Uchiha's personal opinion

The Uchiha clan's recent unusual activities have also made the other ninja clans in the village feel somewhat nervous.

Many ninja clans whose focus was solely on Konoha Village suddenly discovered that, unbeknownst to them, the Uchiha clan, in addition to its core base in the police department, also controlled two of Konoha's four border forces: the Northwest and Eastern ninja armies. They also controlled the recently exposed Nakagawa Stock Exchange, and their smuggling operations in the Land of Water, which had just been exposed by the Daimyo's envoy…

Furthermore, the current Jonin squad leader, Sakumo Hatake, is also an ally of the Uchiha clan, and his most elite mobile units are filled with a large number of Uchiha Jonin.

Furthermore, the commoner ninjas and minor ninja clans under Sakumo Hatake's command maintained a neutral stance on the smuggling incident under the influence of their leader, which is one of the reasons why public opinion within Konoha did not generate a large-scale negative impact.

"The title of the number one bloodline clan in the ninja world is well-deserved..."

Putting everything else aside, the sheer courage of the Uchiha clan to station troops on the border and spy on the Daimyo's residence is enough to make all the other ninja clans in Konoha admire them.

The daimyo's envoy, having been deliberately informed by someone with ulterior motives, had also learned that Uchiha Tokumitsu had returned to the village. However, he did not have the courage to leave the Hokage Building to confront Uchiha Tokumitsu about his disrespect towards the daimyo.

The indifference shown by everyone in Konoha, including the Hokage himself, towards the Uchiha clan's smuggling activities had greatly alarmed him.

Outside the Hokage Building, beyond the ANBU's cordon, the rows of police officers from the Northern District Headquarters patrolling back and forth filled him with dread.

"Has the Third Hokage lost control of Konoha?"

The daimyo's mind was filled with this terrible thought.

He thought that coming to Konoha as the daimyo's envoy to confront the Uchiha clan would be a great opportunity to gain political capital, but he never expected to fall into such a dangerous situation!

The daimyo envoy recalled the meaning behind the inexplicable expression on the face of the Grand Councilor, who was currently vying for his favor, when he left the daimyo's residence!

That was the look on his face, like he was looking at a dead person!

Perhaps someone in the Daimyo Prefecture has already slandered him to the Daimyo, claiming that he, a treacherous minister, "forced" the Uchiha to rebel!

Uchiha Tokumitsu naturally had no time to pay attention to the changes in the Daimyo's thoughts. At this moment, he had already sent out invitations to the leaders of various affiliated ninja clans to attend a meeting the next day to discuss important matters.

……

When a prominent member of the Uchiha clan posted a request, the leader of the affiliated ninja clan naturally responded with pleasure.

The next morning, more than an hour before the meeting time agreed upon in the invitation letter by Uchiha Tokumitsu, all the leaders of the affiliated ninja clans had already arrived.

Uchiha Tokumitsu had no choice but to meet with the leaders ahead of schedule.

"I have a road in the Land of Water. It's quite risky, but the profits are very high. I wonder if anyone is interested?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Uchiha Tokumitsu got straight to the point.

The breathing of the group of ninja leaders immediately became heavy, and they all stared intently at Uchiha Tokumitsu.

As leaders of ninja clans with close ties to the Uchiha clan, they naturally understood what Uchiha Tokumitsu meant.

The smuggling operations of the Uchiha clan and Kirigakure were already well-known. Many members of affiliated ninja clans were registered and serving in the eastern border defense forces, and some even participated in the "border trade" operations commanded by Uchiha Tokumitsu. After the Daimyo's envoy arrived in Konoha, many more details of the eastern smuggling case were revealed.

However, for the ninja clan, whether or not they should heed the laws of the Land of Fire depends mainly on whether the daimyo has the power to punish them; everything else is irrelevant.

And now, judging from what Uchiha Tokumitsu said... it seems he wants to get everyone involved?

"Please enlighten me, Lord Deguang!"

The Shiranui clan chief immediately stood up and loudly replied, "We will obey your every command!"

The leaders who were a beat slow to get up were filled with regret, deeply resenting that Chief Shiranui had stolen their chance to shine!

Uchiha Tokumitsu gestured for the Shiranui clan leader to sit down, and continued slowly:

"The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish! As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Our ninja clan has endured thousands of years of war, and the most important thing is that we are not afraid of hardship or risk! I wonder if everyone agrees with this?"

"Lord Deguang is absolutely right!"

The ninja leaders immediately echoed in unison.

"My principle is that we should all make money together, and I've already paved the way."

Uchiha Tokumitsu glanced around, his face stern: "We are still at war with Kirigakure of the Land of Water, but it is precisely because of this that we can make more money..."

After saying that, Uchiha Tokumitsu picked up the teacup in front of him and took a small sip.

The breathing of the ninja leaders grew heavier and heavier.

Seafood!

After observing the expressions of those present, Uchiha Tokumitsu put down his teacup. "I've already reached an agreement with the Hozuki and Minazuki clans. They can contract out the seafood business of the Land of Fire and even the entire ninja world to us! As long as we can capture the market, the supply of seafood from the Land of Water will be endless!"

The leaders of the ninja clans quickly made a mental calculation, and then their breathing became even more rapid.

Although it's not about smuggling and dumping goods into the Land of Water, importing local specialties from the Land of Water is a good option!

The seafood business may seem small, but its advantage lies in the fact that it is a type of food that is constantly being consumed.

This also means that once you establish a market presence, business will be booming!

Moreover, since the outbreak of the war, merchant ships between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water have been almost completely cut off, and the prices of high-end seafood from the Land of Water have risen sharply!

Moreover, the Hozuki and Mizuki clans of Kirigakure are both powerful ninja clans that have produced Mizukage. By cooperating with them, unless the two great ninja villages start another war, there is absolutely no need to worry about the supply of goods!

"Lord Deguang's instructions are the direction we should take!"

Chief Nohara seized the opportunity to flatter.

"I plan to build a large storage center in the Land of Waves, where we can store high-end seafood from the Land of Water, and also purchase some ordinary seafood nearby."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded slightly to the Nohara clan chief and continued, "I believe everyone knows the benefits of controlling a country, even a small one, right?"

All the ninja clan leaders nodded in agreement.

"The business deal with the Hidden Mist Clan has a total capital of 300 million ryo. The Uchiha Clan will contribute 100 million, and anyone interested can invest the rest!"

"The Shiranui clan has invested fifty million taels!"

The Shiranui clan chief immediately raised his hand and shouted.

"No rush!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu pressed his palm down, signaling everyone to calm down.

"This matter is of great importance. I would like to ask all the leaders to return and determine the specific shares with their clansmen, so that we can make a final decision tomorrow. Is that alright?"

"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Deguang!"

The ninja clan leaders, who lacked sufficient funds, breathed a sigh of relief.

They also wanted to join in making money, but if they had to decide how much to invest on the spot, they really couldn't accurately estimate their own financial situation.

"There's only one principle: if there's gold, we all make it together! If there's trouble, we all shoulder it together!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's voice was gentle yet firm, "Does anyone have anything to add?"

"I will follow Lord Deguang's arrangements!"

The ninja clan leaders all stood up and bowed.

The reason for postponing the investment meeting to tomorrow is to finalize the specifics of the seafood trade with the Land of Water after we finish arguing with the Daimyo's envoy.

In this way, with the benefits and temptations within reach, even if the Uchiha clan makes some noise, as long as they don't launch a coup on the spot, all the affiliated ninja clans will follow the Uchiha clan's lead.

……

After seeing off the ninja clan leaders, Uchiha Tokumitsu returned to the tea room and leisurely brewed two more cups of tea.

"Orochimaru, Jonin, come out and have a cup of tea!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu smiled, his eyes fixed on the tatami mat in front of him.

"If you don't come out, I'll just come to your mansion to find you..."

After a while, a white snake lifted up the tatami mat and crawled out from under the floor.

Then, the white snake opened its mouth wide, and a hand covered in mucus emerged from its mouth.

"De Guang-kun's sensory ninjutsu is truly extraordinary; he was able to see through my disguise!"

Orochimaru cleaned himself off the slime, showing no remorse for having been discovered.

What are you doing here?

Uchiha Tokumitsu casually pushed a teacup in front of Orochimaru, "Or rather, are you your original form now?"

"That's a very..."

Orochimaru chuckled twice to cover his embarrassment, then said directly, "I heard everything that Tokumitsu-kun said, and I'm quite interested in it too!"

"So how much are you planning to invest?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu tilted his head and asked with great interest.

"...As far as I know, it seems that Deguang is also sending people to purchase large-scale experimental equipment."

Orochimaru did not directly answer Uchiha Tokumitsu's question, but said, "If you are interested, we can cooperate in this area."

So... that means you don't have any money?

Uchiha Tokumitsu leaned back and relaxed.

Orochimaru's face immediately darkened, his snake-like eyes staring intently at the smiling Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"I can calculate your share as a favor, but your share can only be confirmed after tomorrow."

Uchiha Tokumitsu stopped rubbing salt in Orochimaru's wounds and instead offered his conditions: "If there are any research projects in the future, we can cooperate... Of course, the premise is that you have to demonstrate your value!"

"Excellent! As expected of Lord Deguang, who can see through people's hearts!"

Orochimaru's expression immediately softened, and he stuck out his long tongue to wash his face. "Well then, let's talk again tomorrow!"

"Let's talk later!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised his glass to see his guest off.

Chapter 163 Uchiha Shows Off

In the early morning, Uchiha Tokumitsu woke up from his sleep and put on a short-sleeved shirt that he rarely wore, revealing the dragon-shaped tattoo of the Firelight Lord on his right arm.

After donning a specially made police department Jonin vest, Uchiha Tokumitsu slung his kodachi over his shoulder, and equipped himself with a complete set of combat tools, including a ninja tool bag and scrolls, looking every bit the part ready for battle.

What Uchiha Tokumitsu wanted to do was to adopt a posture of "Uchiha's core interests are inviolable" to carry out strategic intimidation.

Coming down from the second floor, his father, Uchiha Nakagen, was already ready. Even his mother, Emiko, had changed into unmarked Chunin uniforms.

The two silently supported their son in showing the Uchiha's fangs to the Hokage and Daimyo.

After finishing breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere, Uchiha Tokumitsu bowed to his parents and then strode out of the house, where the armored ninja guards were already lined up and waiting.