Konohagakure – Midnight
It was late — the village had long since fallen into the quiet of night.
Outside one of the Uchiha clan's ninja tool shops, a figure cloaked in black shinobi garb crouched in the shadows, scanning the surroundings. After confirming no one was watching, he formed a series of hand seals.
Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique.
The ground softened beneath him as he sank into the earth, bypassing the front door entirely. Moments later, he emerged silently from the wooden floorboards of the Uchiha store.
He didn't glance at the display cases filled with kunai, shuriken, or the ornate ninjatō. He wasn't here for weapons — or for the ryo stashed in the register.
Instead, he moved directly behind the counter, slid open a lower drawer, and retrieved several scroll-bound financial ledgers. A glint flickered in his eye as he skimmed through them. He tucked the documents securely into his cloak and vanished the way he came — back underground.
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Uchiha Clan Compound – Clan Hall
Despite the hour, Uchiha Naraku, the young but formidable clan head, had yet to sleep. He sat in his private office within the Clan Hall, carefully studying a scroll containing advanced Fūinjutsu.
The night operative appeared silently in front of his desk, laying the retrieved documents down with practiced ease.
"Lord Naraku — the documents you requested."
Naraku lowered the scroll and gave a small nod.
"Good work. Leave them."
The ninja bowed and vanished into the darkness.
Naraku unrolled the ledgers, his eyes narrowing as he scanned line after line of data. After nearly half an hour, he stopped, then slowly set the scrolls aside.
"Return them. Exactly where they were."
"Understood."
Without another word, the shinobi reclaimed the ledgers and disappeared once more into the night.
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Konohagakure – Daytime
The next morning, inside a traditional Uchiha estate, Elder Uchiha Shan welcomed Clan Head Naraku with visible reverence.
Though nearly fifty, Uchiha Shan maintained a refined demeanor. Known for his intellect and diplomatic tone, Shan was one of the more measured elders of the clan — a supporter of Naraku's new reforms, at least on the surface.
In his home's spacious receiving room, Naraku sat at the kamiza (seat of honor), while Shan respectfully occupied the lower-left guest seat.
Shan's lineage operated four of the Uchiha's ninja tool shops, including the one that had been infiltrated the night before.
"Elder Shan, I've been observing the weapon shops closely," Naraku began as he took a sip of his tea, steam curling around his face. "Our quality is among the finest in the village. I haven't seen a shortage of customers — or signs of declining sales."
Uchiha weapons had always been renowned. While the clan's reputation among the populace was mixed, their craftsmanship — from chakra-forged kunai to precision-balanced shuriken — was unmatched.
To a shinobi, tools are as vital as their chakra. In battle, there's no time to retrieve spent weapons. High turnover and quality assurance are essential.
Still, Elder Shan's expression stiffened slightly at Naraku's words. The shops were his faction's economic backbone. To relinquish control meant losing significant influence.
"Naraku-dono, there are over twenty shinobi supply stores in Konoha. Our shops face pressure from all sides. Competition is fierce, and pricing wars make it hard to sustain volume."
Naraku raised an eyebrow. "Difficult to sell? Just a few weeks ago, I visited Granny Cat's Shop in the outskirts. Despite the supposed downturn, your shops are making frequent supply runs there."
That caught Shan off guard. His polite smile faltered.
"And yet," Naraku continued, his tone colder, "when wild shinobi cats were causing trouble at Granny Cat's — who we rely on for both information and delivery networks — no help was sent."
Granny Cat and her Nekomata-nin served as vital neutral parties who ran an underground ninja supply network. Her ties with the Uchiha, especially through Ninja Cats used for covert ops and intelligence gathering, were historically strong.
That her call for aid went unanswered was a breach of both duty and honor.
"I apologize," Shan bowed slightly. "I assumed Uchiha Hayata, who oversees our intelligence network and manages the ninja cats, had handled it."
Naraku remained silent. Uchiha Hayata was already occupied with deep reconnaissance — embedded in hostile territories, identifying potential kekkei genkai users for Uchiha interests.
Passing the buck. A common move among the elder council. Age brought wisdom — and strategic evasion.
Still, Naraku redirected the conversation, his tone level but firm.
"Elder Shan, Konoha may seem stable, but outside its walls, conflict brews. The weapon shops are a vital resource — not just economically, but strategically. I believe it's time the Clan Affairs Office oversaw their operations directly."
There was a pause.
"You want to nationalize the shops...?"
Shan's composed expression cracked slightly, but he quickly recovered.
He had seen the change. Under Naraku's leadership, the Uchiha had slowly begun to mend their relationship with the village. Younger shinobi no longer avoided Uchiha shops with suspicion. Instead of tension, there were now conversations. Smiles.
Old habits were being replaced — not erased, but softened.
Still, it had been the high-grade quality of Uchiha tools, not customer service, that once drew business. Shinobi came because they had no choice — not because they felt welcome.
Naraku had quietly changed that. Over time, the Uchiha shops became known not just for quality, but consistency — and even warmth. It was subtle, but real.
Elder Shan sighed, clasping his hands together.
"Naraku… these shops aren't mine alone. Several elders and branch families share stakes. If the Clan Hall is going to oversee it… tell me honestly: what's the cut going to be?"
The implication was clear — how much revenue would the elders be allowed to keep?
Naraku met his gaze without flinching.
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