Makoto Uchiha opened his eyes.
After washing up, he put on the ceremonial Light Shadow robe and, as usual, headed to his office.
A carefully prepared breakfast had already been placed on his desk.
Ever since the village was founded, there had simply been too many things to handle.
Unlike Konoha, he didn't have a reliable younger brother who could shoulder all the village's day-to-day administration for him.
As a result, Makoto spent most of his time in the Light Shadow's Office.
Going home usually meant nothing more than sleeping there at night.
To save time, even his three daily meals were handled in the office.
Fortunately, a dedicated culinary team oversaw his food—both for convenience and for his personal security.
After all, as the leader of a ninja village, a basic level of caution was only reasonable.
"A paid team really does cook better," Makoto remarked after swallowing the last bite of his bun.
Then, without delay, he began his work for the day.
A Letter from the Uchiha
"The Uchiha clan… finally wrote back?" Makoto asked.
Sato Kazuma handed him a letter.
It was a confidential message from the Uchiha clan.
Poor in the marketplace, no one asks your name. Rich in the mountains, distant relatives suddenly appear.
They clearly hadn't expected that Makoto—who had left the clan on his own—would end up founding Akatsuki Village, a power now comparable to Konoha itself.
Makoto casually removed the wax seal and skimmed the contents.
The letter was short, filled mostly with polite but empty courtesies:
"You are the pride of the Uchiha."
"Write home often—we are family."
"…This probably wasn't Madara's idea," Makoto muttered.
"He wouldn't come up with something this sentimental."
He concluded that this letter was likely the initiative of ordinary clan members.
Regardless, it was a good sign.
Maintaining contact with the Uchiha clan was essential.
For now, the Uchiha in Konoha were still living relatively peacefully, with no strong dissent.
But later—
After Madara and Hashirama fell out.
After both of them died.
After Tobirama Senju became the Second Hokage—
Things would be very different.
Makoto remembered clearly:
After Tobirama took office, there had been several figures who, under Madara's banner, attempted to pass "righteous judgment" on Tobirama.
But the innately suspicious Second Hokage had been watching the Uchiha closely all along.
Those acts of "justice" were rebranded as attempted coups.
"The Second Hokage…" Makoto snorted softly.
"This time, Tobirama, you may not get what you want so easily."
If the Land of Fire could support two ninja villages,
then why couldn't Konoha have two power centers?
With that thought in mind, Makoto wrote a reply to the Uchiha clan.
The wording was just as sentimental.
Born a member of the Uchiha, die a Uchiha spirit.
If the clan ever finds itself unable to endure—
You need only speak.
The Salt Monopoly
After sealing the letter, Makoto turned to the next matter.
"The salt operation—how's the progress?"
"Is everything proceeding smoothly?"
As his personal secretary, Kazuma immediately began his report.
First, Akatsuki Village had acquired a nearby salt company, marking the opening move of their consolidation strategy.
For small-scale illegal salt dealers, the approach was simple and ruthless—swift, overwhelming suppression.
This world obeyed the law of the jungle.
No backing. No strength.
Makoto didn't even bother trying to buy them out.
The market didn't need that many salt merchants.
Dealing with the Big Players
With the major salt merchants, however, Akatsuki Village was far more "polite."
ANBU-led teams personally visited their homes, carrying gifts of rice, flour, and cooking oil.
With warm smiles, they asked:
"Would you be interested in selling your company?"
When leaving, they would gently pat the merchant on the shoulder.
"If not, that's fine too. Business aside, friendship remains."
"And we wish your entire family good health."
These major salt merchants were nothing more than white gloves for powerful Fire Country nobles.
They had no authority to make such decisions.
Terrified, they rushed overnight to consult their patrons—only to discover that those very patrons had also received identical gifts from Akatsuki Village.
What a coincidence.
Naturally, dissent arose.
Some voices angrily accused the Fire Daimyō of violating precedent, of allowing shinobi to interfere in economic affairs.
"Isn't this inviting wolves into the house?"
These voices were… far too sharp.
Makoto disliked them intensely.
And so, through a mixture of overt and covert measures, those voices quickly vanished.
Anyone who dared damage the relationship between the Fire Daimyō and Akatsuki Village—
Had to disappear.
In every sense of the word.
Once a few such people vanished without a trace, the monopoly operation proceeded with remarkable smoothness.
The Fire Daimyō Reacts
But fire can't be wrapped forever.
Akatsuki Village's frequent deployments and the trail of bloodshed made secrecy impossible.
Soon, word spread that Akatsuki Village was moving into the salt trade.
No—
Correction.
This was the Fire Daimyō reorganizing the market, with Akatsuki Village merely "assisting."
Fire Capital
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Why is everyone saying I ordered Akatsuki Village to kill people?"
"That I decided to cut into the salt market?"
"What the hell is Makoto Uchiha doing?!"
"Doesn't he know this could cause a catastrophe?!"
The Fire Daimyō roared inside his chambers, face flushed with rage.
His attendants knelt with their heads pressed low, not daring to breathe loudly.
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.
One misstep, one unlucky moment—
And death could come instantly.
After smashing things in frustration, the Daimyō finally calmed down.
He knew full well how close his relationship with Akatsuki Village appeared.
Now that Makoto was acting under his banner, denial was pointless.
People were already dead.
The blame had landed squarely on his head.
The priority now was to synchronize with Makoto, to fully understand what was happening.
And more importantly—
Salt.
With years of war, disasters, and unrest, Fire Country's finances had been bleeding dry.
Relief efforts and reconstruction had kept the treasury in constant deficit.
The root cause was simple: tax revenue wasn't coming in.
If the salt market could truly be re-monopolized, the resulting taxes alone would be enormous.
Konoha's Reaction
At the same time, Konoha received the news.
"Hahahaha!"
"That innately evil little Uchiha brat is still too young."
"Dabbling in the salt business? He probably didn't even bother to collect proper intelligence."
"Doesn't he know how cheap salt is right now?"
"This is nothing but neglecting his real duties!"
Tobirama Senju laughed loudly in his office.
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