The Days of Being the Richest Man in the Ninja World

Chapter 97. The Path of the Ninja - A Strong Heart

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It's dark.

Standing outside, having just been escorted out by Root ninjas, Yuto gazed at the moon in the sky. After a brief moment of silence, he sighed wistfully.

"Impressive!"

Using his own money to borrow money from him.

That was truly the Darkness of the Ninja!

What a brilliant mind!

If he were to inflate Danzo's debt to 1 billion, would Sarutobi Hiruzen come running to help Danzo repay it?

But after a moment, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.

After all, he was a patriotic Konoha businessman—black market bounties had nothing to do with him.

Right now—

A smirk formed on Yuto's lips. "It's time to find Itachi for dinner."

…

Meanwhile, on Danzo's side…

He sat in silence, coldly clutching the note in his hand, his eyes filled with disappointment. After an unknown amount of time, he murmured:

"Hiruzen..."

The Shimura clan could scrape together a significant sum if they were frugal, but...

That would disrupt the entire clan's operations.

And to think that, even back then—Hiruzen still refused.

With that thought, he sighed heavily and shook his head.

Then, he grabbed a letter from a few days ago—an invitation from Hanzo of the Salamander in the Land of Rain, inviting him for to eat salamander. His gaze turned cold again.

Today, you all are greedy for me… But tomorrow… you won't even be able to touch me!

His eyes sharpened.

Fire Release: Refusing the Invitation Jutsu!

He burned the letter to ashes on the spot.

As for the IOU note signed under Sarutobi Hiruzen's watchful eye?

No rush.

Then—

Danzo calmly stood up. "Let's begin."

…

The war continues.

Though Konoha itself remained peaceful, outside its walls—the war still raged on.

Several days had already passed.

At this moment—

Kumogakure Headquarters.

"Konoha's 'Lightning Finger'… and the 'Yuto Milk Tea' ambassador—Uchiha Obito?" The Fourth Raikage stared at the intelligence report on his desk, his face dark and stormy. His gaze flickered as he pondered something. After a few moments, he raised his head and looked at one of the Elite Jonin of Kumogakure.

"Do you know anything about this 'Yuto Milk Tea'?"

Uchiha Obito—that name, he was very familiar with.

Even now, he couldn't forget that day.

That day—

It was raining.

And Kumogakure's forces...

They were wailing in agony all across the battlefield!

But now—

For the past few days, Konoha had been plastering advertisements everywhere for something called "Yuto Milk Tea" and "Yuto BBQ."

And in those ads—

That brat's smug face was plastered all over them.

Was this… a provocation against Kumogakure?!

Moreover—

According to intelligence reports, Konoha's financial situation has drastically improved recently.

The war had been dragging on for so long. Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, except for Sunagakure known for being poor as hell, the other villages should be about the same. So… where was Konoha getting all this money?

Did they empty their gold reserves?

Did the Daimyo send them emergency funds?

Or…

Did it have something to do with this 'Yuto Milk Tea'?

At that moment, a certain Kumo cadre adjusted his glasses and stood up.

"According to our intel, 'Yuto Milk Tea' and 'Yuto BBQ' are businesses founded by Uchiha Yuto himself. Their milk tea and grilled meat are reportedly quite delicious. According to reports from ninjas who participated in Konoha's Chunin Exams, every time they pass by one of these shops, they feel an uncontrollable urge to go in and try something."

The strategist paused before continuing. "Uchiha Yuto—originally a Konoha ninja. However, after graduating from the Academy, he chose to quit being a ninja and instead went into business. The exact reason remains unknown… possibly due to lack of talent."

He adjusted his glasses again.

"There are also rumors that Uchiha Obito might be Uchiha Yuto's child."

Then, he smirked.

"Though, based on our investigation, Uchiha Yuto isn't that much older than Uchiha Obito—so rather than a father-son relationship…"

"It's more like an older brother-little brother dynamic."

"???"

This intelligence report… is a bit much!

The Kumo ninjas were momentarily stunned.

However, the Kumo ninja officer continued his briefing, unfazed.

"According to intelligence gathered by our spies, Konoha did not dip into its internal reserve funds this time. Instead, they received financial support from Uchiha Yuto. This might also explain why they are advertising on the battlefield."

After finishing his report, he bowed slightly and then sat back down.

Immediately, the Kumo ninjas began discussing amongst themselves.

"This kid is ruthless despite his young age. He strikes without hesitation and completely disregards the so-called 'ninja code of ethics.' But, we cannot deny—he is a genius."

"At such a young age, he's already developed Forbidden Lightning Jutsu, along with various extensions. Based on Iwagakure's investigations, he might even have mastered an unfinished, terrifying Forbidden Jutsu!"

"Furthermore, Uchiha Obito's teacher—Namikaze Minato—is also an undeniable genius. His space-time ninjutsu is practically impossible to defend against."

"And then there's Hatake Kakashi. Though still young, he has already developed at least an A-rank Jutsu, though it appears incomplete."

"Three outstanding disciples in a single generation!"

"Namikaze Minato's teacher is also one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!"

"Konoha really has some dangerous ninjas!"

"No wonder they develop such unethical jutsu. I've heard that Jiraiya travels all over the world and always makes his first stop at the women's bathhouses to peep!"

"It all makes sense! And Namikaze Minato? He only attacks by surprise—looks like he's not much better!"

"But Konoha has now secured additional funds, while we, the Kumogakure, have already requested more money from the Daimyo multiple times. There are rumors that certain officials in the Daimyo's palace are getting impatient—they want the war to end as soon as possible."

"There's no choice! Explosive tags are just too damn expensive!"

The debate grew more heated.

Finally—

The Fourth Raikage lightly slammed the table, silencing the room.

His sharp gaze swept across his subordinates.

"So, you're saying it was Uchiha Yuto—his father—who instructed Uchiha Obito to act this way?"

"Exactly! It must have been a deliberate humiliation against us!"

"My men… many of them still feel pain in their backs whenever it rains!"

"Konoha has no respect for ninja ethics! This level of humiliation is unacceptable!"

"They must compensate us! At the very least… they must hand over Shimura Danzo!"

At those words, the entire room fell silent for a second.

Then—

The meeting's atmosphere changed.

Rage filled the air.

"That's right! That's right! Shimura Danzo belongs to us!"

"We demand compensation!"

"Yo yo, check it out—Konoha ninjas got no ethics…"

"…"

The Fourth Raikage found this argument incredibly reasonable. After a brief moment of contemplation, his tone grew cold.

"If Konoha wants to end this war, they must pay compensation."

His sharp eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, resting his hands near his chin. "Uchiha Obito…"

…

"Obito, we're heading out!"

Namikaze Minato glanced at Obito, who looked as if the entire world had abandoned him.

Minato forced a sheepish grin.

"Come on, don't be so down. It's really not a big deal. Besides, Obito—you're famous in the ninja world now!"

Obito's eyes were dull and lifeless as he stared at Minato.

"Minato-sensei… do you know what they're calling you now?"

"..."

"Konoha's perverted teacher, Konoha's Yellow… Flash!'"

"..."

Minato was speechless. He had no idea how to respond to that. After a long silence, he finally sighed and patted Obito's shoulder, speaking in a solemn tone.

"The path of a ninja is like this. You will be admired by others, but you will also be ridiculed by others. Only those with a strong heart can achieve true strength."

His eyes gleamed with respect.

"Take the Third Hokage, for example… lately, many people have been accusing him of embezzling eighty million ryo… but is that possible? Could the Third Hokage really be that kind of person?"

Minato shook his head, then looked down at Obito again, patting his shoulder firmly.

"So, don't pay attention to what others say! Or… are you telling me you don't want to be a ninja anymore?"

"No!"

Obito's spirit reignited.

"I'm a man who's going to become Hokage!"

Minato smiled.

"That's what I like to hear."

"What's our mission this time?"

"We need to infiltrate the Land of Wind."

Obito raised his fist and spoke with determination.

"Then let's go! I'll prove myself to everyone! And then, when I become Hokage… hehehe!"

As he turned to leave, a dark grin crept onto his face.

But—

"Wait a second." Minato chuckled and ruffled Obito's hair. "When you became a Jonin, I never got the chance to give you a gift. So… I'll make up for it now!"

With that, he reached into his ninja tool pouch—

And pulled out a… bizarre-looking mask and handed it to Obito…