Homes and Money! The Uchiha Clan Lived It Up in the Hidden Stone Village!

The bonfire celebration raged on until the eastern sky turned pale.

The Hidden Stone Village's liquor burned like knives, but the Uchiha men drank to their hearts' content.

It was the sheer relief of finally laying down their burdens, swallowing down the humiliation buried deep in their bones along with the alcohol.

There were no defenses, no suspicions.

For the first time, they slept soundly.

Early the next morning.

Just as sunlight flooded Third Avenue, the rumble of wheels jolted the Uchiha clansmen awake.

"My god... Did they empty out the treasury?"

An Uchiha youth who had stepped outside while rubbing his eyes nearly had his jaw drop when he saw the sight before him.

A long line of large carriages stood parked along the broad stone-paved road of Third Avenue.

There were dozens of them!

Leading the procession was the Hidden Stone Village's logistics minister, a plump middle-aged man whose smile made him resemble a benevolent Buddha.

"Good morning, honored guests of the Uchiha Clan!"

With a sweeping gesture from the logistics minister, the Hidden Stone shinobi beneath him immediately stepped forward and pulled back the waterproof tarps covering the carriages.

"Rattle—"

The golden gleam nearly blinded everyone present.

The first dozen or so carriages were filled with neatly stacked gold bars and crates of silver coins.

The carriages behind them were piled high with brand-new explosive tags, standard-issue kunai, Fūma shuriken, and even premium soldier pills supplied exclusively by the Hidden Stone Village.

"By order of the Tsuchikage."

The logistics minister pulled out a loudspeaker and announced with a cheerful smile.

"You have come from afar, so your settlement allowance certainly cannot be lacking!"

"Calculated per person, every member of the Uchiha Clan—even newborn babies—will receive a settlement allowance of one hundred thousand ryō!"

As soon as those words fell, the Uchiha ranks erupted in gasps.

One hundred thousand ryō?

In Leaf Village, an ordinary C-rank mission would only earn them ten or twenty thousand ryō even after working themselves to the bone—and the higher-ups would still take a cut.

And now, Ōnoki was just giving it away?

Calculated per person, with over a thousand people in their clan, how astronomical was that sum?

"And that's not all!"

Seeing everyone frozen in shock, the logistics minister's smile became even more radiant.

He pulled a thick stack of documents from his robes and waved it in the air.

"The three-story detached stone buildings on both sides of Third Avenue—a total of three hundred units—have all been cleared out."

"Starting today, these homes are your private property!"

"No rent is required. The deeds are all right here!"

If the money had been shocking before, then the distribution of houses now blew straight through the Uchiha clansmen's psychological defenses.

In Leaf Village, though they were nominally the foremost great clan, their compound had been pushed back again and again until they had been forcibly driven into a corner at the village's edge.

Entire families had been crammed into narrow wooden houses, all while having to guard against the Anbu spying on them at any moment.

But now?

The moment they arrived, they were given luxurious villas in the most prosperous district at the center of the village!

"Mommy, do we really get to live in a big house?"

A little girl of three or four tugged at her mother's hem and asked in a sweet childish voice.

The young mother covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.

She held her daughter tightly, her voice choked with emotion.

"Yes. We have a big house now. We'll never have to freeze or go hungry again."

Among the crowd, several elderly elders were weeping openly.

Supporting one another, they looked at cart after cart of real gold and silver, their bodies trembling with excitement.

"Heaven has eyes... Our Uchiha Clan has finally made it through!"

Fugaku stood on the steps, looking at the jubilant clansmen below, his own eyes reddening slightly.

He took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.

As clan head, he knew that none of this was because Ōnoki had suddenly become generous.

It was because that man had won them the confidence to stand tall through absolute strength.

Fugaku turned and headed toward a three-story stone building nearby.

This building had the best view and the most luxurious furnishings. Ōnoki had specifically reserved it for Yoru.

Yoru was sitting on the spacious second-floor balcony, his feet resting on the railing. He held a cup of freshly brewed hot tea as he basked leisurely in the sun.

"Yoru."

Fugaku pushed open the door and strode quickly to Yoru's side.

He clutched an asset inventory that the logistics department had just delivered, his knuckles pale from the force of his grip.

"It's all here."

Fugaku handed the list to Yoru, his voice trembling noticeably.

"The settlement funds, the property deeds, and the tax-exempt business licenses specially approved by the Hidden Stone Village."

"Ōnoki also sent word that the Uchiha Clan will no longer need to do thankless work like serving in the guard force and offending everyone."

Fugaku swallowed, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

"If the younger members of the clan want to do business, the Hidden Stone Village will provide interest-free loans."

"If they want to join the military, they won't have to start as genin. They can enter directly into key positions in the Anbu or the Demolition Corps."

Yoru glanced over the numbers on the list and nodded in satisfaction.

"That old fox Ōnoki has pinched pennies his whole life. This time, he's practically emptied his coffers."

Yoru took a sip of tea and chuckled.

"But it was money well spent. With a great Buddha like us guarding his home, he'll wake up laughing in his sleep."

Fugaku nodded heavily.

He stepped in front of Yoru, then suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed his head deeply.

"Clan head, what are you doing?"

Yoru raised an eyebrow and set down his teacup.

"Yoru, I was too foolish before. I was always trying to consider the bigger picture, and I nearly led the entire clan into a pit of fire."

Fugaku's voice was low, yet filled with unprecedented resolve.

"You were the one who kicked me awake. You were also the one who led everyone and forcibly carved out a path to survival in these chaotic times."

"Seeing the smiles on our clansmen's faces now, I finally understand how ridiculous our former forbearance was."

Fugaku suddenly raised his head. Blazing fire burned within his three-tomoe Sharingan.

"You were right. A tree dies when moved, but a man thrives when moved!"

"From today onward, I, Fugaku, relinquish my position as head of the Uchiha Clan to one more worthy."

With both hands, he raised the inventory representing all of the Uchiha Clan's assets high above his head and offered it to Yoru.

"The Uchiha Clan will follow your lead in all things!"

Yoru looked at Fugaku kneeling before him but did not reach out to take the inventory.

He leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping his fingers against the tabletop.

"Clan head, you're being too formal."

Yoru spoke calmly.

"I've always been too lazy. You'll still have to worry about all those trivial clan matters."

"But when it comes to the larger direction, I'll have the final say."

Yoru stood and walked to the edge of the balcony, looking down at the clansmen below, who were busily moving into their new homes.

"Since we've taken the Hidden Stone Village's money, we have to do the work."

"Tell the young people in the clan not to get carried away celebrating. Those who need to awaken their Sharingan should awaken them, and those who need to train should train."

Yoru turned to Fugaku, his gaze becoming incomparably sharp.

"Why take missions for Leaf Village's money like those idiots when we can just take their money directly?"