Chapter 3 Goldfinger.

On the contrary, Sasuke gained a lot from the individual families of the clan members. Nearly every household had savings, and he discovered a large amount of cash from the families of higher-status clan members.

Sasuke moved all these things back to his home, little by little, like an ant moving its nest, and piled them into the basement. By the time the last load was brought in, the basement was nearly filled, and a small mountain of banknotes greeted him upon entry.

For most of the day, Sasuke scoured the clan grounds and found not just cash, but gold and various antiques. The value of the antiques was difficult to estimate, and he wasn't sure how much the gold was worth yet. He could only tally up the cash for now.

While sorting the cash by face value, Sasuke finally arrived at a total that stunned him.

A full 1.5 billion ryo.

"No wonder the village turned on Uchiha. If I were them, I wouldn't have been able to resist either. Uchiha was bound to fall if they amassed so much wealth under Konoha's nose."

He said this as a half-joke, knowing full well that Uchiha's riches weren't the sole reason behind the massacre. After all, wasn't it the Sharingan that made them a threat? Of course, his father bore some responsibility too… But no, Sasuke wasn't going to blame his father. The fault lay entirely with Danzo and Itachi.

In any case, with this initial windfall, his future plans would undoubtedly proceed more smoothly.

As for how Uchiha had accumulated so much wealth, the land deeds left behind by his father explained it all.

In addition to the land beneath their feet, the Uchiha clan owned many other properties. In the core areas of Konoha Village alone, they held fifty shops and a dozen apartment buildings. Beyond Konoha, they had over twenty shops in the Fire City, and several more in other cities. The rent from these properties brought in tens of millions of ryo annually.

In addition, Uchiha held stakes in other industries across the Land of Fire, such as forests, mines, hot spring resorts, casinos, and restaurants. All of these contributed greatly to their coffers.

Then, there was the income from clan members taking on missions and the funds Konoha allocated to the police force every year. Of course, those were just minor sources of income compared to the rest.

Sasuke neatly stacked the cash, arranged the antiques, and moved all the gold into his bedroom. After doing this, he wiped the sweat from his brow.

By the time he looked at the clock, it was almost nine o'clock at night. More than ten hours had passed since he had finished breakfast, and he hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since then. He hadn't felt hungry while busy, but now that he was done, the dizziness of hunger hit him hard.

Without further delay, Sasuke grabbed a handful of cash and hurried out to get dinner.

Fortunately, Konoha was lively at night, and even at eleven or twelve o'clock, there were places to eat.

After having his fill, Sasuke leisurely strolled back home, took a long bath to wash off the sweat and grime, and then settled into bed, feeling refreshed.

Before turning in for the night, Sasuke took one of his father's scrolls and studied it for a while. After memorizing a particular ninjutsu, he stood up and approached the pile of gold in his room.

He carefully selected a few larger pieces and stashed them in a cabinet, keeping them for emergencies.

Then, he placed his hand on the remaining gold.

In the next moment, a transparent flame ignited, and the gold disappeared rapidly before his eyes.

This was one of the key reasons Sasuke felt confident dropping out of the Ninja Academy. He had something far more valuable than formal training: a "golden finger," a unique ability that had awakened along with the memories of his previous life.

Although he had been excited to test it, Sasuke had been too preoccupied with other matters to do so until now. Finally, with enough gold on hand, he had his chance.

After absorbing all the gold, Sasuke lay back on his bed, closed his eyes, and mentally communicated with his "golden finger." Moments later, his body was enveloped in a soft, non-dazzling light and disappeared.

When Sasuke opened his eyes the next morning, he was back in bed, staring at a familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.

"I spent three months in the world of Demon Slayer, but only seven hours passed here in Konoha. A time ratio of 300:1... This golden finger is incredible."

He clenched his fists. His appearance hadn't changed, but his internal strength had transformed dramatically. The feeling of power was undeniable.

"Ninja? That's too basic. From now on, I'll aim for something much higher."

Sasuke walked over to the mirror, smiled confidently, and ruffled his hair, trying to give himself a more mature look. Then, suddenly feeling a stomach cramp, he ran to the bathroom.

His daily routine was usually very disciplined, with strict wake-up times and regular visits to the bathroom. Today was the exception—half an hour late due to his dressing up earlier—and he had nearly pushed himself to the limit.

Half an hour later, after freshening up, Sasuke left the house and headed straight for breakfast at the central street. He then purchased several new sets of clothes, realizing his current ones made him look too childish. Though he was still just a child, the tasks he had set for himself were anything but childish.

After the shopping trip, Sasuke went to the mission management office and posted a B-rank escort mission for himself, offering the highest reward of 200,000 ryo, to be completed in a week's time.

The receptionist ninja's eyes widened upon seeing Sasuke. Of course, he recognized the young Uchiha heir, but seeing him post a mission like this, so soon after the massacre, left him shocked. Shouldn't the boy be paralyzed by grief?

Still, Sasuke calmly posted a mission to escort him to Fire City. Was he planning to escape his sorrow by leaving the village?

Was Uchiha always this rich? After registering the mission, the receptionist immediately reported Sasuke's actions to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage sat in silence for a long time after receiving the report, then sighed and shook his head.

"Let him do as he wishes."

Meanwhile, Sasuke, having finished his task, walked home humming a light tune. He ate a few snacks on the way and watched a street performer's animal show before arriving home around noon.

The bright sun overhead wasn't ideal for training, so he decided to take a nap first. When he awoke, he went to the training ground next door and started with some warm-up exercises.

After the warm-up, he moved on to practicing ninjutsu—specifically, the techniques his father had left behind.

By around four in the afternoon, Sasuke changed into a miniature version of formal attire. It looked slightly comical, as though he was trying to impersonate an adult.

With a gift and a greeting card in hand, he made his way to the Hyuga clan's residence.

Upon seeing Sasuke, the Hyuga ninjas greeted him respectfully. One led him inside, while the other hurried to notify the clan head.

Not long after, Hyuga Hiashi appeared in the reception room, finding Sasuke seated with perfect posture.

"Uncle Hiashi, I'm sorry to trouble you, but I have something very important to ask of you. Please, don't refuse," Sasuke said, presenting a wrapped envelope.

Hiashi looked at the boy before him and sighed.

"Your father and I… Well, the Hyuga and Uchiha had their differences. But let all of that be buried now. Put your gift away. Whatever it is you need, if I can help, I will."

(End of the chapter)