Ryōsuke considered the shopkeeper's suggestion. Powdered milk and baby clothes weren't necessary yet; if he bought them now, they would just sit around and get old by the time the children were actually born. There was no point in that; he would prepare those things when the time came. As for the other items, those were quite necessary. He calculated in his mind how many sets he needed to purchase.
Currently, he had two Cloud Village captives at his home. Since they were carrying his children, he naturally had to ensure they were well-provided for. At the Senju Clan estate, there were Shizune and Tsunade. Then there was Yakushi Nonō at the orphanage, and finally, Yūhi Kurenai.
Six in total.
Actually, there was one more in the Leaf Village: Uzuki Yūgao. He wasn't sure if she had conceived his child or not. He hadn't run into her lately. 'She's probably avoiding me on purpose,' he thought. But it didn't matter. If Yūgao was pregnant, she was an adult and would be more than capable of taking care of herself. As a mother, she certainly wouldn't mistreat her own child.
So, counting the six he was certain of, he decided to get four of every item for each person. For six people, that meant twenty-four of each product.
"Shopkeeper, no need for the baby clothes or powdered milk. Give me twenty-four sets of everything else."
The female shopkeeper was momentarily stunned. This was far too much; a single pregnant woman couldn't possibly use that many supplies. With twenty-four maternity sets, she could practically rotate her outfits for an entire month. Why buy so many shoes? They would just take up space and go to waste.
'This guy must be a novice who dotes on his woman way too much to buy this much at once,' she thought. He was also an Uchiha. Although the Uchiha Clan had been quiet lately, they still held a formidable reputation in the village. She had to provide top-tier service.
"Sir, you really don't need that many. A reasonable amount is enough. Three maternity sets, two pairs of maternity shoes, and one set of health supplements are usually sufficient."
Ryōsuke frowned as he considered her advice. Three sets per person was close to what he had initially assumed. One to wear, one to wash, one as a spare, and a fourth as a backup for the spare. He felt that was the only way to be prepared for any emergency.
"It's fine. Just do as I said. Give me twenty-four maternity sets, eighteen pairs of maternity shoes, and six sets of health supplements."
The shopkeeper remained surprised. The quantity was massive. However, she had given her warning, and the customer was insistent. Was he worried about a lack of clothes or medicine? The medicine came with instructions, so there shouldn't be any issues there. He seemed too young, but all in all, he appeared to be a good man.
"Very well, I'll go prepare those for you."
She turned to begin packing the items. Ryōsuke spoke up again.
"Remember to divide them into six separate portions."
It would save him the trouble of sorting them himself later. The shopkeeper was puzzled but complied with the customer's request. While she packed the products, Ryōsuke browsed the shop to see if anything else was needed. He wasn't short on money. It wouldn't be long before his children were born and his rewards were collected. That would directly equate to an increase in his personal strength.
Suddenly, he spotted something useful: sour dates preserved in a glass bottle. He knew that pregnant women often suffered from morning sickness and nausea. Sour dates were known to alleviate those symptoms. He definitely had to get a bottle for each of them.
Ten minutes later, the shopkeeper had organized the products. She brought six bags over to Ryōsuke. She was all smiles; although the customer was a bit strange, he was undoubtedly a major patron.
"Sir, everything is ready. Six bags in total. The price comes to 20,000 Ryō."
Ryōsuke looked at the large amount of supplies; 20,000 Ryō was not expensive at all.
"Give me six bottles of these sour dates as well."
The shopkeeper was momentarily dazed again. Buying extra clothing was one thing, but this many sour dates was overkill.
"Sir, isn't this quantity a bit much? One bottle of sour dates is usually enough for a woman's entire ten-month pregnancy."
That would be enough for six different pregnancies. If they were kept for that long, they might even expire. Eating expired food would lead to an upset stomach. This man was the strongest of the Uchiha Clan; surely he wasn't so ignorant of basic facts? She was genuinely bewildered.
Ryōsuke's expression remained calm. The shopkeeper said one bottle covered ten months, so that was exactly what he needed.
"It's fine. These are intended for six different people."
The shopkeeper's eyes widened instantly. 'He's giving them to six people?!'
She was shocked. It seemed this man had more than one woman; she had clearly misunderstood earlier. She had assumed all of this was for a single person, but he actually had so many women. Still, he was handsome, powerful, and strong; it was normal for such a man to have several partners. It seemed she had misjudged him as a simple novice. He was a philanderer, but at least he treated each of them well. If he hadn't, she would have felt sorry for those women.
Ryōsuke looked at the bags. It was quite a lot of cargo, and it would be inconvenient to carry it all himself.
"Shopkeeper, since I've bought so much, you should be able to provide delivery, right?"
"Of course. We can deliver anywhere within the village."
The shopkeeper did not refuse.
"With the six bottles of sour dates, the total comes to 22,400 Ryō."
This amount represented nearly half a month's revenue for her shop. Ryōsuke immediately took out the money and settled the bill. He then provided the addresses for the delivery. One was the Uchiha Clan estate, one was the Senju Clan estate, one was the orphanage, and one was Yūhi Kurenai's home.
He wasn't worried about her taking the money and failing to deliver; that would be asking for trouble. No one in the village dared to cheat him.
The shopkeeper grew more and more alarmed as she noted the addresses. She had met the director of that orphanage before. No wonder there was a sign at the entrance stating it was sponsored by the Uchiha Clan. The director had approached her once for help, but she had refused. How could she afford to support an entire orphanage? Her shop made a decent profit, but it was far from enough for that. It seemed the director had found Uchiha Ryōsuke instead.
The inclusion of the Senju Clan estate shocked her even more. There were only two people left there: the successor, Tsunade, and her subordinate, Shizune. Both were exceptionally beautiful women. This was a terrifying thought. 'Has the strongest Uchiha really won over both Tsunade and Shizune?' she wondered. 'And even managed to get them both pregnant?'
She was genuinely stunned. No wonder the Uchiha Clan hadn't contested the position of Fifth Hokage. Instead, Tsunade, who had just returned to the village, had taken the seat.
So this was the hidden truth.