Izuna, restore the glory of the Uchiha!

"Ah, the Senju clan..."

Ban's eyes darted around, he pretended to be deep in thought, and rummaged through drawers and cabinets.

Finally, among the official documents he exchanged with Hashirama, he found two scrolls that were not heavily influenced by personal feelings, and showed them to Izuna.

"That's all?"

"Uh...more or less..."

His face was pale and he avoided eye contact.

"Bring it all out."

Izuna remained expressionless.

Boom!

The desk let out a groan of despair under the strain.

A huge pile of reels poured out like an avalanche, covering the table in front of Izuna.

Madara didn't send out his private letters; but that doesn't mean he exchanged fewer official documents with Hashirama. On the contrary, the two expressed their feelings very vividly in their official documents.

This made Izuna wonder what exactly Madara wrote in those private letters that he never sent out.

When Madara placed these letters in front of his younger brother, he blushed slightly, but Izuna was already used to the deep friendship between him and his rival.

He flipped through the scrolls, and Ban explained from the side:

"The Senju side has always maintained a very moderate attitude. The release of prisoners has had a great impact on them, and many centrists have sided with the peace movement."

The faction advocating peace already held a secure position within the tribe, making peace negotiations a foregone conclusion.

Hashirama said, "Like us, after establishing a policy of negotiation, they also reduced the pressure on their defensive lines."

Izuna nodded and commented:

"Good development."

Did they make any requests?

There was far too much nonsense in the letter, and some of the words were even offensive, so Izuna decided to get straight to the point.

"The clansmen still have some objections to the amount of compensation, but Hashirama said that these are minor issues and that these emotions will soon be calmed down with the release of the remaining prisoners."

Besides that, he said that with Tobirama gone, he was having a hard time handling things and asked if we could release Tobirama as soon as possible.

"no."

Izuna answered decisively.

Are you kidding me? As the most useful, versatile, and unpaid high-level labor force under his command, Tobirama Senju's value is immeasurable.

Even the reason for the phased release of those prisoners was partly to coordinate with the progress of the Senju clan's compensation and repayment.

More importantly, it served as leverage to control Tobirama Senju and make him work obediently.

Moreover, once this opportunity is missed, it may be gone forever.

If we put Tobirama Senju back now, it's hard to say whether we'll have such a pleasant opportunity to work together again in the future.

"If the Senju family makes a request to delay the payment, we can agree to it as long as it's not too unreasonable, just don't agree too easily."

Izuna's calculations were quite precise:

The amount of time it takes for the Thousand Hands to pay the compensation will determine how long their second-in-command works for them. As long as the compensation is finally received, he will definitely make a profit.

"I see."

Ban agreed, and then asked:

"Tobirama Senju has fully recovered. Is it alright to give him such a high level of freedom?"

He knew, of course, that Tobirama Senju would have reservations, but he still couldn't help but worry about Izuna's safety.

"It's okay, don't worry."

For Tobirama Senju, staying with the Uchiha clan was a sure-fire way to make money.

The longer he stays here, the more peaceful the two races will become, and the less likely they are to go to war.

Besides, sacrificing one's freedom temporarily to save the lives of dozens of clansmen is well worth it.

Not only that, but they don't need to deal with the clan's miscellaneous items, and they can also train their eldest brother's abilities while conducting experiments in peace of mind, without even having to collect the experimental materials themselves.

He might also be so happy that he forgot about home.

"I will pay more attention."

Having said that, Izuna didn't linger any longer.

"Remember to write your speech, brother."

"I see."

Ban waved his hand with a wry smile.

Leaving Madara's office, Izuna returned to his desk and finally finished all his work before sunset.

He stretched while gazing at the afterglow outside the window, and decided to take a stroll through the commercial street to loosen up his stiff muscles.

The commercial street is still the same as when I last visited, bustling and full of life.

As usual, Izuna bought dinner for two people and was about to leave when he saw two familiar figures.

Sosuke and Hinata.

Izuna paused for a moment, then followed.

He maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and with his keen hearing, he could just hear their conversation.

Today, Hiiragi has been given a good tour of the Uchiha clan's territory by Sosuke, the local bigwig.

In the morning, I visited the training ground and school. At noon, I had a big meal at a famous, and of course, the most expensive, izakaya in the clan area.

The shop owner originally didn't serve children, but he and Sosuke were old acquaintances, and he always turned a blind eye to Sosuke frequently coming in to drink with several teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old.

But today, Sosuke not only didn't bring a decent shield, he also blatantly brought in a girl who was about his age.

In front of a group of diners, the owner lost face and was about to try to get rid of them.

Unexpectedly, Sousuke was very perceptive and introduced in a loud voice:

"This is a distinguished guest of the Hyuga clan. Lord Izuna personally instructed that she be treated well. This is her first formal meal at our Uchiha clan's territory!"

"Eiji, I've brought the person to you, isn't that a favor?"

Hearing him say that, not only the boss, but even the diners who had just looked at him with disdain dared not be negligent.

The girl's eye roll was undeniable, and Sousuke was indeed close to Izuna.

The owner quickly prepared the most comfortable private room and treated the guests to fine wine and food.

After the two had a hearty meal, before leaving, Sousuke showed everyone the check that Izuna had given him earlier—a special receipt for withdrawing money from the family's finance department—and pretended to push it to the boss to settle the bill.

Seeing the genuine stamp of the second-in-command on it, Eiji dared not accept it and quickly returned it, his face beaming with a smile:

"Oh! Since you are Lord Izuna's distinguished guests, this meal is on me. It's only right, it's only right. Please take care, and welcome to come again next time!"

Using the same tactics and the same rhetoric, they made the same appearances at various stores in the Uchiha clan's territory on the same afternoon.

In the stationery store, the owner bowed and scraped as he saw the two out. Looking at the check, his smile was brighter than a flower.

"Since you are Lord Izuna's distinguished guests, please accept these two pens as a small gift. Take care, esteemed guests!"

At the bookstore entrance, the shopkeeper chased after her, carrying a stack of books, and insisted on stuffing them into Riping's arms, afraid she wouldn't accept them.

"Since Miss Hinata likes it, then it's yours for the taking. Please feel free to ask if you need anything in the future. Looking forward to your next visit!"

In the clothing store, the proprietress was overly enthusiastic, praising Rihei with shining eyes as she straightened his collar:

"This is the trendiest fabric this year, it's practically tailor-made for you! Please come back again!"

……

At first, Hiiragi felt this was unethical, a bit like dining and dashing. But Sousuke, who grew up in the city, earnestly told her:

"Taking advantage of an opportunity and not using it is the act of a bastard!"

You are new here and a foreigner.

If you don't fleece them today, let them know that Izuna-sama is behind you, and tomorrow these snobs will dare to openly make things difficult for you and give you a hard time.

Hmph! Even someone like me with no background can't escape their disdain, let alone you who has a pair of truly disdainful eyes.

This is called establishing authority, understand?

Hiiragi nodded thoughtfully, without telling him that she could actually defeat all of them. After all, she was a ninja who had received elite training, and most of these street vendors were no match for her.

However, she was grateful for Sousuke's kindness; such a person full of chivalry was a rare sight in Hyuga.

She increasingly felt that joining the Uchiha clan was the right choice.

Just as Sosuke, having tasted the sweetness, was about to use the same trick again at the stall to grab a box of takoyaki,

Rihei suddenly noticed something and poked his side sharply.

Sosuke reacted extremely quickly, instantly stuffing the universal check back into his pocket and exchanging it for his own change.

Unfortunately, Izuna still saw it.

He approached and handed the stall owner a sizable banknote.

"Keep the change, please."

Then, Izuna turned his head, looking at Sousuke, who was sweating profusely, with a half-smile, his tone gentle enough to send chills down one's spine:

"You've got a good business sense, kid. Come with me."