The disbanding of Root and Jiraiya's departure made Konoha return to how it once was.
Even without the Uchiha Police Force, the Hyūga clan managed things well.
Few noticed that in Konoha's Eighth Street, all the Uchiha-owned small restaurants had quietly closed down for renovations.
Meanwhile, scattered news arrived from the Land of Water. The Mizunoyuki clan, the largest bloodline-limit clan of the Land of Water, dissatisfied with Yagura Karatachi's appointment as the Fourth Mizukage, attempted to assassinate him.
When the attempt failed, Yagura was gravely injured and retreated into the shadows. What followed was a brutal purge of bloodline clans across the Land of Water.
Many shinobi from Kirigakure began fleeing abroad.
Because the Land of Water was far away and its borders sealed, news gradually dwindled. No other power truly knew what was happening inside.
In Sunagakure, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, had ascended hastily during the Third Shinobi World War, his foundations shaky.
Yet after the war, relying on his personal ability, he stabilized his rule and worked hard to grow the village's economy.
By using his Gold Dust Magnet Release to mine the desert for gold, he brought significant financial support to Sunagakure, ushering in a period of steady development.
In Amegakure, Hanzō the Salamander, aged and decadent, had been slain by Nagato. From then on, the village entered Nagato's rule.
In Iwagakure, the genius youth Deidara, unwilling to obey, eventually defected and became a rogue ninja.
With the new generation lacking strong successors, Iwagakure was left propped up solely by the aged Ōnoki.
As for Natsuki, his focus in the following days was supporting Uchiha's commercial endeavors.
At first, when he asked the civilian Uchiha to shift their businesses, he faced strong resistance.
But after Natsuki showed some of his skill and hosted a banquet for them, everyone was utterly conquered by Chinese cuisine.
The unique ingredient handling, the explosion of flavors on the palate—all of it made the Uchiha faithful devotees of Chinese food.
Having already prepared business plans, Natsuki guided them to renovate their shops.
His own attention, however, remained mostly on exchanges with Orochimaru.
Using Yayo's summoned beast to pass daily messages, Natsuki initially received reports from Itachi and Shisui.
Afterward, nearly all communication centered on discussions with Orochimaru.
Natsuki placed great value on the world's most brilliant scientist. Many of his future plans required Orochimaru's support.
He even shared with Orochimaru details left out of his written proposals.
Learning about the great upheavals to come in a few years, Orochimaru felt even more urgency. His experiments continued daily, leaving no time to manage Otogakure.
Fortunately, the influx of Uchiha elites instantly transformed Otogakure.
Its completed mission count skyrocketed, surpassing all minor villages and ranking just below the Five Great Villages.
Amegakure, Takigakure, Kusagakure—all were left far behind.
Under constant observation from many villages, the unmasked Uchiha made it clear that Itachi had defected to a small village.
Everyone awaited Konoha's reaction, only to be shocked when the village remained indifferent, as if the matter meant nothing at all.
Even more surprising: with so many Uchiha, they could easily seize control of Otogakure, yet they showed no intention of doing so. They simply worked as ninjas, obediently.
Natsuki wasn't surprised. After all, these Uchiha elites had long been brainwashed by Kotoamatsukami. Not only would they obediently complete missions, they would even commit suicide if ordered.
Thus, most of his energy returned to renovating the eateries of Eighth Street.
After the banquet where the Uchiha civilian shop owners had sampled his cooking, Natsuki's confidence in Chinese cuisine had only grown stronger.
He accelerated the process, and within just two months, signboards bearing the name "Chinese Cuisine" lined the entire Eighth Street.
The moment the shops opened, they set all of Konoha ablaze. Crowds flocked to try them.
Each Uchiha shop specialized in a unique dish: hot dry noodles, roujiamo, crayfish, rice noodles, snail noodles, steamed rice rolls…
Enough variety to eat from one end of the street to the other without repetition. Each relied on secret methods and recipes that no one could copy.
Konoha's other eateries instantly lost business and were forced to switch trades.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rice Fields, Natsuki took even greater strides.
He drafted the grand Ueno Project, which even Orochimaru praised.
Because medical experimentation required massive funding, far more than ninjutsu development had.
Whether for self-enhancement or studying the evolution of the Sharingan, colossal resources were necessary.
Fortunately, Orochimaru had already infiltrated the Land of Rice Fields. The daimyō was under his control.
With the daimyō's support, the Chinese Cuisine franchise spread rapidly across the country.
At first, local restaurant owners thought the daimyō insane for investing so much in a strange novelty.
But reality slapped them in the face.
The franchise, offering full meals, desserts, and specialty snacks, swept the Land of Rice Fields like a whirlwind, crushing all local competitors.
For full meals, their diverse Chinese cuisines outclassed the locals' monotony.
For desserts, their endless array of pastries and drinks dazzled customers.
For snacks, they were irresistible—skewers, spicy noodles, hot dry noodles, roujiamo, crayfish, steamed rice rolls, rice noodles, snail noodles, jianbing, sweet-and-sour pork…
Within months, many local restaurant owners faced empty shops.
While they struggled for solutions, Chinese Cuisine rolled out a new model: franchising.
By paying a fee, local owners could receive technical support and access to secret recipes.
At first, few dared. New things inspire fear.
But the pioneers—the first to "eat the crab"—took the risk, spending heavily to join the franchise.
Within months, they recouped their costs and made fortunes.
Seeing this, countless others rushed to invest, eager to join the brand.
From the Land of Rice Fields, the wave of Chinese Cuisine gradually spread into all major nations.
A year later—
Konoha's Eighth Street had become the most prosperous district of the village.
The biggest reason: the rise of Uchiha's Chinese Cuisine.
The dishes they served were things most people had never seen or heard of before.
Once a few tried them, the otherworldly flavors quickly conquered everyone's taste buds.
Observers noted that the shops on Konoha's Eighth Street had appeared simultaneously with those in the Land of Rice Fields.
Clearly, the masterminds were none other than the Uchiha clan.
Thus, the Uchiha suddenly became the wealthiest clan in the shinobi world.
By now, Naruto and Sasuke had nearly two years of schooling. Naruto's academic performance was mediocre, though his taijutsu was decent.
His weakest area was chakra refinement and control.
The academy was now teaching Transformation Technique, and Naruto always ranked last.
With Natsuki and Sasuke providing him daily support, the Third Hokage seemed to sense a threat. He kept raising Naruto's monthly allowance, severely punishing anyone who targeted him.
The fear was simple: that someday, Naruto might be lured away by Uchiha Natsuki.
He even tried to have Kakashi grow closer to Naruto.
But Kakashi's missions left him little time, and their interactions went no deeper than idle chats.
Meanwhile, Naruto's bond with Natsuki and Sasuke was far stronger.
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