The Uchiha Clan's Sun

"Ahem," Uchiha Jin coughed twice and said, "You all probably already know about Uchiha Shisui becoming one of the Daimyo's Twelve Guardian Ninjas, right?"

Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Ya both nodded; they had only recently learned of this matter from Uchiha Fugaku.

After all, Konoha had just gone through a war, and the absence of such an important combatant as Uchiha Shisui, a member of the Uchiha clan who participated in the war, could not be kept secret.

It was only then that Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Jin learned from Uchiha Fugaku that Uchiha Jin had made contact with the Daimyo's mansion, but they didn't know the specifics yet.

Uchiha Jin continued, "Actually, before the last clan festival began, I reached another agreement with the Daimyo to solidify our cooperative relationship!"

Fugaku Uchiha asked curiously, "What agreement?"

"Marriage!"

A strange look appeared on Uchiha Jin's face, and he spoke somewhat awkwardly.

Uchiha Ya frowned and asked, "A marriage alliance?! Between whom?"

Uchiha Jin pointed to himself and said, "The head of the Uchiha clan and the princess of the Land of Fire, that is, Tsunade and I!"

Uchiha Setsuna: "???"

Fugaku Uchiha: "???"

Uchiha Ya: "???"

Confused!

The three of them wouldn't be surprised if the Land of Fire wanted Uchiha Jin as their marriage partner, since a marriage is only meaningful if the partner is of high status.

The person who could be betrothed to Uchiha Jin was Tsunade... This was something they never expected!

Tsunade is indeed the princess of the Land of Fire, but she is also the only surviving member of the Senju clan!

Is it right for the Uchiha and Senju clans to marry?

Uchiha Setsuna frowned and asked, "Clan leader, what exactly is going on?"

Uchiha Jin shook his head slightly and explained, "The reason for this is that I wanted to prepare a backup plan for the Uchiha clan, which is to become the Daimyo's agent in Konoha and have full control over all the subsidies allocated to Konoha by the Daimyo!"

"I think everyone should understand what this means. Once we have this power, it won't be so easy for the village to do anything to us again!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of Fugaku and the other two Uchiha were all lit up!

Uchiha Setsuna spoke up: "Clan head, from what you're saying, you've already taken care of this matter?"

Meeting the expectant gazes of the three, Uchiha Jin nodded and said, "That's right, it's all taken care of! In fact, the 3 billion ryo subsidy that the Daimyo Prefecture allocated to Konoha this time is now in my hands!"

"That's great!" Fugaku Uchiha exclaimed excitedly. "The village is desperate for food, and now we have that food in our hands. Even the village has to be mindful of our wishes!"

Uchiha Ya also spoke up, saying, "This is an extremely important power! If we handle it properly, the status of our Uchiha clan can be elevated several levels in the village!"

Uchiha Jin shook his head and said, "Don't be too happy yet. The Daimyo gave us this power on certain conditions!"

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the three Uchiha Fugaku faltered slightly, but then they seemed to remember something and their smiles returned.

Uchiha Setsuna said, "It's just a marriage alliance, right? Senju it is. Anyway, she's the only remaining member of the Senju clan. Let's just consider it as us taking her in!"

Fugaku Uchiha shook his head and said, "Elder, you should be careful with your words. Tsunade is not only a descendant of the Senju clan, but also a princess of the Land of Fire, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and the strongest medical ninja in the ninja world. It is a good match for her to marry into our Uchiha clan. We should give her the most basic respect!"

Uchiha Ya then looked at Uchiha Jin and asked, "When are you getting married? Will there be an engagement ceremony? Will it be held in Konoha or the Daimyo's residence?"

Uchiha Jin: "..."

Uchiha Jin finally understood that these three guys had no intention of considering his personal wishes.

Uchiha Jin shook his head and said, "It's too early for you to talk about these things. This matter is still far from being settled!"

Fugaku and the other two were taken aback by what they heard, and were quite puzzled.

Uchiha Setsuna asked, "Why? Didn't the Daimyo give you all the money?"

Uchiha Jin explained, "Because from the beginning, this was just the Daimyo's wishful thinking; Tsunade herself might not even know about it!"

"Based on my understanding of Tsunade, she definitely wouldn't agree to something like this, so my reply to the Daimyo was that as long as Tsunade agreed, there wouldn't be any problem on my end."

"And the Daimyo also said that if Tsunade doesn't agree, then it's his problem. As long as I agree, even if this matter doesn't work out in the end, we'll still get the money!"

"So we basically got something for free this time!"

"I see," Fugaku Uchiha said upon hearing this, "In that case, our Uchiha clan does indeed benefit!"

Uchiha Jin shook his head and said, "These subsidies were originally meant for the village; we're just managing them on their behalf now."

"The daimyo also wants to use us to restrain Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group, so he doesn't lose anything for him!"

"So this is a win-win situation!"

"As for the marriage with Tsunade, it's just an additional condition; whether it happens or not is irrelevant!"

Uchiha Setsuna asked, "So those two guys, Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo, came to ask you for money?"

“You could say that,” Uchiha Jin said, his eyes narrowing slightly, “but they’re more likely here to test my attitude!”

Chapter 238 People are not worried about scarcity, but about inequality!

Uchiha Jin had finally managed to gain control of the Daimyo's subsidies, so naturally he wouldn't easily hand them over to the village.

Mitokado and his group were well aware of this, but they still came, and their purpose was certainly not as simple as just wanting money!

Uchiha Jin spoke up, "Controlling the Daimyo's subsidies is indeed a great power, but with great power comes great responsibility! Power often comes with equal risks!"

"Such a large sum of money will attract countless eyes, and it could easily become an excuse for others to attack my Uchiha clan!"

"Therefore, our Uchiha clan must be even more careful in the coming period of time!"

Uchiha Ya nodded and said, "The clan head is right, we must be careful about this! There might be someone with ulterior motives bringing this up at tomorrow's Jonin meeting!"

"Although the Daimyo has agreed, it is still illegitimate for my Uchiha clan to control this money! If Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others want to take this money, tomorrow's Jonin meeting will be their best opportunity!"

"They wouldn't dare!" Uchiha Setsuna roared. "They didn't give us this money, so why should they take it back just because they want to? If they have the guts, let them come and rob us!"

"Elder, please don't get agitated," Uchiha Jin reassured him. "This money is, after all, a subsidy from the Daimyo to the village. Our Uchiha clan is merely holding it in trust. This is an indisputable fact!"

"However, it's impossible for them to just take it from us like that. I've already taken precautions and made Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo agree that this money 'should' be kept in the hands of our Uchiha clan, thus confirming the matter."

Uchiha Jin then recounted his negotiations with Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo, which made Uchiha Setsuna and the other two burst into laughter!

Uchiha Setsuna exclaimed excitedly, "Clan leader, your move of cutting off the enemy's supply lines was brilliant! I am ashamed of my own inferiority! Now that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer holds the title of Hokage, his prestige will be significantly diminished!"

Uchiha Ya also said with a smile, "Mitokado Homura is usually very meticulous in his work, but today he suffered such a big loss at the hands of the clan leader. It's really gratifying!"

Although Fugaku Uchiha didn't say anything, the smile on his face, which he couldn't suppress, showed that he was in a very good mood!

Uchiha Jin smiled and shook his head, saying, "This matter will probably have further developments at tomorrow's Jonin meeting. Shimura Danzo is probably even more eager than us to confirm this!"

"So all we need to do now is watch from the sidelines and let Shimura Danzo lead the charge!"

After explaining the matter of the Daimyo's subsidy funds, Uchiha Jin also stopped smiling.

Uchiha Jin spoke seriously, "Now we need to talk about serious matters. Our Uchiha clan suffered considerable losses in this war!"

Upon hearing this, the three members of the Uchiha clan all became solemn, their faces showing a grave expression.

Uchiha Jin continued, "In this battle at Kikyo Mountain, my Uchiha clan lost more than 150 members, and almost everyone who remained was wounded!"

"I urge the First Elder and the Second Elder to do a good job of comforting the families and orphans after the war!"

Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Ya both nodded and said, "Don't worry, clan leader. We are all brothers and sisters. Their parents will be supported by the clan, and their children will be raised by the clan!"

Uchiha Jin's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he said, "These are necessary, but there is one more thing you need to make clear to the clansmen. This time, the compensation will not be distributed so quickly. At the earliest, it will be after the Fourth Hokage takes office. Tell them not to have any negative feelings!"

Uchiha Setsuna and the other two were all taken aback upon hearing this.

Fugaku Uchiha asked, "Clan head, I know you want to wait until the village's compensation money comes in before distributing it, but according to our usual practice, our clan will first pay the money here to put the clan members at ease, and then we will go to the village to ask for it together."

"After all, the village needs to take care of many aspects, and the distribution of compensation is often delayed for a long time. For example, the compensation for the ninjas who died in the Third Shinobi World War has not been distributed yet."

"And families in the clan who have lost their breadwinner sometimes need money and can't wait that long, so the clan will advance the money!"

"If we make any changes rashly this time, there might be some complaints within the clan!"

"That's why I need you to appease the clansmen!" Uchiha said seriously. "Things are different now. In the past, if the village couldn't be relied on, our clan wouldn't be short of money. If we covered the costs, no one would say anything!"

“But now our Uchiha clan controls the Daimyo’s subsidy funds. If everyone else in the village hasn’t received their pensions, but our Uchiha clan’s pensions have already been distributed, what do you think the village will think of our Uchiha clan?”

"Even if this money comes from our Uchiha clan ourselves, how many people would believe it if we told them?"

People are not worried about scarcity, but about inequality!

"Now that our Uchiha clan has control of this source of wealth, we must at least maintain a semblance of fairness!"

"This is the price we have to pay for gaining these powers!"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha realized the seriousness of the problem and frowned deeply.

Seeing this, Uchiha Jin also spoke up, saying, "You don't need to worry too much. The Daimyo's subsidy funds are now in our hands. We decide when to distribute the subsidies to the village!"

"It's just that the village doesn't have a Hokage to take charge right now, so it'll have to be delayed for a while!"

"Based on the current situation in the village, tomorrow will be the nomination of the Hokage candidates, and the election of the Fourth Hokage will be finalized in three to seven days!"

"Therefore, the payment of the compensation will only be delayed by three to ten days!"

"I think as long as I explain the situation clearly to the people, they will understand!"

Uchiha Ya nodded and said, "Don't worry, clan leader, we will definitely calm the clan members down. They are very united and won't hold any grudges!"

Fugaku Uchiha also spoke up, saying, "If it's only for a few days, there shouldn't be any major problems. The clansmen will understand."

Uchiha Jin nodded and said, "That's good. I'll leave this matter to you!"

Chapter 239 The Jonin Conference begins!

The next morning, Uchiha Jin got up early and walked towards the Hokage Building with Uchiha Fugaku, the First Elder Uchiha Setsuna, and the Second Elder Uchiha Ya.

This Jonin meeting was different from the previous temporary meetings. All the Jonin currently serving in Konoha were eligible to attend, and Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Ya wanted to go and see what was going on.

In the main conference room of the Hokage Building, a long conference table in the middle can seat hundreds of people, and many individual chairs are placed tightly on both sides.

The seats at the conference table were for the heads of various departments of Konoha Village and the heads of various clans, while the individual chairs on both sides of the conference room were for the clan Jonin and commoner Jonin who had no official position or power. The entire conference room could accommodate hundreds of people!

Although it was not yet 9 o'clock, the meeting time, the meeting room was already almost full.

Uchiha Jin and the other three sat down in their designated seats, next to the two Hyuga brothers, Hyuga Hizashi and Hyuga Hiashi, just like last time.

However, this time, in addition to the two brothers, several elders from the Hyuga clan also attended the meeting.

Uchiha Jin and the two Hyuga brothers chatted casually to pass the time.

"Jin, I heard that as soon as you returned yesterday, Elder Mitomon and Elder Shimura went to look for you. Elder Mitomon even left in a huff. I wonder what happened?"

After chatting for a while, Hiashi Hyuga suddenly lowered his voice and asked a question.

Yesterday, Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo came to their door without any attempt to hide it. It couldn't be kept from those who were interested, and the Hyuga clan naturally got the news as well.

Given their secret relationship with Uchiha Jin, they didn't need to worry about much, so Hyuga Hiashi asked directly.

Uchiha Jin smiled and said, "This matter isn't exactly a secret. I reckon those old guys will bring it up at the meeting soon. I've reached a cooperation agreement with the Daimyo and seized a source of revenue from the Ministry of Finance!"

Hiashi Hyuga's pupils contracted upon hearing this, revealing a look of horror.

Although Uchiha Jin didn't say it explicitly, Hyuga Hiashi's intelligence allowed him to instantly understand what Uchiha Jin was trying to express.

The Ministry of Finance's revenue streams are still related to the Daimyo, so naturally it's only the subsidies allocated by the Daimyo Prefecture to Konoha!

"Jin, you really did accomplish something big without making a sound!" Hiashi Hyuga said with some admiration, "Now you've got a handle on the village's higher-ups!"

Uchiha Jin smiled and said meaningfully, "This is nothing when it comes to big matters. Perhaps I can give you a surprise later!"

Hiashi Hyuga was taken aback by what he said. Although he didn't know what kind of surprise Uchiha Jin was talking about, he was also secretly looking forward to it.

After a pause, Hiashi Hyuga glanced at the Hyuga elders behind him. Seeing that they weren't paying attention, he lowered his voice and said, "By the way, there's one more thing. The matter of the Divine Arrow Battalion probably can't be kept secret any longer!"

"The Hyuga Divine Arrow Battalion shone brightly in this battle of Kikyo Mountain Fortress. Many people who care about this unit have taken notice of it. Several elders in the clan have also received the news and have asked me about the Divine Arrow Battalion several times."

The Hyuga Divine Arrow Battalion was established by Uchiha Jin and Hyuga Hizashi, and all the members selected were trustworthy people from the Hyuga clan. In addition, they fought small-scale skirmishes on the Kirigakure battlefield, so until this war, few people knew about the existence of the Hyuga Divine Arrow Battalion.

Uchiha Jin's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "What do your elders mean by this?"

Hiashi Hyuga said in a deep voice, "They wanted Hizashi to hand over control of the Divine Arrow Battalion... Hizashi couldn't refuse this request, so he handed over control of the Divine Arrow Battalion to me!"

"Although the elders of the main family had some reservations about this, they didn't say much."

"However, I don't think they will give up on the Divine Arrow Battalion!"