Uchiha Shigure always felt a suffocating sensation around him.
"It seems this place… is not somewhere I can come to right now… I probably need to reach the Six Paths level at least…"
"I see… Higanbana… Huh?! Is this… the Underworld?!"
"The inside of my Kō-kami-musubi leads directly to the Sanzu River in the Underworld…" Shigure wanted to continue exploring, but his chakra reserves no longer allowed it.
"Time to go! Flying Thunder God Technique!" Shigure extracted chakra, then vanished in an instant, returning to reality.
Back in Ryūchi Cave, Shigure recalled the rapid depletion of his chakra and couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
"Terrifying! My peak Kage-level chakra reserves were almost completely consumed in less than a minute! My left eye is actually the entrance to the Underworld… I never would have thought."
"It seems there really are some unknown things in this world… such as the Pure Land where people go after death…" Shigure shook his head; these things were still too far off for him.
"Since my left eye is Kō-kami-musubi and my right eye is Shin-kami-musubi, I'll try using both eyes! Susanoo is definitely going to appear!" Shigure knew that no matter what the two dōjutsu were, using both eyes simultaneously would result in Susanoo.
"Let me see what you truly look like! Susanoo!" Shigure's eyes vibrated, and then a giant, light gray hand appeared around his body.
Shigure released more chakra, and the light gray arm fully materialized.
Immediately after the light gray arm, the entire body of Susanoo emerged, its eyes glowing. Its body was mostly skeletal, appearing incredibly terrifying.
"Is this the first form of Susanoo? Keep transforming!" Shigure pressed more chakra into it again, and meridians and flesh began to appear on Susanoo's skeleton, with an outer layer of chakra forming a cloak-like shroud.
Susanoo also manifested a short sword and a long sword.
"Second form? It should be able to continue, right? Again!" Shigure forced even more chakra out, and his eyes were starting to feel strained.
The third form, built upon the second form, became clad in a layer of armor—but the armor on Shigure's Susanoo remarkably resembled the dragon scale armor he wore himself.
This Susanoo armor enveloped the entire body, with dragon-patterned plating that looked extremely imposing, while the two swords burned with gray flames.
Although it wasn't Amaterasu, it did not feel any weaker than Amaterasu.
"Third form, huh… Continue evolving? It seems my eyes are starting to feel uncomfortable… Looks like after the third form, it's no longer safe." Shigure then directly deactivated Susanoo.
"After the third form of Susanoo, it seems an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is needed for long-term use. Most Mangekyō users can't even maintain the third form—so I'm already lucky."
"Deactivate!" Shigure released the Mangekyō Sharingan, and his eyes reverted to a pure light blue.
Looking at him now, Shigure seemed far more approachable; his earlier eyes had been rather frightening.
"I'm leaving. You guys watch the house. Remember to find me if anything happens." Shigure instructed Hime, then returned directly to Konoha.
"There's a lot to do next." After returning to the village, Shigure didn't plan on being idle.
Since the Third Great Ninja War would inevitably break out in the future, he decided to prepare in advance.
Besides improving his own strength, Shigure also wanted a stable source of income.
What should he do, then? Shigure already had a plan.
He first found the Third Hokage, showed him the 100 million ryō in cash and the Uchiha clan's IOU for over 300 million ryō, and explained his intention.
"Hmm!? I see! The Uchiha actually owe you so much money!"
"Is that so… I didn't expect you to want to go into business…" The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, thoughtful.
His three disciples all had strange hobbies; doing business was comparatively normal.
"You need my guarantee? No problem… But if your funds run into trouble, wouldn't you be unable to repay the villagers' money?" the Hokage asked.
Shigure shook his head. "Don't worry, Sensei! As long as you are my guarantor, not only will I make money, but all of Konoha will make money! Even the Konoha ninja will profit."
"You brat… You really keep me on my toes…" The Third Hokage saw Shigure's confidence and finally agreed.
With the Hokage's guarantee, Shigure officially obtained the qualifications to establish a company.
He immediately rented a shop in Konoha's most prosperous district.
The shop was formally registered as Konoha Asset Management Co., Ltd.
Its business was clear: banking services—depositing money and lending money.
Shigure first invested heavily to hire several elite jōnin of Konoha whom he deeply trusted to guard the asset company 24 hours a day.
He also spent large sums of money to recruit brilliant minds who were skilled in business and trade.
Immediately after, more funds were poured into advertising throughout Konoha, promoting the benefits of depositing money.
Posters for Shigure's company were displayed at Ichiraku Ramen and the BBQ Yakiniku house.
Although Konoha had been through the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, it was a victorious nation with a large reserve of wealth.
The villagers and shinobi had savings with nowhere to spend them, often kept at home or deposited in simple money-changers with minimal interest.
Shigure's interest rates were far more attractive.
Because of the Third Hokage's guarantee, and because it was founded by one of Konoha's rising stars, combined with effective advertising and vastly higher rates, vast sums of money flooded into Shigure's bank.
Most of it was locked in for terms of a year or longer.
"Excellent!" Shigure saw the influx of funds and immediately began expanding the lending business with his team.
"Need money? Borrow through Konoha Borrow!" This simple advertising slogan spread rapidly through the village.
And Shigure was not deceiving anyone—the village itself also earned considerable advertising fees from Konoha Asset Management Company.
Even the Uchiha clan set aside past grievances to work with Shigure. Those who refused to repay loans were naturally handed over to the Konoha Military Police Force to handle.
Before long, Shigure was at the peak of his career.
Deposits and loans reached astronomical numbers.
For those who lacked money, as long as they could guarantee future repayment, Shigure's "Konoha Ninja Loan" allowed them to consume in advance. At repayment time, they could even choose installments.
For the vast majority of Konoha, this was welcome news.
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