"Wronged! I've been wronged!"
"Let go of me, you lowly trash!"
"I'll report this to the daimyō! I'll report to all of you!"
A high-ranking noble of the Land of Fire was being dragged away, his robes torn apart by officers as he screamed hysterically. Before he could even understand what was happening, he had already been thrown into a prison cart.
Teams of officials swarmed his estate, moving in and out in an endless stream. Every cart that rolled out was piled high with gold, silver, and valuables.
Konoha shinobi were mixed among them, overseeing the confiscation.
Originally, Uchiha Ren had wanted Konoha to take full control of the operation—sending shinobi to conduct a complete purge. But the daimyō had refused outright.
Konoha had already crossed the line between military and civil authority. There was no way he would allow them to interfere further in the Land of Fire's internal affairs.
Even so, Uchiha Ren didn't trust the daimyō.
And he trusted the daimyō's subordinates even less.
The intelligence Konoha had gathered before was incomplete—especially regarding the true extent of these nobles' wealth. If anything, their assets had been underestimated, never overestimated.
Six hundred billion ryō?
That was definitely not the full amount.
And during confiscation, when mountains of silver and gold were laid bare, even the most upright person would feel temptation—let alone these already-corrupt officials.
Seventy percent of this wealth belonged to Konoha.
After a round of "friendly negotiations," the daimyō finally agreed to let Konoha participate.
The confiscations lasted three full days. As for the nobles—execution of their entire families.
The political shockwave swept across the capital.
At this point, no one cared anymore about Konoha's earlier "offense."
Because now—
Everyone was afraid.
Those once untouchable elites had been reduced to nothing in just three days. Generations of accumulated wealth were wiped out overnight.
Some tried to plead with the daimyō.
He responded by throwing the evidence in their faces.
Irrefutable.
His cold gaze and veiled warnings left the remaining nobles trembling.
No one could be saved.
They could barely save themselves.
Soon, the smarter among them realized—
Those executed were precisely the ones who had most aggressively attacked Konoha.
Everything became clear.
Konoha had struck.
Their little tricks might deceive ordinary people, but in front of shinobi? Laughable.
A single genjutsu could strip them clean.
For the first time in years, the nobles remembered—
They were just ordinary humans.
One by one, they fell silent. No more protests. No more resistance.
Instead, they quietly sent envoys to Konoha—offering lavish gifts as apologies.
Konoha.
"Spineless trash."
"Couldn't just live peacefully—had to provoke us."
Uchiha Ren sat in his office, openly mocking the noble standing before him.
The man didn't dare show even the slightest displeasure.
The blood from executions was still fresh in the capital.
Those nobles had higher status than his own master—and they were all dead.
If his master could survive this—
That alone was a blessing.
Uchiha Ren dismissed him after a few casual remarks.
If not for the gifts, he wouldn't have even granted an audience.
These people were absurdly wealthy.
In just a few days, Konoha had received over one billion ryō in "compensation"—not even counting the private gifts sent directly to him.
The class divide in this world was outrageous.
These families had been accumulating wealth for over ten generations.
Compared to them—
Konoha was poor.
A poor organization that just happened to possess overwhelming military power.
What a miserable past they had lived.
Suddenly, the office door slammed open.
Kakuzu stormed in, eyes glowing like a starving beast.
"Hokage-sama, stop hesitating!"
"Let's wipe them all out!"
"I'll lead the charge!"
"Kill them all!"
"Kunaï in hand—follow me!"
For days, Kakuzu had been handling the accounts.
The endless flow of money had driven him nearly insane with excitement.
He knew the nobles were rich—
But not this rich.
"Calm down," Uchiha Ren said lazily. "Their money will all belong to Konoha sooner or later."
Now wasn't the time to turn against the Land of Fire.
Eventually, Kakuzu left—reluctantly.
Soon after, Shikaku Nara entered.
"Hokage-sama, the Uzumaki clan is sending representatives."
"They're likely here for aid. They helped Konoha a lot during the war… but their situation isn't good."
He explained briefly.
An island nation.
Small population.
No money. No food. No resources.
Technically a country—but in reality, just one clan living in isolation.
To support Konoha in the First Great Ninja War, they had burned through everything.
Poor relatives—
Coming to visit.
A few days later, the Uzumaki delegation arrived.
"So big… so impressive…"
"Clan Head, is Konoha really this prosperous?"
Ashina Uzumaki stood in stunned silence.
Konoha had changed beyond recognition.
The biggest transformation was its infrastructure.
Walls had been torn down. Roads expanded. Everything rebuilt with cement.
Wide, clean streets bustled with merchants from all nations.
"Unbelievable…"
"Didn't you say Konoha was struggling?"
No one could explain it.
"Grandpa… it smells so good…"
A young girl, Karin Uzumaki (young stand-in), pointed at a milk tea shop.
The sweet aroma was irresistible.
"Then let's try it."
Ashina sighed and paid.
The price made his brow twitch.
Expensive.
Very expensive.
Still—
For the child.
"What about me?"
"You're a grown man. Buy your own."
As they approached the Hokage building, Ashina straightened his clothes.
Meeting the Hokage—
This mattered.
"Lord Ashina, you've arrived early!"
Shikaku greeted them warmly.
"No need for ceremony. We're family."
"Still, we should have prepared something."
"Is the Hokage available?"
Ashina asked carefully.
"Of course."
"Welcome, Ashina."
Uchiha Ren personally received them.
They sat down—stiff, uneasy.
The office—
Luxurious.
Warm lighting. electric lamps. a comfortable atmosphere.
On the table:
Milk tea, cola, ice cream, cream puffs, cakes.
This wasn't an office.
This was paradise.
"Help yourselves."
Uchiha Ren casually took a bite of ice cream.
That was all the permission they needed.
They devoured everything.
Ashina tried to maintain dignity.
The others failed completely.
After some small talk, the two moved to a private room.
Time for business.
"Our situation is dire…"
Ashina explained everything.
"We're family," Uchiha Ren replied smoothly. "Konoha won't abandon you."
Ashina hesitated.
Asking for money—
Wasn't easy.
"How much do you need?" Uchiha Ren asked directly.
"…Five hundred million ryō?"
"Five hundred million?" Uchiha Ren raised his voice.
Ashina panicked.
"…Four hundred million—"
"Are you looking down on Konoha?"
"…?"
"Fifty billion ryō."
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