Chapter 18: Hostile Takeover
Success bred jealousy, and in a hidden village fueled by a ruthless war economy, jealousy usually manifested as property damage.
It was past midnight. The streets of the Uchiha compound were dead quiet, save for the occasional howling of a ninken in the distance. Ren was standing alone in the dark teahouse, wiping down the counters and admiring the faint, icy blue glow of his newly installed Tier 1 Cold Storage Seals.
Finally, he thought, letting out a long, exhausted breath as he felt the crisp chill radiating from the wood. No more paying price-gouging civilians for melting ice blocks. The margins are safe.
CRASH!
A heavy cobblestone shattered the front window, sending a violent spray of sharp glass raining across the pristine wooden floorboards.
Ren didn’t flinch. He didn’t even drop his cleaning rag. He just closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as a deep, profound annoyance settled into his chest.
Do you have any idea how much glass costs during a wartime supply shortage? he groaned internally. That is coming directly out of my net profit.
Three large, burly street thugs stepped through the shattered window frame, crunching glass beneath their heavy boots. They weren’t shinobi—they lacked the disciplined posture and the forehead protectors—but they were armed with heavy wooden clubs and iron pipes.
"Boss says the Uchiha kid is stealing too much foot traffic," the lead thug grunted, slapping his pipe aggressively against the palm of his hand. "Time to close up shop, brat. Start smashing the kitchen."
Ren leaned casually against the counter, crossing his arms. He didn’t mold chakra. He didn’t reach for a kunai.
"Let me guess," Ren said smoothly, his voice echoing in the dark. "Goro, from the traditional tea house right next door? The guy whose sales dropped eighty percent this week because nobody wants to drink scalding hot matcha in the middle of a high-stress supply run?"
The thugs ignored him, taking a step toward the back room.
Rule number two of the Tycoon System, Ren thought, a cold, predatory smirk crawling onto his face. Never fight a battle if you can pay someone else to fight it for you.
Ren reached into his apron, pulled out a small, polished wooden whistle, and blew a sharp, piercing note.
For two seconds, nothing happened.
Then, the roof creaked.
Two dark shapes dropped from the eaves of the teahouse, landing directly behind the thugs with heavy, synchronized thuds.
It was the Inuzuka Genin squad. They had been sleeping on Ren’s roof because they were severely addicted to his boba tea, their war-deprived nervous systems practically dependent on the sugar rushes, and they wanted to be first in line for the morning batch.
"Hey, boys," Ren called out lazily, tossing a wooden token onto the counter. "I’m offering a bounty. Whoever throws these three out of my shop gets free boba for the entire week."
The Inuzuka Genin’s eyes snapped open in the dim moonlight. Their pupils were dilated, and their fangs gleamed with the feral, hyper-caffeinated energy of addicts whose primary supply had just been threatened.
"Free boba," one of the Genin whispered, a low, terrifying growl rumbling in his chest.
The thugs slowly turned around, the color draining entirely from their faces as a massive, battle-scarred ninken stepped out of the shadows, baring its teeth and drooling.
"Wait, we don’t—" the lead thug stammered, dropping his pipe.
They didn’t even get to finish the sentence.
The Inuzuka launched themselves forward like rabid wolves. The thugs were chased out of the shop instantly, screaming in absolute terror as they sprinted down the street, pursued by the hyper-aggressive, sugar-fueled Genin.
Ren calmly picked up a broom and started sweeping up the glass.
I love capitalism, he smiled.
The Next Morning
Goro’s Traditional Tea House, located right next door to Ren’s shop, was completely empty.
The fat, balding merchant sat behind his counter, sweating profusely. He was nervously tapping his fingers, waiting for his hired thugs to report back. He expected to hear that the arrogant Uchiha brat’s shop was a smoking ruin and that his customer base would finally return.
Instead, the bell above his door chimed.
Ren walked in. He wasn’t limping. He wasn’t bruised. He looked perfectly rested, wearing a crisp dark blue tunic and carrying a thick stack of papers.
Walking dutifully right beside him was six-year-old Itachi, wearing his tiny black apron and holding a small, terrifyingly neat notepad.
Goro scrambled to his feet, his face going pale. "You... what are you doing here, Uchiha? Get out of my shop!"
Ren didn’t yell. He didn’t threaten violence. He walked straight up to the counter and slapped the stack of papers down with a heavy, final thud.
"Hostile takeover," Ren said cheerfully.
Goro stared at the papers. His breath hitched. They were promissory notes. Debt ledgers.
"I did some digging," Ren explained, leaning over the counter and looking the sweating merchant dead in the eye. "You borrowed heavily from the Akimichi grain suppliers to stock up for the war, expecting a massive return. But then I opened up, and your customer base completely vanished. You’re drowning in debt, Goro. You haven’t made a payment in a month."
"That’s... that’s none of your business!" the merchant stammered, backing away.
"It became my business the second you threw a rock through my window," Ren’s voice dropped to a freezing, absolute deadpan. He tapped the papers. "I bought your debt from your creditors this morning. All of it. At a premium."
Goro’s legs gave out. He slumped against the back wall, realizing exactly what the twelve-year-old boy had done.
Ren didn’t retaliate with physical force. He retaliated with overwhelming economic violence.
"Here is the deal," Ren said, sliding a final piece of paper forward. "You sign the deed of this building over to me, effectively absorbing your shop into my LLC. In exchange, I forgive your massive debt, and you get to leave the village with your kneecaps intact."
Goro looked from the crushing debt papers to the cold, merciless eyes of the boy in front of him. With a trembling, defeated hand, he picked up a brush and signed the deed.
Ren grabbed the paper, blowing on the wet ink to dry it. He looked down at Itachi.
"Write this down, Itachi," Ren instructed, turning toward the door and waving the freshly signed deed. "Rule number one of business: Never attack my margins."
"Noted, brother," Itachi said, his young face dead serious as he diligently scribbled in his notepad. He looked up, his dark eyes calculating. "Should I calculate the cost of the broken window into his total debt liquidation, or just seize his remaining inventory as collateral?"
Ren ruffled his baby brother’s hair, a massive grin on his face. "You’re a natural, kid. Have Kenji come over here and strip the copper wiring. We’re knocking down the walls this afternoon."
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