Chapter 143

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The Super Abilities Roulette has been successfully updated. There aren't many differences from before; it still offers one use at a time, but now it includes one additional storable use.

Additionally, there's a list of exchangeable abilities, including previously used abilities, where three drawing chances can be exchanged for fifteen days.

Abilities like [Succubus Physique], [Master of Dreams], and [Smooth Criminal]—some powers are so potent they could rival deities, even if usable only for fifteen days.

"I'll save it for now, there's no particular need at the moment."

Yōichi thought to himself. With the war just ended, he suddenly found himself with free time, his only concerns being the police force and clan affairs.

The village had also finished tallying his war achievements from the Cloud Ninja battlefield, converting them into thirty S-rank missions and forty A-rank missions. However, Yōichi had no specific needs and simply recorded the achievements.

He had access to all the village's forbidden jutsu, even possessing a version of the Reanimation Jutsu more advanced than that of the Second Hokage, so village rewards were of little interest to him.

In the wars in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rivers, Yōichi earned the most war credits, surpassing even Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Minato.

Moreover, the war combined with the clan leadership contest elevated Yōichi to a high position in the village. With the reformation of the police force, the Uchiha's influence in the village would only grow.

Now, besides training, Yōichi spent his days managing clan businesses and his nights alternating between Mina and Mikoto like a tireless stallion.

Mina, who was always trying to secure more for herself, once dressed in white silk—a favorite of Yōichi's—and hid in his bed, refusing to leave. Although Mikoto was a bit jealous, she eventually slept in another room.

Yōichi had always hoped to bring Mikoto and Mina together, but Mikoto was resistant to the idea. Though she loved Yōichi and had accepted Mina, the thought of sharing him was difficult.

After all, Mikoto was a traditional woman by nature. Even though she had formed a family with Yōichi, accepting such 'novelties' was challenging.

However, Mikoto was gradually adapting under Yōichi's silent transformation. From a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, she had become a powerful and influential woman in the Land of Fire.

Unlike her previous role as an intermediary secretary, Mikoto now genuinely had the power to manage financial transactions worth hundreds of millions.

Furthermore, Yōichi's next step was to create a 'mouthpiece' industry for the Land of Fire, taking the clan's surplus funds to acquire various entertainment industries within the country.

Bookstores, newspapers, and television stations, among others, would not only help the Uchiha influence public opinion but also link up with the ninja gaming industry to make money.

The main goal, of course, was the former. After monopolizing the media industry of the Land of Fire, a single word from Yōichi could spread throughout the country.

Orochimaru did not go to Ryūchi Cave the day he discussed this with Yōichi.

Although the two Sage Techniques from Ryūchi Cave were rare, they weren't going anywhere, so it made sense to secure the Hashirama cells first.

Thus, the next day, he went to the Root to find Danzō.

Upon arriving at the Root's base, Orochimaru was stopped but was quickly allowed to meet Danzō after stating his purpose.

"Orochimaru, I knew you would come," Danzō said with an artificially profound look. "I can see your ambition. The style of Hiruzen doesn't suit you. Only the Root can allow you to maximize your value. And whatever Hiruzen can offer you, I can too, even the forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals."

"How about it? Join the Root. Just agree, and I'll talk to Hiruzen."

Orochimaru's expression was unreadable, but he was inwardly amused. What was Danzō playing at? If not for the potential to obtain Hashirama cells, he wouldn't bother coming here.

And the Scroll of Seals? Yōichi said he could get his hands on it too, true or not, but Orochimaru already had several secret techniques from the Cloud Ninja.

He'd ask later if Yōichi could also obtain the forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals. If so, Danzō's only use would be to provide the Hashirama cells, and he'd also return a Wood Release ninja to Danzō—a great deal for him.

"Let's talk about this later, Danzō-sama. I'd like to study the power of Wood Release first," Orochimaru said with a raspy chuckle. "I do have some insights into human body research. If it's Wood Release, I should be able to figure it out quickly."

"Hmph, Orochimaru, you are too arrogant," Danzō retorted. "Even my teacher, the Second Hokage, researched Hashirama cells, but even he couldn't recreate the Wood Release bloodline. Do you think you can do it?"

"Give me three months. If I haven't succeeded with the Hashirama cells, I'll give you a powerful Curse Mark technique that can temporarily give a Chunin the power of a Jōnin."

Orochimaru's face twisted into a sinister grin, purple flame-like patterns appearing on his face, which then transformed into a purple mask. His chakra surged powerfully, enough to make Danzō feel threatened.

"Orochimaru, this is..."

"This is my secret. But if I can't figure out Wood Release in three months, how about I give you this Curse Mark technique?"

Orochimaru laughed, unfazed by the potential deception from Yōichi. Yōichi had no reason to deceive him with this method to obtain Hashirama cells, so as long as he brought the cells back, he could secure the method to fuse them.

"You really are confident, Orochimaru."

After a pause, Danzō spoke, "Fine, I'll give you the Hashirama cells. I want to see results in three months!"

"Besides, I'll need two billion ryō for research."

"Two billion? Orochimaru, have you lost your mind? Do you know how much money that is?"

"Hmm, I know, but I think you, Danzō-sama, don't understand the value of the Wood Release bloodline."

Orochimaru maintained his smile. "Researching the Wood Release bloodline could cost many lives and require a vast amount of trial and error. Two billion ryō for a Wood Release bloodline, if you're unwilling to trade, I might as well ask Teacher."

Danzō was silent for a moment, then his gaze darkened, "Fine, I'll give you the money, but do you need the Root to provide you with test subjects?"

"No need, I have my own sources."

Orochimaru shook his head, declining. The Uchiha clan always provided him with test subjects, sourced from death row inmates across the Land of Fire—clean origins and free for use.

Using test subjects provided by the Root, he feared recognizing a familiar face one day.

Danzō then handed over two billion ryō and the Hashirama cells to Orochimaru. After Orochimaru left, Danzō's expression collapsed.

The funds, which the Root had only recently acquired, along with money that the Shimura family had dubiously gathered from smaller nations, had been saved up for a long time before being handed over to him for expanding and training more Root ninja. But before he could even feel its warmth, Orochimaru had taken it.

"Orochimaru, you'd better give me a satisfactory answer."

---

Uchiha's supermarket and gourmet zone opened, bringing a lively atmosphere to Konoha.

The gourmet shops were almost always full, and the supermarket was crowded with people.

In Konoha, a place with scant consumer options, the opening of a ramen shop could draw a line of dozens. Not to mention Yōichi's carefully designed supermarket and gourmet zone.

Most of the customers were Uchiha clan members, who received a good amount of money each month through the Uchiha welfare system and had saved quite a bit, allowing them to spend generously.

Especially the families of the Jōnin members of the clan, who were not short on money. If not for the limited supply of magical goat meat, they would eat it four or five times a month.

Kushina frequently visited the supermarket since its opening, especially knowing that Mikoto was there, she would stop by to chat with her after shopping.

But it was usually Kushina pouring out her woes, with Mikoto gently consoling and guiding her.

The Anbu didn't stop Kushina from seeing Mikoto, assessing that Mikoto posed little threat.

However, Mikoto once slipped up during a conversation, revealing that she was now very satisfied, which made Kushina suspicious. After some persistent questioning by a curious Kushina, Mikoto, unable to resist, admitted that she was now with Yōichi.

This explosive news shocked Kushina. She remembered Yōichi living with Mina, and now he was with Mikoto? Upon learning that the three of them were almost living together, Kushina was stunned for a long while before recovering.

Though nobles often had multiple women, and daimyo had a wife and several concubines, even their current children weren't born from the official wife.

However, polygamy was rare among ninja due to the nature of their work and the upbringing of offspring. Most ninja formed families with other ninja in a monogamous arrangement, which was the norm in the ninja world.

Kushina was not yet married, though she was also nearing the age. After a long inquiry session; but having learned her lesson from one slip-up, Mikoto wasn't about to spill details of their private life—what, for hours?

After Kushina left Mikoto's place, she felt inexplicably better, perhaps the shock had driven away her melancholy. She planned to visit Mina soon to see if she could get more information from her, considering Mina was less shrewd than Mikoto.

When Kushina returned home, she saw Minato standing at the door, but her face fell, and she ignored him, walking straight in and leaving him outside.

"Kushina, I came to apologize."

"What apology? You think it's okay for me to be monitored, that even if I train hard, I should still be under surveillance, not even allowed to talk to others!"

After saying this at the door, Kushina stormed back inside.

Minato gave a wry smile, then waited a moment before turning to seek advice from Jiraiya, who, unusually, wasn't peeping. He was at home organizing novel materials but without much inspiration. Seeing Minato come to him, he laughed heartily and dragged Minato out for a drink.

But just as they reached the pub, they saw a messenger hawk flying overhead, signaling a Jōnin summons.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue and said, "The old man really has timing. Minato, looks like we'll have to talk another time. Might be a mission."

"Right, let's head to the Hokage building first, Jiraiya-sensei."

Minato was secretly relieved; he really wasn't in the mood to drink.

After arriving at the Hokage's office, they found many people already gathered. After waiting for a while, the last few Jōnin arrived.

Hiruzen , seeing everyone assembled, began, "Now that everyone's here, let's get to the main point. The Chunin Exam is set for half a month from now. The villages participating are the Village Hidden by Rain, Village Hidden in the Grass, Village Hidden by Waterfalls, Village Hidden in the Rocks, and Village Hidden in the Clouds."

"Village Hidden in the Clouds?"

Everyone was surprised upon hearing the last village mentioned. The Cloud Village had just ended a war with them, even refusing to sign the peace treaty after their defeat. How could they be participating in the Chunin Exam hosted by Konoha?

"Hokage-sama, why include the Cloud Village?"

Sakumo asked. While it was understandable for the Rock Village to participate, given their frequent border skirmishes but no open warfare, participating in the Chunin Exam was a way to demonstrate military strength, similar to Konoha's intentions.

But the inclusion of the Cloud Village was puzzling.

Hiruzen explained, "The Cloud Village requested to join upon hearing about the Chunin Exam; they also wish to continue negotiations."

"What's there to negotiate? Yugito has already joined Konoha. They wouldn't be planning another assassination attempt on her, would they?"

Yōichi spoke, "I suggest we just kill the Cloud ninja, save us the trouble of meeting them on the battlefield later."

The other Jōnin glanced at each other, thinking, 'That's typical of the Leaf's Thunder Fang, reputed to have killed hundreds of Cloud ninja on the battlefield. Could it be a habit, drawing his blade whenever he hears 'Cloud ninja'?"

"That might not be the best approach, Clan Leader Yōichi."

Hiruzen twitched his mouth, then added, "Let's hear what their intentions are first. If they're here to participate in the Chunin Exam normally, we have no reason to refuse them."

"The Chunin Exam date is set, and now let's discuss the participants. Given that this exam involves multiple countries, Genin lacking strength and experience are advised not to participate. Jōnin currently leading teams may recommend their squads."

After the Third Hokage finished speaking, several Jōnin stepped forward to recommend their subordinates, with some Genin teams already registered.

Yōichi also registered Team 8, saying, "Team 8 will participate in this Chunin Exam."

Even Orochimaru registered his three students, though they had only graduated a year ago, believing their strength was sufficient.

After all Jōnin made their recommendations, Minato suddenly spoke, "Hokage-sama, Kakashi in Team 7 has already become a Chunin. Should we replace him for the Chunin Exam?"

"No need, let Kakashi continue to participate. Changing members now would disrupt Team 7's synergy, and it's fine as long as we know this."

Hiruzen considered for a moment before deciding. He wanted Kakashi to perform well in this Chunin Exam.

(End of Chapter)