"Brother Yoru is right. These fools simply have no eye for people!"

"Someone! Bring me the deed to the largest and best commercial plot on Third Street in the village center!"

A few minutes later.

An Anbu tremblingly carried an exquisite wooden box and placed it before Yoru.

Ōnoki rubbed his hands together, smiling like a blooming flower.

"Brother Yoru, this is the village's most prosperous district. From now on, it will be your Uchiha Clan's new clan grounds!"

"Also, aside from the highest-level forbidden techniques, all scrolls in Hidden Stone Village's ninjutsu archive will be fully open to the Uchiha!"

Ōnoki patted his chest, brimming with bold confidence.

"As for settlement expenses and initial operating funds, I've approved them with no upper limit! Take however much you need from the treasury!"

Fugaku, who had remained silent beside them, suddenly widened his eyes upon hearing this.

The deed to a prime plot in the highest-class commercial district?

Full access to ninjutsu scrolls?

Unlimited funding?!

Were they supposed to be refugees?

This was a hundred times more glorious than serving as Leaf Village's police force!

They were practically worshipping the Uchiha as ancestors!

Minato looked at the wooden box on the table, then at the Tsuchikage treating Yoru with utmost respect, and gave a helpless bitter smile.

Sure enough, in the ninja world, a big fist was the only real rule.

Yoru reached out, picked up the deed, and casually tossed it to the still-dazed Fugaku beside him.

"Fine, old man. I accept your sincerity."

Yoru rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Don't worry. I won't take your things for nothing."

"I'll slowly teach your people the intelligence on Leaf Village's border defenses, as well as those techniques."

"I'll turn Hidden Stone Village into an iron fortress that not even a Leaf Village fly can enter."

Yoru walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the bustling streets of Hidden Stone Village below.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell over his tousled black hair, reflecting a cold sheen.

"Doesn't Leaf Village love playing power games and carrying out purges?"

The corner of Yoru's mouth slowly curled into a chilling smile.

"Then let them take a good look."

"At just how much trouble they'll bring upon themselves by offending the Uchiha."

He turned around, looked at the excited Ōnoki, and softly uttered a single sentence.

"Leaf Village, are you ready to welcome your nightmare?"