Night fell.
The palace was brilliantly lit, and dish after dish of exquisite food was laid out before Haru. One table was already full, and there was still another one beside it.
The point was simple: extravagance.
Of course, part of that was also for the Daimyo's safety. The Daimyo was an ordinary person, not a ninja. He only took a bite or two from each dish, so even if enemy ninja had poisoned one of them, there was no guarantee he would actually eat that particular plate unless his luck was truly awful.
"Play the music!"
A plump attendant clapped his hands, and the musicians standing around the hall immediately began to perform. Haru had no idea what tune they were playing, but it sounded decent enough.
As the music rose, rows of young dancers in light, elegant outfits entered the hall. It was a scene of pure pleasure and peace, as if the whole world were at ease.
In an ancient dynasty, a Daimyo indulgent enough to live like this would either already be a doomed ruler or be very close to becoming one.
Wait, wait, wait?
Daimyo, why are you dancing with them too?!
After wearing himself out, the now thoroughly uninhibited Daimyo casually returned to his seat with two beauties in his arms.
"Hokage, you've come from far away. Why not relax a little? The palace nourishes its people well. Even the young ladies here have especially fine skin."
The Daimyo narrowed his eyes, his whole manner loose and unrestrained. Seeing that Haru remained unmoved, he clapped his hands again, and a pair of girls entered from outside.
They looked about the same age as Haru. Their hair was a light bluish shade, their features were lovely, and most importantly, they were twins. They took the initiative and sat down beside him.
"Hokage, this is my gift to you today."
"Faye, Lynn, the two of you must take good care of the Hokage tonight."
Mm. Just like Hyuga Takuma, this was another man trying to push women onto him.
Haru was tempted.
Not because he had any special obsession with twins.
Well... maybe a little.
But that was not the main point.
What Haru really wanted was the ten draw chances.
As long as he became powerful enough, then any kind of woman he wanted, countless people would line up to hand over to him.
But if he came alone to ask the Daimyo for money and returned to the village with a pair of twin girls...
How would the village look at him after that?
The Daimyo narrowed his eyes slightly. Seeing that Haru still had not reacted, he sighed inwardly.
So he was just like those two Senju brothers after all. What a pity. Why did every last one of them insist on rejecting his kindness?
Ninja really were insufferable.
A trace of disgust flashed across the Daimyo's face, though he did not show it openly.
"Daimyo, I like this gift very much."
In the end, Haru still said it.
At that moment, he felt as though some final barrier inside him had been torn open.
What was a bit of dignity worth? Strength was what mattered most!
One had to broaden one's horizons. A true powerhouse did not care about such things.
If Orochimaru could go that far, then what was this much to him?
"Good! Good! Good!!!"
The Daimyo's delight became visible to the naked eye, and he began thinking to himself.
The Uchiha really did seem easier to deal with than the Senju. None of them were saints, so what was the point of pretending to be upright gentlemen?
For a time, the atmosphere grew even livelier. The Daimyo rose directly from his chair, came to Haru's side, and shared the table with him.
After several rounds of drinks, Haru felt this could not continue any longer.
It was time to talk business.
Money!
He had to pry open the Daimyo's purse first.
"Daimyo, Konoha's funds are already running dry..."
Haru rubbed his fingers together. In his experience, talking about money with the sponsor at a moment like this should have been the easiest.
"Hahaha, Hokage, rest assured. The 31 billion ryo will be sent to Konoha's accounts on time."
Haru looked around at the glittering golden hall and shook his head.
"Not 31 billion ryo. 41 billion ryo."
"What?!"
The Daimyo froze on the spot, stunned by Haru's appetite. That level of funding was already no small amount.
If Konoha had not fought for the Land of Fire for so long and even started burning through its reserves, forget 31 billion, the Daimyo had been prepared to restore the budget to the 20 billion ryo of previous years.
Did he really think money fell from the sky?
It was not just Konoha that had suffered losses. The Land of Fire had also been thrown into chaos by this war. Refugees were everywhere, and bandits were running rampant.
The Daimyo's own subordinates were growing more unruly by the day, taking more and more land while inventing new excuses not to pay taxes. Squeezing out 31 billion ryo to keep this pack of ninja fed was already close to the limit.
And over the next few years, resettling refugees and reclaiming wasteland would each require huge sums of money. He could not very well start paying out of his private treasury, could he?
"Hokage, you must be joking."
The Daimyo forced a stiff smile and waved his hand.
The noisy music stopped at once, and all the assorted people in the hall tactfully withdrew. The two important figures were about to discuss serious business.
"Do you know that Konoha already receives the largest budget in the entire ninja world? These past years have not been easy for the Land of Fire either. Natural disasters and human calamities keep coming, and taxes grow harder to collect year after year."
"Do you know why Sunagakure behaved itself for so long after being defeated by Konoha?"
Haru shook his head. Sunagakure had been the first to withdraw from the First Great Ninja War, but he had never paid much attention to the exact reason. Back then, he had been focused on nothing but increasing his own strength and killing people on the battlefield.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Wind slashed Sunagakure's budget by more than half."
Haru was stunned. He had not expected the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to be that ruthless, daring to cut even a ninja village's funding so severely.
The whole ninja world constantly preached that ninja were merely tools, that ninja were people who had to learn endurance. But no matter how you framed it, ninja were still human beings.
They were flesh-and-blood people, and more than that, they were all experts at killing.
"Isn't that just asking for death..."
Haru did not continue.
Anyone following a Daimyo like that in the Land of Wind had truly drawn the short straw. Even the money ninja earned by risking their lives was getting cut.
No one understood better than Haru how much money it took to raise an excellent ninja. He had spent plenty on himself already.
His ninja blade alone had cost him hundreds of thousands of ryo, and that did not even include secret medicines for training, ninja tools, and all the other expenses.
For an ordinary ninja, every single coin you invested in him became combat power.
"But what of it? The Land of Wind is so poor that all it has left is sand. If Sunagakure's budget wasn't cut, even the common people would have no way to survive."
"If ordinary people are not out there working themselves to the bone, then who is supposed to support you ninja?"
The Daimyo picked up Haru's unfinished thought, sneering openly now. He had already made his stance perfectly clear regarding Haru's outrageous demand.
Even Sunagakure had its budget cut. Konoha's budget had increased compared to previous years. It should learn to be satisfied.
And he still wanted more money?
Sorry, not a single ryo.
"35 billion ryo."
Haru decided to give some ground. After all, the man in front of him was Konoha's biggest source of money, the real patron. He still had to show a little respect.
The Daimyo said nothing.
Left with no choice, Haru continued lowering the number.
"34 billion ryo."
"33 billion ryo."
"32 billion ryo."
After three straight concessions, Haru's expression had already become rather ugly.
I gave you face, and you won't give me any face at all?
Then I'm about to lose my temper and start cutting people down.
(End of Chapter)
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