NARUTO: THE STRONGEST UZUMAKI

'I didn't expect something like this to happen, but…'

Tanaka didn't worry too much about it. After all, they were the ones who provoked his group, not the other way around.

Well, considering that, even though they are ninjas and were the ones who initiated the fight, it's quite likely that they will still cry out for vengeance, seeking justice for those who were killed by Killua…

Regarding that, Tanaka didn't have much to say. He felt there was a 99% chance of it happening.

While flying, he learned the skills he obtained thanks to 'Killua.'

After learning various abilities from the Iwa ninjas, Tanaka stopped in mid-air while he was close to Konoha.

Among the skills he learned, there were three that caught his attention the most: Earth Style: Earth Fist Technique, Earth Style: Light Rock Technique, and Earth Style: Golem Technique.

These were skills that would certainly be useful in the near future.

Just as he was about to close his inventory, having learned all the skills he could, he saw a note appear in one of the slots.

When he picked it up and read it, he saw it was from the clone in Uzushio, asking him to send at least 20 million ryō.

Without questioning it, he took the money through the status window and quickly transferred it to the inventory. As a precaution, he transferred 50 million.

That amount could easily be a village's budget, but to him, it was just a small sum he could easily make after clearing a few dungeons.

With that done, he expanded the dungeon. Soon, he began flying toward Konoha's entrance/exit gate. Upon entering, he went to an alley, changing his chakra signature as well as his appearance.

He didn't know how quickly information would reach Konoha, so it was better to be cautious and not use Killua's appearance this time.

'Only the fire user was left, and who better for that than Ace?' Tanaka thought.

Soon, he assumed the appearance of Portgas D. Ace, whom he remembered from the anime, changing the old one and donning a new opera mask.

The appearance of Ace that he assumed was that of a tall and muscular young man with straight, unruly black hair and freckles on his face. He had a tattoo on his left bicep that spelled "ASCE" vertically, with the 'S' crossed out by an 'X'. He wore a white tank top with yellow buttons, knee-length black shorts with an orange belt studded with eyelets, black ninja sandals, and a blue pouch on his left leg for ninja tools.

He also wore a second short belt with a large red "A" on a silver buckle over his right hip, which he left undone, with the loose end hanging behind his shorts. He wore an orange hat with two blue faces on it, one sad and one smiling. Two long orange straps hung from the sides of the hat, meeting at a large bull skull medallion with orange tassels.

With all that done, he left the dungeon, returning to the real world.

The moment he did so, all the sounds produced echoed at once.

If there was something that Konoha and Uzushio had in common, it would be the number of trees that could be seen. There was practically a tree between every two houses or shops.

Although it couldn't compare to the constructions from the world of his previous life, there were many well-built houses, some even four stories high. However, in this regard, it fell slightly behind Uzushio, which stood out for its well-constructed and tall buildings.

But it's important to consider how young Konoha is. At this moment, he knew that no more than 50 years had passed since Konoha's establishment.

However, unlike what he was expecting, the place was not vibrant and lively. He saw many people looking downcast as they walked through the streets.

The reason became more apparent when he heard something.

"I still can't believe the taxes will increase so suddenly..."

"There's nothing we can do; the interim Hokage, Danzo, said it's for the village's own good. Since we're at war, money is needed to support the ninjas going to war."

"But... We already paid extremely high taxes when the war started. If this continues, how will we be able to live?"

The other villager didn't respond.

Even some businesses had to close because they couldn't bear the cost of the taxes.

'Is Danzo really this foolish?'

Tanaka couldn't believe it. He hadn't even officially taken the position yet, but he already started doing something that made him hated by the people.

And what if the inhabitants of Konoha began to plan to move away?

Besides, it seemed that only the villagers had their taxes increased, while the ninjas even had a tax reduction...

'This...' Tanaka thought, 'Is Danzo trying to make the ninjas hated by the common civilians as well?'

It's common to hate those who have privileges. Even if they say that the ninjas go to war and fight for the village's sake, if the civilians starve because they can't survive under oppressive taxes, what's the point of winning the war if they will die of hunger?

And this is something that happened in the short term. Who knows how it would be in the long term? If the war lasted a few more years, it was almost guaranteed that half of the civilians would lose their homes...

'He must be insane...' Tanaka thought.

To some extent, he knew that Danzo wasn't mentally stable and only thought of himself while shouting that everything he did was for the village. Even his death in the anime didn't convince him.

He simply did what he did because he was going to die anyway. He didn't believe it was for the good of the village, but rather a twisted way of thinking that everything he did, no matter how dark, was for the purpose of helping the village to flourish.

How the hell could someone who takes office and, at the first opportunity, oppresses his people with abusive taxes be considered a good leader?

At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if Danzo started selling villagers while claiming it was for the village's good, to secure funding for the war.

'He's a maniac.'

Tanaka's eyes, hidden under the hat, grew cold.

'Should I kill him?' This thought crossed his mind.

If he hadn't seen it, he could pretend ignorance. But now that he had, it was hard to accept the situation.

From what he heard, the tax rates had been raised by 50% for merchants and 40% for civilians—a burden too heavy to ignore.

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Meanwhile, in a square wooden room, Danzo and Konoha's two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, were gathered.

Danzo was sitting in the armchair in the lower corner, with two portraits of the first Hokages to his right and Koharu to his left.

"Danzo, aren't you overdoing it?" Homura began, "Raising taxes this much is absurd. It's only been three days, but people are already starting to rebel. Some businesses have even closed and left the village."

"Homura is right," Koharu said. "Look at the current situation of the village. Many who invested here, either by opening shops or even living here, have sold their properties and left. If this continues, even if we win the war, what will it matter?"

"Mm, I understand your points, but…" Danzo tapped his fingers on the table as he spoke coldly, "What do you think happens when someone goes wandering around with a lot of money? Isn't it common to be attacked by bandits?"

"Danzo, it can't be…"

"I've already told you to call me Hokage, Homura." Danzo interrupted, then added in his controlled, cold voice, "And about the taxes, I only intend to keep them this way for a week. Soon, I'll announce a 'method' I've 'invented' to improve the village's finances. You understand what I mean?"

"It can't be…" Koharu brought her hand to her mouth. "You made the wealthy investors flee the village and then robbed them, making it look like the work of common bandits, is that it? Was this your plan all along? And then, you'll remove the tax you imposed yourself, making the villagers grateful to you and increasing your reputation, right?"

"You're the one saying that; I never said such a thing." Danzo didn't deny it, but he obviously wasn't going to confirm it either.

It couldn't be denied that even if they knew he was the one who imposed the abusive taxes, the moment he abolished them and said a few passionate words like "I didn't want to oppress my people" and so on, it would have a positive effect.

For him, someone who lived in the shadows of Hiruzen, something radical was necessary if he wanted to continue having the support of the masses and remain as Hokage.

Moreover, in just these few days, he had managed to 'gain' over 20 million by robbing shop owners who had closed and left the village. If this continued, even if he stopped now, he would have already made it worth it. After all, with that amount, he could fund several A-rank missions or a few S-rank ones.

No matter how he looked at it, it was a good thing. And even if he lost some business owners, he could simply attract new ones. After all, Konoha had never lacked wealthy people wanting to invest in the village, whether by opening their own shops or for other reasons...