Where there are people, there is society.
And society is not just about fighting and killing. It is about relationships and favors.
The ninja world is no different.
What does a person struggle for all their life?
Money, of course.
Why do ninja smash each other's brains out?
Money too.
They work in a high-risk profession precisely to earn dangerous money and live a better life.
Right now, aside from manpower issues, Konoha's biggest problem could be summed up in one word.
Money.
If you have money, you will have people.
As long as there is enough money, what does it matter if one village has to fight four villages? It just comes down to who can outlast the others.
If funding were sufficient, every person could carry dozens, even hundreds of explosive tags and casually throw a few the moment they saw the enemy.
How comfortable would that be?
Sadly, that kind of luxury was unrealistic.
Haru leaned back in his chair. The table in front of him was covered with all kinds of dishes, all of them excellent in color, aroma, and taste. More importantly, this place was Konoha's most luxurious hotel, specifically used to receive important guests of the Uchiha.
Just this one table of food, in this one location, had cost a full thirty thousand ryo.
Even Haru clicked his tongue at that.
If he went out and completed a normal A-rank mission, he could earn several hundred thousand ryo, but even so, eating a meal like this still hurt.
If he had to eat like this every day, it would bankrupt him sooner or later.
Fortunately, he was not the one paying. The clan was covering it. After all, this was clan business.
"The guest arriving shortly is called Fujii Hiroki. The Fujii family contracted the large iron mines in the Land of Fire and has always worked with the Uchiha."
"There are people in high office backing that family in the Land of Fire."
"As for Hiroki himself, his temper is actually pretty good. I have a decent relationship with him..."
Tomita sat nearby, introducing Fujii Hiroki in detail, from his family background to his personal preferences. He was carefully teaching Haru how to deal with him.
Handling powerful aristocratic families from the Land of Fire was not as simple as being a ninja.
As a ninja, you only needed to cut people down.
As clan head, there was much more to think about.
Since Haru had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and was now the future of the Uchiha, Tomita was genuinely willing to pass on everything he knew about being clan head for the sake of the clan.
That was why he had come personally for this dinner.
The Uchiha owed the Fujii family a great deal of money and had delayed payment for a long time already. It was almost certain that some unpleasant words would come up at the table.
Tomita was worried that Haru, being young and powerful, might lose his temper and just draw his blade and cut Fujii Hiroki down. The image of Haru throwing Lava Release into a crowd was still fresh in his mind.
Clearly, Haru's temper was not exactly good.
The Haru of the past could no longer be used as a reference point.
If Fujii Hiroki really got killed, the consequences would be enormous. The Uchiha would not just fail to avoid their debts, they would have murdered the very man who came to collect them. The noble families of the Land of Fire could easily unite and strangle the Uchiha's entire business network.
That kind of precedent absolutely could not be set.
The nobles of the Land of Fire were afraid too.
Every major ninja village had run up massive debts during this war. If the Uchiha set the example of simply killing any creditor who came to demand payment, then how were the nobles of all the nations supposed to survive?
If the Uchiha dared behave so unreasonably and take the lead, then the daimyo of every country would join forces and show them what the power of money really meant. Bounties would rain down like a storm until the Uchiha were crushed under the weight of it.
No matter how strong the Uchiha were, they were still only one ninja clan.
Haru listened seriously to Tomita's teaching.
It was obvious that Tomita was sincerely trying to teach him how to be a competent clan head. There were quite a few secrets about the nobility of the Land of Fire mixed into his explanation, things that an ordinary ninja who only knew how to kill would never come into contact with in their entire life.
Suddenly, the door opened with a creak.
A somewhat round and slightly overweight middle-aged man walked in. His clothes were bright and expensive at a glance. He was clearly either rich or noble.
"Tomita, long time no see!"
"Long time no see!"
Tomita quickly stepped forward to greet him. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he introduced Haru to Fujii Hiroki as the new head of the Uchiha Clan.
Hiroki's expression shifted slightly, but he immediately put on a broad smile and began introducing himself to Haru.
Haru naturally picked up the conversation with equal warmth.
In his previous life, Haru had worked in sales. He was more familiar with scenes like this than he was with breathing.
This life before now had been spent entirely on cultivating killing techniques and studying how to cut people down more efficiently.
But at this moment, his past professional instincts surfaced all at once.
Wasn't this just flattering an important client?
He was an old hand at it.
As long as he was seated at the wine table, Haru could use his full skill set to make the other side feel perfectly comfortable.
Tomita poured drinks from the side, eyes wide as he watched Haru.
It was unbelievable.
Too smooth.
Unnaturally smooth.
One flattering phrase after another rolled off Haru's tongue. He even used all kinds of drinking lines Tomita had never heard before, making Hiroki drink cup after cup.
Tomita himself was starting to feel like extra baggage at the table.
In the middle of it all, Hiroki still remembered his purpose and brought up the debt.
Haru immediately began telling tales of hardship.
He described the clan's miserable circumstances in such dramatic detail that even Tomita felt it was getting a little absurd.
As for the debt, Haru did not say they would not repay it.
He only said that once the money from above came down, the first payment would go toward settling the debt with both principal and interest.
At that point, Hiroki could hardly continue pressing the issue.
Then the drinking resumed.
Two against one.
With Haru's experienced client-flattering skills, plus a little joking around and some topics all men enjoyed talking about, Hiroki was soon completely tipsy and calling Haru his little brother.
And if your little brother is in trouble, are you going to help or not?
"What are you saying? Don't worry about the debt. I'll handle it. Hic... hic..."
"I still have some influence in my family. I'll authorize another month of supply shipments to the Uchiha."
"..."
"Big brother!!"
"Let little brother toast you again!"
"....."
Write it down.
Write it down now!!!
Tomita hurriedly grabbed paper and a brush from a server and drew up the contract at once, afraid Hiroki would sober up later and deny everything.
...
While Haru was feasting with the major client in the hotel, Hiruzen and Danzo were wandering the streets of Konoha.
After fighting for their lives on the battlefield and then being thoroughly frightened by Mito, the two close friends had decided to find a place to gather, eat, and talk about Konoha's future.
Danzo, especially after hearing that Mito would support Hiruzen becoming Hokage, had finally let go of the anxiety in his heart. His mood had turned into joy, though a faint sadness still lingered deep inside.
He could not stop thinking back to that moment.
If I had been the first one to step forward and volunteer to die back then, would the position of Third Hokage have been mine instead?
Joy and regret filled his heart.
He was afraid his friend would suffer, but he was also afraid his friend would suddenly rise too high.
That was exactly Danzo's mood right now.
At first he had been worried for Hiruzen.
Now that Hiruzen's future was bright, Danzo felt miserable instead.
A companion who had always stood at about the same level as him was suddenly about to become the highest leader in the village.
It felt worse than death.
Still, Danzo was being far too optimistic.
He had not noticed at all that the villagers along the street kept glancing at them now and then, and the expressions in their eyes carried obvious contempt and disdain.
(End of Chapter)
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