Chapter 90. Leaving Konoha

At the north gate of Konoha Village, a wave of curiosity swept through the villagers as they discovered the absence of Uchiha shops on Eighth Street. 

Following the guidance of flyers, they jumped onto the free sightseeing buses at the north gate, arriving at the newly established Uchiha Snack Street in just a few minutes.

The close arrangement of all the restaurants on one street surprised everyone. 

No longer did they need to wander far between meals. Uchiha had even installed helpful guide signs, clearly indicating the location of each snack.

The allure of the membership card at the entrance added to the excitement.

Offering a 10% discount on all purchases, the card was practically a steal at the modest cost of 10 Ryo. 

Villagers quickly adopted the convenience of this new culinary hub, causing Konoha Eighth Street to lose its once-bustling atmosphere, and remain deserted.

...

Hokage Building.

Danzo, what have you done?

The Third Hokage was furious.

They had not obtained the secret recipe for their food, but all Uchiha vendors had relocated from Konoha Eighth Street. 

A snack street had emerged in the Uchiha area, catching the Third Hokage off guard.

Initially, he believed that Uchiha needed to conduct business on Konoha Eighth Street, and the village could find a way to secure the secret recipe. 

However, now the Uchiha clan seemed unwilling to stay in the village at all. It appeared to be a well-planned move, with transportation arranged seamlessly.

When the clan land was under construction, some ridiculed the Uchiha for meticulously renovating the ground. 

However, it now turned out that those who had planned everything were remarkably foresighted.

...

Danzo contemplated in his base, feeling frustrated by this setback.

What irked him was not that Hyuga had performed poorly, but that the Uchiha clan had displayed such a cunning move.

Currently, guards are stationed at the entrance of Uchiha Snack Street.

Originally, the membership card only provided discounts. 

After a few days, everyone accepted the membership cards without objection, and people simply swiped their cards for entry.

Don't have a membership card? Sorry, not welcome.

This item costs only 10 ryo. If you don't purchase it, it's assumed you won't be entering to eat.

Uchiha would keep a close watch on those with special status. Any inappropriate behavior would lead to immediate expulsion.

Hyuga Kaito handed over less than 30% of the total recipes, and many were incomplete versions. 

However, Danzo found himself helpless now. 

The Hyuga family had secured the position of honorary elder, and Kaito had moved directly into the family's courtyard, evading Danzo's grasp.

Danzo suddenly realized he had been outmaneuvered by Kaito.

The Daimyo sent another urgent request. Danzo could only make copies of what he had on hand and send them to him. He also reported the Uchiha clan's alleged rebellion against the village.

Originally, Danzo had hoped someone from the Hyuga clan would take action. 

If the secret recipe could be copied by 60-70%, the renowned names in the Land of Fire could overshadow the original taste.

Once the famous names' shops spread across the country, they could easily overshadow Uchiha's business.

To fasten Hyuga's actions, the honorary elder position was quickly granted.

Currently, not even 30% of the recipes have been obtained, and the final product won't taste significantly better in the future. 

Promoting it might not achieve the market dominance Danzo hoped for.

Danzo blamed himself for his miscalculations.

...

The Third Hokage is now contemplating the situation more deeply.

Several years ago, the Uchiha restaurants engulfed the entire streets of Konoha.

However, the populace is so attached to these Summer delicacies that once Uchiha relocates, the entire street is likely to suffer a downturn.

With reduced revenue on the streets, the Hokage will have fewer funds to utilize.

In the current era of peace, with fewer tasks at hand, the focus has shifted to industry for the third generation.

Previously, when Uchiha was in business in the village, the Hokage could collect a certain amount of tax. However, now Uchiha is abandoning its stores altogether.

The only option is to push Uchiha into tasks and observe how they handle the situation.

...

During a certain period, all the Uchiha members who went on missions returned promptly, submitting their completed tasks as expected. 

However, after turning in their missions, they never looked out for missions again. 

This movement continued for a month, leading the mission center to adjust the Uchiha division model to comply with the regulations set by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Surprisingly, the Uchiha clan showed no reaction to this change. 

Even those members who were once frequent participants in missions were conspicuously absent from the task hall.

Within the Uchiha clan, a small hall underwent renovations, and a burst of smoke signaled the arrival of a ninja cat. 

The feline creature produced several scrolls from its pocket, handing them over to the fourth elder. 

After receiving the scrolls, the fourth elder exchanged them with the ninja cat, which promptly vanished in a puff of smoke.

Upon inspecting one of the scrolls, he announced, "B-level mission to exterminate rebellious ninjas. The mission is at the border of the Land of Fire. Mission reward: 100,000."

A Uchiha member raised their hand and stated, "Fourth Elder, our team would like to take on this mission."

The fourth elder raised his gaze, scanning the assembled individuals, and then nodded approvingly, "Alright, you are strong enough, just a few of you."

Swiftly, the fourth elder handed the mission scroll and relevant information to the selected individuals.

As they flipped through the next scroll, several more tasks were assigned to different members.

"Today's tasks have been distributed. The rest can wait for tomorrow."

The members in the small hall quickly dispersed.

He headed to report to Fugaku.

"Clan Leader, now we are using the mission system in Otogakure Village, and the efficiency of completing missions is slightly lower compared to Konoha Village."

Fugaku inquired, "What about after they are divided into locations?"

The fourth elder nodded, stating, "After going to their assigned locations, the overall income of the clan members has actually increased."

"They have selected tasks suitable for our clan and sent them over, and the distribution is also reasonable."

The Land of Sound's development took a distinct trajectory from the Land of Fire. 

With Otogakure's taking control over the entire land's catering, their intelligence system saw significant improvement.

When customers visited for a meal, every word spoken was meticulously recorded. 

The recent prosperity of the Village contributed to their enhanced intelligence capabilities.

With increased wealth, the cost of acquiring information from external sources became more affordable.

In this positive feedback loop, an abundance of tasks accumulated, including those tailored for the Uchiha clan. The fourth elder found the current situation highly satisfactory.

"The only concern now is the risk of being discovered by ANBU if we leave the village privately; it may lead to punishment," remarked the fourth elder.

Fugaku smiled, "As long as we leave the village discreetly, it doesn't matter anymore. Since the Third Hokage intends to raise mission commissions, there are numerous tasks within our clan that require the expertise of our members."

The fourth elder understood Fugaku's implication - to use clan affairs as a plausible excuse. 

Presently, Uchiha no longer depends on Konoha; on the contrary, the villagers of Konoha cannot do without the delectable offerings of the Uchiha clan.

...

[Ding... The development task, leaving Konoha, and becoming independent and self-reliant has been completed. ]

Congratulations to the host for obtaining: The Complete Collection of Konoha Ninjutsu.

Congratulations to the host for receiving: a development fund of 5 billion taels.

[Ding...New mission, become the leader of the Uchiha clan. ]

Natsuki, who landed from the Land of Whirlpools, suddenly heard the long-lost system prompt.

Natsuki's energy was shaken, and he felt like he was dozing off. He was worried that he couldn't think of a place to learn ninjutsu.

He will then go to see Orochimaru, who is already on his power list.

As long as the subordinates over there go and meet them, they will also become people on their own power list.

Then he will be able to gain a lot, and he can practice any ninjutsu you want to do.

In addition to common ninjutsu, there are also various forbidden techniques. The most precious among them is the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.

Lately, Fugaku had been using Ninja Crows to convey village matters to Natsuki. 

He received the messages, learning that the clan elders of the Hyuga clan were involved, intending to use their Byakugan to investigate the production methods and secret recipes.

Natsuki had a plan ready and swiftly executed the escape plan.

This was an inevitable development, just a matter of time.

With Uchiha now operating independently and free from the control of Konoha Village, they can now follow instructions rather than relying on propaganda.

Once matters in Otogakure are concluded, Natsuki plans to return promptly to take the position of the clan leader.