That morning, Uchiha Akira left the Uchiha clan grounds and strolled through the streets of Konoha. He could see that much of the village had already started rebuilding.
Though the Akatsuki's attack had mainly been focused around the Chūnin Exams arena, Deidara, that madman with explosives, had bombarded the surrounding area with his clay bombs, while Sasori unleashed his Hundred Puppet Performance. Together, these two artists-turned-terrorists had wreaked havoc, leaving a swath of destruction around the arena, destroying many homes in the process.
As Akira walked by, he noticed Yamato standing with his hands in a seal, pressing them to the ground.
Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!
Two rows of wooden houses, about seven or eight in total, sprouted from the ground, instantly drawing cheers from the Konoha villagers. The speed of the reconstruction was impressive!
"Not bad, not bad, Yamato! Keep it up!" Kakashi called out playfully from the side, clearly enjoying the show.
"I... I can't... I need to rest a bit," Yamato's voice was weak, and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. He looked utterly drained, as if all the energy had been sapped from his body.
If anyone embodied the phrase "five-second man," it was Yamato.
"Hmm, this Four-Pillar House Technique seems quite useful," Akira thought, activating his Sharingan to analyze the jutsu. "If I used this to build houses, I could charge a million ryō per house. That's not unreasonable, right?"
Of course, the property prices in the world of shinobi were nothing compared to the world he had come from. A standalone wooden house like this in the capital of a major nation like Konoha could easily fetch a million ryō, maybe even more. After all, Konoha was the capital of the Fire Nation, one of the five great shinobi nations. A million ryō for a house was practically a steal.
Taking a deep breath, Akira decided to try out the jutsu himself, having just copied it with his Sharingan. He pressed his hands to the ground.
Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!
This time, over thirty houses sprang up from the ground in one go!
The commotion caused by this display far surpassed Yamato's earlier efforts.
"Hmmm... Maybe I'll lower the price to seventy or eighty thousand ryō per house. That's a reasonable discount, right? Thirty houses at this rate... that's over two million ryō! I've found my get-rich-quick scheme!" Akira mused to himself, grinning as he realized he might have discovered the perfect way to make a fortune with Wood Release.
"If anyone needs a house built, they should just come to me!"
As he admired his handiwork, Akira chuckled to himself, thinking he had finally found a way to wealth.
"This... this is...!" Yamato and Kakashi, who had been resting nearby, were suddenly struck speechless by the sight of the thirty new houses.
The two quickly recovered from their shock. After all, there was only one person in Konoha who could use Wood Release more proficiently than Yamato.
"It's Akira-sama!"
"Akira-sama is amazing!"
"Thank goodness! With Akira-sama helping, this is incredible!"
"Akira-sama is so cool! No wonder my father risked his life to help him break through the barrier!"
Cheers erupted from the villagers, who praised Akira's name.
Hearing all this praise, Akira couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He had initially planned to charge a fortune for the houses, but now, hearing that someone's father had risked their life to help him, he felt a little guilty about the whole thing.
"Well, everyone, this was just a small favor. I have to head to the hospital to visit Hinata, so I won't keep you," Akira said, forcing a smile as he waved to the excited villagers, trying to ignore the pang of regret at not charging them for his work.
Just like a celebrity greeting his fans, Akira smiled and waved before making his way over to where Yamato and Kakashi were standing.
"Yamato, do you charge for all these houses you're building with Wood Release?" Akira asked, curious.
"Huh? Charge? Why would I charge?" Yamato responded, clearly confused by the question.
"Wait, so you're doing all this for free? If I started charging people, wouldn't that make me look bad?" Akira thought, silently groaning at the realization. If Yamato wasn't charging, it wouldn't look good if he did.
Well, at least there were other places he could make money.
Pushing his complaints aside, Akira said, "By the way, I copied your Wood Release earlier. Hope you don't mind!"
"Not at all, Akira-sama!" Yamato replied, smiling. It wasn't like Four-Pillar House Technique was some kind of secret jutsu, so he didn't mind Akira learning it.
Still, Yamato couldn't help but be impressed. The Sharingan really was amazing. To think that Akira could copy a technique after seeing it only once...
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Akira waved goodbye to the two and headed toward Konoha Hospital.
When he arrived, Hinata was still lying in bed, and Hanabi was sitting by her side, keeping watch. Akira chatted briefly, learning that Orochimaru and Tsunade were overseeing Hinata's recovery. This news reassured him.
"Akira-sama, the Hokage has summoned you," an ANBU member suddenly appeared, using Body Flicker to deliver the message.
"Understood," Akira nodded. He gave Hanabi a few instructions, assuring her that Hinata would wake up soon, and then left the hospital, heading to the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama, is there something you need?" Akira asked as he entered the office.
Inside, Fugaku was hard at work, but when Akira arrived, he put down his papers.
"Akira, I have a mission for you," Fugaku said.
Akira frowned slightly.
He had no interest in going on missions right now. All he wanted to do was stay in the village and monitor Hinata's condition. Fugaku should've known that.
So why was he giving Akira a mission at a time like this?
Fugaku noticed the look on Akira's face and explained, "During the Chūnin Exams, it wasn't just the Akatsuki who attacked. Iwagakure also sent reinforcements."
"We've captured three Iwa shinobi who were participating in the exam, along with two of their jōnin escorts."
"We've reached out to Iwagakure to discuss terms. Your mission is to escort the prisoners back to Iwagakure and negotiate reparations."
Ah, that explains it.
Hearing Fugaku's words, Akira understood. This wasn't just a mission—it was an opportunity to squeeze Iwagakure for compensation.
In other words, a chance for revenge.
That's right—squeeze them for all they're worth. Konoha had won the battle, and they'd captured several important Iwa shinobi. If they didn't extort some serious reparations, it wouldn't make sense!
The only person who would've avoided demanding compensation would've been the Third Hokage, and he was long gone. The old man was notorious for being lenient, even when Konoha had the upper hand in negotiations.
"Alright, I'll take the mission," Akira agreed with a nod, after silently cursing the Third Hokage's soft approach to diplomacy.
This wasn't the kind of mission he would normally want to take, but the chance to extort Iwagakure? That was something he could get behind.
"Good. Prepare yourself. You'll leave tomorrow," Fugaku said with a nod of approval. "Oh, by the way, this is an S-rank mission. Your reward will depend on how much compensation you manage to extract from Iwagakure. You'll get ten percent of the total amount."
"So... no fixed pay? You're just giving me a cut of the take?" Akira realized that Fugaku was counting on him to milk Iwagakure for everything they had.
And Fugaku had almost let the word "extort" slip earlier. Clearly, he had high hopes for Akira to handle the negotiations.
"Got it," Akira replied. Ten percent of the reparations was good enough for him.
With that, Akira selected three shinobi to accompany him: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Kakashi Hatake.
When Akira explained that they were heading to Iwagakure to negotiate reparations, and since it was Akira giving the orders, the three of them agreed without hesitation.
Before leaving, Akira left some final instructions with Orochimaru regarding Hinata's treatment, explaining that he would be gone for a while.
The next morning, after stopping by Konoha Hospital to leave some flowers for Hinata, Akira made his way to the village gates, where Naruto and Sasuke were already waiting, arguing as usual.
When Akira arrived, the three shinobi, along with the prisoners who had been subdued with genjutsu, loaded everything onto a cart and left Konoha, heading toward Iwagakure.
…
In the Hokage's office, Fugaku was busy handling paperwork. There was a lot to do after the attack on Konoha.
Reconstruction efforts needed oversight, and now that the Akatsuki had been exposed to the world, the other villages were reaching out to discuss a potential Five Kage Summit.
All of this fell on Fugaku's shoulders.
"Hokage-sama, Akira-sama has left the village," an ANBU member reported, entering the office.
"Who's accompanying him?" Fugaku asked without looking up from his work.
"Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki," the ANBU replied.
Fugaku froze for a moment, his hand pausing mid-signature.
Four Kage-level shinobi had left the village together?
Was this really just a negotiation?
"Akira... Are you planning something big?" Fugaku muttered with a wry smile.
**********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 255+ at patreon.com/Emik01.