Konoha: Rebuild the glory of the Uchiha!

"What has the Hokage thought about the alliance agreement between Konoha and Sunagakure? If it's really difficult, we can talk about it."

Chiyo's tone was humble. She had already lost her usual composure after being frightened by Kakuzu this morning, and then she was left sitting on the sidelines in the office by Uchiha Nan all morning, which made her even more flustered.

When people are anxious, their minds tend to wander, and this is especially true for women. Chiyo is no exception. She's terrified that Kakuzu might have been sent by Uchiha Nan to use Kakuzu to force her to say things she doesn't want to say.

I came to Konoha with a mission. The Kazekage entrusted me with such an important task. The agreement promised by Uchiha Nan is not just a timely rain for Sunagakure, it's like a gift from heaven. If things continue like this, Sunagakure will really starve to death.

Sunagakure, as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, has a terrifyingly low margin for error compared to the other four villages, or even no margin at all. A single failed battle can plunge Sunagakure into a death spiral—insufficient funding, reduced expenditures, downgraded village ninja size, weakened village, and the Daimyo becoming increasingly reluctant to allocate funds.

In an effort to earn more money, the village has begun to lower its mission prices, attempting to compensate by increasing the number of missions. The only consolation is that Sunagakure has an excellent gold miner who earns a fortune every day to supplement the village's income. Otherwise, the village would have been established for only twenty years before suffering a lesson from Tobirama Senju's iron fist. The daimyo is too poor to increase funding and has even cut it. Without Masa, this excellent gold miner, Sunagakure would probably have fallen apart in just a few years.

To forge an alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure, Chiyo must put in an extraordinary effort. As long as Uchiha Nan's demands don't cross Sunagakure's bottom line—for example, tailed beasts or even some rare ninjutsu techniques—she's willing to offer them in exchange.

After Chiyo finished speaking, she looked into Uchiha Nan's eyes and became uneasy. She hoped that Uchiha Nan could keep his promise. Kakuzu's excited reaction that morning had really made Chiyo's heart pound. Konoha was probably going to lose a lot of money!

Uchiha Nan smiled slightly, looking at Chiyo's flustered appearance, and feigned hesitation, making Chiyo's heart jump into her throat. After a short wait, he said:

"Although Konoha suffered considerable losses, as the Hokage of Konoha, my word is law. However..."

Before Uchiha Nan could finish speaking, Chiyo's body instantly relaxed, relieved that the alliance agreement wouldn't be voided. But then Chiyo's body suddenly shrank again. Sure enough, there were still follow-up conditions to be discussed. However, as long as Uchiha Nan's conditions didn't cross Sunagakure's bottom line, Chiyo was willing to act first and ask for permission later to agree on behalf of Kazekage Masa.

"I hope that Konoha can reduce or exempt taxes for shops opened in Sunagakure."

"All books, music, and movies published in Konoha can be sold normally in Sunagakure. As Hokage, I hope that the Will of Fire of Konoha can flourish throughout the ninja world, which is one of the main reasons for my alliance with Sunagakure."

"Furthermore, Sunagakure is responsible for protecting caravans traveling between Konoha and Sunagakure... and specifically dispatches ninja teams to escort them between the two villages."

"And I also hope for the exchange program between the two villages that the Kazekage promised me. After all, this involves the bond between the next generation of Konoha and Sunagakure."

Uchiha Nan stated a series of supplementary conditions and requirements, with the most important one being that the influence of spiritual culture should not be underestimated.

It's time for Konoha to add a new department—the Publicity Department. They need to hire writers from the Land of Fire at high salaries to act as online trolls, specifically responsible for praising everything about Konoha, from its systems and ideology to even its people. They should claim that Konoha's excellence is unmatched by Sunagakure. Instead of staying in Sunagakure, that poor and backward ninja village, they should come to Konoha as soon as possible and contribute to its glory.

There are no village boundaries for ninjas. If a ninja village cannot bring happiness to its ninjas, then the ninjas have no obligation to risk their lives for the village for their entire lives. This is the so-called freedom of a ninja!

Konoha should be promoted as a beacon of the ninja world, a place of freedom and happiness, and the best ninja village to realize a ninja's dream!

Konoha's propaganda machine will spread Konoha's glory to every corner of the ninja world!

Even if it doesn't make money, or even if it results in a loss, you still have to do it. If you don't occupy the high ground of public opinion, someone else will.

Uchiha Nan still intended to pass this task on to Nara Shikato mainly because he had no one else he could use, and Nara Shikato was the only one he was most comfortable with.

Tomita Uchiha, his absolute confidant, was focused on the Anbu. Handling the tedious affairs of Konoha was not suitable for the Uchiha. The Uchiha were better suited to combat-type missions involving fighting and killing, which would also increase their chances of awakening their Sharingan. It was a win-win situation!

Hyuga Takuma was busy reorganizing the Konoha Police Force, and Uchiha Nan even removed him from the Uchiha clan for his work in urban management. It was too offensive for the Uchiha to do that kind of work. Now, Konoha's business was not as simple as it used to be; it was expanding at an incredibly rapid pace.

Continuing to let the Uchiha clan use such a brutal approach might cause even bigger problems. A good business environment is crucial for commerce. The Hyuga clan, behind Hyuga Takuma, is best suited to handle these commercial disputes involving big merchants and nobles, as they already have a strong presence in the noble circles of the Land of Fire.

As for Senju Momoka, let's not even mention him. He seemed listless during the previous meeting, probably because he felt hopeless about becoming Hokage. He was also marginalized by Uchiha Nan, and his mind wasn't on the power struggles in Konoha. He often stayed indoors, and we don't know what he's been doing lately. Maybe he's still feeling resentful and wants to do something. But maybe he's resigned to his fate and is busy creating a younger brother for Tsunade—the vengeful spirit who was killed by the explosive tags.

Although Nara Shikamaru already had a lot of work pressure, ninjas must learn excellent skills like eating grass and milking milk. But Tobirama Senju was the best-chosen worker in Uchiha Nan's eyes, working 007 all year round.

After Uchiha Nan finished speaking, he looked at Chiyo and remained silent, his mind wandering. It wasn't until a while later that Chiyo finally spoke.

"I can agree to these conditions on behalf of the Kazekage. Thank you for your generosity, Hokage."

Chiyo's tone was excited. After hearing Uchiha Nan's conditions, Chiyo couldn't wait to agree to them immediately, as these conditions were simply insignificant to Sunagakure at the moment.

Konoha caravans traverse the desert, enduring sandstorms, scorching sun, and even desert bandits, sometimes facing life-threatening dangers, to earn meager profits, or even lose money, in order to reach Sunagakure. And Sunagakure still wants to collect taxes. Even Chiyo can't stand it.

As for music, books, and movies, they have virtually no market in Sunagakure now, unless they're free. The villagers, who are starving to death, probably wouldn't even glance at them. They'd probably take them home and burn them as fuel that very night. Desert nights are freezing, there's no firewood to burn, and coal is too expensive. They might as well stay in bed and tough it out, saving some money to buy more food.

The exchange program between Sunagakure and Konoha was already discussed and agreed upon by Kazekage Masa, who planned to send a large number of high-ranking students to Konoha for study.

All of Uchiha Nan's conditions were insignificant to Chiyo. Obtaining material assistance, job opportunities, and financial support was more important than anything else. However, Chiyo still pretended to be reserved and thought about it for a while before agreeing to all of Uchiha Nan's requests.

"May the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure last forever."

"The Sand Village couldn't get what it wanted."

Uchiha Nan smiled with satisfaction, stood up from his chair and shook hands with Chiyo. He then called out Nara Shikato, leaving the rest of the agreement implementation to him. As long as he wasn't squeezed to death, he would squeeze him to the bone; the high salary he was paying wasn't something you could just get easily.

Chiyo chatted with Uchiha Nan for a while, showering him with compliments, before happily following Nara Shika to coordinate their work.

After sending Chiyo away, Nara Shikamaru delivered several large piles of papers to Uchiha Nan, containing information on newcomers to Konoha registered within the last three days.

Uchiha Nan had a feeling that Uchiha Madara had already infiltrated Konoha. With Madara's strength, it would be easy for him to sneak into Konoha unnoticed and bypass Uchiha Nan's personnel screening. However, Uchiha Nan still planned to check the recent personnel screening information of Konoha himself.

It wasn't to find Madara Uchiha's trail, but just to put my mind at ease and sleep more soundly. What if Madara Uchiha really did use the simple and unpretentious method of infiltration to enter through the gates of Konoha?

Instead of living in constant fear, it's better to face reality directly.

"Wow, there's so much traffic in Konoha now. Oh well, I'll take my time and see. I don't have anything else to do anyway. I'll just leave when it's time to go home."

Looking at the large pile of papers in front of him, Uchiha Nan made up his mind and began to flip through them one by one. He looked at them for a long time; this tedious and boring task was making his eyes tired.

Maybe I'm just being too sensitive.

The roulette system sometimes goes crazy and gives itself some tasks. At this time, Madara Uchiha was probably still in the dark underground cave trying to activate the Rinnegan.

The current situation in the ninja world is indeed quite different from the original story, but it shouldn't attract Madara Uchiha's attention. He's not Hashirama Senju.

Uchiha Nan shook his wrist, his wrist aching from flipping through the papers so many times. If he couldn't find anything in another half hour, he'd just go home. Uchiha Nan casually flipped through the remaining papers, but no information that would raise his alarm appeared, until…

"Spotted Pillar?"

"Damn, this name...it really is..."

"Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama!"

Uchiha Nan looked at the names on the paper, and his eyes, which had been somewhat sleepy, immediately widened, and he instantly became alert.

With these two characters combined, Uchiha Nan couldn't help but overthink. This certainly suited Uchiha Madara's personality, who chose his name based on his whims.

When Hashirama Senju asked Madara Uchiha what they should name the ninja village they were building, Madara had a leaf in his hand and simply named it Konoha (Leaf Village).

"You entered the village last night?"

"It matches up! It really matches up! The system task was issued last night!"

Uchiha Nan didn't believe in so many coincidences in this world; if coincidences piled up, it must be deliberate. The system task was indeed...

Uchiha Nan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died!

Madara Uchiha, that old man, has indeed arrived in Konoha. Calm down!

Uchiha Nan felt her heart racing. To calm herself down, she rubbed her face vigorously. After a few minutes, her emotions finally subsided.

Now that it's confirmed that Madara Uchiha is in Konoha, we must figure out his purpose. At this point in time, Madara Uchiha definitely hasn't awakened the Rinnegan.

Could it be for the Nine-Tails?

After a moment, Uchiha Nan rejected the idea. The Nine-Tails was a natural disaster for ordinary ninjas. Even Uchiha Nan would have some trouble dealing with the Nine-Tails. Only by expending his precious eye power could he easily suppress the Nine-Tails.

My eyes aren't an eternal kaleidoscope anymore; using them too much will definitely blind me.

However, to Madara Uchiha, the Nine-Tails was just a tamed wild beast, and Madara Uchiha didn't take it seriously at all.

The mere Nine-Tails wasn't worth Madara Uchiha going to such lengths, wasting his time trying to awaken the Rinnegan, and making a special trip to Konoha.

For the Uchiha clan?

It shouldn't be that bad.

Mito Uzumaki?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Several conjectures flashed through Uchiha Nan's mind, but he rejected them one by one.

When you've ruled out all the impossible scenarios, what remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

"Madara Uchiha was probably coming for me!"

Uchiha Nan slumped in his chair, his mind rejecting the idea, but no matter how he thought about it, it was the only possibility.

He himself is the only variable in the original timeline of the Naruto world, and the butterfly effect he has created is so powerful that it has even brought out Madara Uchiha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, a nobody with no background, no bloodline limit, and no strength, wouldn't interest Madara Uchiha at all.

Only a member of the same clan, the Uchiha, could pique Madara's interest even slightly.

Madara Uchiha probably has his eye on me. That old man tried for ten years but couldn't get the Rinnegan out. He only managed to get it out when he died of old age. I know in the future that Madara Uchiha will awaken the Rinnegan, but Madara Uchiha doesn't know that now.

An Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and became the Third Hokage of Konoha would be a perfect successor to Madara Uchiha. Perhaps Madara Uchiha wanted to use him as a backup plan for the Eye of the Moon Project.

Uchiha Nan kept analyzing the situation in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized it made sense. His feet involuntarily grew cold, a chill creeping up from his toes. (I don't know if any of you have ever had this feeling, but I couldn't solve math problems during my college entrance exams—I have firsthand experience. Last year, I had the same problem with Math II. So sad.)

The fate of those targeted by Madara Uchiha is similar to that of the devoted Obito; his beloved died before his eyes, and he was manipulated as a puppet for his entire life. Although Obito ultimately betrayed Madara Uchiha, failing to revive him as planned and instead absorbing the Ten-Tails himself to become its jinchūriki, his ultimate fate remains unchanged.

However, if Obito Uchiha hadn't been targeted by Madara Uchiha, he might have actually managed to have everything he wanted by being a devoted admirer. His master would have been the Fourth Hokage, and he would have married the goddess Rin Nohara.

It's not impossible that Minato Namikaze might eventually pass the position of Fifth Hokage to Obito Uchiha!

Obito Uchiha's life was ruined by Madara Uchiha.

Is it my turn now?

Chapter 125 Uchiha Nan: Lord Uchiha Madara, you have no son, I want to take care of you in your old age!

"Am I going to become the second Obito Uchiha?"

Uchiha Nan felt a little panicked. Obito Uchiha's fate was extremely tragic. He couldn't afford to suffer the same fate as Obito!

He had to calm down. Uchiha Nan felt his heart pounding. He couldn't panic at this moment. He looked at the iced cola in front of him on the table and gulped it down in one go, chewing on the ice cubes.

The cool sensation gradually calmed Uchiha Nan down.

There's absolutely no chance of going head-to-head with Madara Uchiha. The Susanoo-clad Buddha would definitely beat him to a pulp. If he doesn't, it just means he's already completely exhausted by then.

The only chance to contend with Madara Uchiha is the information advantage he possesses.

Madara Uchiha appeared to be in the shadows, but everything he plotted was seen through by Nanami Uchiha; he had no secrets whatsoever.

It's just the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan, the so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi. As long as Madara Uchiha is willing to secretly find me and use his clumsy talk-no-jutsu to find a decent excuse, Uchiha Nan feels that he can just bow down and worship.

Nan has spent half his life wandering, only regretting that he has not met a wise ruler. If you do not abandon him, Nan is willing to become your adoptive father. Uchiha Madara, you have no son, and I have no father. I want to take care of you in your old age. Don't live in that wretched underground cave anymore, come to Konoha.

Just treat it like playing a murder mystery game with an old man. Anyway, Madara Uchiha hasn't awakened the Rinnegan yet, so I'll just play along and slowly wear him down. As long as he doesn't resort to violence, it's fine. I'm still young, so I can just lie low and complete the system's gold missions. As long as I don't die, I'll eventually have my day.

It's not like Madara Uchiha could just drive his Gundam around and demolish Konoha without saying a word.

Uchiha Nan pondered to himself, figuring that Madara Uchiha was targeting him because he wanted to use him as a backup plan for the Eye of the Moon Project. He just needed to slide to his knees quickly enough. He was a little troubled about what graceful pose to use when acknowledging Madara as his adoptive father. He couldn't just kneel down and call him "adoptive father," could he?

Madara Uchiha has now infiltrated Konoha, like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. There's still no way to find Madara's trail; if Madara wants to hide, Uchiha Nan feels she has no ability to find him. It's so frustrating. She can only passively wait for Madara to come to her.