A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Making money is no simple task. While Gato's business is substantial enough to support Konoha for now, it will undoubtedly fall short in the future.

Relying on a single corporation for financial support is also an unhealthy economic model.

Internally, Konoha was undergoing reforms, this time targeting the commercial sector.

Konoha's industries were highly complex.

Initially, the Senju and Uchiha clans, as Konoha's founders, naturally controlled vast amounts of property within the village.

In fact, over 50% of original Konoha was owned by these two clans. Over time, as other ninja clans moved in and contributed to the village's reconstruction, Konoha took on its current form.

Even so, the assets these two clans held were astonishing.

The irony is that both the Senju and Uchiha clans have now fallen into complete decline.

The Senju clan abandoned their surname and integrated into the civilian population, but this didn't mean their assets disappeared.

In Aoba's past life, he found this storyline absurd.

Japanese culture, influenced by Chinese traditions, places great importance on family and surnames. Yet the story portrays the Senju clan relinquishing their identity entirely was a decision baffling to Aoba.

His theory was that the creator of the narrative wanted to portray Hashirama Senju as a saint-like figure. And to some extent, they succeeded.

Abandoning one's clan and surname for the sake of outsiders is something only a saint would do.

In reality, this was an incredibly foolish move, one that brought disaster to the dispersed members of the Senju clan.

Later, when Root began its experiments with Hashirama cells, most of the test subjects were Senju descendants who had forsaken their name.

By that point, the Senju clan had lost the protection of a unified ninja family and were defenseless against Root's actions.

Even the Uchiha clan, who were notoriously isolated, were not targeted by Danzo until their eventual downfall. The Senju, on the other hand, had already disarmed themselves and become easy prey.

Hashirama Senju may have been a saint, but his naivety was staggering. He assumed his successors would share his saint-like ideals.

Today, the true heirs of the Senju and Uchiha clans have all but been wiped out.

Konoha's two great noble clans have effectively exited the stage of history.

What's interesting, however, is that both clans still have surviving members.

Tsunade and Sasuke remain alive, both residing in Konoha. This raises a serious question: shouldn't Tsunade and Sasuke inherit the assets of their respective clans?

This isn't a joke. Both Tsunade and Sasuke are not ordinary individuals. They are the princess of the Senju clan and the young leader of the Uchiha clan, respectively.

These identities make them the rightful heirs to their clan's legacies.

But as we know from the original story, neither inherited anything. Sasuke, after marrying, even had to take out a mortgage for his house!

How much of this outcome was due to poor writing and how much due to other unspoken factors is unclear.

Now that Aoba is in this world, he's determined not to let this injustice happen.

After becoming a Hokage advisor, he pushed for a resolution to audit the assets of the Senju and Uchiha clans.

Every member of Konoha's leadership knew this would be a ticking time bomb, but Aoba didn't care. When Hiashi Hyuga once asked him if he understood the potential backlash of such reforms, Aoba bluntly replied that he didn't care.

That's right, Aoba didn't care how much dissatisfaction this would stir. Because once the process was complete, far more people would benefit.

The audit was led by Shikaku Nara and his think tank, with the Hyuga clan dispatching a team to assist.

Interestingly, during the demise of both the Senju and Uchiha clans, many other families in Konoha benefited from the redistribution of their assets.

But Shikaku was a shrewd man. The Nara clan has always been known for thinking three steps ahead. Back when his clan received a share of the assets, Shikaku anticipated a day of reckoning might come.

After all, Tsunade was still alive, and her strength and status made her the most suitable candidate for the Hokage position. Once she took office, it was entirely possible she would demand accountability for past injustices.

Thus, Shikaku ensured the Nara clan paid for the assets they acquired, leaving no procedural loopholes.

Confident in his position, Shikaku welcomed any investigation, knowing nothing would implicate him.

The Hyuga clan, on the other hand, had refrained from participating in the asset redistribution altogether, as their strategy of low-profile self-preservation kept them from getting involved.

However, not all clans were as prudent.

Most of those who profited from the redistribution had done so through questionable means, all under Hiruzen Sarutobi's tacit approval.

This is also why Hiruzen maintained near-universal support among the clans.

But tacit approval is just that, an unwritten rule, not something that can withstand scrutiny.

Some claimed they had paid for what they received, but there were no official records in Konoha's archives. Financial records showed no such payments, and even when payments were made, they often didn't reflect the true value of the assets.

In short, the entire redistribution process violated Konoha's regulations, not Tsunade's new policies, but the long-standing laws of the village.

Once these old accounts were brought to light, Tsunade immediately declared all transactions found to be in violation null and void.

The assets acquired through these illegal transactions were immediately reclaimed as Konoha property.

Tsunade then met with Sasuke Uchiha, proposing that the village purchase the majority of the Uchiha clan's assets at market value. However, given Konoha's current financial constraints, she suggested an alternative.

Tsunade proposed a partnership where the village would manage Sasuke's inherited properties, with Sasuke receiving annual dividends. The specific profit-sharing ratio would be negotiated later.

Sasuke agreed to the proposal, signing a contract to hand over all his inherited assets, except for the Uchiha clan's main estate, for Konoha to manage.

As for the Senju clan, Tsunade was even more direct. As the heir of the Senju clan, she announced her willingness to donate all remaining Senju assets to the village, retaining only a small share of the profits.

With this, Konoha gained legal and practical control over the assets of both the Senju and Uchiha clans.

What followed was the true moment of reckoning.

Check out the patreon and get 43 chapters in advance -> SaintXI

Currently on Chapter 186 - The Great Battle Begins