Chapter 33: Come Visit Our Uchiha Clan

After capturing Tsunade, Raijin continued his leisurely life.

He couldn't feel the worries of the clan leader, as he didn't carry such a heavy burden.

In his free time, Raijin would stroll around Konoha, looking for outstanding talents.

But anyone with even slightly special abilities was on Raijin's list.

Konoha had been plagued by misfortunes in recent years, and there weren't many talents left.

"Clan Head Shikaku, what a coincidence!"

Raijin sat at the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen, greeting Shikaku who was with a little kid.

"Your ramen!"

The chef handed a large bowl of ramen to Raijin.

The ramen was steaming hot, emitting white mist.

"Raijin-san, why are you here for ramen today?"

Nara Shikaku's mouth twitched slightly. This was the seventh time he had encountered Raijin this week.

He basically ran into him once a day, which made Shikaku slightly wary.

Perhaps their clan was already being monitored by Raijin.

But Shikaku also tried to find the watcher in the dark.

Yet, despite his efforts, he couldn't find anyone.

"I've been eating too much barbecue lately, so I came to change my taste!"

"The Ichiraku Ramen here is quite good, I'm even thinking of investing in it so they can move to the Uchiha clan and expand their business."

Raijin chuckled and picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, taking a bite. Ichiraku Ramen, patronized by generations, was indeed good.

Raijin couldn't find any fault with the taste.

In his mind, Raijin once again added Teuchi and Ayame to his list.

He couldn't miss out on ramen-making talents either. He would let this family open a ramen chain in the One Piece world in the future.

"Raijin-san, you can't do that!"

"Many people really like Teuchi's ramen."

Shikaku sat down with Shikamaru and ordered two bowls of ramen.

Shikamaru, dressed like a little radish, kept sneaking glances at Raijin.

He inexplicably felt that this man in front of him wasn't as scary as the rumors said.

"Can't they eat it if they come to our Uchiha clan?"

"Our Uchiha clan doesn't restrict outsiders from entering."

Raijin looked at Shikaku and said with a laugh.

"Hahaha, I'm already very satisfied to hear Raijin-sama say that."

"I don't have any intention of changing locations, I just want to make delicious ramen for more people to enjoy!"

"I appreciate Raijin-sama's kindness, just for those words, it's free for you here from now on."

Teuchi said with a smile. Konoha was filled with rumors about how evil and terrifying the Uchiha clan was.

They were like monsters that devoured people without spitting out the bones.

But Teuchi didn't feel that way, Raijin was quite approachable.

He was just a bit impulsive in his actions, not that scary.

"That's great! If you want to expand your business in the future, just let me know." 

"Our Uchiha clan has plenty of unused shops in Konoha."

"I'll rent you a big place for free."

Raijin raised an eyebrow at Teuchi, dangling a tempting offer.

The Uchiha and Senju were the founding clans of Konoha.

They controlled most of the land and shops in the village.

This kind of thing, with a simple greeting, no one would object.

Teuchi thanked him again and placed a plate of rich side dishes in front of Raijin.

His shop didn't have any expensive items, so he just brought whatever he had.

"Shikaku, your Ino-Shika-Cho trio should have joined Konoha when it was founded, right?"

"I didn't expect that after so many years, the businesses of you small clans are doing better and better."

Raijin chatted casually, quickly finishing his bowl of ramen.

His eating speed was like that of a starving ghost reincarnated.

However, most people who eat a lot have high energy consumption within their bodies.

Like the Akimichi clan, they store fat in their bodies.

And then suddenly burst out with unimaginable power.

"The development of our clans also relies on the peaceful era created with the help of the Senju clan and your Uchiha clan."

"Otherwise, our three clans would have long disappeared in the river of time."

"By the way, Raijin-sama, I heard that you closed your business in the Land of Springs."

"Why don't you invest a few tens of millions of Ryo in our clan?"

"We can give you 20% of the profits every year!"

"This can also be seen as a thank you gift to the Uchiha clan for creating this peaceful era."

Nara Shikaku's mouth twitched slightly, feeling the pain of giving up 20% of the profits to Raijin.

Every year, they had to hand over six parts of their harvested deer antlers and herbs to Konoha.

The remaining four parts went to their clan, so giving up 20% of the profits was a significant sacrifice.

But Shikaku would rather spend money to avoid disaster than let his clan continue to be watched like this.

There were always unseen people lurking around, and no matter what they did, there was a pair of eyes watching them from behind.

Sooner or later, a few people in the Nara clan would go crazy.

"That wouldn't be good! This is your clan's industry, it wouldn't be right for me to take 20% of the profits, would they agree?"

Raijin was taken aback, not expecting such an unexpected gain.

He hadn't even thought about extorting money from the Nara clan.

But these guys were too clever for their own good, always thinking too much.

They probably thought he was here to recruit followers and take advantage of them.

They wanted to get rid of him directly.

But did they think he was here to beg for food?

"There's no question of whether they agree or not, if it weren't for Konoha, our Nara clan wouldn't exist."

Nara Shikaku said calmly, as long as they could get rid of the Uchiha clan.

They were even willing to give up 30% of the profits.

After all, judging by the attitude of Konoha's high-ranking officials, the Uchiha wouldn't be able to jump around for much longer.

"Hahaha, that's a good idea, then I'll gladly accept it."

"By the way, I'm planning to hold a competition for the younger generation in a while."

"In recent years, even the new generation of our Uchiha clan has become lazy."

"I intend to let them feel some pressure from the outside, to keep them humble and continue to improve."

"Bring your wife and son along then, I think this kid is quite promising, he's been smart since he was young, and he'll definitely shine in the future."

Raijin rubbed Shikamaru's head, messing up his hair.

Shikamaru couldn't get rid of those big hands no matter what he did.

He could only remain expressionless, his eyes dull, letting Raijin ruffle his hair.

Just like a girl who couldn't resist and could only try to enjoy it.

"Is that so, I'll be there then."

Nara Shikaku nodded, not refusing Raijin's invitation.

He kept guessing in his heart what Raijin was up to.

His first reaction was that Raijin intended to show off the Uchiha clan's military power.

To display the Uchiha's strength and put pressure on Konoha.

Or did he have other ideas?

He would have to think about it carefully when he got back.

Raijin left Ichiraku Ramen directly. He had been meeting with several clan heads on Konoha's list recently.

He had already invited them to bring their children to the Uchiha clan.

He would gather all these people together in a legitimate way.

Then, he would catch them all in one fell swoop and take them away with him.

If they didn't understand his purpose, no matter how much they pondered, it would be useless.

The preparations were almost complete.

Now he just had to wait to leave before the higher-ups made their move.

(End of Chapter)