The Land of Rivers has always been a 'great nation' for producing metal mines, but in other aspects, it is a typical small country.
During the Second Ninja World War, on the battlefield of the Land of Rain, Hanzo attempted to annex the Land of Rivers, aspiring to rise as the sixth Ninja Village in the Ninja World; however, Konoha and the Hidden Sand Ninja detected his plan, and soon after, they coincidentally started a war in the Land of Rain, which quelled Hanzo's ambition.
The Land of Rivers is sandwiched by the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Rain. Despite its rich metal resources, it doesn't have its own Ninja Village. The Daimyo Mansion does have Samurai guards and Ninja protection, but there is no real scale of power.
The newly discovered Cloud River Iron Mine is purported to be the largest iron mine within the Land of Rivers.
Upon hearing this news, the Daimyo from the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind couldn't sit still, both eager to get a share.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire wanted a larger portion, and since he had married a clan sister of the Land of Rivers Daimyo, he intended to leverage this connection to claim more; however, his requests were repeatedly refused by the Land of Rivers Daimyo, which infuriated him.
Thus, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire turned to Konoha Village!
He tasked them with dealing with the Land of Rivers Daimyo and eliminating two of his heirs, so that his wife's nephew could become the new Daimyo, thereby gaining a larger share of the Cloud River Iron Mine.
Such a large iron mine, a single share could yield an annual income of one or two hundred million, enough to entice the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
This is why Sarutobi Hiruzen dispatched Mitokado Homura to personally negotiate at the Daimyo Mansion. It's certain that Konoha would be involved, but the Daimyo Mansion should not be stingy with next year's funds.
As the Ninja World grows increasingly turbulent, each major Ninja Village continues to test boundaries, and the peaceful situation formed after the Second Ninja World War is about to be disrupted, so Sarutobi Hiruzen has no choice but to make further preparations.
Meanwhile, in the Root, Danzo is also contemplating the situation surrounding the Cloud River Iron Mine.
Danzo has never forgotten the humiliation from the Uchiha. He is constantly mindful of the Second Generation Hokage's policies towards the Uchiha, seeing them as an unstable race. Even with Uchiha Kagami, who had his heart set on the village, they were just a minority within the Uchiha Race.
"Such instability, from a clan that harms the village, must be confined to the corners and tightly guarded...or even obliterated!"
Recalling the humiliation that day at the Security Team, a surge of anger always rises in Danzo's heart, along with the loss of dozens of clansmen, millions in merchandise, and the disgrace of being stripped of his title as Hokage Assistant...
"Hatake Sakumo...."
Thinking of him, Danzo fumes with rage. He does not believe Hatake Sakumo missed that the evidence was planted against him, yet Hatake Sakumo still chose the Uchiha.
If Hatake Sakumo succeeded in his mission this time, not only would he gain significant prestige within the village, but also from the Daimyo Mansion...
"Jia, inform the Roots outside, have them infiltrate the Land of Rivers in advance, and...establish contact with spies in the Hidden Sand Village."
"Yes!"
A Root Ninja responds and immediately uses Instant Body Jutsu to leave; although Sarutobi Hiruzen let the Anbu take over the Root, it didn't take long before the Root was returned to Danzo.
Only Danzo can control the Root's modus operandi; even if the Root takes over, without one or two months of transformation, they're of no use.
A thought flashes through Danzo's mind, his eyes cold as he murmurs, "Only I can lead Konoha to eradicate war..."
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[Stealing]: Has one opportunity per day to steal, after physical contact, any item from the target can be taken.
This ability...
Uchiha Yoichi carefully examined it, appearing quite powerful with seemingly no 'side effects', and it could be entirely useful in combat.
If during a fight, contact was made, and the enemy's weapon suddenly disappeared, wouldn't that be catastrophic for them.
"I should try it out first..."
Uchiha Yoichi glanced outside the window. It was already dawn, but it seemed Uzumaki Minami hadn't slept yet, so he left the bedroom and headed downstairs.
In the living room, Uzumaki Minami was having a midnight snack, having cooked a pot of ramen, with three pieces of sushi and a plate of sashimi. It appeared quite a lot.
Seeing Uchiha Yoichi coming downstairs, Uzumaki Minami blushed slightly and said a bit embarrassed, "Lord Yoichi, I didn't eat enough dinner, so I made myself a midnight snack..."
She immediately regretted, thinking she should've eaten it back in her room; Now Lord Yoichi knows how much she eats...
"No need to explain to me, using Chakra every day requires necessary nutrition replenishment. Next time, prepare more meat at home..."
Uchiha Yoichi waved his hand, saying, he himself was a big eater. Ninjas, when exhausted from Chakra, often turned to food for supplementation.
Given how long he trains every day, along with Godzilla in his body still in its growth stage, his demand for food was several times greater.
"By the way, Minami, come here and shake hands with me."
"Shake hands?"
Uzumaki Minami, though puzzled, extended her hand. She was a bit embarrassed, wondering why Lord Yoichi suddenly wanted to shake her hand. Was it...
Before that thought could form, Uzumaki Minami suddenly felt a wave of weakness, and with her body going limp, she collapsed onto the ground.
When Uchiha Yoichi shook hands with Uzumaki Minami, he unexpectedly felt a surge of Chakra being channeled into his body, filling him with strength.
Chakra, being a blend of physical and spiritual energy, acts like a tonic for ninjas.
Weakly, Uzumaki Minami said, "Yoichi, Lord Yoichi, I feel powerless...."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoichi immediately activated the Superpower Roulette and checked for a prompt under Stealing.
[Ability successfully activated; a portion of 'Uzumaki Minami's Chakra' stolen.]
The ability to steal even something like Chakra and make it mine, astonishing indeed.
"...Lord Yoichi?"
Hearing Uzumaki Minami's weak call, Uchiha Yoichi came back to his senses, then helped her up, saying, "I was just testing a secret technique, sorry, Minami, you'll need to rest since you've lost some Chakra."
Uzumaki Minami, after hearing this, didn't blame Uchiha Yoichi. She tried to stand, then said again, "Lord Yoichi, I can't seem to stand up."
"Let me take you back."
Saying this, Uchiha Yoichi picked up Uzumaki Minami. He felt a bit embarrassed himself, using Uzumaki Minami for his experiment, leaving her weak and powerless.
"Well...thank you, Lord Yoichi."
Uzumaki Minami buried her head into her chest and while in Uchiha Yoichi's arms, feignedly rubbed her head.
After returning to the room, Uchiha Yoichi placed Uzumaki Minami on the bed. Just as he was about to cover her with a blanket and leave, Uzumaki Minami softly reminded him, "Lord Yoichi, it's not good to sleep with socks on..."
"Then let me help you...."
White knee-high socks? Why wear such things for a midnight snack?
With a puzzled look, Uchiha Yoichi glanced at Uzumaki Minami, only to find she had already turned her head towards the inside of the bed.
.......
"Have a good rest!"
As he left, Uchiha Yoichi hesitated for a moment but still left those white socks...not intending to take them back but pondering whether it was necessary to place them in the laundry basket on his way out!