In truth, among this enormous fortune, only the cash was something Uchiha Yoru could immediately use.
Gold, although a hard currency, was mainly used for large-scale transactions between nations, ninja villages, and major clans. Without an equally powerful network to support it, gold was extremely difficult to circulate and might not even be convertible into usable money.
As for the more valuable assets—mines, docks, urban properties, plantations, fertile farmland, shops, merchant guild shares—those were even harder to handle.
Even if Yoru had the manpower to take them over, without sufficient force to back it up, why would the current holders hand over their assets just because of a document?
[Damn… this is basically forcing me to build a hidden organization.]
[No… that's not right.]
[This isn't meant for me personally—it's meant for the Uchiha clan.]
[If I become clan head and take control of the Uchiha, then combine that with the Cat Fortress' commercial network, I'll have both manpower and force.]
[This isn't just wealth—it's a golden goose that lays eggs.]
[Heh… those old guys really thought this through. They were already guarding against someone like me.]
That said, there were still things he could use immediately.
Namely—ninjutsu knowledge.
Complete Fire Release scrolls.
Complete Lightning Release scrolls.
And centuries of accumulated casting techniques.
Although Yoru had already deviated from the traditional shinobi path and stepped onto his own cultivation path, his foundation was rooted in Daoist philosophy rather than the distorted system of onmyōji practices. Because of that, his path was not exclusive.
Cultivation itself originated from ancient sorcery—it thrived on integration, not rejection.
Thus, for Yoru, cultivation was the foundation, while ninjutsu was merely a tool—a method of applying his power.
The reason was simple: ninjutsu was already structured, efficient, and proven. Compared to developing techniques from scratch, it was far more reliable. Even abilities like the Sharingan were simply tools to be incorporated.
At present, the advantages of his cultivation path were clear: rapid growth, the ability to interact with natural energy, and the gradual emergence of supernatural abilities.
But deep down, what Yoru truly desired was one thing—
Longevity.
There wasn't a single person of his background who could resist that temptation. Countless emperors had swallowed poison in pursuit of immortality. Compared to that, Yoru's cultivation process—so far—was practically bliss.
After organizing everything, Yoru began transporting the items. Most of them—gold, cash, scrolls, land deeds, merchant certificates—could be sealed into storage scrolls. However, some items were different: those already sealed, those with spatial properties, and those too dangerous to undergo spatial compression had to be moved manually, one trip at a time.
When most of the items had been moved, Yoru deliberately left the last few behind. Uchiha Nobuyuki immediately understood.
"Cleaning up the traces?"
"Yes," Yoru replied calmly. "My current strength isn't enough to handle the exposure of this wealth. Every trace must be erased."
The old man took out a small bottle—barely enough for a few sips. The moment he opened it, a strong smell of alcohol mixed with a faint bitter almond scent spread through the air.
Poison.
"Finish your work and leave," Nobuyuki said with a smile. "I'll handle the rest. There's nothing better than a dead man to keep secrets."
Yoru moved instantly, snatching the bottle, sealing it, and putting it away.
Nobuyuki's expression darkened. His right hand moved toward his abdomen, and layers of black chakra patterns began to spread—a sealing technique activating.
"Explain yourself," he said coldly. "I don't believe I chose a useless, soft-hearted fool."
Yoru smiled faintly and extended his left hand. A stream of pure natural energy flowed into the old man's body, merging with chakra and transforming into senjutsu chakra, instantly dismantling the seal from its foundation.
"Senjutsu…"
Nobuyuki's eyes widened. "To create senjutsu chakra like this… unbelievable. Your control… might even surpass Hashirama Senju."
"Not in power," Yoru replied. "I'm still far from him. But in control… I'm better."
The old man chuckled. "Then I truly chose well. A monster… one not inferior to Madara Uchiha."
"But you still haven't explained. Why stop me?"
Yoru's expression turned serious. "Because death is no longer the end. In today's world, dying does not bury secrets—it exposes them."
Nobuyuki frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Edo Tensei. A forbidden technique created by Tobirama Senju. It can resurrect the dead and, more importantly, completely control them—allowing others to extract their memories."
Silence fell.
Then the old man sighed deeply. "I see… the world really has changed."
"What will you do then?"
Yoru continued preparing as he explained, "Human memory is layered. New memories are first stored in the outer cortex, where they are unstable and easy to erase. Only after repeated recall do they become long-term memories."
"What happened tonight hasn't fully settled yet. We can still remove it."
"As long as those memories never become deeply rooted, and you live long enough, the traces will disappear completely. Dying now would only leave behind a perfect source of information."
Yoru's Sharingan spun slowly, the three tomoe releasing overwhelming ocular power.
"So you need to live. The longer you live, the safer the secret becomes."
Nobuyuki stared at him in shock. "Such powerful ocular strength… have you already reached the Mangekyō?"
Yoru paused slightly before replying calmly, "Not yet. But I will. Mangekyō… Eternal Mangekyō… I will reach both."
"Even without a brother, I'll awaken it."
Nobuyuki's eyes slowly closed as he fell into a deep sleep.
Yoru didn't possess the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, but this kind of memory alteration was simple. He only needed to use his powerful ocular strength to disrupt the outer layers of the brain and implant false memories to overwrite the real ones.
It would cause damage—the old man's memory would decline, and he might forget simple things like whether he locked the door.
But compared to death—
This was a far better outcome.
And far safer.
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