Kakuzu was gone, and he had left with a deep sense of satisfaction. Though he had appeared generous on the surface, he was, in fact, acting on his own careful calculations. He had been pleasantly surprised by the strength of the Uchiha clan. In the future, no matter what task was assigned to them, they would surely be able to complete it with ruthless efficiency. Once the Akatsuki's reputation as a reliable mercenary force was established, the number of missions would increase exponentially, and so would the rewards. The days of counting money until his hands grew tired were fast approaching.

As the treasurer, he had worried about the organization's finances countless times. He had offered his advice to Pain on more than one occasion, but the leader had never acted on it. The reason was always the same: "The Akatsuki's purpose is not to make money. We will take on any mission, no matter how dirty or tiring." Their focus was on cost-effectiveness, on making the small nations and families of the world reliant on them rather than on the great nations, thereby destroying the very foundation of the established shinobi system. The idea was sound, but over time, it was Kakuzu who suffered. An organization cannot survive without money.

But now, things were different. With the formidable strength of the Uchiha at their disposal, even if they continued to undercut their competitors, the sheer volume of missions would surely increase.

"Hmph. So this is the joy of investing," he mused. "Interesting. It seems I should reconsider my own methods of making money." In the past, he had always relied on his own hard work to get rich. But since meeting Shiro, he had come to understand a new truth: money makes money.

"The future," he said to himself, a rare smile gracing his stitched face, "is full of promise." Kakuzu ran toward the Akatsuki base, his heart lighter than it had been in decades.

Back at the Uchiha's settlement, Fugaku was still feeling perplexed. There was something about the money that didn't feel right.

"Shiro-dono," he began, "this 'investor'… I feel he has misunderstood something. He told me to work hard, and then he mentioned 'remuneration' and 'bonuses.' From his words, I get the feeling that this money is meant to buy the Uchiha, not to provide us with funds to build our village."

"Hahaha," Shiro laughed. "It's alright. Don't worry about it. In any case, we have the money, and we can spend it as we see fit. We can worry about the details later."

"Uh… oh," Uchiha Fugaku nodded, still dazed. But since Shiro had said so, he didn't press the matter. "Do not worry. We will make good use of this money. Within two and a half years, we will give Lord Madara a result he can be satisfied with."

"Good," Shiro nodded. "Then go and begin. My father and I have faith in you."

"Yes!" After bowing once more, Fugaku and his men prepared to go and plan the distribution of the funds. Before he left, he passed by Obito and asked in a low voice, "Has this investor been fooled by Shiro-dono?"

"It seems so," Obito replied with a helpless smile. "But he will not lose anything. Shiro will slowly return the money to him in other ways."

Fugaku still didn't understand, but since neither Obito nor Shiro seemed inclined to explain further, he knew better than to pry. He decisively put aside his curiosity and went back to his duties.

On the way back, as he looked out at the vast expanse of land around him, Fugaku couldn't help but smile with a deep, profound satisfaction.

"Yakumi, Inahiro, look. From this day forward, this land will truly be our home. A home that belongs only to the Uchiha."