Chapter 11. Money Release
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"Have we been discovered?!"
The three masked ninjas exchanged glances, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
Uchiha Yuto.
The genius of the Uchiha clan.
But ever since he graduated from the Ninja Academy, he had abandoned the path of a ninja and ventured into business. And well, genius really does live up to its name, doesn't it?
In just a few short years, he had established branches across most regions of the Land of Fire. Even these specially trained ninjas couldn't help but hesitate each time they passed by one of his shops, wondering whether they should go in and try something.
At first, they suspected that maybe there was something special added to the tea, but after conducting research and analysis, they concluded that it was just a well-made tea.
So, without a doubt… Uchiha Yuto was a business genius.
However, even after all these years, they didn't believe that a businessman who hadn't been involved in ninja work since graduating from the academy could have detected their presence.
Was it his bodyguards who informed him?
Impossible!
The three ninjas, dressed as ANBU, quickly dismissed that thought.
They had just seen it for themselves!
Uchiha Yuto had spotted them first!
He noticed them even before his bodyguards!
"It seems Uchiha Yuto is hiding some kind of secret!" The cat-faced ninja who was half-crouching in the lead said in a deep voice. "To be able to detect us, he must have considerable strength!"
"Could it be the Sharingan?"
"To be able to detect us without being an active ninja or having any mission experience… in any case, we must report this to Lord Danzo!"
Moreover,
Uchiha Yuto was associating with ninjas from other villages outside the village!
Does he not trust his own village?
That's a serious offense in the village!
Especially since he is a member of the Uchiha clan!
The Root ninjas were all too familiar with the Uchiha clan's tense situation within the village.
"What do we do now?"
"Since we've been discovered..." The leader glanced at the five people surrounding Uchiha Yuto, noting that two were his bodyguards from the village—of little concern—but the other three were still unknown. "We'll take him back to the village for interrogation! If we can't win, gather information and retreat swiftly!"
With that,
after a brief exchange, the three ninjas revealed themselves and stood in front of Uchiha Yuto. "Uchiha Yuto! Come with us, the Hokage wants to see you!"
"..."
The Hokage?
It's probably that guy, Danzo!
Because the Root operates in the shadows, most of their missions are carried out under the name of the ANBU, which is why they used the Hokage's name.
Yuto had heard from Nono the other night that Danzo seemed to have his eyes on his wealth.
A naive, wealthy, village-loving businessman—that was the image he had crafted for himself.
So, he hadn't taken it seriously and was actually waiting for Danzo to approach him to talk about some sort of investment. But now that he was leaving the village, he hadn't seen anyone show up and figured he would deal with it when he returned.
Who would've thought...
Danzo would send three Root ninjas to quietly follow him out of the village?!
Uchiha Yuto instantly understood.
That old man wanted to rope him into Root, to turn him into a walking wallet or directly take over his tea business across the Land of Fire.
A quick payday wasn't enough; Danzo wanted it all!
What Danzo didn't realize, however, was that if Yuto disappeared, all he would leave behind would be a giant mess.
Uchiha Yuto smiled faintly as he looked at the three ninjas. He opened his mouth, and just as they thought he was about to ask why the Hokage wanted to see him, his expression shifted, and he said calmly, "Attack! Leave no one behind!"
At this point, there was no intention of letting these guys return.
Whether it was a matter of strength or keeping Daibutsu's affairs secret, nothing could be exposed at this stage. After all, he was just an ordinary, somewhat wealthy, village-loving merchant.
As for what Danzo would think when his men didn't return?
Let him think whatever he wants.
As long as he maintained his cover as a loyal merchant, Danzo couldn't do much. He wasn't some outsider businessman from another village who could be easily branded as a spy without evidence. Did they really think someone who had thrown around hundreds of millions would be easy to mess with?
If they openly tried to rob him, wouldn't that chill the hearts of the other clans in the village?
So, three Root ninjas went missing while following him?
Sorry.
He didn't know anything about that!
Plus, why would Root ninjas secretly follow a simple merchant like him?
As soon as Yuto gave the order, Daibutsu grinned savagely and rushed forward. The Root ninjas exchanged a glance and quickly engaged in combat!
"Uchiha Yuto! Are you openly defying the Hokage's orders? Does the Uchiha clan intend to betray the village?"
"Defying the Hokage's orders?" Uchiha Yuto replied righteously. "You sneak around behind me, trying to deceive a loyal merchant in the name of the Hokage? Do you think I, Uchiha Yuto, lose hundreds of millions for nothing? The Third Hokage is so kind and wise, he would never do something so despicable!" His eyes sharpened, glowing as if with divine light. "Clearly, you're disguised enemy village spies trying to kill a loyal merchant and sow discord in Konoha to steal my wealth."
With that,
the Root ninjas were left speechless.
They were Konoha's Root, the shadows protecting the village in secret. In their minds, Lord Danzo's orders were synonymous with the Hokage's.
But it wasn't like they could admit, "Yes, we're really here to rob you," right?
Daibutsu let out a furious roar, showing no mercy as he swung his large staff. "Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Unfortunately, the ninjas who joined Root were not ordinary ninjas. In fact, ordinary ninjas were of no interest to Danzo at all.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" One of the Root ninjas swiftly performed a hand seal, and a wall of earth rose in front of him, blocking the man-sized water sphere. Then, all three ninjas quickly vanished from their original positions.
Immediately after, another ninja formed a hand seal and calmly said, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
These elite ninjas, trained by the academy, worked flawlessly together, instantly trapping Daibutsu, the rogue ninja.
But Daibutsu wasn't fighting alone. Though the other two were weaker, they still had the strength of Chunin, and they quickly interrupted the attack. In the blink of an eye, Daibutsu was back in action.
Unfortunately, as soon as the Chunin intervened, they fell into a trap. Two figures appeared behind them just as they were about to be finished off.
Clang!
Two kunai flew through the air.
Uchiha's signature throwing technique!
The two Root ninjas had no choice but to stop their attack and quickly step back to avoid the strike.
Then, they stared in shock at Uchiha Yuto, who stood there with a calm and friendly smile.
That throwing technique just now… his timing was impeccable!
It didn't seem like the move of someone who had only received basic ninja education.
The three Root ninjas regrouped and exchanged glances. "Retreat!"
The fact that the Uchiha clan was hiding Uchiha Yuto's strength and recruiting ninjas from other villages, combined with the current situation of the Uchiha clan, clearly indicated they were planning something. They had to report this to Danzo!
However, Uchiha Yuto had no intention of letting them leave.
He didn't want anyone tailing him, nor did he want his secrets exposed, so…
His eyes turned blood-red, with three tomoe swirling in them, spinning rapidly.
The three Root ninjas widened their eyes in shock as they stared at those crimson eyes.
The Sharingan?
And not just any Sharingan—a fully developed three-tomoe Sharingan!
"Time is running out! Let's end this!" Uchiha Yuto said with a smile, maintaining his calm and businesslike demeanor. "I make millions every minute, you know!"
"Retreat!"
The three ninjas made a decisive call.
Hiding his strength, not becoming a Konoha ninja, recruiting outside ninjas… the Uchiha clan was definitely scheming something!
They had to report this to Danzo!
They needed to get the intel out!
But alas, it was already too late.
Once the Sharingan was activated, it was inevitable that they wouldn't be allowed to leave.
Although it was only a three-tomoe Sharingan, not quite at the level of the "God of Shinobi," combined with Yuto's enhanced attributes from his wealth-building techniques, his strength was not something an ordinary person could contend with.
Take the opportunity by surprise! Using both genjutsu and ninjutsu!
At the same time, Daibutsu charged forward to block their escape.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
The Uchiha clan was not only renowned for their genjutsu but also for their mastery of fire techniques!
The enhanced chakra brought about a qualitative change, and three giant dragons spewed forth from Yuto's mouth, roaring toward the Root ninjas, their eyes filled with horror!
Yuto's strength was on par with that of an elite Jonin!
But that wasn't the end.
"Money Release: Explosive Tag Rain!"
A flurry of explosive tags filled the air, raining down around the Root ninjas!
Explosions echoed continuously, and, combined with the fire dragons, the entire area was engulfed in flames and destruction. Daibutsu's mouth twitched as he hurriedly retreated, shouting, "Boss! Stop throwing those! They're definitely finished!"
The way Yuto used explosive tags as if they were nothing… there were only three enemies! What kind of ninja could afford to fight like this?
Only a boss as wealthy as Yuto could pull off such extravagant tactics!
At this rate… they might even blow themselves up!
As the dust settled, Daibutsu and Yuto lowered their defense jutsu and looked at the three Root ninjas, who now stood back-to-back in a triangle formation.
At this moment, the three ninjas were in terrible condition. Their clothes were in tatters, blood oozing from their bodies, and two of them were even missing limbs. Beneath them, a massive, gaping crater had formed!
The outcome was already decided.
"Uchiha Yuto…" the lead Root ninja muttered weakly, his voice low as he looked at Uchiha Yuto. "You… you broke…"
Before he could finish…
"Money Release…"
What are you babbling about?
After pulling the kunai out of the neck of the last barely-alive enemy, Yuto ordered, "Burn it all! And clean up the surrounding area as well!"
After all, interrogation ninjas could extract information from corpses.
"Yes, boss!" Daibutsu replied, his lips twitching as he looked at his boss. This fight… was not exciting at all!
Once the clean-up was arranged, Daibutsu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Boss, now that you've killed Konoha ninjas, are you planning to defect to the Land of Rain?"
"What Konoha ninjas? What are you talking about?" Uchiha Yuto looked at Daibutsu in confusion. "Who did we kill? Let's go! It's time for us to go."
"..." Daibutsu nodded knowingly.
Indeed.
They hadn't killed anyone!
However, after taking only a few steps, Uchiha Yuto suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes. He casually said to Daibutsu, "By the way, later on, put a bounty in the black market for me."
"???"
Who was he going to put a bounty on?
Why go through the hassle of posting a bounty?
If someone offends the boss, can't we just arrange someone to assassinate him?