Chapter 14 — Minato Namikaze: Yujiro, My Dearest Comrade
"…Even if you put it that way…"
Listening to Uchiha Yujiro's pitch, Minato Namikaze found himself… tempted.
What do shinobi run missions for every day, running themselves ragged?
Money.
Why do great ninja villages launch World Wars?
Money.
Mobilizing armies, burning through exploding tags, ninja tools, and soldier pills—what does all that cost?
Money.
If Minato wanted to make Konoha great again, if he wanted everyone to live happily, what did he need most?
Money.
Strip away the flashy surface of Naruto: the Will of Fire, the noble "this is my ninja way," the endless cycle of Ashura and Indra, the rivalries of the Five Great Villages, the loves and grudges of every major clan—what was at the root of it all?
Still just money.
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From Yujiro's perspective, Naruto wasn't so different from his previous world. Every problem, every drama, circled back to the same theme: money.
If Minato shed his Hokage robes, slipped into a suit, and began presenting his party's portfolio, it would hardly feel out of place.
"Refining my body like a crane,
Unfazed by the Nine-Tails' chains,
Seeking truth beyond illusions,
Even my disciple understands foreign tongues."
"Pfft—hahaha!" Yujiro couldn't hold it in.
"???" Minato blinked, utterly confused.
For no apparent reason, the Uchiha across from him just burst out laughing, leaving him baffled.
Then Minato remembered—he was dealing with an Uchiha. That was enough of an explanation.
Once he let it go, he found himself reconsidering Yujiro's words. Exaggerated, yes. But… there was some truth in them, wasn't there?
Allocating a share of high-value missions to the Uchiha had indeed stabilized Minato's position as Hokage.
Clan Head Fugaku knew how to play the game. Not only did he guarantee that if another Ninja World War broke out, the Uchiha would fully support the village, but he also arranged for a group of Uchiha shinobi to join ANBU under Minato's command.
But… extending favor to the Uchiha wasn't entirely good news.
Konoha only had so many missions to go around. If the Uchiha ate more, that meant others would eat less.
Within just a few days, several factions had come to complain. Some slammed tables and chairs in Minato's office, others wept and whined about running out of rice and firewood, claiming they'd have to sell Hinata just to make ends meet.
Worst of all, of course, was that old bastard Danzō.
Seeing the Fourth showing special treatment to the Uchiha only made him angrier and angrier—until finally, he barged into the Hokage's office, had a screaming match with Minato, and stormed off after leaving behind a single threat:
"Minato, you'll regret this!"
He glared venomously without another word, leaving Minato completely dumbfounded.
"…Huh?" Minato blinked.
"Ah, Minato," said Hiruzen, who had witnessed the entire scene. The old man patiently explained, "At times like this, what you're supposed to say is: 'Danzō, I am the Hokage.' That line always makes him happy."
"…Really?" Minato glanced at Danzō like he was some kind of masochistic pervert.
"That's not it at all!" Danzō barked, though he sounded suspiciously defensive.
---
In short: reform had begun, but resistance was already massive.
Konoha wasn't Minato's personal fiefdom.
If Uzushio still existed, as the son-in-law of the Uzumaki clan, Minato could have leaned on his wife's family for support. But the proud Uzumaki had been reduced to refugees decades ago.
Push reforms too hard, injure the vested interests too deeply, and even as Hokage he could easily end up "committing suicide" with eight kunai in his back.
"…That's the reality," Minato admitted. "If you can bring me greater returns, I'll back you. But without clear prospects, I can't divert Konoha's dwindling funds into something like your 'entertainment company.' If the Uchiha can produce results, though—that's a different matter."
Reform was difficult, but Minato wasn't about to give up. And after several days of trials, he'd come to recognize the sincerity of the Uchiha gesture for what it was—precious, and rare.
He had tested others too—most notably the Hyūga clan, another bloodline famed for its dōjutsu.
Unlike the proactive Uchiha, the Hyūga responded to his olive branch with the classic three-step scumbag routine:
Don't take initiative. Don't refuse. Don't commit.
They tried to leech benefits without giving anything back, teaching the young Hokage a painful lesson: don't be so naïve.
Fortunately, Minato hadn't fallen for it. Otherwise, his body might already have been found "suicided" with eight kunai in his back, leaving Kushina a widow.
---
"Then what do you need me to do?" Yujiro asked directly.
He had already caught Minato's meaning.
Selling newspapers with overworked ninja cats wasn't going to rake in tens of millions overnight. His "entertainment empire" pitch was really just a pretext. What he wanted wasn't startup funding—it was short-term venture capital, quick money, quick leverage.
So, rather than "bring me results," the better play was "show sincerity."
Lowering his voice, Minato leaned in: "I have a mission in the Land of Rain. High risk, but also high reward. If you're willing, you should take it."
Yujiro thought for a few seconds, then took the mission scroll from Minato's hand.
"…I'll give it a try."
"Good."
"Try, try."
"…Try?" Shisui blinked.
"Try."
"…Try?" little Itachi echoed.
"Sure. Let's all try."
---
[Mission Complete: Overpower the Uchiha]
Reward Granted: Yang Release Chakra Transformation, Chakra Reserves Greatly Increased (Spirit +2).
Heh, Itachi was only six years old, but wasn't he already a so-called prodigy of the Uchiha?
And just like that, Yujiro's weakest stat—Spirit 5—had skyrocketed to Spirit 9.
He still wasn't at the level of the human-tailed-beast chakra monsters, but at least now he wouldn't burn out after three minutes.
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The Rain Country
The Land of Rain was a shallow pond swarming with snapping turtles—a nightmare dungeon.
The "old man" was Hanzō of the Salamander, hailed as a demigod. The "young ones" were the budding Akatsuki, plus a certain Uchiha Obito, already spiraling into chūnibyō madness.
Even with his new stats buffed, Yujiro wasn't stupid enough to try solo-clearing that dungeon.
So he happily pulled Shisui into the party.
Shisui was perfect: strong, loyal, and—most importantly—fast as hell.
If they ran into trouble—say, Six Paths Pain, psycho Obito, or a giant poison salamander—Shisui could grab Yujiro and sprint them both straight out of danger.
---
Unrolling the scroll, Shisui muttered, "So the objective is intel-gathering… and escorting a shipment of supplies? But isn't Rain's situation worse than Fire's? Why would a caravan even try to trade there?"
Yujiro's eyes gleamed. "Because the rougher the waters, the fatter the fish. The harder the deal, the bigger the profits if it succeeds."
"…I see. Damn bandits, though." Shisui sighed.
Yujiro shook his head. "Wrong. No bandits, no need for guard cats. Our own bandits are bad—but other people's bandits? They're our rice bowl. They're the reason we get paid."
Shisui opened his mouth, ready to protest, then shut it again. After a moment of silence, he made his usual decision.
"…Just smile."
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