Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Uchiha Gin, completely unaware of the open rivalry between major powers and the covert struggles within the village, is receiving a guest who has traveled from afar.
Without Da Lang, Da Lang's Barbecue
The neatly arranged, succulent pork belly on the grill emitted an enticing aroma as it roasted over charcoal. Uchiha Gin skillfully sprinkled seasonings, asking a question without looking up.

"Uncle, what brings you here?"

Sitting opposite him was Uchiha Tajima, a man with white hair but still full of energy.
"Has Madara come back?"

"What's wrong with you! Did that Izuna brat tip you off?"

Uchiha Gin nodded with a look of realization, casually picking the best-roasted piece into his own bowl, and then generously offering the charred piece of roast meat to his respected elder.
Looking at the overreaction of Milady in the bowl of grilled meat, Uchiha Tajima's weathered eye twitched violently, his face full of helplessness.

"That's right, where are they now?"

Having lost all appetite, he put down his chopsticks and continued to ask,

"gone."

"gone?"

Uchiha Tajima was taken aback upon hearing this. He had only received Izuna's message not long ago, and had rushed over day and night just to sneak a glimpse of his beloved eldest son.
"They left decisively, without looking back."

Uchiha Gin nodded in response, stuffing his mouth with grilled meat.
"That brat, he didn't even bother to pay respects at the ancestral tablets of the family, did he?"

Yes, yes, yes!

Still harboring resentment over his cousin's failure to prepare a birthday gift for him, Uchiha Gin sarcastically complained about him.

"That damned brat! Let him suffer out there and never dream of returning to the Land of Waves to enjoy wealth and luxury!"

Enraged by Madara Uchiha's ungrateful and disrespectful behavior, Tajima Uchiha immediately declared that he would be permanently exiled.
"Uh, Uncle, isn't that a bit too harsh? After all, my eldest cousin is your own son."

Sensing that his uncle was genuinely angry, Uchiha Gin scratched his head and, instead of adding fuel to the fire, acted as a peacemaker.

"Hmph! I won't consider forgiving him unless he brings me back a healthy, chubby grandson."

That's hopeless. Getting Madara Uchiha to find a wife would be as difficult as Black Zetsu giving birth.

Uchiha Gin shook his head regretfully and continued his battle with the pork belly on the grill in front of him.
Just as he was locked in fierce combat, fighting with Wu Hua to the point of splattering oil everywhere, Uchiha Tajima, whose anger had mostly subsided, suddenly brought up another matter.

"Ah Yin, do you still remember the potion you made?"

"Potion? Which one are you referring to?"

With his mouth full of grease, Uchiha Gin blinked in confusion. He had made so many potions, how could he know which one his uncle was talking about?
"It's that veterinary medicine."

"Oh, you mean the Glimmer Potion? What's wrong with it?"

Most of the medicines created by Gin Uchiha were intended for human use, except for this one, which was developed for animals.

As for the specific effects of the "micro-light" drug, in short, it's like a veterinary Viagra with no side effects that provides energy replenishment.
After being injected, the breeding pigs can maintain an upright posture for three consecutive days, 24 hours a day, without interruption, to continue their breeding program.

One breeding pig can be used as three, which is one of the reasons why the Uchiha clan was able to expand its breeding scale in a short period of time.

“Recently, a group of people have been openly and secretly gathering information about the Glimmer Potion at the Land of Waves Trading Company. Isn’t this a secret drug exclusively supplied to the Uchiha Meat Processing Plant? How could outsiders know about it?”

Uchiha Tajima frowned deeply. This drug was crucial to the lifeline of the Uchiha meat processing plant, so the transaction was conducted in secrecy between the two parties, from supply to handover, ensuring there was absolutely no possibility of leakage.

"Uh"

After listening to his uncle's story, Uchiha Gin stroked his chin thoughtfully.

This all makes sense now. The things that were lost at the Uchiha meat processing plant were none other than information about the Glimmer Potion.

As for the murderer...
Six distinctly different men and women flashed through his mind.

"I think I know what's going on."

Slowly putting down his chopsticks, Uchiha Gin wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, nodded, and replied.
"Do you know anything about them?"

Uchiha Tajima raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I suppose so. Uncle, you don't need to worry about this. And don't continue investigating those people who are trying to detect the 'Glimmer Potion'."

"That won't do! This is property belonging to our Uchiha clan!"

Even if the Uchiha clan of Konoha were the worst, they were still blood relatives.

Even though the Land of Waves wouldn't receive a single penny of the meat processing plant's profits, Uchiha Tajima still considered their interests.

“Uncle, these days, competition is the only way to drive development and change. Uchiha Setsuna became too complacent after his success, which is why he is so arrogant now. If this continues, he will lead his clansmen astray sooner or later.”

Uchiha Setsuna: You didn't mention a word about how I sacrificed myself to the richest woman on the list to earn start-up capital, did you?

"what do you mean?"

"Since someone wants to buy our family's rare potions, how can we turn away such a distinguished guest?"

Uchiha Gin squinted and made a gesture of "mane" to the puzzled Uchiha Tajima.
"Why not make money with three-tailed eggs?"

"I understand, so what's the price?"

"At three times the price sold to the Uchiha meat processing plant."

How could Gin Uchiha possibly let such a great money-making opportunity slip by?

"Should we send a reminder to the Uchiha meat processing plant?"

Feeling guilty for aiding the enemy, Uchiha Tajima couldn't help but ask,

"Remind them, why didn't we remind them? Tell them that due to the addition of new customers, the supply of medicines will be halved."

"That's it?"

Tajima Uchiha glanced at Gin Uchiha suspiciously, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Not raising prices for them?"

This is unlike his nephew's usual style. Based on past storylines, he should have also tried to extort money from the Uchiha meat processing plant.

"Uncle, you've disappointed me so much!" Uchiha Gin stared at Uchiha Tajima with a shocked expression, his wide, lifeless eyes filled with utter heartbreak.

"They are your dearest relatives and friends, your closest blood relatives!"

"Uh, Uncle is busy with work, so I'll take my leave first."

Uchiha Tajima blushed, and ultimately fled in disgrace under the watchful gaze of Uchiha Gin, returning to the Land of Waves' trading company to handle the matter.

Hey! Remember to pay the bill!

Watching his uncle's disheveled figure, Uchiha Gin, who had reminded him to pay for the barbecue, smiled slightly, picked up a small bottle of sweet drink from the table, took a sip, and his face was full of confident arrogance.
He could already imagine how anxious Uchiha Setsuna would be when he found out there was suddenly another buyer for the Glimmer Potion.
Coupled with the threat of a halved supply, in order to solidify his position as a pork tycoon, Uchiha Setsuna would definitely raise the price of the potion, just to obtain more Glimmer Potions and indirectly reduce the pork production of the unknown enemy.

Just as he expected,
After establishing connections with the Land of Waves Trading Company, Danzo disregarded the exorbitant price of the Glimmer Potion and signed a transaction contract on the spot, a decisive move that left everyone speechless.
Upon learning that he had gained an unknown competitor, Uchiha Setsuna first halted his investigation into the group that stole trade secrets, and then turned to holding several secret talks with representatives of the Land of Waves Trading Company.

Ultimately, at a cost five times the original purchase price, they managed to wrest 10% of the drug supply share from their competitors.

"Ah Yin, did you already expect this?"

Afterwards, Uchiha Tajima found Uchiha Gin again, looking at his nephew with a complicated expression—a smug, carefree demeanor.

"Uncle, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Gin Uchiha, who had just outsourced his daily D-rank mission, blinked feigning ignorance, looking completely innocent.
"Stop pretending. The Uchiha meat processing plant is offering five times the price to buy the Glimmer Potion."

"Tsk~"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Gin's lips curled into a sneer, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face.
Only five times?

Who went to negotiate? They have absolutely no business acumen.

"You oh you"

The uncle, who happened to catch Uchiha Gin's subtle expression, shook his head with a sigh.
"So, tell me, have you made any money yet?"

"Next time something like this happens, give me a heads-up so I can prepare in advance."

Now that things had come to this, Uchiha Tajima had already come to terms with it. He decided to consider the money as an offering from the Konoha Uchiha branch family to their main family in the Land of Waves. Thinking about it that way, he felt much more at ease taking it.

"Next time for sure~ Next time for sure~"

Seeing that Uchiha Gin was still behaving this way, Uchiha Tajima sighed helplessly, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Ah Yin, there's been a sudden increase in friction and conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth lately. Do you have any inside information?"

Several months have passed since the Sunagakure delegation left.
During this time, Uchiha Gin stayed in Konoha, secretly developing his skills (and slacking off), and didn't pay much attention to the outside situation.
"Is there going to be another war?"

Upon hearing this news, he raised an eyebrow, his curiosity only growing stronger.
"No, the conflict mainly manifests in the competition for mission assignments. I don't know if Sunagakure has struck gold somewhere, but they're subsidizing their ninjas with real money for taking on international missions, especially those from the Land of Earth. They're even offering a three-for-one bonus for each mission they complete."

Win three prizes for every one you do!?
As the name suggests, completing an S-level mission will reward you with three times the original reward.

Uchiha Gin wished he could tear off the Konoha headband from his bag right now and go to Sunagakure to get a new one.

Seeing Uchiha Gin's deadpan expression filled with envy, Uchiha Tajima continued to reveal more.

"That's not all. In addition to the ninja subsidies, there are also discounts for clients. Now, as long as you are a resident of the Land of Earth, you can get a 30% discount when you post a request in Sunagakure."

"Holy crap, this is too ruthless! Is Sunagakure trying to completely destroy Iwagakure?!"

Everyone says women are ruthless, and Uchiha Gin didn't believe it before, but now that he sees it, Chiyo is ruthless to an eye-watering degree.
"What's even worse is yet to come. You know the Land of Rain, right? The Sand Village is now spreading the word that if the Amegakure Village agrees to cooperate with the two villages, the residents of both the Amegakure Village and the Land of Rain will also be able to enjoy the Sand Village's subsidy and preferential policies."

"Incredible! Incredible!"

It's tough on that kid Luo Sha; I wonder if he's spending all his nights in the village refining alchemy.
Uchiha Gin pursed his lips with a look of pity, then asked curiously,
"With Sunagakure doing this, does Iwagakure have any countermeasures?"

"Yes, of course! If you can tolerate this, I'll just send the Three-Tails to Iwagakure to be their guardian beast."

Although Onoki is short, cautious, and patient, Chiyo, his junior, is practically defecating on his head. If he continues to ignore this, Iwagakure might as well rename itself Kamegakure (Turtle Village).

"How did that little potato fight back?"

Logically speaking, Iwagakure should still be reeling from the defeat in the war. The village is short of money and food, and every Iwagakure ninja is tightening their belts to make ends meet.

Now that their only source of income has been ruined, they must hate the neighboring Sand Village to death.

"The Third Tsuchikage has issued a notice that any ninja from the Land of Wind entering the Land of Earth must undergo inspection, and those who resist will be executed on the spot."

"That's pretty ruthless."

To subject a ninja to questioning in a foreign country is no different from offering one's own neck for execution. Any ninja with a brain would not obey such an order.

Uchiha Gin gently shook his head. The Sand Village couldn't have made such a fuss just to annoy the Iwagakure Village; beneath all these preferential policies lay their true purpose.
"By doing this, Iwagakure is forcing Amegakure to choose sides, isn't it?"

Living in the Land of Rain, a land of wind, earth, and fire, their business has always covered the three great nations. However, they usually only manage to scrape together scraps from the ninja villages of these three great nations, barely managing to make ends meet.

With frequent conflicts arising between different regions, Sunagakure has openly extended an olive branch.
Amegakure might still be hesitating about whether to follow this nouveau riche boss, since the reward is threefold for every one you do, and you can retire early after ten years.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure suddenly announced that ninjas from the Land of Wind were not allowed to enter the Land of Earth. However, if Amegakure and Sunagakure cooperated, Amegakure ninjas would be labeled as belonging to the Land of Wind in Iwagakure's eyes, thus also becoming blacklisted by the Land of Earth.

This effectively shuts down the Rain Village's operations in the Land of Earth, meaning they have to make a statement.
Either submit to the Sand Village and enjoy their welfare policies,
Either reject Sunagakure and avoid being targeted by Iwagakure.
"This rainy country is going to suffer terribly!"

Uchiha Gin shook his head with a sigh.
This is the tragedy of small countries: without strong power as a backing, they can only become bargaining chips in the power struggle between major powers.

"You know what, the Land of Rain is quite tough. They didn't pay any attention to either side, and Amegakure continued to operate as usual."

When the Land of Rain was mentioned, Uchiha Tajima showed a rare hint of appreciation.
"That Rain Ninja leader named Hanzo does have the bearing of a strongman."

If it weren't for Hanzo, the Land of Rain would probably have already succumbed to one side and tried to protect itself.
Hanzo, huh?
Upon hearing that familiar name, Uchiha Gin nodded thoughtfully.

During this period, Hanzo was still a ninja with dreams. He was hailed as the savior of the Land of Rain. At least before the God of Rice awakened, he could lead the Land of Rain to mediate between the major powers and maintain the most basic independence.

"Uncle, forget about all these trivial matters. Isn't this a great opportunity to make money?"

"what?"

"Go to Sunagakure to collect gold, go to Iwagakure to lend money." (End of Chapter)