Toko was sweating bullets after seeing the ANBU whom Tsunade had casually thrown away.
Looking at the unconscious ANBU...
Only one thought kept running through his mind.
Don't throw me...
Don't throw me...
"Cat got your tongue, brat?"
Tsunade asked again after getting no reply.
She glared at him.
"Tell me..."
"What are you brats doing this early in the morning?"
Her face was full of anger and frustration.
"I was this close..."
She raised two fingers, leaving only a tiny gap between them.
"...this close to winning one billion ryo."
"And then..."
"You brats just had to wake me up!"
She grabbed Toko by the shoulders and started shaking him violently.
"Tell me!"
"Who's going to compensate me?!"
"Who's going to give me my one billion ryo?!"
"Stoopppp!"
"Ahhh!"
"Stoppp!"
Toko felt the world spinning around him.
His eyes had already turned into circles.
Tsunade finally stopped shaking him.
Then she pushed him against the wall.
"Now tell me, brat..."
"Where's my one billion ryo?"
Toko looked at her with a pale face.
His voice came out weakly.
"...Wasn't..."
"...that just a dream?"
Silence.
From everything she had said...
Toko finally understood.
Tsunade wasn't angry because of the posters.
She was angry because their commotion had ruined her dream.
"So what?"
Tsunade still refused to let it go.
She glared at Toko.
"Tell me, brat..."
"How are you going to make up for it?"
"Okay, okay..."
"Let him down, Sister Tsunade."
Kushina hurried over and gently pulled Toko away from her.
She helped the dizzy boy steady himself before looking at Tsunade with a smile.
"Maybe this is a good sign."
"Maybe today is your lucky day."
Tsunade heard that.
A thoughtful look appeared on her face.
Minato...
Jiraiya...
And Orochimaru...
All looked at her with defeated expressions.
Sigh...
Jiraiya stepped forward.
"Kid..."
"What are you brats doing this early in the morning?"
He looked at Toko.
"Don't you know many old people are still sleeping at this hour?"
"Aren't you disturbing them?"
"It's not a good habit."
Jiraiya began lecturing Toko without thinking too much.
Toko listened quietly.
Then...
When he heard the words "old people are still sleeping..."
His eyes slowly drifted toward Tsunade.
The meaning behind that innocent glance was crystal clear.
Tsunade's face twitched.
Jiraiya, completely unaware, continued talking.
"They're all enjoying their sweet dreams, and—"
Bang!
Before he could finish...
Tsunade's fist slammed into his face.
Jiraiya disappeared into the distance.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
Tsunade shouted.
She slowly turned back toward Toko.
"...Do you have a problem too, brat?"
"N-No!"
Toko hurriedly shook his head.
"We were just quietly promoting the Uchiha's new product early in the morning."
"But those masked people were completely unreasonable!"
He immediately pointed at the ANBU.
"They're thieves!"
The other Uchiha children instantly joined in.
"Yeah!"
"They're the unreasonable ones!"
"They kept stealing our posters!"
"Beat them!"
One after another...
The children started complaining at the same time.
Their loud voices filled the entire alley once again.
The nearby ANBU stood there in complete silence.
None of them knew what they were supposed to do now.
They couldn't fight the children.
They couldn't leave either.
For the first time in a long while...
The elite ANBU of Konoha found themselves completely helpless against a group of noisy Uchiha brats.
Flueeeeeee!
A sharp whistle echoed through the alley.
The Uchiha children immediately froze.
"...No!"
"Time's up!"
"I was about to win!"
One after another...
The children started crying out in frustration.
Their eyes quickly turned toward the nearby ANBU.
"It was because of you bastards!"
One little boy glared at an ANBU standing beside him before launching himself at him.
The ANBU calmly caught him by the head before he could get close.
The little boy kept throwing punches into the air.
"I was just about to get into the top ten, you bastard!"
No matter how hard he struggled...
He couldn't even reach the ANBU's face.
A few moments later...
The Uchiha Jonin responsible for watching over the children finally arrived.
"Alright."
"Time's over."
They began gathering the children and leading them back.
On Toko's side...
Raizen and Suki also arrived.
The moment they appeared...
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Minato, and Orochimaru all looked toward them.
"Time's up, Toko."
Suki called out calmly.
"...Not fair."
Toko pouted.
But he still obediently walked toward the others.
Jiraiya looked at Raizen.
"Isn't using children for this kind of work going a little too far?"
He asked seriously.
Raizen looked at him with genuine confusion.
"What kind of work?"
"We're just training them."
He shrugged.
"Advertising is one of the most important skills in business."
Then he smiled.
"Don't you think so..."
"...Sage Jiraiya?"
Although he was speaking to Jiraiya...
His eyes quietly shifted toward Minato.
The meaning behind those words was obvious.
Everyone knew how hard the Three Sannin had been promoting Minato as the next Hokage.
Compared to that...
The Uchiha were simply advertising a newspaper.
Raizen didn't wait for an answer.
He turned around and left with the others.
Suki silently followed behind him.
Tsunade watched their backs disappear into the distance.
"...What are those Uchiha trying to do now?"
She muttered under her breath.
Even Orochimaru frowned slightly.
He looked down at the paper the children had been distributing.
Then toward the retreating figures of the Uchiha.
For the first time...
He couldn't figure out what their next move was.
All the answers everyone had been waiting for...
Would come once the Uchiha shops opened.
One after another...
The Jonin returned to the new Uchiha compound with their respective groups.
After everyone had gathered...
Raizen stepped forward and reported everything that had happened.
The moment the elders heard the full report...
"Hahaha!"
Grand Elder Setsuna burst into laughter.
He slapped his thigh in delight.
"This was truly an excellent move!"
A broad smile spread across his face.
Elder Kohaku nodded.
"The curiosity surrounding The Fire Times has already spread throughout the village."
He looked around at everyone.
"Now..."
"We only have to wait for their response."
The elders exchanged glances.
One after another...
They nodded in agreement.
But...
Things didn't go as smoothly as the Uchiha had expected.
Before the shops could even open...
ANBU squads had already arrived outside every Uchiha-affiliated store.
The villagers who had come early to buy The Fire Times stopped in confusion.
Some couldn't help asking the ANBU what was going on.
"We're acting under the Elders' orders."
The ANBU replied coldly.
"No one is allowed to enter any Uchiha shop today."
The villagers frowned.
Many were unhappy after hearing that.
But for the moment...
No one stepped forward.
They simply stood there, waiting to see what would happen.
Just then...
"What is the meaning of this?"
Elder Kohaku arrived with a group of Uchiha.
His expression immediately darkened.
He walked straight toward the ANBU captain.
"Why are you blocking our shops?"
"Who gave you the right?"
His voice was firm.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The ANBU behind their captain quietly tightened their grip on their weapons.
The Uchiha behind Kohaku also became alert.
Both sides were ready.
One wrong move...
And a fight could break out.
The ANBU captain met Kohaku's gaze without flinching.
"We're only following the Elders' orders."
He replied calmly.
Kohaku snorted.
"The relationship between the Merchant Guild and the village ends with taxes."
"The village has no authority to interfere with a Fire Nation merchant clan's business."
He took another step forward.
"Do you understand what you're doing?"
His sharp eyes locked onto the ANBU captain.
"Or..."
"Is Konoha planning to rebel against the Fire Nation?"
The words instantly made the surrounding villagers gasp.
"That's quite a serious accusation you're making, Elder Kohaku."
A familiar voice interrupted.
Jiraiya arrived together with Tsunade and Minato.
Kohaku looked at him.
"So..."
"What exactly should I make of this?"
He pointed toward the ANBU blocking the entrance.
Jiraiya remained calm.
"We're only making sure your new product doesn't contain anything dangerous..."
"Something that could threaten the village's stability."
He looked directly at Kohaku.
"Once the inspection is complete..."
"Everything will return to normal."
The two sides continued staring at each other.
Neither showed any intention of backing down.
Jiraiya looked at Kohaku.
"So..."
"What exactly is this new product of the Uchiha?"
A faint smile appeared on Kohaku's face.
"The Fire Times..."
He spoke calmly.
"...is simply a way for the common people to learn about what's happening across the Land of Fire."
"It will be released every week."
"It will contain news and information about many things that affect the citizens of the Fire Nation."
He looked directly at Jiraiya before finishing.
"And..."
"It is their right to know about those things."
Jiraiya remained silent for a moment.
After hearing the explanation...
His uneasiness only grew stronger.
Something about The Fire Times didn't feel right.
He couldn't explain why.
But his instincts told him this wasn't as simple as a newspaper.
"Then let the Elder Council inspect it first."
Jiraiya said calmly.
"After that..."
"You can sell it."
His gaze remained fixed on Kohaku.
"We need to make sure it doesn't contain anything..."
"...that could harm the stability of the village."
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