The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 85: Couples Clash?

The door to the Konoha meeting room was pushed open, and Yamanaka Inoichi strode in, holding a stack of scrolls, beads of sweat still on his forehead.

He slammed the scroll on the conference table: "Breaking news! Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure are all preparing to emulate our tournament!"

The Fourth Hokage, Fugaku Uchiha, calmly unfurled the first scroll and quickly scanned its contents: "Iwagakure, located in the Rocky Canyon, is preparing an exhibition match of 'Third Tsuchikage vs. Four-Tails Jinchuriki,' with ticket prices set at 20% of ours."

Tsunade snatched the second scroll and scoffed, "Kumogakure is even more outrageous. The Fourth Raikage is planning to hold some kind of 'ultimate showdown' at Raikou Shrine, and even intends to build a suspended observation deck? Does that muscle-bound idiot know what audience comfort is?"

Nara Shikaku silently unfurled the third scroll, his eyebrows gradually rising: "Sunagakure is actually going to hold a 'Fourth Kazekage vs. One-Tailed Jinchuriki' match... Wait, isn't the One-Tailed Jinchuriki his wife, Karura?"

Kazami Tomohiko gently interjected, "Perhaps, husband-and-wife battles are the selling point of Sunagakure?"

A burst of laughter erupted in the conference room.

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha stood quietly before the map of the ninja world. As the laughter subsided, he asked softly, "Gentlemen, do you think these competitions will be successful?"

Inside the meeting room, a jumble of opinions suddenly arose.

Choza Akimichi muttered, stuffing potato chips into his mouth, "It should work... after all, we made so much money..."

Hiashi Hyuga's Byakugan shifted slightly: "Hard to say, the situation varies from village to village..."

The younger Inuzuka Tsurugi shook his head immediately: "Definitely not!"

After all, they were just ninjas; economic issues like these weren't their forte.

Therefore, everyone's attention turned to Uchiha Mitsunaga... the man who created the 600 billion miracle.

Fugaku Uchiha asked softly, "Mitsubin, what do you think?"

Uchiha Mitsunori slowly stood up, walked to the map, and gently tapped it with his finger.

"When we founded Konoha, we had Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, so we chose to build the village near the Daimyo's capital. The terrain around the village is flat, and the transportation is convenient. Moreover, the Daimyo's capital is the richest city in the entire ninja world, with the largest number of nobles. Nobles, merchants, and commoners come to Konoha to watch the matches, which is like a spring outing. That's why we were able to achieve such success."

"Let's take a look at the other villages!"

"Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure! When they were built, their primary consideration was their military function, so the surrounding environment is relatively secluded and treacherous. This makes transportation to the villages very inconvenient; even nobles, merchants, and commoners who want to watch a match might lose half their lives on the way!"

"For example, Iwagakure Village, from the nearest big city to the competition venue, has to pass through eight mountains. It would take an ordinary nobleman two days to travel by carriage, and more than four days round trip. How many nobles and merchants would have the leisure to watch the competition? Commoners don't even need to consider it."

The people in the conference room nodded frequently, seemingly understanding what was being said.

Uchiha Mitsunori tapped the map again: "The problem with Kumogakure is the same—inconvenient transportation. As for the suspended observation deck at over 3800 meters, it's a joke. Ordinary people's physical condition can't compare to that of ninjas. At such a high altitude, it's easy to cause altitude sickness and other physical discomfort, so it's destined to be a loss."

"Finally, let's look at Sunagakure. It's located in the heart of a desert. Even people from the Land of Wind often get lost in that desert. It's hot during the day and cold at night, so very few ordinary people can make it to the arena alive!"

After listening to Uchiha Mitsunori's analysis, a burst of laughter rang out in the meeting room.

......

Time flies, and the competition dates for each village are fast approaching.

On the day of the competition in Iwagaku Village, at the Rocky Grand Canyon.

The VIP section was almost empty, with only a dozen or so spectators representing minor nobles and small merchant guilds.

Ōnoki hovered above the meticulously constructed observation deck, his expression growing increasingly grim.

The veins on his forehead bulged: "Why are there so few people? There are only a few hundred nobles and merchants combined. At this rate, we won't even recoup our costs!"

A member of the secret service replied, "According to intelligence, many nobles are unwilling to come because the roads are difficult to traverse, so they have no interest in coming."

Onoki pinched the bridge of his nose. Iwagakure was surrounded by rocky mountains, possessing a strong defense that made it difficult for enemies to penetrate.

But at this moment, it has become the biggest disadvantage.

He looked at the seats in the civilian area, which were about 30% full, but these people were all civilians from Iwagakure.

The low ticket prices for ordinary people are simply not enough to cover the huge investment.

Onoki looked towards the betting station, where the staff in front of the betting tables were yawning boredly.

The total betting amount was less than 100 million taels, not even enough to cover the venue construction costs.

"Lord Tsuchikage, shall we continue the match?" a Jonin from the Anbu asked cautiously.

Ohnoki finally sighed, "Let's begin. At least we can't disappoint those who bought tickets."

"Old Zi, I'm really angry right now, come and let me beat you up!"

"Old man Onoki, I won't hold back!"

After the match ended.

Standing at the highest point of the rocky canyon, Ohnoki looked at the sparse audience and felt a mix of emotions.

He originally thought that by imitating Konoha's model, he could easily obtain huge income, but he overlooked the fundamental differences between Iwagakure and Konoha.

"Father..." Huang Tu walked to his side, hesitating to speak.

Onoki waved his hand and looked into the distance: "I know what you're trying to say. We were too hasty. Konoha Village is located in the center of the Land of Fire, on a flat plain with convenient transportation, and is home to many nobles. And we..."

A gust of wind blew by, stirring up the sand and dust on the ground.

Onoki suddenly laughed: "However, this failure wasn't entirely without its lessons. At least we learned that simply imitating doesn't work."

......

The situation was even worse in Kumogakure.

The Fourth Raikage, A, roared, "You promised a huge pre-event hype, why are there so few people?"

Mabuyi wiped away cold sweat: "Several commoners accidentally fell down the mountain on their way here. Then the nobles said our village was too dangerous. Many people complained about the difficult roads and simply didn't come..."

The fourth Raikage, Ai, walked into the betting center.

He pulled out the ledger and his angry voice shook the suspended observation deck: "Why is the betting amount so small? It's not even a fraction of Konoha's!"

The staff around him, seeing the Fourth Raikage's impotent rage, dared not utter a sound.

Mabuyi wiped away cold sweat: "Lord Raikage, you misappropriated 50 billion taels to build the suspended observation deck. Now the village can't even pay its employees. You have to think of a solution!"

......

As for Sunagakure, the nobles and merchants of the Land of Wind collectively expressed their lack of interest in the event, leading Sunagakure to cancel the competition outright...