Shouta's thoughts drifted as he sat before Sasuke and Naruto, his mind running through the history of Konoha's strongest warriors—those who had been cast aside, betrayed, or forced into exile.
There was Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha. A man whose strength rivaled the Hokage's, yet he was driven to take his own life due to the whispers of betrayal and the poisonous words of the village he dedicated his life to protecting. Had he lived, Kakashi's life would have been different. No doubt, Konoha itself would have been stronger. But instead, the Third Hokage and Danzo allowed the people's fears to consume one of their finest warriors.
Then there was Uchiha Shisui. A genius whose Mangekyō Sharingan held the power of Kotoamatsukami—the most formidable genjutsu in existence, capable of bending a person's will without them even realizing it. But such power was too dangerous in the eyes of Danzo. And so, the leader of Root had Shisui ambushed, stole his eye, and left him for dead. Another irreplaceable warrior lost.
And of course, there was Uchiha Itachi. A prodigy, a genius, and yet… a tool. A pawn in Konoha's political schemes. Manipulated, brainwashed, and ultimately forced to become the executioner of his own clan. If not for the Third Hokage's weakness, if not for Danzo's deceit, the Uchiha clan would not have met its bloody end.
There were more names—more tragedies.
Hyūga Hizashi, who sacrificed himself in place of his brother, Hiashi, due to the archaic curse of the Hyūga clan's branch family system. A warrior just as strong as his twin, yet deemed expendable by the village's traditions.
Tsunade, the strongest kunoichi, left the village out of heartbreak and frustration, unable to bear the weight of the losses she had endured.
Orochimaru, once one of Konoha's greatest shinobi, driven to treachery after being denied the Hokage seat and cast out due to his controversial experiments.
Jiraiya, the wandering sage, forever searching for a way to fulfill a prophecy that seemed further and further from his grasp.
Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the Uchiha clan. A man of the same generation as Namikaze Minato, whose strength was rumored to be immense. And yet, his story was buried, his power never fully acknowledged.
All of these warriors—each of them strong enough to rival or surpass the Hokage—were either dead, exiled, or erased from history.
And then, there was the Uchiha massacre itself.
The Uchiha clan—arguably the greatest combat force in Konoha—was wiped out in a single night. If they had been allowed to thrive, Konoha would have been an unstoppable force. But because of fear, because of political maneuvering, their power was snuffed out.
The more Shouta thought about it, the more his anger burned.
The Third Hokage and Danzo… Had they truly done anything good for the village?
At this moment, he snapped back to reality. He realized that both Sasuke and Naruto had gone silent, absorbing everything he had said.
Despite their usual brashness, neither of them were foolish. They understood that whatever Shouta was planning—whatever he needed this money for—was something far beyond the simple desire to get stronger.
Naruto furrowed his brows, his fists clenching. "Shouta… you're really not telling us everything, are you?"
Sasuke, however, did not press further. He simply stood up and disappeared into his room.
A few moments later, he returned, carrying a large, heavy wooden box.
He set it down with a dull thud in front of Shouta.
"Haowen," Sasuke said, using the nickname they had given Shouta. "No matter what you're planning… I believe in you. That 'surprise' you mentioned—whatever it is—I trust that it's worth it."
Shouta was taken aback.
Sasuke placed his hand on the box. "I inherited everything from the Uchiha clan, but most of it is in land and property. This—this is all I have in cash. 500 million silver taels."
Naruto's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"F-F-Five hundred million?!"
Sasuke nodded. "I left a bit for daily expenses, but the rest… it's yours."
"If you need more, I can sell some of the land, or even—"
Before he could finish, Shouta cut him off, shaking his head.
"That's enough, Sasuke!" he said, his voice filled with emotion. "I never expected you to trust me this much…"
He clenched his fists.
For Sasuke to be willing to give him everything—the entire wealth of the Uchiha clan—it was proof of his unwavering trust.
How could he not repay this loyalty?
No matter what, he would give Sasuke back the family he lost.
No matter what, he would change fate.
Sasuke crossed his arms, trying to act indifferent. "What are you getting so emotional for? We're friends, aren't we? I don't even need all that money anyway. What matters is that you use it for whatever you need."
Shouta's eyes burned with determination.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I promise… I will give you the greatest surprise of your life."
Sasuke scoffed. "Hmph. Just don't make me regret it."
Shouta turned to Naruto. "And you too, Naruto! You'll see… This won't take long!"
Both of them watched as Shouta placed his hands on the massive box of silver.
His heart pounded.
"System!" he called out in his mind. "I want to recharge!"
A mechanical voice echoed in his consciousness.
[Detected: 500 million silver taels! Would you like to recharge all funds?]
"Yes!"
[Recharge successful! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 500 million wealth points!]
Shouta glanced at the system panel that appeared before his eyes.
Summoning SystemHost: Shouta KazukiWealth Value: 500,000,000White Summoning: 0Green Summoning: 0Blue Summoning: 0Purple Summoning: 0Gold Summoning: 0
Shouta's breath hitched in excitement.
"System! Exchange all 500 million for five gold summons!"
[Exchange successful! Number of gold summons: 5.]
His wealth value instantly dropped to zero, and the number beside 'Gold Summoning' increased.
This was it.
With this, he could summon five Hokage-level warriors.
Sasuke and Naruto, meanwhile, were watching with disbelief.
Naruto, unable to hold back, ran over to the box—only to find it completely empty.
"HUH?! WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?!" Naruto's screams echoed through the house.
He lifted the box, shook it wildly, even flipped it over—yet not a single silver tael remained.
"It was here just a second ago!" Naruto yelled, his face pale.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Shouta… what just happened?"
Shouta smirked, his heart racing.
This was only the beginning.
4o