In the end, Uchiha Ren failed to purchase the other Kusanagi swords from Granny Neko. He returned to Konohagakure (the Hidden Leaf Village) with only Zanka no Tachi.
Although it wasn't a perfect outcome, obtaining Zanka no Tachi still left him extremely satisfied.
By the time he got back to the village, dusk was already approaching. Ren didn't feel like cooking, so he planned to grab something quick outside before heading to a more secluded training ground to familiarize himself with Zanka no Tachi's power.
"Huh? Look, isn't that an Uchiha?"
"Hmph. They still dare to walk the streets openly. Do they have no shame at all?"
"Well, the Uchiha are still the Uchiha. Even if they earned merit on the battlefield, they've never taken the rest of us seriously."
…
As Ren walked through Konoha's streets, the villagers noticed the Uchiha clan crest on his clothing and cast strange looks in his direction, whispering among themselves.
Ren frowned slightly, though his expression remained otherwise unchanged.
It seemed that while he had been visiting Granny Neko, something new had happened in Konoha. The familiar style of these rumors immediately brought a few figures to mind.
Shimura Danzō?
Or Hiruzen Sarutobi?
Or perhaps… the two of them working together?
Ren sneered inwardly but didn't change his plans. Ignoring the strange stares of the villagers, he walked straight into the legendary Ichiraku Ramen.
"Owner, one extra-large tonkotsu ramen."
"Got it! Please wait a moment!"
Since it wasn't dinner time yet, the shop was empty. Ren casually sat down at the counter.
"Sir, here's some water."
While he waited, Ayame, who was only seven or eight years old at the time, placed a cup of water in front of him.
"Thank you. Little Ayame is very thoughtful already—helping your father serve customers."
Ren praised her with a smile, making the little girl beam happily.
"Sir, your extra-large tonkotsu ramen!"
Ren 's compliment also pleased Teuchi, the shop owner and Ayame's father. He even added two extra slices of pork to Ren 's bowl.
As the most iconic food in the Naruto world, it had to be said that Teuchi's cooking skills were excellent.
At least within Konoha, Ren had yet to find a better bowl of ramen than Ichiraku's.
Perhaps that was also why Ichiraku Ramen managed to grow bigger and bigger despite Konoha experiencing multiple disasters over the years.
Because he was in a hurry, Ren quickly finished the entire bowl.
Wiping his mouth, he asked, "Owner, how much?"
"That'll be 850 ryō, please."
Teuchi rubbed his hands together and said with a smile.
Ren paused for a moment and instinctively glanced at the price list nearby.
"The price went up…"
After confirming he hadn't misheard, Ren calmly took out his wallet and paid.
However, he decided not to leave immediately.
"Sir, here's your change."
Teuchi accepted the 1,000 ryō note and handed back the remaining money.
Taking the change, Ren asked casually, "Owner, why did the price of ramen increase so much? If I remember correctly, tonkotsu ramen used to cost just a little more than half of this."
Teuchi's smile stiffened slightly. Thinking Ren was dissatisfied with the price, he said with a bitter smile,
"Sir, I don't have much choice. The prices of all kinds of ingredients have gone up."
Ren quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand. I only returned to the village yesterday, so I was curious whether prices in the village have really risen this high."
"Oh, you're a shinobi who just came back from the frontlines."
Teuchi's expression relaxed as he explained,
"Prices have been rising since the war started—especially strategic resources like minerals and grain. Right now they've reached astronomical levels."
"I had no choice but to raise my prices too. If I kept the old prices, forget making money—I'd lose my entire savings."
Speaking of prices, Teuchi couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.
With higher prices, his business had naturally worsened. Few villagers could afford to eat out anymore. In recent years, he had only managed to barely break even.
Ren frowned slightly and asked, "Then how are the civilians in the village doing? Are they getting by?"
Teuchi smiled faintly.
"Actually, anyone who can settle down in Konoha is already relatively well-off. During wartime, people can still manage if they tighten their belts a bit."
"Compared to those outside the village, we're already living pretty well."
"That's exactly why I moved here in the first place—because Konoha is stable."
Tighten their belts?
Ren sneered inwardly.
Konoha could easily be considered the most prosperous place in the entire shinobi world. If even the villagers here had to live like this, it was easy to imagine how people outside the village were suffering.
But had Konoha really reached the point where villagers had to tighten their belts just to survive?
Probably not.
In this war, Konoha had fought against four great villages at once and still emerged victorious against each of them.
Even if the war had consumed massive resources, the post-war reparations should have more than compensated for those losses.
Yet as far as Ren knew, Konoha's rising prices continued for over a decade, all the way until the original storyline began. The situation only eased after the death of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, when Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage.
By the time of Naruto: Shippuden, a bowl of Ichiraku ramen had dropped to only 60–70 ryō.
The contrast was obvious.
And the culprit behind that contrast was equally obvious.
The village's current situation existed simply because someone had been diverting village resources, selling them off, and profiting massively from the war.
"Lord Ren ! We finally found you!"
At that moment, a figure rushed into Ichiraku Ramen and bowed respectfully toward Ren .
Ren turned and saw that the newcomer was an Uchiha member of the Konoha Military Police Force, wearing a chūnin flak jacket.
"What is it?" Ren asked calmly.
"Lord Ren , Lord Fugaku is looking for you. He said there's something important he needs to discuss and hopes you can come as soon as possible."
The police force member spoke respectfully.
They had been searching for Ren all afternoon. If Fugaku hadn't trusted Ren 's strength enough to believe nothing could happen to him, the entire Uchiha clan might already have been thrown into chaos.
"I understand."
Ren stood up, then turned to Teuchi.
"Owner, thanks for the meal today."
"Thank you for your patronage," Teuchi replied politely.
Ren waved his hand and walked out of Ichiraku Ramen.
It seemed he would have to change his original plans after all.
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