Taking Twenty-Eight Concubines

If Tekka could do it, then could the two of them do it too?

The Tekka before them was capable of such immense destructive power, proving that the silver flower's effects were far from as weak as they had imagined.

Clearly, it was because his ocular power had increased that Tekka's ninjutsu had become so terrifying.

The four jonin simultaneously thought of the silver flower that had been brought back to their homes.

The four of them tacitly shared the same thought: If I took it... would I become this much stronger too?

The resentment the other Uchiha Clan members had felt earlier instantly vanished.

How could something like money possibly compare to powerful strength?

The Uchiha Clan was simply that pure in its pursuit of power.

They had even begun imagining that after taking the pills and silver flowers Hiruko had given them, they too could grow to this extent.

While the four jonin were lost in countless thoughts, Tekka had already used every ninjutsu he was familiar with.

Their power had increased by roughly fifty percent compared to before.

One had to understand that this was a fifty-percent increase at the peak jonin level. Such an improvement was undoubtedly enormous.

Tekka's strength was practically brushing against a vaguely higher level, all thanks to that silver flower. It had truly doubled his ocular power.

Even his chakra, life energy, and mental power had increased considerably.

And the consequence it brought was merely a pile of miscellaneous memories appearing in his mind.

Once he broke free from those illusions, their influence on his emotions would instantly plummet.

And if he truly became so immersed in the illusion that he could not pull himself out, that did not mean there was no solution.

He could simply use certain sealing techniques to lock away the memories from that period.

"Good! Very good!!"

After watching Tekka display his abilities, Fugaku Uchiha could barely suppress the surging emotions in his heart. The corners of his usually stern mouth could not help but curl upward slightly.

Tekka's increased strength was equivalent to an increase in Fugaku's influence within the clan.

If the other four trusted jonin could likewise gain a tremendous boost in strength after taking the flowers and medicine,

then he would no longer need to care too much about the pressure exerted by certain clan elders, nor would he need to pay attention to the rumors within the clan.

In Konoha, it was not only the Uchiha Clan that was undergoing frantic change. Earth-shaking changes were taking place elsewhere as well.

Factories were being built one after another, as Hiruko had many things that needed to be produced.

He wanted the common people of the shinobi world to swiftly enter the stage of capital accumulation.

Social reform still required large-scale changes and an alteration of the existing social structure.

The establishment of factories could employ a large number of commoners, especially war-traumatized orphans and the like, giving them a chance to earn a living.

Konoha was advancing every day!

This information spread across the shinobi world like wildfire.

News that Hiruko had made a fortune selling salt spread everywhere.

To the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage, this news was like a sledgehammer that left them dizzy and reeling.

They could scarcely believe that Konoha's prosthetic scientist had truly gained nearly eighteen billion ryo in additional income every month just by selling salt.

Over eighteen billion was no small sum.

Although people from the advisory department had analyzed that this level of income might only be sustained for the near future,

because once commoners realized salt was no longer so scarce, they would only buy it gradually rather than stockpiling huge quantities.

But regardless, its impact on the current war situation was already severe.

Some people in the Hidden Cloud Village secretly rejoiced that they had not yet openly fallen out with Konoha and could still use the excuse of military exercises to cover the matter up.

When the Fourth Raikage heard that, he could not help beating that idiot up.

What kind of joke was that?!

If they truly withdrew just like that, setting aside the humiliation they would suffer,

it would also be utterly inappropriate from the perspective of strategic competition between nations.

Konoha was already powerful, and now it had gained so many profitable ventures. The gap between the two sides would only widen further.

If they did not drag Konoha into an endless war and wear down its foundations, they would undoubtedly lose.

But starting a war now gave A, the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, an even greater headache.

Although he was somewhat short-tempered, the Fourth Raikage could at least consider matters from the larger picture.

He was absolutely a qualified Kage.

So he grabbed the fat official from the Land of Lightning before him and roared, "What did you just say to me? What do you mean, the Land of Lightning has its own national conditions, and what Konoha can do, the Land of Lightning can never do?"

A was much like the Third Raikage. His moves were broad and forceful, and when enraged, he was like a raging tempest—a hotheaded brute at a glance.

On the battlefield, he was an absolute vanguard who charged in to start fights. Dealing with an ordinary civil official from the Land of Lightning now was naturally effortless.

This official from the Land of Lightning was also remarkably stubborn. Even after being cursed at viciously, he still forced himself to retreat step by step.

He muttered, "The matter of salt has already been arranged by the higher-ups. Lord Raikage need not worry about it."

The Fourth Raikage was so furious that veins bulged on his forehead. He roared, "What do you mean, I need not worry about it?"

"Are you people trying to betray us from within?"

"If the Hidden Cloud Village loses to Konoha, do you bastards think you will still have good days ahead? Tell those people behind you to use their brains!"

The plump, soft-looking official before him guiltily shifted his gaze away.

In truth, even he knew that the Fourth Raikage was right. If the Hidden Cloud Village was so eager to contend with Konoha, it would certainly need to expand its military again soon.

But the important figures had fought for so many years, and they wanted to replenish their own treasuries too. After all, the great wars of recent years had consumed far too much.

The Third Shinobi World War in particular had nearly drained the major nations of the shinobi world dry.

Touching the little piles of money belonging to those nobles and daimyo now was like touching their heads.

The important figures had been having a hard time these days too, all right?

Even the pace at which they took twenty-eight concubines had slowed down.

As for commoners who felt they could no longer survive—

Had they even worked hard enough at farming, then bought themselves a Japanese-style room in the capital of the Land of Lightning?

These had been the prices for years, all right!

So many respectable citizens had bought homes in the capital of the Land of Lightning. If they could not, was that not their own problem?

They should reflect more on their own shortcomings, work hard, and stop blaming the Land of Lightning all the time!

Was it not because you Cloud ninja were inadequate? If you took missions properly, took more missions, even accepted low-paying missions, you would have surpassed Konoha long ago.

Do not obsess over the price of missions all the time. That would alienate people. Focus on striving!

Ideals were what mattered most!

Everything for the Land of Lightning.

In short, this fat official from the Land of Lightning babbled a whole bunch of nonsense that the Fourth Raikage could neither understand nor respond to.

Then... holy shit...!