Konoha
Inside the Hokage Office
The Third Hokage sat quietly behind his desk, studying the scroll in his hand.
After finishing it, he looked up at the shinobi standing before him.
"Shishu, thank you for helping the village understand the situation within the Uchiha."
Following the chaos that happened at the Yamanaka clan, Hiruzen had been reluctant to confront the Uchiha directly.
But after news of their new medical products began spreading throughout the capital and other places, he could no longer ignore it.
He had asked Shishu to investigate the so-called healing pill and any other medicines the Uchiha were producing.
The result, however, was disappointing.
Shishu had been discovered before he could dig deeper.
All he managed to obtain were a few transaction records.
Nothing about formulas.
Nothing about production.
Only sales.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I only did what was best for the village."
Shishu lowered his head slightly, though the excitement on his face was difficult to hide.
This was needed only then the clan can truly become part of the village, he thought.
Hiruzen noticed the smile as Shishu straightened.
For a moment, he nodded.
Then his gaze returned to the scroll.
"The product is manufactured solely by the Uchiha," he said slowly.
"And sold through merchant clans in the capital."
His fingers tapped lightly against the parchment.
That made things troublesome.
The merchants belonged to several clans in the capital.
Touching them would mean creating unnecessary friction with many people.
And the Uchiha can easily refuse to share their methods of production with the village—
There was little to nothing the village could do about it.
"I apologise, Hokage-sama," Shishu said.
"If I had obtained the formula, it would have benefited the village greatly."
Regret flickered across his face.
If the clan had presented something like this to the village…
Our reputation would have changed overnight.
People would finally see us differently.
Hiruzen studied him quietly.
Among the Uchiha, very few still held such thoughts.
Shishu.
Fugaku.
Beyond them…
Almost none.
The rest no longer look to the village, Hiruzen thought.
To them, Konoha has become little more than a marketplace.
A faint ache formed behind his temples.
"If Konoha tried to take the method directly, it would only make matters worse," he said at last, offering a small smile.
"So do not worry about it."
His eyes returned to the scroll.
"Besides," he added calmly, "it is good to see the Uchiha prospering. I regret that the village failed to provide them with proper resources in the past."
The scroll shifted slightly in his hand.
The numbers written across it were… enormous.
For a moment, Hiruzen felt his blood boil.
Just how much are they earning?
Do they even need to rely on the village anymore?
That thought lingered longer than he liked.
If the Uchiha no longer relied on Konoha—
Then authority over them would become meaningless.
Until now, the village had controlled their livelihood.
That dependence had made things manageable.
If the Uchiha became completely self-sufficient…
Pressuring them would be far more difficult.
Hiruzen leaned back slowly in his chair.
The office fell silent.
This is bad.
His gaze remained fixed on the scroll.
We need to do something about it.
"Hokage-sama… I understand that the village may have faced difficulties in past,"
Shishu said quietly.
Recently, he had heard many voices within the clan.
Some cursed the village openly, calling its leadership greedy for Uchiha wealth.
At first, Shishu believed the problem came from the unpaid wages and subsidies the clan had long been promised.
But after knowing the number of unpaid years…
Doubt had begun to creep into his mind.
What if they were right?
He forced the thought away and looked up again.
Hiruzen slowly turned the transaction records toward him.
"As I see it, the Uchiha are now self-sufficient," the Hokage said calmly.
"And that is a good thing."
His voice remained gentle.
"If they are doing well, perhaps the village's burden will lessen."
His gaze rested on Shishu.
"The funds owed to the Uchiha… perhaps that can wait a little longer."
It sounded casual.
Almost like a suggestion.
For a brief moment, Shishu almost agreed.
Then he remembered the situation within the Guard Force.
Most members of his faction were still being paid now by the clan.
But Toyoma and the Grand Elder had made their position clear.
If the village failed to settle its debts after the war—
The clan treasury would stop covering those wages.
And until then…
The Guard Force has to collect security fees as ordered, and many members have already begun collecting from shops in their districts.
Shishu hesitated.
"Hokage-sama…"
The words felt heavy in his throat.
Hiruzen noticed the change in his expression.
"Is something wrong, Shishu?" he asked. "Is there a difficulty?"
Shishu drew a slow breath.
"Many clan members were unwilling to collect the security fees from the shops," he said carefully.
"But the Grand Elder made it clear."
His voice lowered slightly.
"If they wish to be paid… they must continue collecting it until the village repays the clan in full."
The words came out in one breath.
For a moment, the office fell silent.
Hiruzen blinked.
A faint shock crossed his face.
He had almost forgotten about that matter.
There had been no complaints.
No petitions.
Nothing had reached the Hokage's desk.
And because of that…
He had let the issue drift into the background.
But now—
Hiruzen felt a sudden chill.
"They are still collecting it?" he asked slowly.
But inside, he was shocked.
His voice sounded weaker than before.
Shishu looked at him in surprise.
"Hokage-sama… it was never stopped."
He hesitated, then added,
"And now almost every shop in the village is paying it."
Two months earlier, the Grand Elder had ordered the Guard Force to enforce the collections strictly, leaving no shop exempt.
Shishu had assumed the Hokage was fully aware of this matter.
Did Hokage-sama really not know?
The question flickered through his mind as he looked at Hiruzen's pale expression.
Inside, Hiruzen felt cold sweats forming on his forehead.
Until now, he believed the Uchiha's growing wealth and their main resources came mainly from their merchant dealings.
But this—
This meant something far worse.
The security fee system had never disappeared.
It had only expanded.
And he had not even noticed.
He still remembered the first time the idea came to him.
At that time, he had believed the policy would create distance between the Uchiha and the villagers.
That was why he had never spoken about it openly.
But he had never stopped it either.
'They also have this source of income,' he thought, a hint of panic rising inside him.
And then he heard—
"Almost every shop in Konoha is paying the Uchiha," Shishu repeated quietly.
The words hung heavily in the room.
Hiruzen stared at him.
"Almost every shop…?"
His face had turned pale.
"All of them?" he asked, wondering if he had misheard.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shishu replied, which confirmed it.
'Just who truly held authority inside Konoha?' Hiruzen thought to himself in doubt.
Capital of the Land of Fire
"Grandma, grandma! Hurry up! If we're slow, our number will be last for the checkup!"
A young boy pulled gently on his grandmother's sleeve as he tried to lead her toward the Uchiha medical centre.
Today was the second free medical camp of the month organised by the Uchiha.
Anyone who came could receive a checkup—
and medicine if needed—
without paying anything.
"Slow down, Kiba," the old woman said, laughing softly as she leaned on her walking stick.
"I'm not young like you anymore. I can't match your speed."
She walked slowly, one hand holding her stick and the other resting on her grandson's arm.
"But Grandma, if we're slow, we'll have to wait in a long line!" Kiba pouted as he looked ahead.
Many people were already walking toward the large medical tents set up in the open field.
"Don't worry, Kiba. It's still early. Let your grandma breathe a little."
A middle-aged man walking behind them spoke with a chuckle.
"And besides, the elderly don't have to stand in the normal line. They have a separate queue."
Kiba turned around and looked at him.
"Uncle Shiba, can't you let us go first?" he asked, putting on his most pitiful expression.
The man shook his head immediately.
"No special benefits."
The man was Uchiha Shiba, a shop owner in the capital.
His store stood right next to Kiba's mother's clothing shop, so he had watched the boy grow up.
"Stingy," Kiba muttered under his breath.
Shiba pretended not to hear.
As they approached the medical tents, they heard a voice speaking loudly to the gathered crowd.
"Daimyo-sama and the Minister Kiyomori family support today's special medical camp."
A man wearing the Uchiha clan crest stood on a small wooden platform, addressing the people.
"Although Daimyo-sama and Minister Kiyomori could not attend personally, their family representatives are here to observe the camp and ensure that everyone receives treatment."
He raised his hand and smiled at the crowd.
"Let us thank Daimyo-sama and the Kiyomori family for supporting this second free medical camp for the people of the Land of Fire!"
People immediately began clapping.
"Thank you, Daimyo-sama!"
"Long live Daimyo-sama!"
"Long live Minister Kiyomori!"
Voices rose from the crowd as many villagers cheered happily.
For them, today meant something simple.
A chance to receive medicine.
And a little relief from their worries.
Many people in the crowd looked pleased.
This was already the second medical camp this month.
When they heard Daimyo-sama and the Kiyomori family supported it, their excitement only grew.
Small conversations began spreading through the crowd.
"That's great," one man said happily.
"My number was too late last time, so I couldn't get treated. Now I don't have to wait another month."
"I should bring my whole family today,"
another person added.
"Will they hold two camps every month now?"
People continued discussing among themselves.
On the platform, Koji and the others watched the crowd with satisfied smiles.
"I never expected it to grow this large," an old man said as he looked toward Koji.
He was an elder of the Kiyomori family.
"When the clan head first gave me this task, I thought it was a waste of money."
He glanced at the massive crowd gathered around the tents.
"Even after you explained the benefits, I still didn't imagine it would become something this big."
His eyes moved across the people waiting for treatment.
Not only had poor civilians.
There were merchants.
Travelers.
Even some well-dressed wealthy families.
Seeing the number of people present, he finally understood how much influence this would bring.
Soon, both the Kiyomori family name and their businesses would become far more well-known across the capital.
Uchiha Koji laughed softly.
"Elder Kiyomori, we only wanted to help people with the abilities we have," he said calmly.
He gestured toward the busy medical tents below.
"The people were grateful for even small treatment."
Koji shook his head slightly and looked down at the crowd gathered below the platform.
Then he slowly stood up.
Elder Kiyomori glanced at him, curious about what he was about to say.
Koji stepped forward.
"Everyone, please listen for a moment," he called out.
The crowd gradually quieted as people turned their attention toward the platform.
"As many of you know, the Uchiha clan has been organising these free medical camps," Koji began.
"At first, our goal was simple—to test the results of the medicines we were researching and help people fight illness."
He paused, letting his words settle among the crowd.
"But the truth is… the Uchiha alone cannot support these camps for very long. Our funds are limited."
A few people in the crowd exchanged worried looks.
"We were even afraid that we might have to stop holding these camps."
Koji then raised his hand slightly.
"That is why we approached Daimyo-sama and Minister Kiyomori for support—for the sake of the people of the Land of Fire."
He continued,
"And when Daimyo-sama heard about this, he did not hesitate. He immediately approved funds to support the medical camps."
Koji gestured respectfully toward the Kiyomori elder beside him.
"Minister Kiyomori and several other ministers also stepped forward to support this effort for the people of the Land of Fire."
"They said that for the health and well-being of the people, they would fully support this work."
A faint smile appeared on Koji's face.
"And for that, the Uchiha clan is just as grateful as everyone else here."
He bowed his head slightly.
"Please join us in thanking Daimyo-sama."
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