Dragons Among Snakes · Inflation

To solve the problem of his Dantian true energy possibly being spied upon, Uchiha Hara had spent a great deal of mental effort researching the Sensory Shielding Technique. While feeling mentally exhausted, he also developed a measure of disgust toward the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan.

"Isn't the Byakugan's ability a little too overpowered?" he muttered to himself.

Then it occurred to him that he was probably not the only one who found it irritating.

Anyone who imagined themselves practicing a secret family technique or studying a unique skill while an invisible pair of eyes might be silently watching nearby would probably find it hard to feel any goodwill toward the Byakugan.

"Still," he thought, "from this perspective, we Uchiha are probably even more hated."

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan merely "watched" people train. Since they did not use Five-Elements Release, even if they watched, they might not be able to use what they saw.

But what about the Uchiha's Sharingan? It directly "copied" the answers!

Imagine a ninja who had painstakingly studied for five years, served a Jonin master with utmost devotion, perhaps even paid certain unspeakable prices, and finally learned a little true teaching before creating a unique ninjutsu of their own.

The first time they used it on the battlefield, just as they were brimming with confidence and determined to win, the Uchiha ninja across from them blinked their blood-red eyes—and all their hard work instantly became someone else's spoils... That frustration and resentment probably far surpassed having their training watched.

"Of course, the Uchiha Clan mainly studies Fire Release and its own inherited techniques, so there may not be many cases of copying other people's ninjutsu. Kakashi the 'Copy Ninja' is probably more famous for that." Uchiha Hara stroked his chin. "So when it comes to attracting hatred, the Byakugan, which can see through things and spy on everything, is probably more direct and makes people feel less secure, right?"

Then why did the Hyuga Clan seem to inspire less hatred in the village than the Uchiha?

He analyzed the survival patterns of both clans in depth and found the answer:

The Hyuga Clan lived in near seclusion.

Other than a few public places like the Ninja Academy, ordinary people almost never saw the Byakugan.

That also explained why Hinata had been called a "Byakugan monster" as a child—because it was rare, it was seen as something abnormal.

Without understanding, jealousy and hatred lacked a concrete target for projection.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, controlled the Security Force. Their authority touched every aspect of the villagers' lives, and they often patrolled the streets, occasionally activating their Sharingan to carry out official duties or intimidate others.

Because they interacted frequently with ordinary people, the Uchiha's strength and the Sharingan's wonders naturally became deeply ingrained in people's minds. Envy, jealousy, and hatred thus gained a clear and lasting target.

Moreover, the power of the two clans' bloodlines went far beyond seeing through things and copying techniques.

The Sharingan's dynamic vision, its amplification of Genjutsu, and its fearsome reputation that "one must flee from it in a one-on-one fight" all struck terror into people's hearts.

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist directly attacked meridians and acupoints, making it far more efficient than ordinary taijutsu. In certain fields, such as archery, the Byakugan's support ability was practically a cheat.

Uchiha Hara even recalled a fanfiction novel he had read in his previous life. The protagonist had painstakingly trained in archery for ten years before becoming a Jonin, only to help Kurenai Yuhi cover a class for two days—then Hinata, relying on her Byakugan, surpassed him in archery after just two days!

Even through the text, he had been able to feel the protagonist's—and the author's—despair.

"Looking at it this way, the existence of the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha is simply a dimensionality-reduction strike against ordinary ninjas." Uchiha Hara suddenly understood. "It's not strange at all that they attract envy, jealousy, and hatred."

He suddenly understood the old Huaxia saying deeply—dragons do not live among snakes.

In ancient times, those with extraordinary abilities either entered government service or secluded themselves in the mountains and forests. They rarely lived among ordinary people.

Even in modern times, excessively outstanding looks or intelligence could easily invite exclusion.

How could the gap between the Uchiha and Hyuga Clan and ordinary ninjas be merely the difference between clouds and mud? Not only were their bloodline abilities practically unfair, their appearances were generally superior to those of ordinary people as well.

Wasn't Konoha's current situation precisely one of dragons living among snakes?

If so, then trouble was practically inevitable.

It seemed the Uchiha's downfall had not been caused merely by unequal distribution of benefits. At a deeper level, it was likely the shifting loyalties caused by this irreconcilable "class" conflict.

Uchiha Hara thought to himself, If I can truly lead the Uchiha to break and rebuild themselves in the future, rising anew from the flames, I must learn from this lesson and never repeat the same mistakes. Maybe I can establish some kind of grand estate and keep an appropriate distance from ordinary people.

A dragon should have a dragon's pride. Why bow its head and lower its brows to please snakes?

His thoughts drifted away from bloodline abilities. Speaking of interests, Uchiha Hara thought of the enormous fortune in his possession.

The 2.5 billion in cash that Uchiha Jiang and he had hidden away, along with massive quantities of gold, silver, and chakra metal, had vanished without a trace. Although the clan's higher-ups had classified it as "betraying the clan and absconding with funds," it seemed... to have caused no major economic turmoil?

The Uchiha Clan had lost 2.5 billion in cash, yet it did not even seem to hurt?

No!

Uchiha Hara suddenly realized something crucial.

"Is there any difference between money being stored with Uchiha Jiang and not spent, and being stored with me and not spent?"

"Only money that circulates counts as currency. Money sitting still is just a pile of 'dead money'!"

"If I remember correctly, dead money depreciates, doesn't it?"

Uchiha Hara immediately returned to the library and examined books and files containing information on prices.

After comparing them, he discovered an obvious trend: prices had been steadily rising!

In the early days after Konoha was founded, one jin of cabbage cost around twenty ryo.

Now, that same jin of cabbage had risen to fifty ryo!

It was not only food. Ninja tools such as kunai, shuriken, and Explosive Tags, as well as mission rewards, were all climbing in price.

Even bounties were rising!

In the past, ten million ryo could place a bounty on a Kage-level expert. Now, even a Jonin dared to put a price of twenty million on himself!

So the question was, what had caused the price increases?

Was it supply failing to meet demand, rising costs, or excessive currency issuance?

Uchiha Hara began reading all kinds of economic intelligence.

As the clan's third elder, Uchiha Jiang had managed to accumulate so much money, so naturally he could not have been a reckless brute.

Among the books he had collected was naturally a large amount of economic intelligence from throughout the Land of Fire.

After compiling this intelligence, Uchiha Hara discovered that with the establishment of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the nature of war had fundamentally changed.

In the past, wars had taken place between clans. Since the various clans were distributed almost evenly among towns and cities throughout a country, war between clans was practically the same as civil war within that nation, affecting vast stretches of land and large populations and causing tremendous harm to the country.

After the shinobi villages were established, wars took place between villages. Although the scale of war appeared to have grown larger, the areas and populations affected had actually become smaller.

Especially during the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, the battles had even taken place abroad. Foreign ninjas had never truly invaded the Land of Fire.

So despite how miserable the ninjas looked, with one war after another, the lives of ordinary civilians were actually quite peaceful—or rather, peaceful in a way they had never been before.

From the perspective of an ordinary citizen of the Land of Fire, the country had enjoyed forty-two years of peace since the Hidden Leaf Village was founded!

Peace brought order, and once order was established, productivity flourished.

Over these forty-two years, the Land of Fire had developed at an astonishing pace. Politics, economics, culture, and technology alike had all entered an unprecedented era of prosperity.

Moreover, the Land of Fire's development had far outpaced population growth, since its foundations had been so poor before.

Under such circumstances, neither rising costs nor supply shortages existed. Explosive Tags were now even being used for mining in the Ninja World. Improvements in production technology had increased the efficiency of raw-material extraction, so costs should have fallen rather than risen.

Therefore, there was only one reason for the rise in prices: the Land of Fire had issued too much currency!

Excessive currency issuance, devaluation of money, rising prices...

An economics term popped into Uchiha Hara's mind.

Inflation!

"In other words, the 2.5 billion in cash in my hands is constantly shrinking!" Uchiha Hara felt a sense of urgency.

He was not Uchiha Jiang. He had learned a little about economic principles back when he was in school.

So he could not sit by and watch so much money depreciate while lying idle. He had to find a way to preserve its value or invest it.

But what could he do as a five-year-old child?

Engage in large-scale business? Unrealistic.

Invest in technology? No channels.

Buy luxury goods?

No matter how luxurious they were, he could never spend all 2.5 billion.

Keeping women was an option. If he kept Tsunade, she could probably spend 2.5 billion ryo in a month.

Unfortunately, five-year-old Uchiha Hara had the desire but not the ability when it came to thirty-year-old Tsunade.

After thinking it over, a relatively reliable and feasible plan emerged in his mind: buy gold and other precious metals!

It was not that the Ninja World lacked gold. Rather, gold was too valuable to enter ordinary circulation. It was usually kept as hard-currency reserves among Daimyo, nobles, and major merchants.

Gold itself had value and was relatively scarce, making it a classic hedge against inflation.

"That settles it!"

"First, I'll study how to break Konoha's barriers. Then, during a vacation, I'll head to the Daimyo's Court in the Land of Fire and gradually exchange this 2.5 billion in cash for gold!"

Only by converting constantly depreciating banknotes into hard currency that could retain its value could he truly safeguard this "inheritance" from the "clan-traitor elder" and lay a solid material foundation for future development.

Uchiha Hara quickly finalized his schedule for the coming period:

Training, studying Sealing Jutsu and Barrier Jutsu, and preparing for the upcoming "golden journey."