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"Yōichi-san, this month's welfare payments have all been distributed, and many clansmen asked me to convey their thanks to you."
Mikoto said in a gentle voice. After seeing Yōichi nod without speaking, she moved on to the next topic.
"The ninja game has been released and will launch today in six cities within the Land of Fire. Advertisements have been placed in advance. Yūto-san is very confident; he believes the ninja game will be a big hit. But now, with Konoha about to go to war, is it really a good time to sell games?"
Mikoto's final question was her own. Hearing the news of the war, she definitely wouldn't be in the mood to play games.
However, Yōichi didn't seem to think so. He calmly stated, "It's fine. The war of the ninja has little to do with the civilians, at least within the Land of Fire, it's safe. It won't affect them;
Moreover, our first version of the game is related to war.
The advertisements also call for all citizens of the Land of Fire to repel the invaders in the game. This isn't just any ninja game; it's a patriotic game! For every game they buy, the ninjas on the front lines get an extra shuriken."
Yōichi flipped through the newspaper, pointed out an advertisement to Mikoto that read, "Support the ninjas on the front lines. In the game, you're also a hero to the nation!"
Mikoto, after seeing this advertisement, couldn't help but entertain the idea of buying a game to contribute a shuriken to the frontline ninjas.
"Shinji and Hideto are already making efforts to purchase military supplies and weapons, but they are hard to come by now. All the major ninja villages are also buying, so they can only try to ensure the shares previously agreed upon"
After hearing this, Yōichi shook his head and said, "With the war starting, naturally, it's not that easy to buy. Let them try to stockpile as much as possible. They should have had the foresight to buy earlier. What have they been doing all this time?"
Mikoto bowed her head slightly without saying anything. This matter was previously handled by her husband, and she couldn't agree to speak ill of her husband.
But considering Fugaku was so busy before, a few oversights were understandable. Moreover, they have now handed over the business of military weapons within the clan, which could be considered as making up for it.
"Yōichi-san, Tokugawa-san said he would come to see you this afternoon. The first combat uniform has been made, and the quality seems to be excellent."
Yōichi nodded and said, "I know. I will go see Elder Kenji. Mikoto-san, if you have time this afternoon, you can also come and take a look."
"Also, there's another task for Mikoto-san. We need to survey the clansmen's needs, what they want to do or buy with the money they've received;
This task might be challenging for you alone. I'll go find Elder Kenji. Or, Mikoto-san, you could ask the clan leader for some assistants."
"Yōichi-san, I'll talk to Fugaku. But why gather this information? What's the significance?"
"People suddenly having so much money, and receiving it monthly, will soon want to spend it. And how many places are there to spend within the village? Not enough for the clansmen's consumption."
Yōichi explained, having considered this issue when initiating the welfare payments. Earning the money and the good reputation, along with the clansmen's gratitude, were all thanks to him.
In this matter, only Fugaku would likely be clenching his fists, red-faced, and resentful.
"What good is money that can't be spent? It's less useful than toilet paper. So, we need to know what the clansmen want to do, want to buy. Once we know, it saves ordinary clansmen the trouble of leaving the village. After all, it's quite a hassle for them. We can help them buy it and bring it back, making everyone's life easier."
Hearing Yōichi's words, Mikoto unconsciously nodded. When she thought about it, this indeed benefited the ordinary clansmen a lot.
Having money always leads to spending it, even if it's just buying some good beef to improve their meals, which is better than saving it. And those who have the habit of saving are rare; this is Konoha, not comparable to ordinary civilians.
Yōichi said, "Ninjas have their needs, and ordinary clansmen have theirs. Since we aim to benefit the clansmen, we naturally have to consider thoroughly; but for Mikoto-san, this might be a bit tiring. Fortunately, you can ask the clan leader for help."
"Yōichi-san, you're right."
This praise was sincerely said by Mikoto, who initially disliked Yōichi for always opposing Fugaku. But now, seeing Yōichi often considering the clansmen, her feelings became complicated.
And noticing that she might be tired and wanting to find someone to help her, Mikoto, after reporting back, hurried home. She might have to go out again in the afternoon, so taking advantage of the lunch break to see how Itachi was doing.
Upon arriving home, Fugaku was already sitting at the dining table eating, and Itachi was being cared for by a clan member.
The clan member caring for Itachi was Uchiha Yuzuki, 28 years old, whose husband was a Chūnin in the clan but died in an accident on a mission three years ago.
Yuzuki also has a daughter, about Itachi's age, unable to work because of the child. But now, with the Uchiha welfare system and being employed by Fugaku, it's much easier since her daughter can be looked after by her sister.
"Mikoto-san, you're back. Dinner is ready; I'll help you serve."
Seeing Mikoto return, Yuzuki put down Itachi, ready to help serve dinner. But Mikoto waved her off, saying, "I'll do it myself. You continue taking care of Itachi. By the way, how's Izumi?"
"Izumi is fine, and Itachi is very well-behaved, hardly any trouble."
Yuzuki said with a smile, then continued caring for Itachi.
After dinner, Mikoto spent some time with Itachi, but it wasn't long before she was called inside by Fugaku.
"Mikoto, what did he tell you today?"
After hearing the day's events, Fugaku frowned.
He hadn't expected Yōichi to come up with such a scheme, which indeed would win a lot of support from the clansmen.
Fugaku even thought about taking over the operation of these initiatives, but then realized he had no spare manpower. The guard team was almost in a state of combat patrol, and after some thought, he gave up on the idea.
"Mikoto, when doing this task, try to downplay Yōichi's reputation as much as possible, and emphasize your contribution. Your actions will also reflect on me."
He definitely didn't want Yōichi to become the clan leader. Now, every time he saw Yōichi, Fugaku couldn't help but remember the blade that almost struck his neck a year ago!
If it were someone else, someone with extraordinary abilities, Fugaku might consider stepping down as clan leader. But for Yōichi, there would be no compromise or relinquishment of the clan leader position.
Facing someone who had previously harbored the intent to kill him and nearly succeeded, Fugaku couldn't possibly forgive or understand him.
Hearing this, Mikoto was momentarily taken aback, then quickly said, "Fugaku, this... isn't this taking credit for someone else's work?"
"Mikoto, it's not taking credit. It was an idea you both came up with, and I will never allow Yōichi to become the clan leader!"
Fugaku's tone became firmer, and his expression more stern.
The room fell silent for a few minutes before Fugaku spoke again: "Mikoto, I hope you can understand me. Yōichi once wanted to kill me, and his personality is not suitable for being the clan leader. Please, help me this one time!"
"Fugaku, this way…"
"Please, Mikoto, help me this time!"
Mikoto felt her breath catch. After a while, she reluctantly spoke, "I... I understand. I'll do as you say, Fugaku."
"Thank you, Mikoto!"
Seeing Mikoto agree, Fugaku's face finally showed a smile.
Then, the room suddenly fell silent. Mikoto was about to get up to attend to the task assigned by Yōichi-san, but considering the complexity of gathering preferences and that it wasn't something she could easily accomplish alone, she said,
"Fugaku, could you find a couple of assistants for me? The upcoming tasks might keep me busy, and it's a bit much for me alone."
Fugaku's face showed difficulty as he replied, "The guard team is also busy... Mikoto, I'll try my best to find someone."
Mikoto originally intended to suggest finding two ordinary clansmen who could read and write, but seeing the troubled expression on her husband's face, she suddenly felt reluctant to speak further.
"I understand. I'll go check on Itachi."
————————————————
In the afternoon, Tokugawa brought back a ninja combat uniform with a smile.
"Lord Yōichi, this is the final version of the ninja uniform. Its layered structure is exactly as per the specifications you provided, and its defense is beyond imagination. At least, I can't damage it!"
Tokugawa is a Chūnin with a rare Earth chakra nature within the Uchiha clan. After the combat uniform was made, he used three jutsus on it, unable to cause any damage.
Not even kunai, shuriken, or explosive tags could damage this combat uniform.
"Let's go see Elder Kenji. Tokugawa-san, you've done a great job this time."
After Yōichi finished speaking, he patted Tokugawa on the shoulder, who, feeling somewhat embarrassed, modestly said, "It's nothing, all thanks to Lord Yōichi's specifications and that spider's effort."
"Right, my summoning beast has started breeding and is being kept in isolation. Next month's silk production can make seventeen combat uniforms."
The silk produced by his spider also contained chakra. It was already difficult to cut through with kunai, and after undergoing dozens of compression cycles and essence extraction, only ten pounds of silk could make one combat uniform.
Moreover, the uniform is incredibly light, weighing less than 300 grams, but offers significant protection.
Holding it, Yōichi felt it weighed less than a few kunai.
The two went to Kenji's house and were welcomed inside after ringing the doorbell. After explaining their visit, Kenji took Yōichi and Tokugawa to the yard.
The Uchiha clan's residence is quite central in the village and spacious. Individuals like Kenji, of his status, have large yards.
Yōichi's original house was small, but after bringing back Mina and Gates, he built a larger house on the edge of the clan's land, with a sizable yard for training.
Kenji immediately took out kunai and explosive tags to test the combat uniform's defense, but before he could act, Tokugawa stopped him.
"Elder, that kind of test doesn't show its full capabilities. We should insert a dummy inside to also test the uniform's energy absorption."
After saying this, Tokugawa took a test dummy from a storage scroll and placed it inside the combat uniform; it seemed he had already conducted tests and was very confident.
Kenji first attacked with kunai and shuriken, and under Tokugawa's encouragement, he imbued the kunai with chakra and threw it with full force.
Even though Kenji doesn't have Wind chakra, the throw was powerful.
However, upon hitting the combat uniform, it only indented slightly, then the force of the kunai dissipated, and it fell to the ground.
"This defense is excellent."
Then, Kenji threw two explosive tags.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions engulfed the combat uniform in flames, which took a few dozen seconds to dissipate.
By then, the dummy's head had been blasted apart, but the combat uniform remained intact, only a bit dirty.
Tokugawa then said, "If one could react in time to an explosive tag and shield with their arms, it could further reduce the damage."
He then removed the combat uniform from the dummy. Except for the blasted head, the body only showed minor cracks. If a ninja wore this uniform and faced an explosive tag, they might only suffer bruises.
Seeing this level of protection, Kenji was somewhat shocked.
"Father, what was that explosion just now?"
Several figures suddenly appeared in the courtyard, with Masahito speaking first. He had been patrolling nearby and came over after hearing the explosion, thinking it might be a spy from another ninja village.
"Oh, Masahito, sorry, we were just conducting a test."
Seeing Masahito, Kenji explained with a smile, then briefed him on the combat uniform.
"Such strong protection?"
Masahito's eyes widened upon hearing this; wearing such a uniform was almost like having an extra life.
Seeing their reactions, Yōichi said, "Masahito-senpai, don't worry. With the current production capacity of the combat uniform factory, we can soon equip our supporters with one each."
By "our people," he meant those who supported him, the martial faction within the clan.
(End of chapter)