The Third Hokage flipped through the stack of documents on his desk. Every statistic that could be tracked had been meticulously compiled—foot traffic, average spending per customer, long-term sales trends.
It was clear that Danzō had been eyeing the Uchiha's business for a long time.
His preparations were exhaustive, leaving even the Hokage surprised.
The Uchiha's revenue had grown to such a staggering level.
On paper, Konoha's funds dwarfed the Uchiha's by more than tenfold.
But those funds were not the Hokage's personal purse. He couldn't simply spend them however he wished. Village construction, ninja wages, secret arts research, ANBU maintenance—all had to be funded from that pool.
The Uchiha, however, were different. Ninety percent of their profits went directly to their clan head, Fugaku. He could spend it however he pleased.
At this rate, would the Uchiha eventually supplant the Hokage as the true power in the village?
Every clan's loyalty followed profit. If the money was right, would they not cast their votes for Fugaku instead?
The Third hadn't expected matters to be this grave. A sense of urgency welled up within him.
Just as he was preparing to contemplate countermeasures, he noticed Danzō still standing before him.
The Hokage chuckled inwardly.
Yes, it was best to leave specialized tasks to specialists.
After all, Danzō was more than familiar with such work.
Tapping his pipe against the paper, the Third asked, "And what do you intend to do?"
"My men have already attempted imitations," Danzō replied. "But the flavor always falls short. Certain secret recipes remain unknown, and without them, we cannot compete."
Seeing Danzō's ambitious expression, the Third couldn't help but warn him. "You're not planning to force the issue, are you? You wouldn't stand against their Susanoo."
Danzō's face darkened. "Hmph. I have no intention of clashing head-on."
He shook the sheaf of ledgers in his hand. "Hiruzen, you could frame this as support for their business—press Fugaku to share the recipes."
The Hokage frowned. "Fugaku will never agree to that."
A sinister smile crept across Danzō's face. "If he refuses, there are ways to make him agree."
The Hokage appeared to weigh the thought. "And what is it you want?"
"Restore Root," Danzō answered without hesitation.
The Hokage paced back and forth for a long moment. His gaze eventually landed on the massive revenue figures listed under the Uchiha clan.
Shaking his head, he said, "Restoring Root is impossible."
Danzō said nothing. He knew it wouldn't be that simple. But the daimyō had given him the mission, and Hiruzen couldn't ignore the daimyō's will. There had to be a compromise.
And sure enough, the Hokage continued. "I can at least inform the other clans that cooperation with you is no longer prohibited."
Danzō sneered. "Not enough, Hiruzen."
The Hokage thought a moment longer. "Then I'll also grant you two honorary elder seats."
"Honorary elders…" Danzō murmured.
Every great clan, save the Uchiha, had such positions. They carried no executive power but did wield advisory influence—and, more importantly, a vote in the selection of the Hokage.
It was a foothold within the ruling structure.
To rise to the level of an advisory elder, one first needed to hold an honorary elder's seat.
It was clear: Hiruzen was giving one seat directly to Danzō, and the second as an asset for him to maneuver with.
Danzō was satisfied. "And who do you think should hold the other seat, Hiruzen?"
The Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke. "Perhaps it's time to stir up the Police Force."
Danzō considered.
The Police Force was currently under Hyūga Hiashi, head of the Hyūga main family. Conservative, ossified in thought. If interests were involved…
Conveniently, Root operatives once embedded in the Police had all been rendered inactive after Nakamura Kazuya's dismissal.
And Hiashi, indebted to Uchiha Natsuki, had kept those Root members completely suppressed—confined to patrolling only a single district and four adjoining streets.
They weren't allowed to intervene elsewhere.
But with a Hyūga main family elder in the mix, could those dead pieces be moved again?
—
Uchiha Fugaku suddenly received an invitation from the Hokage.
He arrived early at the Hokage's office.
Inside, the Third Hokage was already buried in paperwork.
Since the incident with the Hidden Cloud, this was their first meeting.
"Hokage-sama," Fugaku greeted. His state of mind had long since changed; he now held no particular emotion toward the Third.
After glimpsing the destruction that awaited the shinobi world, respect for a mere village leader no longer stirred in him.
The Hokage, maintaining his kindly façade, smiled. "Ah, Fugaku, you've come. Sit."
Fugaku did so.
"What business brings you to summon me, Hokage-sama?"
The Hokage lifted his teacup. "Fugaku, it's been a while. Your clan has been developing splendidly. As clan head, much credit belongs to you."
Fugaku answered flatly, "Not really. It's all Natsuki's work. I've done little."
The Third immediately noticed the change in Fugaku's attitude.
Still smiling, he said, "Your clan's restaurants are very popular in Konoha."
Fugaku said nothing.
So the Hokage pressed on. "Fugaku, the village is prepared to strongly support your businesses."
Fugaku's brow lifted. "And how exactly does Hokage-sama intend to support us?"
The Hokage unrolled a map of Konoha and drew a circle across it with his finger.
"All of your [Chinese Cuisine] shops are clustered in District Eight. The other districts have large flows of people—such a waste of potential."
He spoke with deliberate seriousness.
"My plan is to free up eight storefronts on each of the seven other main streets. That way, your shops can spread across the whole of Konoha."
Following the Hokage's gesture, Fugaku saw the circle encompassed nearly every major commercial district in the village.
If [Chinese Cuisine] occupied all those locations, the Uchiha's income would double.
Fugaku, however, merely offered an apologetic smile. "Hokage-sama, our clan lacks the manpower. We couldn't possibly handle that many shops."
The Hokage nodded. "I anticipated that. So the shops will be managed by my people. All you need do is provide the technical training."
"At the end, we can split the profits evenly. What do you say, Fugaku?"
Fugaku's heart sneered. So this was nothing more than an attempt to seize their recipes.
"That won't be necessary, Hokage-sama. Our clan's business is already more than enough. We have no plans to expand further for the time being."
He rose to his feet.
"Clan affairs keep me busy. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
And with that, he strode out.
The Uchiha's profits might not yet equal even a tenth of Konoha's, but thanks to the massive franchise fees Uchiha Natsuki had collected from the Land of Fields, Fugaku was brimming with confidence.
He no longer needed to bow to the Hokage's face.
The Hokage did not stop him, calmly rolling up the map once more.
This was merely his polite opening move. Against today's Uchiha, he knew full well—they could no longer be controlled as in the past.
---
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