Chapter 132 My Power as Hokage is Limitless.
Yokokawa Yuhiro really wanted to tear up Uchiha Touhuan's invitation, but reason told him it was best to attend the banquet.
After the Land of Fire moved its capital to Konoha, anyone with eyes could see the immense business opportunities, let alone a seasoned veteran like him.
Therefore, Yokokawa Yuhiro used almost all of his available funds to acquire properties in Konoha. This resulted in his businesses in other countries being significantly affected after his Konoha properties were shut down. Within a week, Yokokawa Chemicals faced a major cash flow crisis. This wasn't because Yokokawa Yuhiro lacked a sense of crisis, but because he had never experienced Uchiha Touhuan's methods.
With his wealth and status, even the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations would treat him with respect, let alone the rulers of smaller countries, who sometimes had to defer to him. How could Uchiha Touhuan be so quick to turn on him?
Although Yokokawa Yuhiro was extremely displeased, his most pressing task was to find a way to overcome the current predicament.
That evening, Yokokawa Yuhiro arrived at the venue of the banquet—a newly opened upscale restaurant by Kado—bringing a gift.
When Yokokawa Yuhiro arrived, Kado was swaggering at the restaurant entrance, greeting the arriving guests.
Seeing Kado's smug look, Yokokawa Yuhiro almost ground his teeth to powder. This bastard was the one who led the attack when his businesses were seized and investigated by the police, wielding a large knife to cut his flesh, resulting in his businesses losing nearly 20% in less than a week.
And now, it was supposed to be Uchiha Touhuan's banquet, yet Gato was acting as a greeter at the door—he wasn't even going to pretend anymore.
"President Yokokawa, how have you been?" Gato noticed Yokokawa Yuhiro's figure and immediately walked up with a smile, greeting him.
"Hmph." Yokokawa Yuhiro snorted coldly, ignoring Gato, and placed the gift on the table by the door before walking straight into the banquet hall.
Gato, feeling slighted, twitched his lips slightly: "These barbarians from the Land of Lightning really have no manners."
Upon entering the banquet hall, Yokokawa Yuhiro discovered that almost everyone present was a colleague from their previous gathering. After a brief exchange, he realized he wasn't alone. These merchants who had acquired properties in Konoha, especially those who hadn't paid the 70% tax, had all had their businesses targeted by the police force.
Several of them, led by Gato, who had submitted plans to the Hokage Building to invest in and develop the Land of Fire, were receiving preferential treatment in Konoha, and, under the protection of the police force, were aggressively seizing the assets of these rebellious merchants.
Yokokawa Yuhiro wanted to confide in a few old friends when Uchiha Touhuan, dressed in the conspicuous robes of the Fifth Hokage and wearing the Hokage hat, entered the banquet hall surrounded by a group of ninjas. He then swaggered into the main seat and sat down.
Seeing this, everyone else in the room fell silent.
Uchiha Touhuan removed his Hokage hat and placed it on the table, glanced around at the people present, and then said, "Is everyone here? Please take your seats."
After the guests were seated, Gato, who was sitting not far from Uchiha Touhuan, clapped his hands lightly. Soon, a group of waiters pushed carts carrying food and drinks.
Uchiha Touhuan picked up the wine the waiter had poured for him, gently swirling the glass. The dark red liquid moved slowly within. Uchiha Touhuan remained silent, and the others in the room dared not speak for the time being.
After a while, Uchiha Touhuan finally spoke, "You are all business tycoons of the ninja world. It is an honor for Konohagakure of the Land of Fire to gather here today."
"Your Excellency, you are too kind. It is our honor to have you invite us to gather here," said Kado hurriedly from the side. His sycophantic manner caused Yokokawa Yuhiro and the others to frown.
"Eh, don't be like that," Uchiha Touhuan waved his hand, then looked at the others at the long table.
"When it comes to business, I may not be as good as you," Uchiha Touhuan said, gently swirling his wine glass. "However, after becoming Hokage and being entrusted with the heavy responsibility of Grand Minister of State by the late King, I've learned some things. One of them is that my power as Hokage and Grand Minister of State is limitless."
A strange silence fell over the banquet hall as Touhuan's words faded.
"For example, if I lend a hand to a company, it can survive," Touhuan said, glancing at Yokokawa Yuuko and the others who were planning to resist his tax plans. He finished his drink and continued unhurriedly, "But if I want to destroy a company, it's not difficult either. That's how significant that power is, don't you agree, President Yokokawa?"
Yokokawa Yuuko, whose name had been called out, twitched slightly, but remembering that his company's fate was still in the other's hands, he could only force a smile and say, "Grand Minister of State, you are right."
Touhuan smiled, swirling his empty wine glass, and remained silent.
Seeing this, Yokokawa Yuhiro could only respectfully rise, take the wine from the waiter, and intend to pour it for Uchiha Touhuan.
However, Uchiha Touhuan waved his hand and said, "I have official business to attend to later, so I won't drink, Gato."
"Here," Gato said with a fawning smile, "What are your orders, Minister of State?"
"You can drink this glass with President Yokokawa for me," Uchiha Touhuan said.
Upon hearing this, Gato looked up at Yokokawa Yuhiro with a smug expression, while swirling the wine in his glass.
Yokokawa Yuhiro was practically grinding his teeth. Before coming to the Land of Fire, the two had done business together before. Back then, Gato was like a stray dog to him; he could bankrupt Gato at any time if he wanted to. But now, he had to personally fill Gato's glass and then drink his own wine in one gulp.
Only then did Uchiha Touhuan reveal a slight smile, giving Yokokawa Yuhiro and the few restless businessmen a meaningful look: "Although I haven't read many books and don't know much about business, I do know a fundamental principle: only when the country is stable can domestic enterprises have a stable environment for development and make more money. Therefore, I believe that enterprises have an obligation to give back to the country. Do you all agree with my statement?"
"Your Excellency, the Grand Minister, is absolutely right!" Kado put down his wine glass and clapped vigorously.
"Yes, yes, without the development of the country, where would we be today!" Several businessmen who had previously profited from the opposition alongside Kado also stood up, enthusiastically supporting him.
"Is that really what you think?" Uchiha Touhuan raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, these are our heartfelt words!" Kado said.
"Very well, now that you've enjoyed the benefits of the nation's development, shouldn't you do something for the country that made you money?" Uchiha Touhuan'gaze was like an arrow as he looked at Yokokawa Yuhiro and the others. In an instant, they felt as if they were being stared at by a ferocious beast, and within seconds, cold sweat soaked their backs.
"If anyone thinks that after their company makes money, they don't need to give back to the country, then allowing such a company to make money is my dereliction of duty as the Grand Minister of State. Don't you agree?" Uchiha Touhuan killing intent was released without reservation. Even some ninjas couldn't bear this killing intent, let alone these businessmen who were used to living a life of luxury.
"Your Excellency, it was all a misunderstanding. Our Yokokawa Group is already preparing to open a factory in the Land of Fire. The detailed plan will be delivered to your office shortly." Yokokawa Yuhiro knelt down, sweating profusely.
Others followed suit, and in an instant, a large number of people in the banquet hall knelt down.
"That's for the best," Uchiha Touhuan said coldly. "I suggest you don't test my patience. In this world, three-legged toads are hard to find, but there are plenty of people who want to make money. Understand?"
"Understood! Understood!" The kneeling people nodded hastily.
...
After dealing with these disobedient businessmen, Uchiha Touhuan returned to the Hokage's office. After sitting for a while and processing today's documents, he picked up his sword and went alone to the Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Touhuan deliberately slowed his pace. He knew that White Zetsu was definitely monitoring him, so he needed to give Black Zetsu time to return to the Naka Shrine.
Upon receiving news that Uchiha Touhuan was heading to the Naga Shrine, Black Zetsu was startled and quickly infiltrated the shrine ahead of time to prepare.
Soon, Uchiha Touhuan entered the secret chamber beneath the shrine.
A black substance floated up from the surface of the stone tablet preserved by the Uchiha clan for generations, coalescing into a human shape.
"You've come, junior," Black Zetsu said in a low voice. "It seems you've completed the evolution of your eyes."
"I've kept my ancestors waiting," Uchiha Touhuan said, opening his Mangekyou Sharingan, which had evolved into the Eternal Eye. Perhaps due to the special method used for advancement, the shape of the tomoe in Uchiha Touhuan's eyes didn't change. However, the human Sage Chakra intertwined with his ocular power naturally brought him into Sage Mode after the Mangekyou Sharingan was activated.
Special eyeshadow appeared around his eye sockets, and the red parts of his eyes took on a touch of golden light.
Uchiha Touhuan's aura startled Black Zetsu. His current power was comparable to Nagato's, who was currently wielding Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan.
"What's wrong, Ancestor? Are you surprised I succeeded?" Uchiha Touhuan asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Black Zetsu.
"Not at all, junior. I'm just a little sentimental. After all, in these thousands of years, you're only the second clansman to evolve the Sharingan to the Eternal Eye level on your own," Black Zetsu replied, displaying the composure of an old actor.
"Now that your eyes have reached the level of the Eternal Eye, you are also qualified to see clearly this true path to peace." Black Zetsu stepped aside, revealing the stone tablet passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan to Uchiha Touhuan. "Use your eye power to decipher the contents of this stone tablet." Uchiha Touhuan stared at the stone tablet, and soon the text on it began to slowly change, from a method for using the shared eye power of bloodlines to advance the Sharingan, to the content of the Eye of the Moon Plan and the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan, huh? That's interesting." Uchiha Touhuan said with a half-smile.
"This is the path to peace that our clan's most outstanding geniuses have been pursuing throughout history!" Black Zetsu said.
"Including Lord Madara?" Uchiha Touhuan asked.
"Of course, including him. He was the one closest to success." Black Zetsu said.
"Use Infinite Tsukuyomi to create a new world?" Uchiha Touhuan continued, following Black Zetsu's words. "It sounds feasible. The current ninja world is filled with hatred. Instead of patching it up, why not shatter it and rebuild it into a new world? Does the clan still have such power? Hahahaha!"
Uchiha Touhuan roared, making Black Zetsu's heart tremble.
[As expected, every single one of Indra's descendants is a lunatic!]
"So, what should I do?" Uchiha Touhuan suddenly turned to look at Black Zetsu.
"Uchiha Madara summoned the Gedo Mazo in the past, and what you need to do now is collect all nine tailed beasts and inject their chakra into it," Black Zetsu said. "That way, you can activate Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"Nine tailed beasts, huh? That's a bit difficult. After all, besides the Seven-Tails and the Nine-Tails currently controlled by the village, the other seven tailed beasts are all in the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations," Uchiha Touhuan said, feigning difficulty.
"By the way, Ancestor, since you said you guided Lord Madara, did Lord Madara leave any backup plans?" Uchiha Touhuan asked Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu glanced at Uchiha Touhuan, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Yes, Madara left some methods in both the Land of Water and the Land of Earth. He once left a mark of his eye power within the Three-Tails, allowing him to influence the Jinchūriki through the Three-Tails."
"The Three-Tails' Jinchūriki?" Uchiha Touhuan's eyes darkened. "I remember it's currently the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, right?"
"Yes," Black Zetsu said. "I can teach you how to control this eye power mark."
"Then, I'll leave it to you, Ancestor," Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile.
The Land of Fire is now gradually developing in the direction Uchiha Touhuan envisioned. In a few years, once the Land of Fire has completed its transformation, it will have no problem taking on the entire ninja world.
Therefore, what Uchiha Touhuan needs now is time to develop.
To buy time, it was time to throw the enemies into chaos.
This was also the reason why Uchiha Touhuan was putting on an act with Black Zetsu.
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(End of Chapter)