After a long while, Uka Senju gradually came up with an idea.
He smiled at his aunt and said, "There are two points. First, strategy. Our only enemy in the south is the Mizukage, so it's relatively safe. The Water Release they specialize in is also what the Senju specialize in most, so the Senju have a great advantage in battle. And we have the Land of Whirlpools as an ally nearby. If we choose the south, the Senju can support each other with them!"
"Second, the economy. Occupying the south is equivalent to controlling most of the Land of Fire's ports. We can get involved in all trade between land and sea. This kind of semi-monopolistic business will be very profitable. We can establish a Trade Association and secretly bring our allies in to work with us!"
"The Trade Association's profits can both ensure our allies' loyalty and allow the Senju to support more people. Once everyone has a chance to prosper, the Hyūga and Ino-Shika-Cho will make the right choice!"
Of course, the main reason was that he had watched the anime and knew the plot!
But those two points weren't made up. Compared with the other three directions-
The Mist Ninja in the south had both of their last two Kage manipulated by the Uchiha, and had gotten caught up in infighting.
By comparison, they were quite peaceful.
Unlike the Wind, Cloud, and Earth Three Nations: one was too poor, one too overbearing, and one too united!
If the clan followed his advice and chose the south,
they could not only gain an economic lead now, but also join the other ninja clans in intervening when the Land of Whirlpools plot came around.
Even if they couldn't save everyone, they could at least preserve most of the Land of Whirlpools' legacy.
In the end, they could also use this matter to bring the Uzumaki into Konoha.
One thing to note was that if a great clan like this joined them, the balance of power between the two sides might be completely overturned.
If they really managed to pull it off, they'd have to prepare in advance for the Sarutobi clan and the others to strike back!
After hearing Uka's explanation, Senju Toka couldn't help reaching out to pat her nephew on the head.
He was only nine, yet he could think things through like this. It seemed she didn't need to worry about him acting recklessly after becoming Head of the Three Branches!
Suddenly, she thought of the nine children the First Elder had proposed the night before.
With genes this excellent, not having dozens of children would be such a waste!
Now that she thought about it, perhaps nine wasn't entirely unacceptable...
Feeling the movement on his head, Uka instinctively thought of the pat from the Second Elder the night before!
He wanted to dodge, but when he saw the smile on his aunt's face,
he simply couldn't bring himself to resist, so he quickly changed the subject. "Auntie, you said there were two things earlier. What's the other one?"
Senju Toka was immersed in a dream about dozens of clever, well-behaved grandnephews.
Uka's interruption suddenly reminded her that she had personally turned down the chance to have those dozens of grandnephews.
She couldn't help feeling a little regretful, so she didn't answer his question.
Instead, she took out a file on the Senju Clan Members and handed it to him!
After taking the file and opening it, Uka Senju stared at the information and felt confused.
This... the number of men, the number of women, the number unmarried, the number single-is this a file on the Senju Clan Members?
Why was she giving him this? Was it related to the second matter?
Seeing the confusion in her nephew's eyes, Senju Toka smiled and said, "It has information on the clan's current situation. Take a look and give me a recommendation!"
Since she'd discovered her nephew was clever, she couldn't let that go to waste.
She'd thought his suggestions on the previous questions were good, so she'd let him try this difficult one too!
"Fine, if that's what you want, Auntie!"
Uka muttered to himself, then spread the file open.
Elderly people... women married outside the clan... married women... widows... unmarried women...
Elderly people... married men... widowers... unmarried men...
Ages sixteen to ten... children under ten...
The ratio of men to women among the Senju was already severely imbalanced.
There were nearly three times as many women as men in almost every category.
Looking at these somewhat uncanny figures, Uka felt a headache coming on.
He couldn't figure out what kind of recommendation his aunt wanted.
So he frowned and asked, "Auntie, what are your requirements? Could you be more specific?"
Senju Toka looked at her nephew's frown and thought for a moment before saying, "The number of clan members has reached the warning line. It can't go down; it can only go up!"
It could only go up? Did that mean their bloodline couldn't leave the clan, and they had to find a way to marry the women within the clan?
Wasn't that easy?
Uka Senju answered without hesitation. "Auntie, my idea is to make it easy to join but hard to leave, and encourage people to have children!"
"Be specific!" Senju Toka said with a frown.
Uka took paper and a pen from beside the desk and explained as he wrote. "First: allow a man to marry a second Senju woman within the clan, as long as both people in the original marriage agree!"
"Second: prohibit women from marrying outside the clan and encourage men to marry in. From now on, female clan members won't be allowed to marry outside the clan. Instead, they'll marry men from other clans into the Senju, and their children will take the Senju name!"
"Third: encourage people to have children and establish a Childcare Center. All children can attend, with the clan covering the costs. And for every additional child, the parents get a cash reward!"
"Restriction: for every Senju woman a man marries, he must have at least two children, or he'll be fined!"
"Restriction: for every woman a man marries from outside the clan, he must have at least three children, or he'll be fined!"
Looking at the rules her nephew had listed, Senju Toka frowned a little.
The first rule had been used before when the Senju were in danger, and it had helped!
The second rule... could a woman marry a man in the Shinobi World?
But on second thought, given the Senju's status, they could lower their standards a bit. Perhaps it would work for women to marry men into the clan!
The Childcare Center in the third rule was a good idea. It would free up people who had to work while looking after their children.
But the reward couldn't be too small. The Senju already had excellent benefits.
If the reward was too low, probably not many people would care!
As for those two restrictions...
"Uka, have you really thought this through?"
Senju Toka asked, silently muttering to herself, as she looked at the boy digging a hole for himself. Her expression didn't change. "What do you think would be appropriate amounts for the rewards and fines?"
That would have to depend on their income. They had to feel the pain, but not too much.
Thinking about it, Uka said with some difficulty, "Auntie, we'll have to know how much they earn before we can decide!"
At that, Senju Toka took out another file from beside her and handed it to her nephew.
Seeing that there was another file, Uka Senju sighed helplessly to himself.
He couldn't complain about his aunt putting a child to work, so he obediently took it and looked through it.
This was about their income?
Looking at the information and categories, Uka Senju saw several question marks pop up over his head.
He also understood why Tsunade gambled everywhere and lost everywhere in the story, yet was still so rich!
The clan's income alone had reached 2.3 billion ryō last year, with a surplus of 1 billion ryō.
At this time, Konoha only received 6 billion ryō in funding from the daimyo each year.
Of course, Konoha's income definitely came from more than just that.
But this figure still showed just how wealthy the Senju were now.
Uka Senju grimaced and flipped to the back of the file, looking through the detailed list.
Income came from missions, weapons, trade caravans, casinos, Yamada, real estate...
Expenses included a per-capita allowance of 150,000 ryō. Every Senju received it, and he did too!
Rank allowances: 300,000 ryō for Chunin and 800,000 ryō for Jonin. He knew about those too.
But he'd always wanted to ask: why weren't Genin given anything?
Had they never heard of the name Konoha Genin?
Muttering to himself, Uka continued looking at the other categories.
Position allowances (clan head, elders, administrators, captains, squad leaders, technical personnel), allowances for the elderly living alone, clan school allowances, weapon wear and tear, and other expenses.
Looking at each item in the file,
Uka finally realized the Senju's benefits were absurd!
Even if you did nothing, they gave you 150,000 ryō every year.
A bowl of ramen in Konoha cost only sixty ryō now.
A civilian could earn about that much in a year if they didn't eat or drink.
If you were strong enough, you got additional allowances.
If you had technical skills or held a position, you got additional allowances too.
Even if you spent your whole life goofing off, the clan would still provide food, lodging, and money when you got old!
If people had benefits like these in his previous life, he wondered how many would have died of envy.