Sasuke took Chika to the basement and opened the scroll given to him by Hiruzen in front of Chika and Hatsuka.
With a bang, a lot of items appeared before the three of them in a cloud of white smoke.
"Ah!"
The next second, the little girl screamed and covered her eyes.
Sasuke had no choice but to hold the little girl in his arms, comforting her softly.
The little one had sharp eyes. Before the smoke completely dissipated, she had already caught a glimpse of the eyeballs soaked in nutrient solution.
An adult would be shocked by this scene, let alone a six-year-old girl.
The Third Hokage is serious, but couldn't he have packaged this better? Even putting them in a box would have sufficed.
Aside from the glass jar with eyeballs, the other items had a more normal appearance.
The most eye-catching thing was undoubtedly the pile of banknotes. But honestly, this wasn't as valuable as it seemed. After all, printing money was as easy as a flick of a finger.
Next to the money was gold, weighing around five hundred kilograms — more than three times what Sasuke had previously collected.
"Is this... a chakra metal weapon?"
Beside him, Hatsuka picked up a short ninja sword from the ground, a curious look on her face.
"It should be."
If it was stored alongside gold, it certainly wasn't an ordinary item.
There were five kunai, three short swords, one long sword, and some other miscellaneous weapons of foreign design.
"As expected of an Uchiha, so many chakra weapons. I can't even afford a piece of chakra metal the size of a walnut," Hatsuka sighed.
Everyone knew that chakra metal was valuable, but it was too rare.
The cost of crafting even just one kunai could easily reach millions. It might sound expensive, but plenty of people were willing to pay for it.
Of course, chakra metal weapons aren't made entirely of chakra metal, as that would compromise the weapon's strength. Instead, a portion of chakra metal is integrated into the weapon to enhance its ability to conduct chakra.
There were guidelines for adjusting the ratio, but generally, the larger the weapon, the more chakra metal can be used, making it even more expensive.
Sasuke examined a long sword, identical to the one he already owned. His earlier guess was spot-on — the compensation ANBU had delivered last time came directly from the Uchiha clan's treasury.
"The village chief is really careless," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
In the black market, chakra metal the size of a grain of rice could easily go for ten thousand taels.
Sasuke stacked the weapons aside, putting them away. He handled the jar of eyeballs himself, knowing its importance, and wouldn't allow anyone else to touch it.
Lastly, there were some scrolls and a few antiquities.
The scrolls, needless to say, were mainly related to ninjutsu. Some had already been given to Sasuke by the Third Hokage, mostly covering fire-style jutsu and ocular techniques.
This time, however, the scrolls were more comprehensive, covering a variety of ninjutsu, including different elemental techniques and secret jutsu. All of them had been copied by the Uchiha using their Sharingan.
Sasuke carefully placed them down. These were all part of Uchiha's legacy.
Along with the scrolls, there were numerous books, though they were relatively unimportant. Most of them were historical records passed down by the Uchiha clan, and the same could be said for the antiquities, which held little value for ordinary people but would be treasures for history enthusiasts.
As Sasuke looked at the books and antiquities, an idea popped into his head.
Hatsuka, watching from the side, couldn't hide her envy. Money, ninjutsu, chakra metal weapons — these were all things she desired but could never obtain.
The people in the Guardian Ninja, whom she nominally served, had a prestigious title but were nothing more than thugs.
Most of the Guardian Ninja lacked any real inheritance. If they had, they would have joined a ninja village rather than serving as bodyguards for the daimyo.
Even the ninjutsu used by Raijin and Fujin, two of the most prominent Guardian Ninja, was provided by the daimyo himself.
So when Hatsuka saw these resources laid out before her, her envy nearly made her drool. But she knew better than to harbor any ill intentions.
There were so many things that it took Chika and Hatsuka half an hour to help Sasuke organize them all.
Sasuke thought to himself that this couldn't be the entirety of the Uchiha clan's treasury. Where were the ninja uniforms? The healing medicines, secret potions, and recipes? Where were the kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags?
If the Third Hokage claimed he was returning the Uchiha property to its rightful owner, then only handing over part of it didn't show much sincerity.
Not that it really mattered.
With his abilities, he would eventually acquire better things from other worlds.
Still, being treated this way left a sour taste in his mouth.
As for Danzo, the Third Hokage hadn't mentioned a word. He only said it was still under investigation, as if he hadn't even brought it up.
After tidying up the basement, Sasuke took Chika and Hatsuka back upstairs. After resting for a few minutes, he headed to the training ground, intending to practice with them.
"Huh? I'm training too?" Chika asked, pointing at herself with surprise.
"Of course. As the princess of the Fire Country, you should have your own strength."
Sasuke found it odd how the daimyos in the ninja world thought. They had plenty of resources and time, but they would rather hire guardian ninja for protection than train themselves.
Though in the end, it didn't matter if they knew how to use their power or not — the outcome was the same. But still, the idea of not even trying seemed strange.
Regardless, he couldn't control what others did. His fiancée, however, needed to develop her own strength.
Sasuke trained with her, with Hatsuka offering guidance. Despite the sweat and effort, the little girl was serious and determined.
"I'll get stronger alongside Sasuke-nii!" Chika declared, clenching her fists.
Sasuke smiled, patting her head and praising her. Chika's face turned red with embarrassment and happiness.
Hatsuka watched, a small smile playing on her lips.
The morning passed quickly. Chika, exhausted from training, ate much more than usual and fell asleep right after lunch.
Sasuke, however, didn't rest. He changed into regular clothes, told Hatsuka to look after Chika, and went out to find a construction team.
Konoha was a bustling village with plenty of business and a large population. Construction teams were constantly busy, and their skills were top-notch.
Even if a worker could only use basic ninjutsu, it was still better than nothing.
Sasuke selected a reputable team and met with the construction boss, explaining his request.
"Renovating the Uchiha clan land?" the boss repeated, blinking as if unsure he had heard correctly.
(End of chapter).