Naruto: I Level Up by Drawing Cards

As soon as Orochimaru said this, Uchiha Gen knew that his dear teacher had also set his sights on the vast wealth accumulated by the Uchiha Clan.

Within Konoha, the number of factions capable of providing such a sum of money could be counted on one hand.

"There aren't many ways to come up with this amount of money, but regardless of the channel, none of them can be brought out into the open.

What we are conducting are forbidden arts that touch upon life and the soul, and ever since the Edo Tensei, the First Hokage has ordered a ban on such experiments in Konoha.

Although the Sandaime is not a soft-hearted person, he would absolutely never agree to this in public. Unless there were enough benefits to sway him, he would very likely show great resistance to it.

Therefore, we need a faction that can stably provide funds from the shadows and has a certain degree of autonomy in the use of its finances.

It could be a large department with strong independence, or a large Ninja clan with sufficient accumulated wealth.

Tsunade's Medical Department has just gotten on the right track and is actually short on money. She herself might not agree to us doing this, and if we were to cooperate with other factions, we would not only need a reason but would also be in a passive position.

Compared to others, only the Uchiha is a relatively better choice."

Orochimaru's voice drifted into his ears, and Uchiha Gen could understand Orochimaru's concerns.

In the original timeline, cooperating with Danzo was also a choice made out of helplessness.

Only Danzo, a person who lived in the sewers, would be likely to do such things that are forbidden in public with Orochimaru.

The former had deep Roots in Konoha, was almost below one person and above ten thousand, held the Root in his hands, wielded astonishing power, and had money and men to satisfy all the requirements for Orochimaru's experiments. The latter possessed astonishing talent, and his research capabilities were exactly what Danzo needed.

Although it was a case of each taking what they needed, Orochimaru was undoubtedly in a more passive position.

But in this world, compared to Danzo, the Uchiha Clan behind Uchiha Gen seemed to be a better partner for Orochimaru.

As a top-tier Ninja clan in the Ninja World with a thousand-year legacy, the Uchiha's financial resources, material strength, and channels were all first-class. Moreover, they had greater independence and could provide more help than the Root, whose finances were controlled by the Hokage.

Furthermore, with a close disciple like Uchiha Gen, the cooperation between Orochimaru and the Uchiha had a foundation of trust.

The key lay in how much of the Uchiha Clan's power Uchiha Gen could leverage, and what kind of bargaining chips Orochimaru could offer to entice the Uchiha Clan.

"The resources I can mobilize within the clan are relatively limited. However, while the Clan Head is recuperating, the Great Elder is acting on his behalf and does have this capability. But, Teacher Orochimaru, you also know that the Uchiha is not one person's Uchiha. I need a benefit that can persuade the Great Elder and also convince the majority of the clansmen at the Clan Meeting."

Uchiha Gen's words made Orochimaru frown slightly.

As a top-tier clan with a thousand-year history, there were very few things that could move the Uchiha Clan.

It was either about power or politics.

In terms of power, unless Orochimaru researched some secret related to the Sharingan, it would be difficult to move the Uchiha. The only thing that could be exchanged was political commitment and cooperation.

And Orochimaru's current power in Konoha had not yet reached the highest level.

The Leader of the Jonin Squad was definitely a high-ranking position in any Ninja village, but in Konoha, the true core was only the Sandaime Hokage and his few classmates.

Orochimaru's status as the Leader of the Jonin Squad might not even be as high as the heads of powerful departments like the Police Force or the Intelligence Department; he could only be considered as having one foot in the high-level circle.

For small Ninja clans like the Gekko and the Uzuki, he could provide great political protection, but for the Uchiha, who were seeking a high-level position in Konoha, what he could offer was quite limited.

Could it be that he could only seek to cooperate with Danzo?

Just as Orochimaru remained silent, Uchiha Gen continued to ask, "Teacher Orochimaru, can you first tell me how much you are actually short of?"

Orochimaru replied, "I need at least 20 million ryo per year for living test subjects. At least one every three days, otherwise, the consumption won't be met. It is best if they are Ninjas who can refine Chakra, as they have more reference value for experiments."

Now, it was Uchiha Gen who became silent.

"What's wrong? Is it too much?"

"No, I was just wondering—is that it?"

Hmm?

Orochimaru frowned slightly.

"If it were 100 million ryo a year, that would indeed be impossible. But if it's only 10 million ryo, I wouldn't even need to touch anything in the Clan Treasury. The Great Elder's annual dividends from the clan's shops would be enough to cover more than half of it, not to mention that he has many antiques stored in his private collection; selling a few pieces would be enough."

"As for living subjects—that's even simpler. The Police Force holds quite a few people. Some lose their value after interrogation and are just eating for free while alive. There are spies and scouts from various villages at every moment, and it's impossible to catch them all. You don't need to worry about test subjects at all."

Orochimaru was stunned for a moment.

"Uchiha—are the annual dividends really that much?"

Uchiha Gen nodded slowly.

"There are Ninja subsidies within the clan, and dividends are also distributed based on the level of the Sharingan and the position held within the clan.

My Jonin title can bring me about 600,000 ryo in subsidies each year, and my dividends are generally no less than 2 million ryo.

The Great Elder has higher seniority and holds a position second only to the Clan Head within the clan, so his dividends are several times mine. This amount of money, based solely on the Great Elder's private wealth, would be enough to support it for more than a dozen years."

It's no wonder people say the Uchiha Clan is rich; everyone is envious.

The foundation accumulated over a thousand years is not just wealth and reputation, but also connections and channels with various noble families in the Land of Fire. Doing business is incredibly easy for them.

"Making money hand over fist" is not enough to describe the money-making ability of the Uchiha, the top-tier brand in the Ninja World.

Even though Orochimaru had extraordinary talent and his strength stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World, and he had a certain amount of power and status, he was ultimately of commoner origin and too young.

If a few more years passed, perhaps he would gradually understand just how deep the foundations of these powerful Ninja clans, which have been passed down for thousands of years, truly are.

The Great Elder had long served as the second most powerful figure in the Uchiha Clan, and the wealth he had accumulated over the years might be enough to rival a small to medium-sized Ninja clan.

"Now, all you need to do is persuade the Great Elder, and the difficulty will be much lower."

Uchiha Gen looked at Orochimaru and said.

The Great Elder had the ability to help Orochimaru, but such a large amount of money, accumulated over a few years, would also be a significant loss for the Great Elder.

While this level of difficulty was undoubtedly many times less than persuading the entire Uchiha Clan, it was still not an easy task.

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