Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi struck while the iron was hot.
"Your Excellency, to be honest, aside from reporting my resignation, I also came here to request financial assistance from the Daimyō's court—so that we can ease the village's financial crisis and distribute the death compensations for the fallen shinobi."
The Fire Daimyō waved his hand dismissively.
"You didn't even need to ask. When Shisui first mentioned the compensation issue to me, the Uchiha clan had already made the request on behalf of Konoha."
"During this time, I've already gathered three billion ryō to cover the compensation for fallen shinobi, disability subsidies for injured ninja, and reconstruction expenses for Konoha."
Hiruzen froze.
At that moment, he didn't even bother questioning the Uchiha clan's overstepping of authority. His heart was filled entirely with joy.
Everything had gone far too smoothly—so smoothly that it exceeded his expectations.
And the Daimyō had given far more than he anticipated.
A full three billion ryō.
The pensions for fallen shinobi and subsidies for injured ninja would require at most about one billion ryō. That still left two billion ryō, enough for the village to recover its vitality in a short period—perhaps even grow stronger than before.
This enormous surprise left Hiruzen momentarily stunned.
But before the joy in his heart could fully settle, the Daimyō continued speaking.
"That money has already been given to Shisui, who will pass it on to the Uchiha clan. If Konoha needs funds, you can simply request them from the Uchiha."
Hiruzen: "…?!"
For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard due to shock.
After staring blankly for a while, Hiruzen finally snapped back to reality.
"Your Excellency… did you say that money was given to whom?"
"To the Uchiha clan, of course," the Daimyō replied casually. "Is there a problem with that?"
Hiruzen glanced at Uchiha Shisui, who stood silently behind the Daimyō.
Thousands of words surged to his lips—but none of them could be spoken.
How was he supposed to explain it?
Should he say the Uchiha were unstable? That they were extreme? That they were untrustworthy?
Even if he believed those things, he could never say them in front of the Daimyō—especially not while an Uchiha stood right there.
Speaking such words would expose Konoha's internal conflicts to an outsider.
Not only would it invite ridicule, it would also reflect poorly on Hiruzen's own leadership.
After a brief pause, Hiruzen coughed lightly.
"Ahem… Your Excellency, the financial exchanges between the Daimyō's court and Konoha have always been handled by Konoha's Finance Department. Directly handing such funds to the Uchiha clan… is neither proper nor reasonable."
The Daimyō shook his head.
"How is it improper?"
"Before you became Hokage, the Daimyō's court transferred funds directly to the Senju clan."
Hiruzen fell silent.
Back when the Senju clan still existed in full strength, the Daimyō's court indeed coordinated most affairs with them.
When Hiruzen first became Hokage, he had once hoped the Sarutobi clan could assume a similar role.
Unfortunately, the Daimyō's court had never fully trusted him.
"Besides," the Daimyō continued,
"the Uchiha clan co-founded Konoha alongside the Senju. Their status is no lower than the Senju."
"Now that the Senju clan has declined, isn't it perfectly reasonable for the Daimyō's court to work with the Uchiha instead?"
Hiruzen had no response.
Before he could even gather his thoughts, the Daimyō decisively concluded:
"This matter is settled."
"Not only this time—all future financial exchanges between Konoha and the Daimyō's court will be handled by the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen's expression turned extremely unpleasant.
The Daimyō, however, gave him no chance to argue further. He smoothly changed the subject, chatting about trivial matters—beautiful court singers, famous delicacies, and other irrelevant topics.
Hiruzen tried several times to steer the conversation back to the financial issue, but every attempt failed.
Eventually, he had no choice but to give up.
The discussion lasted until evening.
After accompanying the Daimyō through a banquet dinner, Hiruzen and Shinnosuke finally left the palace and checked into an inn within the capital.
The moment they entered their room, Sarutobi Shinnosuke spoke angrily.
"Father, the Uchiha have gone far beyond their authority this time!"
"They bypassed the village entirely and contacted the Daimyō directly—and now they've taken control of the funds meant for Konoha. This is outrageous!"
Hiruzen's face darkened.
He took out his pipe, lit it, and began smoking heavily.
He had actually been thinking about this issue for a long time—ever since the meeting in the Daimyō's palace.
But because the matter involved the Daimyō himself, there was no room to maneuver unless the Daimyō changed his mind.
"This situation is already settled," Hiruzen said slowly.
"All we can say is that the Uchiha clan played this move extremely well."
Shinnosuke frowned.
"Is there really no solution?"
"There is," Hiruzen replied calmly. "But the chances are very slim."
He exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"The Uchiha are merely a substitute for the Senju clan."
"Although the Senju have declined, they have not completely disappeared."
Shinnosuke blinked in surprise.
"You mean… Tsunade?"
Hiruzen nodded.
"That's right."
"If Tsunade is willing, reclaiming control of the financial authority from the Uchiha clan would actually be quite easy."
Shinnosuke, however, looked worried.
"But… is it really a good idea to let Tsunade manage that much money?"
"What if she gambles it all away?"
Hiruzen: "…"
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