Uchiha Village, village chief's office.
Uchiha Takashi was bent over his desk, reviewing the village's details following the Chinoike's arrival.
Since the Chinoike Clan could not appear in public for the time being, Uchiha Takashi had hidden them all in Uchiha Village.
This brought more manpower to the village while also bolstering its limited defenses, achieving several things at once.
Uchiha Takashi casually scanned the village's income and expenditure statement. With the Chinoike's arrival, the village's population had risen again, reaching 4,500-a full nine times its original population of 500.
The enormous increase in manpower had also led to large-scale reclamation of the surrounding land.
There were now 165 hectares of high-quality farmland, 266 hectares of average farmland, and 100 hectares of poor farmland.
Compared to the initial 15 hectares, it was already difficult to calculate just how many times it had increased.
Spring had arrived, and everyone had begun planting. Once autumn came this year, as long as they had a good harvest, the village would completely reverse its dependence on Uchiha support and begin supporting the Uchiha instead.
Uchiha Takashi had it all neatly calculated. A village of 4,500 people, with nearly 600 hectares of farmland-30 percent of its grain production would be just enough to support the Uchiha's current ninja.
Thirty percent of the grain produced by 600 hectares of farmland could support approximately 1,500 ninja, while the Uchiha and Chinoike ninja combined currently numbered fewer than 1,400.
In other words, the grain produced by this village alone could already cover a year's consumption for the Uchiha Clan's ninja!
Before long, then, once production continued to rise, the ninja would formally transition from a partially conscripted force that still worked part-time in production into a truly full-time army.
At this thought, a smile involuntarily appeared on Uchiha Takashi's lips. Sure enough, relying on himself was better than relying on others. Only having the grain in his own hands put him at ease.
Just then, a crow suddenly landed by the window. When Uchiha Takashi turned to look, he saw the Mitsudomoe markings in its eyes.
This was the Uchiha Clan's encrypted emergency communication method, which used Genjutsu to transmit information quickly.
Uchiha Takashi hurried to the window and lifted the crow. The Genjutsu entered his mind, and in just an instant, he knew everything that had happened in the distant City of Fire.
Uchiha Takashi's previously relaxed brows furrowed again, and he propped his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
He had already guessed that Kai Fujiwara was dead, so that came as no surprise. The main issue was the Senju and Uzumaki who had suddenly appeared in the city.
"The Senju and Uzumaki actually showed up in the City of Fire? What are they trying to do?" Uchiha Takashi examined the scene Yukimichi Uchiha had constructed through Genjutsu in his mind.
The Senju in the distance were looking around, while the Uzumaki Clan had set up a barrier. No matter how he looked at it, they seemed to be preventing some information from leaking.
"What exactly is going on?" Uchiha Takashi bit his lip hard, feeling somewhat worried. Had the Uchiha's scheme to obtain the Fujiwara Family's assets been exposed?
"No... if that were really the case, why would the Senju go to the City of Fire? That doesn't make sense. They must be plotting something else."
Uchiha Takashi kept rubbing his chin, his mind working nonstop.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him. Could the Senju be scheming to seize the Fujiwara Family's assets too?
Judging by the scene in his mind, the soldiers guarding the city clearly had no objection to the Senju and Uzumaki's presence. They had even known about it beforehand.
The Senju Clan had even helped seal off the city gates. They must have gotten involved with the nobles in the city. The Senju had no such authority; only the nobles did.
Following this line of thought, Uchiha Takashi immediately thought of someone-Suke Fujiwara, the Fujiwara Family's current head and the man responsible for Kai Fujiwara's death.
Uchiha Takashi's original guess had been that the main branch wanted to swallow up the branch family's assets. Learning that Suke Fujiwara had killed Kai Fujiwara only confirmed that guess.
And now, all he had to do was add the Senju and Uzumaki back into this chain of events, then connect everything together...
That yielded the only possible explanation for this incident, and the truth.
The Fujiwara Family wanted to swallow up the branch family's assets, so they had specifically written a letter summoning Kai Fujiwara to the City of Fire so they could dispose of him.
But Kai Fujiwara was, after all, the richest man in the Land of Fire, with no shortage of samurai bodyguards around him. Suke Fujiwara could not possibly have dealt with him using his own strength alone.
So he had contacted the Senju and Uzumaki. With ninja clans involved, Kai Fujiwara naturally had no room to resist.
Knowing he was powerless to resist, Kai Fujiwara had sent his only daughter away the day before his departure, disguising it as a trading trip when he was actually sending her somewhere remote to preserve his bloodline.
He had then gone alone to the City of Fire, where the Senju and the Fujiwara main branch had brutally murdered him!
At the same time, Uchiha Takashi also suspected that the Senju Clan was behind those so-called bandits obtaining Tsukina Fujiwara's route!
What the Senju Clan had not expected was that the Uchiha Clan would happen to appear there and rescue Tsukina Fujiwara, creating a hole in their plan...
"That must be it. That's definitely it." Uchiha Takashi nodded as he thought. The more he considered it, the more certain he became that his guess was correct. After all, the Senju were no good. They would surely have no qualms about murdering people and stealing their goods and treasures.
Uchiha Takashi snorted coldly. "What an evil Senju Clan! If I hadn't happened to come here to establish a village, then happened to dig an iron mine, I really wouldn't have uncovered this conspiracy of yours!"
How could he let the evil Senju Clan simply take the Fujiwara Family's assets? They wanted to use schemes like this to reap rewards without lifting a finger? The righteous Uchiha would never allow it!
"It seems I need to visit the City of Fire myself." Uchiha Takashi slowly stood up. With such an enormous fortune at stake, the Senju would certainly send a large number of people to watch over it and ensure nothing went wrong.
Simply sending a few Uchiha over would never be enough to foil the Senju Clan's conspiracy, not with the brains they had.
In this brief span of time, Uchiha Takashi had already figured out how to counter the Senju Clan.
Haven't you Senju gotten yourselves mixed up with Suke Fujiwara?
But there's still someone above Suke Fujiwara! And that person has the final say in the Land of Fire. That's right-the Daimyo of the Land of Fire!
Uchiha Takashi did not believe the Daimyo of the Land of Fire would not want that fortune. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire could not resist such enormous wealth. He simply had no grounds to seize it and feared the Senju's military strength.
But once the daimyo had the Uchiha's support, everything would be different...
"Hahahaha! Oh, evil Senju Clan, your evil plans will ultimately be crushed by our righteous Konoha Military Police Force!" Uchiha Takashi covered his face and let out the Uchiha's signature wild laughter.