Fugaku was dumbfounded.
Hearing Uchiha Kai's plan, his mind went completely blank.
Reorganizing the clan—that made sense.
But rewriting the law?
What use could that possibly be?
Wasn't this just a waste of effort with no benefit?
Yes. He couldn't understand.
As the head of the Uchiha clan, and someone who had sat in the Police Force Minister's chair for years, he of course knew the Police Force technically had the right to amend laws.
But he'd never taken it seriously. At the time, he had glanced at it and then tossed it aside without a second thought.
So now, he really couldn't see the point.
Still—he knew Kai's temperament. If Kai had said it outright, it meant there was definitely something here he himself hadn't grasped.
And Fugaku was not too proud to ask.
He leaned forward.
"Kai-kun, don't keep me guessing.
How does changing the law benefit us? At this critical moment, is it really worth doing?"
In Fugaku's view—if the Uchiha held the Hokage's seat, sure, then it would be fine to adjust the laws to improve the lives of villagers.
But right now?
The Uchiha and the village leadership were already fighting like rabid dogs.
Who had the time for such things?
So he was truly curious: how could Kai possibly make use of such a seemingly trivial power?
Kai's expression remained calm.
He glanced at Fugaku with a strange look, sighed softly, and said:
"If iron mining is concentrated in the hands of a single clan, it easily creates a market monopoly, stripping both villagers and shinobi of any real choice.
So I propose a new law: iron ore, as a strategic resource, cannot be monopolized by one clan.
From now on, the iron industry must be split, with at least five clans participating. Only then will the prices of kunai, senbon, shuriken—and even farm tools for the villagers—naturally fall.
This would benefit both villagers and shinobi alike.
What do you think, Clan Head?"
Hiss—!
Fugaku sucked in a sharp breath.
Damn it all.
The iron mines of the Land of Fire were essentially controlled by the Sarutobi clan. Even the Daimyō himself had to negotiate with them if he wanted to buy.
And now Kai wanted to rewrite the law? To rip the roots right out from under the Sarutobi?
If Hiruzen heard of this, he would definitely be enraged enough to kill Kai on the spot.
Cold sweat poured down Fugaku's back as he stared at Kai. This was too ruthless!
He had never imagined that something so minor—the "power to amend laws," which he had always ignored—could be turned into such a weapon in Kai's hands.
But he had to admit it: Kai truly was formidable. The difference between them was vast.
"T-this might be dangerous, no?" Fugaku frowned. "If you go down this path—what about the Yamanaka clan's flower shops, all the inns, the Akimichi's barbecue, the Nara's deer antler trade, the Hyuga's taverns and hot springs?
By your logic, all of those are monopolies too.
And even us—the Uchiha control all the gambling halls, the breweries, and half the ninja tools industry.
If you enforce this law, what happens to us?"
Yes, Fugaku was panicking a little now. This would offend every clan.
And here's the twist:
Kai was a little shocked himself.
He received profit shares from Uchiha enterprises, yes—but he had never actually known the full scope of their industries. He had never cared to check, since in this world, strength mattered most.
But now, hearing the truth, he was floored.
Good grief.
This was the Uchiha he had once looked down on?
The entire gambling trade and alcohol industry in the Land of Fire—Uchiha-controlled?
Even half the ninja tools business too?
His lips twitched. He couldn't help sighing.
The Uchiha… truly worthy of being called an ancient, powerful clan.
He now fully understood.
"Why does the Uchiha have so many businesses? And what about the Senju? Our equals back then—what did they run?"
Fugaku looked at him strangely. This genius of theirs, so sharp in some areas, but utterly clueless about something so basic.
Shaking his head, he explained:
"Real estate.
The Senju clan's business was land and housing.
Eighty percent of Konoha's land belonged to the Senju. Even in the big cities of the Land of Fire, half of it was Senju property.
Even in Daimyō's capital, nearly a third of the land belonged to them."
Kai was speechless.
So Hashirama—the noble, pure-hearted Hashirama—was really a real estate tycoon all along?
No wonder Tsunade could gamble away fortunes across nations, rack up debts everywhere, and still be welcomed as a "fat sheep" wherever she went.
It all made sense now.
Even though the Senju had perished, their immense wealth—much of it seized by Hiruzen—was still vast enough for Tsunade to squander endlessly.
And the Uchiha weren't far behind.
No wonder the village leadership was so eager to crush them—those industries were fat, glittering targets.
Drawing a deep breath, Kai calmed himself.
"This must be done.
The Uchiha are already being pushed to the brink. If we don't strike back, the village will only squeeze us harder.
The more desperate the situation, the more ruthless we must become!
We need to send a message to the world: if you corner the Uchiha, we'll flip the whole table. If we can't live well, then no one else will either.
They want to target us? Fine. Even if we can't kill them, we'll shatter their teeth.
Spread the word. On this issue, the common villagers and rank-and-file shinobi will stand firmly with us.
And when other clans come knocking, begging for negotiations—we'll talk. We might even draw a few of them to our side.
The village will fear us more, yes—but better that than to remain lambs on the butcher's block."
Fugaku was silent for a long while. Then he nodded gravely.
"Kai-kun, I trust you."
Kai smiled faintly, and without another word, drafted the notice. He summoned Tekka.
"Post this everywhere—Police HQ, the village bulletin board, the hospital, the academy, the mission hall.
Everywhere people gather. I want the entire village to know, as fast as possible."
Tekka nodded, but when he glanced at the notice, he froze.
Even as Kai's sworn man, even knowing Fugaku's approval, the words still made his skin crawl.
"Lord Kai, this…"
"Just do it," Kai cut him off. "The Clan Head has agreed."
Fugaku nodded firmly.
"Follow Kai-kun's orders."
Tekka was sweating, but he obeyed.
After duplicating the notice, he and the other loyalists fanned out. Within half an hour, the notice papered every corner of Konoha.
Crowds gathered to read.
"This is great!"
"About time. The ninja tool shops were a monopoly for years—never any discounts."
"With competition, prices will drop for sure. Wonderful."
"Uchiha Kai is really something."
"He's thinking of us villagers! That whole budget issue wasn't their fault—it was the village withholding funds."
"Honestly, he's a good man."
"I support this. Absolutely support it!"
The people chattered excitedly, almost universally in favor.
Yes, civilians were easy to sway. Even though Kai hadn't truly done much for them, this notice alone washed away all past resentment. His reputation now rivaled the Hokage's.
But among the clans—it was another story.
They fell silent.
Silent—but seething with rage.
They could see what the villagers could not. Kai was digging at their roots.
Clans maintained power by hoarding resources, by monopolizing wealth. If this law truly passed, their golden age would end.
They couldn't allow it.
Yet none dared march into the Police Force offices to confront the Uchiha directly.
For all their recent decline, the Uchiha were still the First Clan of Konoha—even Hiruzen couldn't easily destroy them.
So the clans waited.
The real burden fell to the Hokage's faction.
And indeed—within moments, the notice reached the Hokage's desk.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat smoking furiously, brows knotted, exhaling cloud after cloud.
Mitokado Homura's face was ashen, his whole body trembling with rage, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
As for Utatane Koharu—she slammed her palm down, shattering the Hokage's desk, shrieking in fury:
"U! Chi! Ha!
Those damned, evil Uchiha—do they know what they've done?
Breaking monopolies, handing profits to the people?
Forcing the village finances into transparency, demanding every ryo from the Daimyō be accounted for in public?
They're courting death!
Hiruzen, we cannot wait any longer.
Even if it costs us everything—even if it means paying the highest price—the Uchiha must be eradicated.
Our teacher was right. These lunatics should never have been allowed to exist!"
Her roar echoed in the office.
No one calmed her.
Because even Hiruzen—Konoha's veteran "God of Shinobi"—was nearly at his breaking point.
Damn it all.
The very first proposal was to dismantle the iron monopoly? To gut the Sarutobi clan's foundation?
How could this be endured?
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