Chapter 348: 348. Chapter 342: Heartsteel, Activate!

348. Chapter 342: Heartsteel, Activate!

After successfully persuading Uchiha Gin, who was about to go home to pack his jailer's uniform, the three brothers sat cross-legged to discuss the future of the Uchiha clan.

Earlier that day, Senju Hashirama had given Uchiha Madara an appointment letter, specifically entrusting him with the management of the village's prison system and security operations.

After hearing Madara's account, Uchiha Gin frowned slightly. Neither the prison nor the security department were lucrative positions; compared to the fat jobs managed by the Senju clan, they were worlds apart.

Even though he longed for the life of a jailer, he didn't want his cousin to suffer needlessly without any profit to be made.

"Can you go to Hashirama and swap? Take over the logistics and procurement department instead. I have a friend who has a massive stock of kunai—high quality, great supply, and most importantly, cheap."

It had been a long time since he'd squeezed any gold coins out of Hashirama, and Uchiha Gin missed it dearly.

"Cousin, I have my own considerations. These two departments require a large influx of combat power, which is perfect for our clansmen to fill."

Although the work was tiring, these were departments with real authority in Konoha. Madara naturally accepted; these two departments alone were enough to provide many positions for his clansmen, thereby reducing the frequency with which they had to go on missions outside the village.

"Big Brother, the Konoha Security Force has always been managed by the Uchiha clan. The results are decent, but the friction with the residents is significant. In the years you were gone, there were complaints almost every day. The clansmen below don't want to do it anymore."

Uchiha Izuna's expression was also poor, clearly recalling some unpleasant incidents as he laid out the current predicament.

"But it's still better than sacrificing themselves outside, isn't it?"

Madara was somewhat aware of the friction between the Security Force and the residents, but recalling the cold lists of casualties Uchiha Gin had sent him via ninja cats, he hardened his heart to take over these two departments.

"Ah, this..."

Uchiha Gin, instantly understanding the implication in his cousin's words, felt his eyelid twitch. In all of Konoha, only he knew that those "sacrificed" clansmen had all been relocated to the Uchiha's secret lair, managed by his uncle, and had transformed into a mysterious armed ghost troop, working odd jobs everywhere to earn money to subsidize the family.

"Big Brother... I was shallow. As expected, you are the Uchiha with the most love in your heart!"

Hearing Madara's words, Uchiha Izuna was moved to tears. Sure enough, his own perspective was too short-sighted; his big brother was the true Uchiha with great love.

"Cousin, what are your thoughts?"

Having successfully gained his brother's support, Madara turned his gaze back to Uchiha Gin, who was scratching his head incessantly.

"The Uchiha clan must have full control over the prison, but there's no need to monopolize the Security Force."

Uchiha Gin recalled the Konoha Military Police Force established by that white-haired Senju Tobirama in the original story—a department that combined the prison and security sectors, managed entirely by the Uchiha clan, making them the village's scapegoats.

Because of the Uchiha's extreme personality, they ended up being loathed by everyone in the village and were eventually marginalized.

"But these two departments are closely related. Wouldn't it be very convenient if we controlled both?"

In Madara's view, the clansmen's lack of harmony with the residents was simply because they weren't familiar enough with each other. It had only been a few years since Konoha's founding; in a few decades, when everyone understood each other, they would eventually reach mutual understanding.

Uchiha Gin rolled his eyes. There really were people who went out of their way to offend others, and they wanted to handle the entire process from arrest to trial.

"That may be so, but have you thought about how doing this... is not conducive to unity!"

Seeing Madara so insistent, Uchiha Gin had to bring out the ancestral teaching that unity was paramount.

"What do you mean by that?"

Madara was a bit confused as to how the topic had suddenly escalated to this level.

"Cousin, think about it. How many families in Konoha still need support? Especially... that Shimura clan. I heard that because of their poor financial situation and fierce competition for missions, the clan head has started mobilizing members to raise pigs. Sigh... it's truly heartbreaking to hear."

This wasn't a lie fabricated by Uchiha Gin. Due to financial issues, the Shimura clan had indeed imitated the Nara clan and started animal husbandry. Because the clan head's precious son loved eating pork, they mobilized the entire clan to establish a pig farm. Business was booming, and they were almost done paying off their debt to a certain someone.

"There is such a thing?"

Madara frowned. To avoid squeezing the living space of ordinary people, the unspoken rule of the Ninja World was that ninjas should not engage in production.

It wasn't impossible for everyone to tacitly engage in a little family business, but mobilizing an entire clan to raise pigs was indeed too bizarre.

"That's right. It's said that Shimura pork is very popular and has even been exported to other countries."

Uchiha Izuna, who had heard a bit about this, immediately confirmed the truth of the matter.

"Then what is your suggestion, Cousin?"

"Recruit! We must recruit! We, the loving Uchiha, must let our colleagues who raise pigs regain their confidence as ninjas. We cannot let them live mediocre lives, spending the rest of their days with pigs!"

Uchiha Gin's eyes flashed with determination. He clenched his fist, wearing an expression of selfless dedication to the village.

"Good! I will go arrange it immediately!"

Madara acted as soon as he decided. He was about to set off to arrange the recruitment when Uchiha Gin raised a hand to block his path.

"Don't be in such a hurry. It's not just the Shimura clan. Many small ninja clans and civilian ninjas are still struggling on the breadline. We cannot favor one over the other; we must treat everyone equally!"

"Ah! In terms of having a loving heart, I am truly no match for you, Cousin. You are so magnanimous; I am truly humbled."

Hearing this, Madara stood at attention, looked at the determined Uchiha Gin, and nodded heavily.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Gin to be so thorough. With such a cousin, why wouldn't the Uchiha flourish!

The next day.

"What? The Security Force is expanding recruitment, calling for ambitious youth to contribute to the village?"

On the street, a Shimura clansman carrying a basket of swill stared blankly at the recruitment flyer in his hand. Villagers passing by covered their noses and pointed at him, but the Shimura clansman didn't care as usual. Instead, he rubbed his eyes tremblingly.

"Screw those pig farmers, I want to be a city official!"

The Shimura clansman confirmed it several times until he crumpled the flyer, then shouted excitedly. He threw the swill behind him into the sky, letting the foul-smelling leftovers scatter everywhere. Bathed in it, he was determined to become a noble city official.

"I want to be a city official!"

Similar scenes occurred simultaneously in every corner of Konoha. In this relatively peaceful era, ambitious youth who couldn't realize their grand aspirations raised their hands and shouted, deciding to stop taking the long way around in life and join the Security Force directly.

"Take it slow, take it slow. Fill out the form first, then take the test~"

In front of the Security Force building, Uchiha Hiiragi, with his ponytail, was busy. The entrance was crowded with men and women holding flyers. Most of these ninjas came from obscure small ninja clans, along with some civilian ninjas with decent strength.

However, there was one group that was very conspicuous; passersby avoided them wherever they went.

"Who are you..."

Smelling a hint of the stench of swill, Uchiha Hiiragi subconsciously covered his nose.

"Examiner, please take this. This is our application form."

The leading youth didn't get angry at Uchiha Hiiragi's small gesture; instead, he took out a stack of application forms and handed them over.

"Wait in line... eh?"

Uchiha Hiiragi, with an unpleasant expression, took the application forms handed over. He just wanted to tell them to wait in line, but he felt a storage scroll hidden beneath the forms. His expression stiffened, but he quickly returned to calm.

"Go over there and wait for the news. We will call your number."

Uchiha Hiiragi nodded, and his expression was no longer as stiff as before. The members of the Shimura clan immediately nodded and obediently moved to the side.

"Who said our Security Force has no profit? Isn't it coming in now?"

Stuffing the received scroll into his backpack, Uchiha Hiiragi couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He had already received several waves of red envelopes. He had worked in the Security Force for so many years before and had never received a single cent. He didn't expect that as soon as they recruited outsiders, gifts would pour in.

Just as the Security Force's recruitment was in full swing, Senju Tobirama, who was sitting in the Hokage's office and saw everything, couldn't sit still. He gritted his teeth and shouted at Senju Hashirama, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Big Brother! Are you really not going to do anything about it?"

"Ah? What is it again?"

Senju Hashirama, who had finally managed to steal some leisure time, opened his eyes, looked at his furious younger brother, and tilted his head in confusion.

"Uchiha Madara is actually letting the Security Force recruit externally. Many people have already signed up."

Senju Tobirama hated it in his heart. The appointment of Uchiha Madara to be in charge of the prison and security was something he had promoted himself. On the surface, it was to share power with the Hokage's assistant, but in reality, it was to let the residents, who didn't know the truth, personally experience the evil nature of the Uchiha clan.

He didn't expect that Uchiha Madara wouldn't care about power and would actually offer up the precious job positions of the Security Force. Just because the current environment was bad and idle ninjas all wanted a stable job, people were signing up one after another.

If there was a job, who would still think about raising pigs?

"Isn't this a good thing? Madara is worthy of being my best friend; he is still as reasonable as ever."

In Senju Hashirama's view, this behavior of the Uchiha clan meant they were showing goodwill to other ninja clans, and the reason for doing so, without thinking, was for the stability of Konoha and the unity of the ninja clans.

With such a vision, the position of Second Hokage belongs to you!

"Damn it..."

By now, Senju Tobirama could only swallow his teeth and blood. His plan not only failed to achieve the expected effect but also won the Uchiha clan a lot of goodwill from the ninja clans.

Behind Uchiha Madara, there must be an expert giving advice!

"Clan Head! We made it~"

Shimura Kenichi, who was comfortably gnawing on pork in the clan head's mansion, heard a rush of footsteps. Before he could speak, the clansmen who ran over excitedly were already in front of him, holding a stack of papers high, smiling very happily.

"What happened? Are the pigs fed?"

Adhering to the philosophy of supporting the family business, Shimura Kenichi ate dozens of pounds of pork every day, and his weight was uncontrollably leaning toward the Akimichi clan. He reached out to wipe the grease from the corners of his mouth and blinked in confusion. These clansmen were experts in pig farming that he had spent a lot of money to cultivate.

"Clan Head, why are we still raising pigs? We have jobs!"

The excited youth forgot even the most basic etiquette and slapped the appointment letter in his hand in front of Shimura Kenichi.

"Konoha Security Force? You..."

"That's right, we all successfully joined the Konoha Security Force. From now on, we are people with status!"

"Huh? Then what about my pigs?"

The position in the Security Force was indeed decent, but the salary couldn't compare to the money made from raising pigs. Shimura Kenichi, who was still thinking about getting rich by raising pigs, hurriedly stood up and asked.

"The pigs have all been packed and sold to the pig farm at the entrance of the village!"

"Ah? Then what about the money?"

Hearing that the breeding pigs he had worked so hard to cultivate had been sold, Shimura Kenichi felt heartbroken and immediately asked about the whereabouts of the money from the sale.

"Tsk... Clan Head, you are also a person who has been through it. Don't you know that such things need to be handled?"

It turned out that this clansman who raised pigs took the money from selling the pigs to give as gifts.

"Pfft!"

Hearing this, Shimura Kenichi's eyes went dark, and he spat out a mouthful of old blood on the spot.

"Clan Head... Big Brother! Wake up~"

No wonder this Shimura clansman dared to sell off clan assets; it turned out to be the younger brother who had been pushed out of the position of clan head candidate by Shimura Kenichi. Truly, the way of heaven is a cycle, and heaven spares no one!

"Gin-dage, this is the list of new members, and..."

Uchiha Hiiragi, who had been busy all day, twisted his stiff neck and placed a stack of personnel data in front of Uchiha Gin, who was in a daze. At the same time, he took out a pile of storage scrolls from the bag at his waist.

As the recruitment interviewer, Uchiha Gin had pulled in the honest and reliable Hiiragi to fill in for him, while he slept in the office.

"These are?"

Uchiha Gin didn't even look at the data. He didn't even need to guess to know who wanted to get a job in the Security Force. He then turned his gaze to the pile of storage scrolls piled up like a small hill.

"Small gifts from job seekers."

"Tsk tsk tsk, sure enough, there is no shortage of human relationships anywhere~"

He shook his head with a sigh, then pulled out a storage scroll. After keenly smelling a slightly unpleasant odor, he looked at the huge sum of money in the scroll and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What a big deal. Which prodigal son sent this? Remember to hang out with them more in the future~"

"That was the Shimura clan!"

After recalling, Uchiha Hiiragi replied.

"Kenichi-laodi is worthy of being my confidant; he truly understands my heart~"

As long as you are willing to spend money, no matter how bad the relationship is, Uchiha Gin can shout "laodi."

"You guys take it and split it. You've worked hard all these years."

Although Uchiha Gin liked to cheat money, he had his own way of doing things. This rice was for Hiiragi and the others; how could he embezzle it!

"Thanks, Gin-dage!"

Uchiha Hiiragi's face was full of joy. Before, the brothers in the Security Force had been serving for free. Although there were allowances from the clan, it was not as much as earning money from missions. This was also one of the reasons why they didn't want to continue working, because they also had families to support and couldn't just generate electricity for love.

"Sayonara, I'll leave this place to you guys from now on!"

"Gin-dage, where are you going?"

He thought Uchiha Gin, the interviewer, would be stationed in the Security Force to guide the work in the future. Now it seems he has another way out.

"Hehe~"

Uchiha Gin turned around with a light laugh, leaving Uchiha Hiiragi with a majestic back, making the laodi who didn't know the truth instantly show respect.

"I will step into that dark abyss and become the judge of evil, using the shovel of justice to bury all darkness!"

Today is a good day to farm Heartsteel~

Ps: The following word count is not charged.

I thought the emergency would take two days to resolve, but the process went very smoothly. I only paid the price of a little life to successfully prevent the tragedy. It is truly a blessing in misfortune.

Since that's the case, I will definitely resume updates.

The volume on the founding of Konoha should also come to an end. I will write a volume-end note tomorrow to summarize it. That's it!

Also,

Go BLG!!! (End of chapter)