Uzumaki Ashina cut off Uzumaki Mito mid-sentence with overwhelming force, stepping forward in a single stride to stand in front of Uchiha Ren.
"Enough, Mito! You've gone too far!"
His voice was righteous, his stance firm.
"Do you have any idea how disrespectful you're being to the Hokage?!"
Mito was stunned.
"Ashina-niisan, you…"
She couldn't even finish her sentence.
Her own clan—
Was siding with Uchiha Ren?
Why?!
She was the one from the Uzumaki clan!
"Uchiha Ren, what did you do?"
Mito glared at him, teeth clenched, unable to understand how Ashina had changed so completely in just one day.
Uchiha Ren watched with amusement.
Even he hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
Money really was powerful.
"What could I possibly have done to the Uzumaki clan?"
"They're Konoha's closest allies—our brothers."
"I just added a little extra funding."
"Not much. About fifty billion ryō."
Mito fell silent.
Fifty billion.
Even if the entire Senju clan liquidated everything, they might not reach that amount.
No wonder.
Ashina wouldn't side with her anymore.
A married daughter was like water poured out—Mito now belonged to the Senju, not the Uzumaki.
And Uchiha Ren had bought the Uzumaki clan outright with hard cash.
That kind of money—
Was enough to make them follow him to the death.
Not to mention—
He was the Hokage.
Power and righteousness combined.
Of course Ashina knew who to support.
Uchiha Ren had given too much.
"You need to understand, Mito," Ashina said sternly.
"The Hokage truly cares about the Uzumaki clan."
"We are honest people. We cannot repay kindness with hostility."
"You don't even show him basic respect. You don't treat him as Hokage—you won't even address him properly!"
Mito shrank under the lecture, completely deflated.
Uchiha Ren watched, barely holding back his laughter. The corners of his mouth betrayed him.
Worth every ryō.
After finishing his lecture, Ashina turned back to Ren to continue discussing Uzumaki Yougetsu.
Ren, however, had no particular interest.
She was still too young.
Better to leave her under Mito's guidance—her sealing expertise would be far more beneficial.
With that matter settled, Ashina decided to stay in Konoha for a while, bringing Uzumaki Yayoi along to "study."
Konoha's development was astonishing.
If they could learn even a fraction—
The Uzumaki clan might rise again.
Unfortunately—
That dream was unrealistic.
Konoha's growth depended on two things:
Relentlessly exploiting Tobirama Senju for technological advancement—
And harvesting wealth from the Land of Fire's nobles.
The Uzumaki had neither.
No Tobirama.
No nobles to exploit.
Ashina himself was the daimyō.
There was nothing left to harvest.
A few nights later, in the Hokage residence—
Uchiha Ren lay against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Human desire was ridiculous.
Moments of clarity, moments of indulgence.
He had just entered that brief, sacred state—
Then—
"Master… are you still not resting?"
Kaede and Suzu leaned in from either side.
The "clarity" ended instantly.
After several rounds—
He finally regained composure.
Now, free from distraction—
His thoughts returned to Konoha.
The village was booming.
Factories, workshops, trade—
All expanding rapidly.
Merchants flooded in.
Konoha had everything:
Money.
People.
Markets.
Demand.
Property prices—
Were skyrocketing.
Especially in the central district.
They had already surpassed the capital of the Land of Fire.
Konoha needed a new department just to manage population flow.
People were pouring in nonstop.
The film's propaganda had worked perfectly.
Once people arrived—
They didn't want to leave.
Because Konoha offered something priceless:
Safety.
Buy a house.
Get a resident identity.
No more bandits.
No more sudden raids.
Uchiha Ren had wiped out every rogue ninja within a hundred miles.
He had made it clear:
Anyone who targeted merchants—
Was an enemy of Konoha.
And he had backed it up with blood.
Even nobles had learned their lesson.
Power and wealth meant nothing before shinobi.
So they adapted.
Split their families.
One part stayed in the capital.
The other—
Moved to Konoha.
Buying property.
Doing business.
Becoming "locals."
"Hokage-sama, we've always been Konoha people!"
Housing demand exploded.
Supply—
Did not.
People who sold early now regretted it deeply.
They couldn't afford to buy back in.
They rented—
At rising prices.
Those who still owned homes refused to sell.
No matter the offer.
But money always won.
Someone always sold.
And became the next victim of regret.
Too many people.
Too few houses.
Uchiha Ren sighed.
This—
Was a good problem.
Population meant potential.
Refugees. merchants. nobles—
All coming to Konoha.
He didn't want to turn them away.
The solution was obvious.
Expand.
Konoha had land.
Forests. plains. empty space.
A new district.
But building from scratch—
Was expensive.
Very expensive.
He didn't want to pay for it.
Then—
An idea.
Pre-sale housing.
Draw a plan.
Announce it.
"New district. full facilities. best schools. best hospitals. safest location."
Even an empty field—
Could be sold as property.
Real estate.
Always profitable.
If successful—
Next year's finances will explode.
No matter the world—
It always came down to money.
And houses.
In the future—
A young man proposing marriage in Konoha—
The first question would be:
"Do you own a house?"
The next day—
Uchiha Ren returned to work.
Several nobles sent gifts, hoping to secure prime properties.
He refused.
He couldn't abuse his authority.
Of course—
He kept the gifts.
In the office—
"Shikaku, housing prices are getting out of control."
"They are, Hokage-sama."
"Too many people want to settle here."
Uchiha Ren smiled.
"Interested in a big business deal?"
Shikaku narrowed his eyes.
"You mean… selling houses?"
"But all the houses already have owners."
"Where would we get new ones?"
Uchiha Ren spread out a map.
Then—
Drew a circle.
"We sell houses here."
Shikaku frowned.
"That's empty land."
"I know."
Uchiha Ren smiled wider.
"But in the future—"
"There will be houses."
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