Chapter 351: Playing House
"So you think I owe you respect?"
Yasushi's expression darkened. A frigid wave swept the hall—every person shuddered involuntarily, icy dread rising from their core and shooting straight to their skulls. Words died in their throats.
Truth be told, Yasushi held absolutely zero interest in rebuilding Konoha Village.
What kind of village fills its population entirely with reanimated corpses?
What kind of village deliberately recruits spies and infiltrators alongside legitimate applicants?
Only Yasushi would operate this way.
Because he didn't care.
He didn't care how the village developed, whether it truly prospered, what future awaited it.
He cared only about his Uchiha clansmen's wishes—never about outsiders' opinions of his methods.
He'd constructed this entire charade purely to satisfy lingering obsessions his deceased kinsmen couldn't release even after death.
Since his clan always desired Uchiha revival, fine—whether through cloning or incorporating outsiders with fused bloodlines, he'd ensure the Uchiha population flourished abundantly.
Since his clan constantly yearned for a Konoha Village belonging exclusively to the Uchiha, excellent—he'd give them precisely that.
Tell me this doesn't qualify as Uchiha revival.
Tell me this isn't a ninja village belonging to the Uchiha.
All other trivial details? Completely irrelevant.
They were all dead anyway. Their lingering obsessions didn't demand perfection—just acknowledgment.
Put bluntly, Yasushi was playing house with his deceased clansmen, providing enough comfort so those ghosts could rest without regret.
The process mattered. The outcome didn't.
Of course, Yasushi wouldn't deliberately sabotage that outcome either.
As for these people outside the Uchiha clan—returning ninja, Fire Country merchants, and similar individuals—in Yasushi's eyes, they were purely quest NPCs.
To give his clansmen greater participation and enhanced immersion, these NPCs existed to facilitate gameplay progression.
But when NPCs tried climbing onto players' shoulders, criticizing player decisions—that crossed every line.
Watching the merchants' absolute silence, Yasushi clapped his hands. Yashiro strode onto the platform, delivering a notebook into Yasushi's grasp.
"Lord Hokage, based on ANBU's detailed investigation over recent days, we've essentially confirmed evidence of these merchants conducting private transactions with enemy nations. Everything's documented here."
Yasushi casually opened it, eyes scanning briefly before he sneered coldly at the assembly:
"President Nomura, you may not realize this—those Kirigakure ninja who plundered your association's goods immediately sold your merchandise to the Mitsui Association."
"That's precisely why even after we eliminated those mountain bandits, we couldn't recover your original property."
"What?!" Nomura Yūji exploded with rage, immediately whirling to grab Mitsui Rakuhei's collar with murderous fury blazing in his eyes. "Bastard! How dare you?!"
"You secretly conspired with Kirigakure, supporting their merchant raids! This is treason—unforgivable!"
"Lord Hokage, the village should eliminate the Mitsui Association entirely! Confiscate their assets to compensate all damaged associations!"
Encouraged by Nomura's aggressive stance, other merchants immediately joined the feeding frenzy like sharks scenting blood.
"Exactly, Lord Hokage! The Mitsui Association's banditry absolutely cannot be tolerated! Heavy punishment—make them pay compensation for our losses!"
Mitsui Rakuhei's face turned ashen. He frantically waved denial:
"Lies! I never conspired with Kirigakure!"
"I simply saw cheap goods and purchased them—I had no idea they belonged to the Nomura Association!"
"Besides, I only bought a small portion! The vast majority must have been sold to other associations—probably people standing behind you right now."
"You can't single me out!"
Mizuki truly possessed talent for underhanded operations. After taking control of Root, beyond leading Edo Tensei teams to "procure resources" for village reconstruction, he'd arranged to sell small portions of stolen goods through wandering ninja intermediaries.
He specifically targeted merchants with poor relationships for these transactions. Even when buyers suspected the goods were stolen, greed for bargain prices and desire to inconvenience competitors ensured they purchased quietly without public disclosure.
Yashiro's so-called "investigation report" was actually Mizuki's sales ledger, meticulously recording which goods went to which buyers and in what quantities.
Only Root knew the precise figures. The merchant associations couldn't cross-reference among themselves.
Watching Nomura Yūji and Mitsui Rakuhei's shouting match, their endless disputes over compensation, Yasushi added fuel with cold amusement:
"President Mitsui, you probably don't know—your association's goods stolen by Cloud Village ninja immediately appeared on Nomura Association shelves."
"What?!" Now Mitsui Rakuhei erupted with fury. "Bastard! You've done the same thing—what right do you have to accuse me?!"
"I say you're the one who conspired with Cloud Village to plunder merchant associations!"
"Lord Hokage, he's the one who should be eliminated—not me!"
Yasushi sneered while naming several other associations that had purchased stolen goods. The situation escalated without further intervention—merchants tore into each other viciously, accusations flying like weapons.
Yasushi said nothing more, simply watching with cheerful satisfaction while gesturing for Teyaki to escort the small nations' envoys to the banquet.
The Konoha celebration would continue. His clansmen had invested tremendous effort into festivities—that couldn't be wasted.
The major nations departing didn't matter. Small nations could fill the void adequately.
Besides, the upcoming spectacle wasn't appropriate for free entertainment.
Soon the great hall emptied substantially, leaving only brawling merchants creating chaos like a marketplace riot.
"Enough!"
Yasushi's thunderous roar shook everyone. They flinched involuntarily, movements naturally slowing.
"Look at yourselves! What disgraceful behavior!"
"I've long suspected why bandit suppression showed consistent success yet recovered goods remained minimal."
"Now I understand completely—those enemy nation ninja received support from someone among us."
The group stopped, panting heavily, shooting venomous glares at competitors before collectively prostrating before Yasushi with desperate pleas:
"Lord Hokage, you must deliver justice!"
"Our association truly purchased only minimal goods—we had no idea they were stolen!"
"Such massive quantities must have been acquired by some major association."
"Lord Hokage must identify them and recover our merchandise!"