Naruto: Starting from Eating the Gold Fruit

Chapter 198 I have lived a life of integrity and uprightness

When Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo Shimura heard the news about the Land of Rain, it was impossible for them to immediately think of the same thing.

It's simply because the Uchiha clan needed to divert internal conflicts, and as everyone knows, the fastest way to divert internal conflicts in the world is to divert them to the outside world, and launching a war, or rather, participating in a war, is a very good way to do that.

This is a truth that has been proven by countless examples throughout history and across the world.

The problem is that...

What does the internal conflict within the Uchiha clan have to do with Yua?

He couldn't allow Konoha to be plunged into war just to stabilize the Uchiha clan.

If Yua were the head of the Uchiha clan...

Okay, then we won't need to wait until now. In less than ten years, the Uchiha clan will be able to become the richest power in Konoha. At that time, any internal conflicts will be minor issues.

Unfortunately, Yua is not. Yua is the Hokage of Konoha and has to be responsible for all the villagers of Konoha.

Naturally, it's impossible to accept fighting a war that offers no benefit.

Yua looked down on the tiny country of rain.

However, Fugaku Uchiha wanted to divert internal conflicts, but unable to come up with a concrete method, he could only try to resolve them from the outside.

After being rejected by Yua, Danzo Shimura came to her door.

So here we need to talk about Shimura Danzo.

Actually, he hasn't been completely idle all these years.

Just like in the original storyline, he opened a youth military training camp.

To put it simply, you can compare it to the American Boy Scout system, where a group of children undergo military-style training together for several months or years.

Of course, Yuya wouldn't agree to a period of several years, so Danzo could only spare one or two months each year for training.

Then all expenses were borne by the Shimura family.

For Youya, this is just an annual summer camp.

Danzo provided the money and effort himself, so Yuya naturally didn't care.

Of course, Danzo didn't have good intentions; he naturally had ulterior motives.

He wanted these children to serve the Shimura family.

But here's the problem...

The Shimura clan did have factory facilities in Konoha.

The largest glass factory in Konoha Village, as well as the agricultural furniture factory—which manufactures and sells parts for pots, pans, fans, and refrigerators—are all given to his family by Yuya, and the profits are not low.

If these children were truly willing to serve the Shimura family, they would go here.

Danzo wanted to interfere with the Anbu, but Yuya would never agree to that, much less give him the opportunity to create "Root".

Yuya wouldn't be that stupid as to split the Anbu in two for no reason.

As for the children Danzo raised, putting aside everything else, they need to eat. Even if Danzo wanted to support them for life, no one else in the Shimura family would be willing to do so.

The same problem remains: just like with the Uchiha clan, if you give away the benefits that should belong to your own clan to others, there will definitely be people who are dissatisfied.

As is widely known, education is the foundation of a country. There is a saying that if you control the youth, you control the future.

The key issue is that this is an extremely large investment, and Danzo alone, or even the entire Shimura family, could not possibly afford the cost of education in Konoha.

You Ya was able to hold on because the entire education system, from top to bottom, was under his control.

The land is from Konoha, and the building materials are from Hokage, so basically all that's needed is to cover the travel expenses, which is the transportation cost.

Material costs? What are those? Believe it or not, many material suppliers would rather lose money than not give materials to Youya for free, just so that Youya can use their materials.

Similarly, other facilities such as desks and chairs can be easily built by Youya with a single order from factories, power companies, water plants, etc.

But what about Danzo? In all these aspects, he doesn't have the same influence as Yua, so naturally he can only spend money.

The Shimura clan does have that much money, but will the Shimura clan members agree to it?

Therefore, Danzo could only spend his own money.

Nearly ten years have passed, and he has only trained fifty young ninjas who are loyal to him.

These ninjas are actually very strong, and one of them, a twenty-five-year-old boy, has already reached the level of an elite Jonin.

But the problem is...

You, Danzo, are giving Yuya the treatment of a Jonin, an elite Jonin. You can't refuse to give him that, can you?

Even if someone is loyal to you, who wouldn't have a problem if you don't give them a single penny?

Therefore, fifty places already represent a huge expense.

The fixed monthly salary expenses amount to tens of millions of taels.

Yes, this was certainly a huge expense for Danzo.

He'd like to train five hundred, but he doesn't have that much money...

Of course, fifty Danzo men were enough to cause trouble.

His original intention was to have these people take the civil service exam and then take up various positions in Konoha Village.

But the people he trained himself were unlikely to pass the civil service exam.

It's not that their grades are bad or anything. Yuya isn't blind. Danzo is supporting these fifty people, and although Yuya doesn't care, it's impossible for them all to pass the exam.

However, it would be too deliberate to choose just one, so Yuya selected eight people from these fifty. Among them was a twenty-five-year-old elite Jonin who was excellent in every way except for not having the title of Jonin—Danzo did not have the authority to appoint Jonin.

It's impossible for Youya not to want such an outstanding talent.

Danzo, the talent you cultivated?

Sorry, it's mine now.

You Ya didn't believe it; he had offered such generous treatment that he couldn't possibly poach someone.

And it's okay if they really can't dig it up; it just proves their loyalty. Yuya isn't going to let these people deal with Danzo anyway.

Manpower can be used for some routine tasks, such as patrolling, leaving the village, protecting merchants, cleaning up ash, transportation, etc.

It doesn't matter if you're not loyal to me, as long as you do your job.

To put it bluntly, You Ya's mindset is that of a modern boss.

Of course, the kind of boss that is normal, who only cares about benefits and efficiency when dealing with employees, never treats employees as family and the company as a family, and is extremely stingy with pay, is the kind of boss that Youya despises the most.

As far as Youya is concerned, it's only right that you get paid according to the amount of work you've done.

PUA is too troublesome. Where can I find a place that directly asks for money and is convenient and quick?

Moreover, employees aren't stupid. No matter how much motivational talk you give them, they'll turn around and realize, "Oh, my salary is only three thousand."

Why would I risk my life for you?

So whether these people are loyal or not is not important, as long as they can do the work, then there is no problem.

Okay, now that we've figured that out, we have a general idea behind Danzo's actions.

After years of living in seclusion behind the scenes, Danzo probably realized that the position of Hokage requires exposure.

Moreover, it requires showing one's face on important occasions; simply wandering around the village occasionally is not enough.

For example, Yu Ya's appearance when television and telephone had just been invented was very representative.

To put it bluntly, it means it could be included in history textbooks.

Danzo wanted the same thing, so he naturally had to find an opportunity for himself to shine.

The news that Hanzo of the Land of Rain was about to die from poisoning gave Danzo an opportunity.

Danzo's thinking was different from Yua's. He only wanted to become Hokage, but he never considered things from the perspective of the Hokage.

It could even be said that Danzo did all of this for his own benefit.

Naturally, he wouldn't think about whether there was any danger behind this incident, or whether the incident itself was a conspiracy or something.

So he went.

Two squadrons, and all members are Jonin and Chunin.

The person leading the team was Danzo's own confidant.

Meanwhile, Fugaku Uchiha persuaded his clan elders to provide some manpower.

They also selected some promising talents from the garrison.

Of course, he didn't just rush in recklessly.

Instead, they repeatedly confirmed whether the information was true.

Only after confirming that Hanzo the Salamander was indeed poisoned and on the verge of death did he officially begin assembling a team.

Both Danzo and Fugaku knew that they couldn't enter the Land of Rain's territory at the very beginning.

That would be a lot of trouble.

The resistance within the Land of Rain is not weak.

Or rather, the loyal forces that Hanzo the Salamander cultivated over the years were originally prepared for war.

It's just that because the war hasn't started yet, it hasn't been made public.

In May of Konoha 39, Iwagakure issued an ultimatum to the Land of Rain, stating that the Third Tsuchikage was concerned about the injuries of Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of the Land of Rain, and that in order to prevent petty people from taking advantage of the situation, Iwagakure was willing to provide a defensive force to help the Land of Rain defend against other forces.

Of course, this high-sounding reason was rejected.

However, Onoki didn't care about being rejected. He was there to freeload, so he didn't care about the consequences. He just wanted to make a quick buck, and it would be even better if he could take control of the important ports in the Land of Rain.

The result was, naturally, fierce resistance.

The two sides were on the verge of war.

In late May of Konoha Year 39, two squadrons led by Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo entered the Land of Rain, stealthily making their way to the capital, the Rain City where Hanzo was located.

Slaying generals and capturing flags is nothing compared to a surprise attack that wipes out the enemy leader and then takes over the Rain Kingdom in one fell swoop – that's the greatest achievement.

Then, unsurprisingly, an accident happened.

Hanzo the salamander was indeed poisoned, that's for sure.

However, in reality, the salamander toxin in Hanzo's body had always been there. In other words, his body had already undergone toxin modification due to the salamander's venom sac.

Over the years, as time has passed, Hanzo the Salamander has become increasingly confused about the future of the Land of Rain and his own future.

There was even a time when Hanzo the Salamander considered surrendering to Konoha, but he was dissuaded by his subordinates.

In the Land of Rain, he was at least the leader of a country; but if he went to Konoha, he would just be an ordinary rich man.

Moreover, because of the toxins in his body, he needs to wear a gas mask at all times. Although Hanzo has gotten used to it over the years, Konoha will never get used to it.

I'm afraid that once they enter Konoha's inner city, they'll be restricted from moving around, or confined to a certain area.

What's the point then?

If relying on others is not an option, then the only way is to strengthen oneself.

Hanzo the Salamander's ultimate choice was to gamble—gamble that he could withstand the toxins from the salamander inside his body, and gamble that his body had become accustomed to them over the years.

Therefore, the information about being poisoned and near death is true.

However, it was Hanzo the Salamander who deliberately released it.

Hanzo the Salamander finally succeeded.

After a month of suffering, he successfully acclimatized his body to the toxins in the salamander.

At this moment, his entire body was imbued with the ability to poison his opponent with a single strike.

At that moment, two teams of ninjas sent by Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo Shimura infiltrated the area.

The final result was no surprise...

……

"Bang!"

Yuya slammed the intelligence report on the table, glaring at Fugaku Uchiha standing opposite him, and yelled, "Are you an idiot?! Danzo told you to follow him and you actually did?! There are even more than thirty members of the Security Forces in there!"

Fugaku Uchiha opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only lower his head in frustration.

How could he know that Hanzo had gone mad, experimenting on his own body and actually succeeding, merging with the toxins in his body...?

If Hanzo fails, he'll really be dead...

You Ya sighed; in truth, he also had his own selfish motives in this matter.

His selfish thought was: what if?

What if Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo Shimura actually succeeded?

If these two really succeed, then the Land of Rain will be theirs.

Although the Land of Rain is not a large place and not worth the effort to conquer, Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo Shimura only sent two squadrons with a total of more than 200 ninjas. What kind of investment is that? Yuya's large-scale construction project requires far more ninjas than that.

If they manage to capture Hanzo the Salamander, then the Land of Rain will practically be given away for free.

Therefore, Yuya also had the mentality of reaping the benefits.

Of course, it's impossible to say now that we're just waiting behind you to reap the benefits; instead, we have to shout out slogans:

My God, Jin Youya, has always acted with integrity and never attacked without prior notice. You are simply ruining my reputation.

Then Yuya threw away the idea of ​​picking peaches from her mind, pretending that she never had such an idea, and grabbed Fugaku and berated him.

What could Fugaku Uchiha do? The person had been captured by Hanzo of the Salamander, who had even sent an envoy, clearly a threat. But all he could do was come to Yua, hoping she could help him get the person back.

Otherwise, he would have completely messed up the first major task after taking office as clan leader.

Anyway, Fugaku Uchiha definitely couldn't do what Danzo did: a month ago he arrogantly declared that Yua's Hokage appointment was incompetent, and a month later he slunk home and became withdrawn, never to come out again. As for those clansmen captured by Hanzo...

Danzo might not really care about these people.

Or rather, these people are unimportant compared to his pride.

Fugaku Uchiha finally understood why he was the only one willing to join Danzo in this operation, while the other clans like Sarutobi, Hyuga, and Akimichi remained completely silent.

Keep in mind that their clan leader shared the same teacher as Danzo, having both studied under Tobirama Senju...

They all knew Danzo was unreliable, but he was the only fool who rushed in and ended up getting hurt.

After Yuya finished cursing, he told Fugaku to get lost.

Although having the idea of ​​taking advantage of others' success this time was a bit inappropriate, as long as I don't say anything, no one will know.

……

"I know the Hokage wants to wait until they successfully assassinate me before taking action," Hanzo of the Salamander said in his deep, hoarse voice over the phone.

With wireless communication already completed, the top priority should naturally be to accommodate the communication needs of Yuya, the Hokage, and the other Kage.

This is also why wireless phones have not yet been widely commercialized.

Priority should be given to supplying people at the "Shadow" level.

Yuya held the receiver, listened to Hanzo of the Salamander's words, pursed his lips, and then put his feet up on his desk: "Don't talk nonsense. I've always acted with integrity and honesty. Don't judge me by my own standards."

Hanzo the Salamander scoffed disdainfully: "Those ordinary people who think you are great and tall are just being fooled by your illusions."

Third Generation Chief, you can't hide what kind of person you really are from us, who are also village chiefs..."

"Tch, stop your nonsense and let's talk about terms. How can we send them back?"

"One hundred billion taels."

"You're robbing me!" You Ya sat bolt upright. "Two hundred people and you want 10 billion?! Five hundred billion per person?! You're really good at bargaining, 1 billion! If you don't want it, fine!"

Hanzo the Salamander sneered: "Fine, one billion ryo, and you'll get a group of Konoha ninja poisoned by my toxin."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that our Land of Rain is very far from your Konoha. We don't even know if we'll die on the way."

"...Hanzo, you're really too insidious." Yuya rubbed his forehead and narrowed his eyes.

"Enough with the nonsense, agree or disagree? If you don't, I'll kill them all right now!"

You Ya squinted his eyes in thought, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

A moment later, You Ya picked up the receiver: "I can pay this price, but I don't have that much cash."

Hanzo immediately replied, "Gold is fine too, and it's also easier to transport."

Everyone knows that Konoha is currently the village with the largest gold reserves in the entire ninja world.

One ton of gold is worth exactly 10 billion.

A ton of gold doesn't have a large surface area, and apart from being heavy, it doesn't have any other disadvantages.

Youya laughed: "Forget about the gold. I have supplies that are most suitable for your Rain Kingdom. Do you want them?"

Hanzo frowned. "What do you mean? If I really wanted it, why not just buy it directly with gold?"

You Ya laughed: "Of course, but I haven't finished speaking yet. If you agree to exchange goods, I'll give you a 20% discount."

"How about I sell you a raincoat set that originally cost 50,000 taels on the market for only 40,000 taels?"

"Who are you trying to fool? What kind of raincoat can sell for 50,000 taels?!"

"Hey, you don't understand. This is the latest PVC raincoat! The material used was developed with great effort by Konoha. It uses..."

……

In June of the 39th year of Konoha, Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Fugaku were imprisoned in Konoha Prison after Yuya issued an arrest warrant for them.

Of course, since these two were clan leaders, they could leave the prison after those captured by Hanzo signed a letter of understanding, provided that those people returned and agreed to forgive them.

Of course, we all know that those people cannot help but forgive. Even if they themselves are unwilling, the Uchiha and Shimura clans will make them "voluntarily" "forgive".

Neither family can afford to lose face like this.

But before that, those two idiots should sober up in jail first. There's no way there'll be no consequences for doing this—

These people were exchanged from the Land of Rain by Youya for 1 billion taels of cash plus 200,000 sets of PVC raincoats.

Youya's reputation has risen to another level.

In contrast, because Shimura Danzo acted on his own initiative and was the mastermind behind this incident, Yuya simply proposed to remove Shimura Danzo from his position as the head of the Shimura clan.

Strictly speaking, the members of the Shimura family went out on the orders of their clan head, Shimura Danzo.

In other words, these people were not under the jurisdiction of Youya.

Although it sounds ridiculous, what right does a Hokage have to interfere in the affairs of the Shimura clan?

But that's exactly what the elders of the various clans in Konoha thought.

As for where this idea came from, we have to go back to the early days of Konoha when Hashirama Senju was founded.

It's already a consensus that each major family should manage its own affairs.

Of course, because Danzo's performance this time was really terrible, the Shimura clan didn't think there was anything wrong with Yua's suggestion. They even thought about it for a while and held a big meeting.

Although they ultimately rejected Youya's suggestion, Youya was already quite satisfied.

This means that he, as Hokage, is one step closer to extending the tentacles of power into the various clans of Konoha.

Surely no one who comes to the Naruto world and becomes Hokage wouldn't want to hold the command power within the various clans?

No way, really?

We're all from Konoha, so naturally we should all listen to me.

—Then, as mentioned earlier, Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Fugaku's actions thwarted Yua's plan to reap the benefits.

but……

The fisherman can't reap the benefits...

The mantis stalks the cicada...

Not bad at all!

In the end, I definitely didn't lose out.

Yuya thought to himself with a smug grin: with 20 sets of practically useless raincoats and a billion taels of cash, he could reach into the Shimura clan's pot, fish Danzo out of it, and hand him over to him to decide what to do with him. Plus, there were over 200 families loyal to him...

Danzo, you are truly my chosen one!

I'm almost reluctant to lock you up in jail anymore; it would be better if you went out more often.

(End of this chapter)