As a gesture of goodwill, the Uchiha clan's residential area was arranged next to the Yotsuki clan's compound. As the largest ninja clan in Kumogakure, the Yotsuki clan's status in the village was self-evident. Since the founding of Kumogakure, all successive Raikage have come from the Yotsuki clan.
For this, the Uchiha clansmen naturally expressed their gratitude.
With this mutual show of respect, the Uchiha clan officially settled down in Kumogakure.
————
Another month passed, and the news of the Uchiha clan joining Kumogakure had spread throughout the entire ninja world.
Although it didn't cause any major waves on the surface, the long-stagnant political landscape of the ninja world had begun to quietly change.
————
Kumogakure.
Raikage Building.
Under the guidance of the Third Raikage, Yuzuru toured the Raikage Building.
Looking at the portraits of the successive Raikage hanging on the wall, the Third Raikage introduced them one by one, briefly explaining the history of Kumogakure. When he mentioned the founding of the village, a look of yearning appeared on his face.
"Yuzuru, back then, Uchiha Madara with his Mangekyō Sharingan and Senju Hashirama pacified the Warring States Period. There were many powerful individuals in the ninja world, but none were their match."
"They used their immense power to make everyone bow down in submission..."
"Although I am the Raikage of Kumogakure, I deeply admire the two of them."
"My greatest dream is to be like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, to make my own village the most powerful hidden village in the ninja world..."
After speaking, the Third Raikage looked at Yuzuru and said, "Now that the Senju clan has vanished, if our Kumogakure and the Uchiha clan join forces, is it possible to reach the heights that Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara once did?"
"At that time, with Kumogakure as the most powerful hidden village, we would no longer be troubled by resources and war, right?"
Hearing this, Yuzuru said calmly, "It is inevitable that Kumogakure will become the strongest hidden village, but if you want to be free from the troubles of war, that alone is not enough."
"Oh?" The Third Raikage glanced at Yuzuru with curiosity and asked, "What do you have in mind?"
"Back then, Konoha, possessing both Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, was the most powerful hidden village, but the Great Ninja War broke out immediately after their deaths."
"To achieve true peace, we must break the current structure."
"When all the lands in the ninja world have only one ruler, will things like war still exist?"
After hearing Yuzuru's words, the Third Raikage's eyes widened in disbelief.
'Does he mean to unify the ninja world?'
Even though he had always been considered a hawk, a hard-liner, in Kumogakure, he had never thought of something like unifying the ninja world.
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed a bit too crazy.
And...
The Third Raikage said in a deep voice, "Unifying the ninja world is no simple matter. Even if you succeeded, it would only shift the conflict from being between hidden villages to being between regions."
"Those living on fertile lands will still be coveted by those in barren regions."
Yuzuru smiled. "First, unifying the ninja world is not difficult. It can be achieved with absolute military power, and I am confident in that."
"Second, resources can be distributed. Just as a village takes care of its impoverished families, after the ninja world is unified, all resources can be allocated centrally by the village."
The Third Raikage felt as if a door to a new world had been opened, and ideas he had never considered before began to flash through his mind.
Finally, he looked at Yuzuru with a complicated gaze.
"Yuzuru, I don't know if letting you come to Kumogakure was the right decision or not..."
Yuzuru's ideas were a bit too crazy, but for some reason, they made his blood boil with excitement.
'If he could really accomplish what Yuzuru described, wouldn't he surely become an existence that surpasses even Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara?'
Just then, a middle-aged man with white hair and dark skin walked over.
"Mabuma, what is it?"
"Lord Raikage, you are truly the greatest strategist in the ninja world! After the Uchiha joined Kumogakure, clients from all over have been lining up. Our village's mission requests... we're making a fortune!"
Hearing this, a smile curved Yuzuru's lips. "To answer your earlier question, for now at least, having us Uchiha join Kumogakure was the right decision for you."
————
Kumogakure.
In the Mission Assignment Hall, the staff were sweating profusely from the workload, yet the line of people at the window still seemed endless.
The faces of the Kumo ninja were all beaming with happiness.
How many years had it been? They had never been so flush with missions!
There were too many missions to take, they couldn't possibly take them all.
And the ones who brought about this change were the Uchiha clan, who had joined the village not long ago.
"Those people in Konoha must be out of their minds to push a great ninja clan like the Uchiha out of their village."
"Yeah, a bunch of short-sighted fools. The Uchiha co-founded Konoha, yet they show no gratitude at all."
"But if they weren't so stupid, our Kumogakure wouldn't have had the chance to gain the Uchiha clan's support, right?"
"Hahahahaha... I'd love to see the looks on the faces of those guys in Konoha right now."
————
Konohagakure.
The Mission Assignment Hall was deserted.
Even lowering the fees for hiring ninja hadn't improved the situation.
Although it attracted some minor clients to post missions, most of them were C-rank missions with pitifully low rewards.
Ninja did not engage in production, but their expenses were high. They needed to eat a lot of meat to replenish their physical energy and buy various ninja tools to maintain their combat effectiveness. Daily training, medicinal baths, and treatment for injuries all required money.
Therefore, the number of missions a village received was crucial for its survival.
Jōnin started taking B-rank and C-rank missions, chūnin started taking C-rank and D-rank missions, and genin could only be last in line. After all, for the same price, who wouldn't want to hire a stronger ninja?
Under this internal competition, a large number of genin couldn't get any missions at all. Many newly-minted genin could only survive on the relief funds distributed by the village.
For a time, the once-thriving village of Konoha took on a desolate and depressed air.
In the streets and alleys, the direction of public opinion began to quietly change.
"If the Uchiha clan were still in the village, we wouldn't have to worry about not getting missions, would we?"
"I never realized it before, but the name of a great ninja clan like the Uchiha is so important in the eyes of clients."
"If Lord Third Hokage doesn't find a solution soon, I won't even be able to eat, let alone support my family!"
"Speaking of which, even if there were irreconcilable differences, did the Third really have no way to solve them? Now the situation has escalated to the Uchiha clan joining Kumogakure, the very village that killed the Second Hokage, making our Konoha the laughingstock of the ninja world!"
"The Third Hokage needs to take responsibility! Are we supposed to just starve to death?!"
Once the Uchiha clan's departure began to directly affect their own interests, most of the common people no longer felt the initial excitement and disdain. Compared to the ninja from other clans or the powerful jōnin, the ninja at the bottom of Konoha's hierarchy began to feel a sense of regret.
Regardless of anything else, at least when the Uchiha clan was in Konoha, they never had to worry about going hungry.