Chapter 47: Give Me the Uchiha Compound
"What price?"
"You wrote about the Uchiha clan's story without my permission. The fact that I haven't slit your throat is already a great mercy."
Akiyama Makoto's lips curved into a smile. "You should take that up with the Third Hokage. He approved my book, gave me a position and a salary, and demanded that I write it."
As he spoke, Makoto took out the official document from before and handed it to Sasuke.
Sasuke held his kunai in one hand while deftly unfolding and examining the document with the other. This small action alone showed just how inexperienced he still was. He had paid no attention to Makoto reaching into his clothes and had then examined the item without checking it first, even though it looked like just a piece of paper. If Makoto had had ill intentions, Sasuke would have died twice over.
After reading the words on the paper, Sasuke's face turned grim.
The smile on Makoto's face became more pronounced. "You can hold a kunai to my neck, but I'm guessing you wouldn't dare do the same to the Third Hokage."
Sasuke glared at him angrily. Wasn't that obvious?
"So," Makoto continued, "as the author of the book, I have some degree of creative freedom. Even the Hokage can't force me to write something I don't want to write with high quality."
"I can plead your case to the Hokage. The reason being that I want to write about a different topic for the time being. At the very least, I can avoid writing about your family."
"And for that, what price will you need to pay?"
This finally got through to Sasuke. If Makoto were to plead his case with the Hokage for him, that was indeed worth a certain price. But what did he have now?
The Uchiha clan seemingly still had its compound and land, but it had been neglected for years and was basically derelict. Anything of value in the houses had long been confiscated by the Konoha Military Police Force under the guise of an investigation. Sasuke had been too young at the time and had no mind to deal with such matters.
As for money, he also lived on Konoha's orphan stipend. Although he had some savings, Makoto didn't look like someone who was short on cash...
At this point, Sasuke naturally recalled what Makoto had said earlier. "You said before you wanted to discuss a business deal with me?"
"That's right. I plan to expand my courtyard and need to purchase a piece of land that's under the Uchiha clan's name."
"You can have that piece of land. That way, we'll be even."
Sasuke didn't even ask where the land was or how big it was. In his eyes, it was all useless anyway.
But Makoto smelled an opportunity in this. His smile became friendlier. "Not enough."
Sasuke glared at him.
Makoto just waved his hand. "Don't be angry, Uchiha Sasuke."
"You may not know this, but I'm certain that every one of my books can earn me at least ten million Ryō. The land I want is worth, at most, around five hundred thousand."
"And because of your request, I'll be losing the income from four books. How much land do you think you should give me as compensation?"
Makoto looked towards the main Uchiha residence. Although the land here was remote, if it fell into his hands, it might just be revitalized. Others didn't dare to take this land, but he didn't care about what had happened here. In a few years, all of Konoha would be torn down and rebuilt anyway. At that time, as a landowner, he would naturally make a huge profit. Not to mention, in a dozen or so years, this area could be the priceless center of the ninja world. He would be a genius investor who bought a prime piece of real estate for the price of a straw hut.
Sasuke understood what he meant. The knuckles of the hand holding the kunai turned white from the force of his grip, and a hint of red appeared in his eyes. He felt that Makoto was asking for an exorbitant price, bullying him because he was an orphan. He really was too naive to believe a guy who would casually write stories about other people's families.
"It seems only blood can make you understand that the Uchiha clan is not to be insulted."
"Uchiha Sasuke, I am not insulting your clan. I am merely stating the facts."
Makoto's smile slowly faded. In his previous simulations, each of his books had earned him over ten million Ryō. And that was only because the simulation ended automatically when he had a child. If he could live to be eighty, the income from his books would increase several times over.
"Cut the crap!" Sasuke, instead of backing down, threw another kunai. "Come on. Ninja should talk like ninja. I will show you the dignity of the Uchiha clan."
"Sasuke-kun, no!"
"Sasuke, you jerk! Makoto is a civilian!"
Sakura and Ino tried to dissuade him, but his red-eyed fury scared them into backing away. They couldn't fully understand his anger. At this moment, they only felt that the handsome and outstanding Sasuke they had admired before might have something seriously wrong with his head.
The only one who could truly understand him was Makoto. Unfortunately, Sasuke clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation.
"Do we really have to fight?"
"Make your move!"
"Alright. I'm warning you beforehand. If you injure me, I will go to the Konoha Military Police and report you for assaulting a civilian."
"You!"
Sasuke's face turned pale with anger, but he wasted no more words. His body blurred as he rushed toward Makoto.
Ino and Sakura stood together, trying to figure out what to do. In their eyes, Makoto had no power to fight back at all. But in reality, Sasuke's speed, which seemed like a blur to academy students, was at best like a slow jog to him. With his Intermediate Chakra Sensory talent, even if his eyes couldn't keep up, he could lock onto Sasuke with his senses alone. Moreover, the current Sasuke had not even undergone tree climbing or water walking training—the greatest weakness of an orphan.
In comparison, whether in terms of talent or training, Makoto surpassed the Sasuke of this moment.
With a whoosh, a kunai flew towards him, its speed not particularly fast. Makoto casually swatted it away. Sasuke was already behind him. That had just been a feint to distract him; the real killing blow was the shuriken between his fingers. The throwing technique inherited from Itachi was perfectly executed as four shuriken shot towards Makoto's shoulders and legs.
And that wasn't all. Sasuke also drove an elbow toward the small of his back, intending to make him collapse in pain.
But what happened next deeply shocked him.
Makoto spun around. With a gentle cross-slash of the kunai in his hand, using a technique learned from Uzuki Yūgao's Konoha-Style Kenjutsu, he simultaneously deflected all four shuriken. With a flick of his fingers, using a throwing technique from Tenten's family, he hurled the kunai back at Sasuke's forehead.
Sasuke's pupils constricted, and he quickly sidestepped to dodge.
He had barely avoided the kunai when a large hand grabbed him by the collar and, with a force he could not possibly resist, threw him violently through the air.
Flying through the air, Sasuke was momentarily dazed, not even knowing why he was there. But then, a wave of humiliation and rage washed over his mind, and he instinctively began to form hand seals.
Serpent – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger!
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
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