A week later, a strange occurrence swept through Konoha Village: Sasuke Uchiha, who had been holed up in the Uchiha Clan Compound for ages, suddenly appeared in the market and began selling off a vast quantity of Uchiha possessions.
These items included jewels, antiques, precious wooden artifacts, paintings, calligraphy, screens, and more.
Malicious individuals couldn't resist gloating: "Who would've thought the Uchiha would fall so quickly? The clan's heir has been reduced to selling off his ancestors' inheritance!"
Sasuke, naturally, remained oblivious to these rumors. Even if he had heard them, he wouldn't have cared—he needed money!
Inside Hokage Tower:
"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke has sold off more of the Uchiha Clan's heirlooms."
The Third Hokage took a long drag from his pipe, paused in contemplation, and then said, "Understood. No need to report such matters again."
"Yes, sir!"
At Danzo's Residence:
"After selling his family's assets, Uchiha Sasuke deposited the funds into his bank account, as usual."
"You may leave now," Danzo instructed tersely.
"Yes, sir!"
'We didn't plunder enough. Back then, we only focused on the Sharingan and the money. How could we have overlooked so many other valuable assets of the Uchiha Clan?'
Danzo seethed inwardly, but he had no intention of seizing Sasuke's funds at this time.
First, he had already been dismissed from his position as advisor by the Third Hokage and was now merely an ordinary ninja.
Any further covert actions would only arouse the Third Hokage's suspicion.
Second, the Land of Fire's banks were led by the Daimyo, with significant investment from major nobles and powerful factions, including Konoha. While Danzo enjoyed causing trouble, he couldn't act recklessly.
Early Morning, Uchiha Clan Compound Training Grounds
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The heavy, crisp sounds of impact echoed through the training grounds. Sasuke stood before a wooden training dummy, relentlessly pounding it with punch after punch.
On his first day back at the Uchiha Clan Compound, Sasuke had devised a rigorous training regimen.
It began with daily morning physical conditioning: running, frog jumps, jump rope, push-ups, striking the wooden dummy, and sit-ups—simple exercises he had diligently maintained for the past week.
Striking the wooden dummy served as the final element of his morning physical training.
In addition to his morning physical training, Sasuke maintained a rigorous daily routine: midday shuriken and kunai throwing practice, ninjutsu training, and evening personal reflection, summarization, and book study.
As a result, he now slept only about five hours a night, dedicating the rest of his time entirely to training.
Though grueling, Sasuke found the routine surprisingly engaging, even somewhat addictive.
"Young Lord Sasuke!"
A middle-aged man of average height and unremarkable features entered the training ground. His eyes lit up when he spotted Sasuke, and he called out enthusiastically.
Behind him, a groom drove a five-horse carriage, followed by several burly men bringing up the rear.
The carriage was a cargo wagon carrying an enormous purple bull.
The bull stood nearly 4 meters tall at the shoulder, stretched about 6 meters long, and appeared to weigh close to 3,000 kilograms.
The massive purple bull possessed a robust physique and thick horns that curved outward and upward from its broad purple crest, resembling both the crescent moon and bolts of lightning.
The bull's hide and purple fur bore subtle lightning-like patterns.
"Hah!"
Hearing the call, Sasuke stopped, exhaled deeply, wiped the sweat from his brow, and turned to ask, "It seems you've acquired what I requested. That was quick."
"Of course, Young Master Sasuke! I would spare no effort in fulfilling your orders," the middle-aged man replied with a fawning smile, gesturing toward the carriage.
"Young Master Sasuke, this is the Thunder Bull you requested. They say the barbarians of the Land of Lightning grow so tall and strong because of their diet, and this Thunder Bull is the most prized treasure among them! Even when the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning holds state banquets, Thunder Bull beef is an indispensable delicacy!"
The Thunder Bull is a specialty of the Land of Lightning, prized for its succulent, nutrient-rich meat.
Considered the world's most expensive beef, it's worth more than a thousand gold pieces.
"Hmm."
Sasuke nodded curtly, saying nothing more as he approached to inspect the bull.
In his previous life, the largest bovine species had been the Indian Gaur.
Yet this Thunder Bull was more than twice its size, a testament to the extraordinary power systems of this world.
Seeing Sasuke's apparent satisfaction, the middle-aged man turned to greet him again. A burly man immediately lifted a transparent jar filled with a milky substance from the carriage.
"Young Master Sasuke, I've also procured the Kobe Camel Milk from the Land of Wind you requested. Please take a look."
As the saying goes, cow's milk is easy to come by, but camel's milk is a rare treasure.
Camel's milk is often considered a premium product, and Kobe Camel Milk is the pinnacle of this rarity—a treasure even more valuable than the Thunder Bull they had acquired earlier.
"Much appreciated!" Sasuke said casually, glancing over the jar.
These provisions were, of course, Sasuke's requests. In his previous life, he had been a fitness enthusiast and nutrition expert, firmly believing that proper nutrition was essential for optimal training.
After the Uchiha clan's massacre, most of their liquid assets and hard currency vanished, leaving Sasuke with only a small portion. The village offered no explanation for this.
Sasuke didn't bother asking, understanding that those assets were temporarily beyond his reach. Though the remaining portion was more than enough for him to feast on meat and delicacies daily until adulthood and still have plenty left over, it wasn't enough—far from it!
If he was going to eat, he would eat the finest delicacies the world had to offer. If he was going to drink, he would drink the most extravagant beverages money could buy.
Although most of the Uchiha Clan's liquid assets and hard currency had vanished, as one of the Ninja World's oldest and most prestigious clans, the Uchiha Compound still held vast treasures: antiques, jewelry, paintings, calligraphy, and even high-end furniture and decorative screens, all of immense value.
As the saying goes: 'A prodigal son doesn't care about selling his grandfather's land!'
After a moment's thought, Sasuke sold everything, amassing a fortune that instantly made him the wealthiest individual in the village.
With this windfall, Sasuke first purchased a samurai sword forged entirely from chakra-conductive metal and a large supply of medicinal herbs for training support. The remaining funds would allow him to indulge in daily Thunder Bull steaks, Kobe Camel Milk, and other high-end nutritional delicacies for over twenty years.
Even Hyuga Hiashi wouldn't dare spend so lavishly, as he had to consider the financial stability of his entire clan.
Sasuke, however, had no such constraints—he was effectively living off the entire clan's inheritance, all for himself.
'Money truly can buy recklessness!'
"Young Lord Sasuke, would you like me to have these delivered to your residence?"
The middle-aged merchant bowed respectfully, his posture slightly hunched.
He was a merchant from Konoha Village, neither particularly skilled nor entirely inept.
He lacked the connections or audacity for smuggling ninja tools or trading forbidden scrolls, but handling rare, specially sourced goods was well within his capabilities.
When Sasuke approached him a few days earlier, the merchant had initially hesitated.
He disliked the Uchiha Clan and avoided the site of the recent massacre like the plague.
But alas...
Young Lord Sasuke's offer was simply too lucrative to refuse.
"No need. You can return now. I'll contact you again if I need anything," Sasuke replied coolly.
"Yes, sir! Then I shall take my leave."