c31: Two Hundred Million Taels
After leaving the training ground, Gen Uchiha made his way to the Konoha Police Force headquarters.
There was no avoiding it after the mission's conclusion, he would certainly need to report back to Uchiha Fugaku.
As he walked, Gen Uchiha was in an unusually cheerful mood.
He truly desired immortality, and Orochimaru, who had long pursued such forbidden knowledge himself, had no reason to doubt his sincerity.
From Orochimaru's point of view, there was no way for him to know that Gen had prior knowledge of his obsession with eternal life. And to most of the shinobi world, the goal of immortality was seen as delusional madness akin to Orochimaru's own descent into outlaw science and human experimentation.
Orochimaru, once Hiruzen Sarutobi's most promising disciple, had confessed his ambitions of eternal life to the Third Hokage. That risk had cost him dearly. Hiruzen, perceiving the darkness in Orochimaru's heart, stripped him of any chance of succeeding him as Hokage.
In Orochimaru's eyes, such an admission was not made lightly. To risk exposing a goal so outrageous, one had to believe it deeply. Otherwise, why court suspicion and condemnation?
Given all this, Orochimaru had no reason to suspect that Gen was lying his own experience confirmed that such a desire wasn't something to pretend about.
Back at the police department, Gen Uchiha once again knocked on the office door of Uchiha Fugaku.
"Come in."
"Young Patriarch."
Gen entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him, bowing slightly in respect.
"It's you, Gen. How did it go?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked up, a rare smile tugging at his usually stern and solemn features.
"It's settled," Gen replied calmly. "Orochimaru-sensei said that, as long as our support for Minato-senpai doesn't surpass the value of the resources we're offering him, he won't oppose it."
Uchiha Fugaku's smile deepened, clearly pleased. "Excellent work, Gen. You handled it well."
With that, regardless of whether Minato Namikaze or Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, the Uchiha clan would retain a crucial foothold in Konoha's future.
"This success isn't mine alone. Much of the credit belongs to you, Young Patriarch," Gen said humbly. "If I hadn't met a leader with such foresight, magnanimity, and decisiveness, I would never have had the chance to use my abilities at all..."
Yet in truth, Gen Uchiha didn't think particularly highly of Fugaku.
After all, in Gen's original timeline, the Uchiha clan had been annihilated under Fugaku's leadership. Could that have happened if there had been no errors?
To Gen, Fugaku's flaws were obvious: grand ambitions paired with narrow-mindedness, a timid demeanor behind stern eyes, and a tendency toward hesitation and over-caution when boldness was required.
Still, Fugaku wasn't without merit he had some level of talent and leadership, just not the decisive power or strength to back it up.
Fugaku beamed at the praise, his face blooming like a sunflower in spring.
He appreciated Gen's tact this young man knew how to behave, when to advance, and when to yield. Unlike arrogant upstarts, Gen was someone who could be trusted to go far.
"Don't sell yourself short," Fugaku said warmly. "You've made a great contribution. The clan won't forget it."
Gen offered a modest smile, then turned serious. "Young Patriarch, Master Orochimaru has asked me to visit his mansion tomorrow afternoon. It seems the formal apprenticeship will begin then."
"How much should I bring as an offering?"
Fugaku paused in thought, then responded, "Make a strong first impression. Offer two hundred million taels."
"After that, future payments can be in cash or gold adjusted based on the progress of his research."
"Take the authorization document I've prepared and go to the clan treasury to withdraw the funds."
Two hundred million taels an astronomical amount by any standard.
Even if a smaller shinobi clan sold every one of their assets, they might still fall short of that sum.
One tael is equivalent to 10 yen, which converts to 100 million "soft sister coins" at a 20:1 exchange rate.
Given that conversion rate, would a research fund amounting to 100 million soft sister coins be considered small?
Absolutely not. Uchiha Fugaku's decision was nothing short of bold and extravagantly generous!
"Yes, Young Patriarch."
"Oh, and Gen don't forget the clan gathering the day after tomorrow."
"Don't worry, Young Patriarch. I won't forget."
The Uchiha clan held a formal clan assembly once every month. For all members residing in Konoha, attendance was compulsory unless an acceptable excuse was submitted beforehand. Much like formal religious rites such as Christian worship, this tradition was deeply ingrained in Uchiha heritage.
Even the Hokage's office and the ANBU scheduling missions were aware of this. Shinobi from the Uchiha clan could cite the gathering as a legitimate reason to defer missions on that day.
After receiving the signed authorization document from Uchiha Fugaku, Gen Uchiha left the Konoha Police Department and headed toward the clan treasury to withdraw the funds.
All the cash was prepared in notes of the highest denomination—10,000 taels and filled two sizable wooden boxes, reinforced with chakra-sealed bindings.
Holding in his hands the equivalent of 200 million taels translated to a staggering 100 million soft sister coins Gen Uchiha couldn't suppress his excitement. Even in his previous life, he had never laid eyes on this much money at once.
Had there been a game-like system that allowed one to "krypton gold" their way to power, he might have felt an overwhelming urge to skim some off for his own use.
But precisely because his "Goldfinger" ability allowed him to grow stronger without spending a single coin, Gen hadn't taken a cent from the clan's funds. On the contrary, he had even added some of his personal savings to boost the total.
If the goal was to win Orochimaru's favor then go all in. Leave nothing to chance.
…
The following afternoon, Gen Uchiha arrived at Orochimaru's estate, dragging the twin cash boxes behind him.
Having served as one of the Sannin and a high-ranking Konoha shinobi for decades, Orochimaru had accumulated enough wealth to build a grand estate in a prestigious district near the heart of the village.
His villa stood in close proximity to the Sarutobi clan's compound and wasn't far from the personal residences of both Jiraiya and Tsunade. It was a neighborhood reserved for those of elite standing.
Gen rang the ornate bronze doorbell set into the black-stone courtyard gate, and it wasn't long before Anko Mitarashi opened the door.
"You're here! Come in," Anko said cheerfully, her eyes lighting up with mischief.
"Thank you. Is Orochimaru-sensei in?"
"Yep. He's in the living room."
"What's in the box?"
"You'll see soon enough."
Chatting casually, the two made their way down the tiled corridor and into the villa.
Orochimaru's interior design leaned heavily toward the gothic. The curtains remained drawn even in daylight, and the faint glow of candlelight cast eerie shadows along the walls. The temperature indoors was notably cooler than outside, the ambiance cold and quietly unsettling.
Still, given the man's affinity with serpents, it was fitting. Snakes, after all, preferred cool, dark habitats.
It was worth noting that Anko didn't actually live in the estate; she maintained her own residence elsewhere.
"Orochimaru-sensei."
Upon seeing the tall figure seated on a cushion before the chabudai, clad in his customary pale-yellow kimono, Gen bowed respectfully.
Orochimaru gave a slight nod, the corners of his pale lips lifting into a subtle smile. His deep, hoarse voice slithered forth like a whisper of smoke.
"Hmm."
"Pour me a cup of sake and from today, you'll be my disciple."
In the shinobi world, apprenticeship rituals were rarely elaborate. With their lives constantly at risk, most ninjas had no time for pageantry. The process varied from master to master, often based on personal preference.
"Understood."
Gen placed the boxes gently to the side and knelt at the low table. Picking up the ceramic sake bottle, he poured a small measure into the matching cup. Holding it reverently in both hands, he presented it to his new teacher.
Orochimaru accepted the offering with a ghost of a smile, drank it in a single motion, and set the cup back down.
Gen stood, picked up both boxes, and placed them beside Orochimaru.
"Teacher Orochimaru, this is the research funding provided by the Uchiha clan 200 million taels in total."
"Since this is the first offering, we prepared extra. Going forward, support will continue based on your research progress, in cash or gold, as you prefer."
With that, Gen opened both boxes.
Rows upon rows of high-denomination notes revealed themselves, crisp and neatly stacked. Though they lacked the luster of gold bars, the sheer volume of money was awe-inspiring.
"Whoa… that's insane…"
Anko darted over and dropped to her knees beside the boxes, her eyes practically turning into spinning yen symbols.
In her mind's eye, the money transformed into a buffet of meat skewers, red bean soup, dumplings, and endless desserts.
Orochimaru remained far calmer, befitting someone of his rank and experience. But even he couldn't hide the flicker of surprise in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
It was an astonishing move by the Uchiha clan one that reaffirmed their title as the most powerful and historically entrenched shinobi clan in Konoha. The kind of opulence only a clan with a thousand-year legacy and aristocratic status could display.
"Strange…" Orochimaru murmured, his eyes narrowing.
He pointed to a stack of bills in the second box some of them weren't aligned properly and stood out from the meticulous order surrounding them.
"What's going on with this loose stack of money?"
He raised his head and looked at Gen with mild curiosity.
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