The Uchiha will always be friends of the Hyuga!

On the wooden platform in Hyuga Village's square.

Shinichi turned toward the Uchiha Clan's seats.

The young Uchiha who had asked the question was looking up.

Several Uchiha beside him who had joined in the heckling were also watching the platform.

The Uchiha Clan was a ninja clan of Konoha.

If Shinichi agreed, it would mean granting the Uchiha first-tier distributorship.

Madara Uchiha leaned back in his chair without even changing his posture.

Shinichi stopped walking.

"The Uchiha Clan are, of course, friends of us Hyuga."

He did not deliberately raise his voice.

"When the Hyuga first established our village, ninja tools were what we lacked most."

"Even with money in hand, we couldn't buy them anywhere else."

"At that time, it was the Uchiha who helped the Hyuga."

The Uchiha who had been heckling raised their chins.

Shinichi continued.

"When friends help us, we Hyuga must repay the favor."

"To thank the Uchiha, not only will we Hyuga waive their franchise fee."

"The Uchiha can also become first-tier distributors directly."

Murmurs immediately swept across the square.

The Kusagakure and Takigakure ninja huddled together.

Shamon of Sunagakure turned to stare at the Uchiha seats.

The people from Kirigakure and Iwagakure looked over as well.

"That's five million ryo."

A Kusagakure ninja muttered quietly.

"Those three from Sunagakure paid that money in full just now."

"And the Hyuga can just waive it with a word?"

The young Uchiha who had asked the question glanced back at his companions.

The murmuring below the platform had not stopped.

Shinichi stood on the platform without moving.

He spoke again.

"The Uchiha will always be friends of the Hyuga, and the Hyuga's doors will always be open to the Uchiha."

The moment those words came out, all the murmuring below stopped.

The Land of Hot Water ninja who had been calculating costs shut their mouths.

The Kusagakure and Takigakure groups fell silent too.

The young Uchiha who had asked the question froze.

Only after a long while did he recover and puff out his chest.

The Uchiha Clan's seating area instantly came alive.

The young Uchiha who had led the heckling raised their voices and shouted their approval.

One Uchiha leaned back.

He spoke loudly.

"This Hyuga Clan Leader really has an eye for things."

"He waived a five-million-ryo franchise fee just like that."

"He really knows how to do right by people."

Someone beside him immediately chimed in.

"Exactly."

"Back when we sold that batch of ninja tools to the Hyuga."

"We sure sold them to the right people."

"That's how friends should be-generous and straightforward."

"Much better than certain people who spend all day guarding against us."

The surrounding Uchiha nodded in agreement.

They made no effort to lower their voices.

Everyone in Konoha's seating area could hear them perfectly clearly.

Madara Uchiha sat in a chair in the front row.

He heard everything going on behind him.

He turned toward Konoha's seats and glanced at Tobirama Senju.

Tobirama Senju ignored Madara's glance.

He turned sideways and spoke to Hashirama in a low voice.

"Brother, you heard that, didn't you?"

"The Hyuga waived the Uchiha's franchise fee."

"They even said Hyuga Village's doors would always be open to the Uchiha."

"The Uchiha are a ninja clan of our Konoha."

"The Hyuga are calling the Uchiha their friends in front of all the clans."

"They're poaching from Konoha."

The Shimura Clan's leader, sitting nearby, heard this.

He also glanced toward the Uchiha seats.

Hashirama looked toward the Uchiha.

The Uchiha clan members were gathered together, talking and laughing.

Hashirama laughed.

"Tobirama, you're overthinking it."

"The Uchiha and the Hyuga are on good terms."

"Having another friend is a good thing."

"The Uchiha will get cheaper goods from the Hyuga in the future."

"And it'll be easier for Konoha's ninja to buy ninja tools."

Tobirama watched the Uchiha clan members over there.

"The Uchiha have received such a huge favor from the Hyuga."

"There's no telling where their loyalties will lie in the future."

Hashirama waved a hand.

"Madara is my friend."

"The Uchiha won't leave."

Tobirama looked at Hashirama.

"Brother, you're too naive."

Hashirama laughed again.

He reached out and patted Tobirama's shoulder, taking none of it to heart.

On the platform, Shinichi continued his announcement.

"Registration for second-tier distributors begins now."

"Ten slots, first come, first served."

"If you want to register, see the Hyuga jonin in front of the platform."

As soon as he finished, the shinobi villages and ninja clans from the small nations all crowded toward the platform.

Members of several ninja clans from the Land of Hot Water ran at the front.

They scrambled to give their clans' names.

The Takigakure representatives forced their way in and loudly announced Takigakure's name.

The two Amegakure ninja who had been calculating costs also squeezed up to the platform.

They registered on behalf of Amegakure.

The Uzumaki Clan representatives registered as well.

The Hyuga jonin in front of the platform held a ledger, recording each group and counting as he went.

Several more small ninja clans desperately squeezed through from behind and registered.

After recording the tenth group, the Hyuga jonin raised his head and shouted.

"All ten second-tier distributor slots are filled!"

The Land of Hot Water clan leader who had counted heads earlier had only just squeezed up to the platform.

He was a step too late and had failed to register.

He slapped his thigh hard.

"Ah, why didn't I run faster?"

The Kusagakure group was still discussing whether to register when the slots filled up.

Shinichi spoke again.

"Registration for third-tier distributors is also open."

"Twenty slots, also first come, first served."

Those who had failed to secure second-tier slots turned at these words and desperately crowded toward the third-tier registration area.

The Kusagakure ninja who had earlier shouted that third-tier distributors would lose out badly was the first to rush up to the platform and register Kusagakure.

Someone beside him laughed at him.

"Weren't you just saying third-tier distributors would lose out badly?"

The Kusagakure ninja did not even turn his head.

"Losing out is better than getting nothing."

"A moment slower, and even the third-tier slots will be gone."

The Land of Hot Water clan leader who had missed second-tier registration squeezed in too.

He registered for the third tier, panting heavily.

Several merchants who had come along to watch the excitement also squeezed up to the platform.

They loudly asked the Hyuga jonin in front of them.

"Can we register if we're not a ninja clan?"

The Hyuga jonin held his ledger.

"There are no conditions for the third tier. Anyone can register."

Upon hearing this, the merchants registered on the spot.

The Hyuga jonin recorded each of them in the ledger.

The twenty slots soon filled up.

Several people who had failed to register still stood in front of the platform, refusing to leave.

They clung to the table and asked.

"Will there be more slots in the future?"

The Hyuga jonin closed his ledger.

"Whether more slots will be added will depend on the clan leader's decision."

The scramble over third-tier slots was still going on in front of the platform.

Not a single person in the Kaguya Clan's seating area had moved.

A young Kaguya clan member leaned close to the clan leader.

He spoke in a low voice.

"Clan Leader, let's register too."

"There's no limit on first-tier slots. We Kaguya are distant relatives of the Hyuga, so surely we count as their friends."

Another Kaguya clan member chimed in.

"If we become first-tier distributors, we can buy kunai from the Hyuga for fifteen hundred ryo each and take them back to the Land of Water to sell to other ninja clans."

"We could make quite a bit too."

The Kaguya clan leader sat in his seat without saying a word.

He began calculating to himself.

The clan only had twenty million ryo in total.

Paying five million ryo at once for franchise rights would mean spending a quarter of their assets.

He really could not bear to part with it.

Besides, the Kaguya Clan only knew how to fight.

The clan members knew nothing about doing business.

If he really spent those five million ryo, he had no confidence at all that they could earn it back.

He thought again of what had just happened with the Uchiha.

The moment that young Uchiha asked, the Hyuga Clan Leader had waived the five-million-ryo franchise fee on the spot.

The Kaguya and the Hyuga were genuine distant relatives.

The Kaguya clan leader turned his head and instructed his clansmen.

"Don't register yet."

"Once the conference is over, I'll go speak to the Hyuga clan head in private."

The two clan members said nothing more and sat back down.

The people crowded in front of the stage slowly dispersed.

Shinichi stood on the stage and spoke.

"That concludes today's distributors' conference."

"Thank you all for making the long journey here."

"Hyuga Village has prepared dinner for tonight, and accommodations have all been arranged."

The people from the various clans below the stage rose and headed out.

Some calculated how much they could earn once they returned as they walked.

Some were still muttering about not having secured a spot earlier.

The Uchiha clan members walked out, chatting and laughing.

In the Kaguya Clan's seating area, the Kaguya clan head remained seated without moving.