After days of hard travel, Sarutobi Sasuke's group finally arrived at the Fire Country Capital.
"Hiruzen, Danzō," Sarutobi Sasuke instructed solemnly,
"be extremely careful while you're in the capital. First, deliver Lord Tobirama's letter to the Fire Daimyō. After that, proceed with purchasing supplies. I've already given you the full procurement list."
One of them carried the letter meant for the Daimyō.
The other held a sealing scroll—inside it was a staggering eight hundred million ryō.
"And remember," Sasuke added,
"when buying supplies, negotiate hard."
"I know, Father," Hiruzen nodded seriously.
"No matter what we buy, we start by cutting the price in half."
Sarutobi Sasuke nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. This mission must be completed successfully."
"Lord Tobirama is watching your performance."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
After repeated instructions, Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Shima departed the capital. They still had to return to their clan territories to oversee the full relocation to Konoha.
The task of delivering the letter and purchasing supplies was left to Hiruzen and Danzō.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said immediately after watching the two clan heads leave,
"let's go see the Fire Daimyō first. Once we deliver Lord Tobirama's letter, half our mission will be complete."
"Agreed," Hiruzen nodded.
Delivering a letter was far easier than purchasing supplies.
Buying supplies meant not only gathering everything on the list—but doing so as cheaply as possible.
The more money they saved, the more they could impress Tobirama-sama.
That meant bargaining endlessly with merchants—time-consuming, exhausting, and far from their strengths.
They were ninja.
They were used to letting shuriken speak for them.
But—
They had to overcome this weakness.
Because Tobirama-sama had said:
"To be an excellent ninja, one must be evaluated comprehensively. Personal strength is only one aspect."
Of course, Tobirama had left the second half unspoken:
If your strength were as overwhelming as my brother's, you could do whatever you pleased.
With their goals aligned, the two immediately set off.
After navigating several streets and presenting their credentials, they were smoothly ushered into the Daimyō's palace—and soon stood before the Fire Daimyō, who wore a warm smile.
Naturally—
That smile was completely fake.
The moment he heard that Konoha had sent another letter, the Daimyō's scalp went numb.
He had already read the previous letters from Konoha.
Their message could be summarized in one sentence:
"We're building a ninja village. It costs a lot of money.
You're rich—how about sponsoring us?"
Sponsor Konoha?
Give money to Konoha?
And then what?
What if they grew too strong?
What if Senju Hashirama one day decided to wear his robes?
To delay things as much as possible, the Daimyō had repeatedly replied:
"Under consideration."
"Actively under consideration."
He hadn't expected Konoha to persist—this was already the third letter.
The Daimyō had half a mind to have the guards throw the messengers out.
But after some thought—
He chose to meet them anyway.
For appearances' sake.
After all, he was a dignified ruler.
"Sit. No need to be nervous."
"Tea," he ordered, gesturing for them to take seats.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After brief pleasantries, Hiruzen and Danzō explained their identities and purpose.
But rather than the letter itself, the Daimyō focused on who they were.
"You are from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"The Sarutobi clan has decided to join Konoha."
"The Shimura clan as well."
"…I see."
The Daimyō's expression stiffened slightly, unease rising in his heart.
He had long feared that the village founded by Senju Hashirama would grow larger and stronger—absorbing more and more ninja clans.
He just hadn't expected it to happen this quickly.
"Your Highness," Hiruzen said respectfully,
"this letter was entrusted to us by Lord Tobirama."
The Daimyō accepted the letter and opened it.
The core message was the same as before:
"You're wealthy. Please provide funding."
But there was a crucial addition at the end.
If the Daimyō continued to delay, Senju Tobirama intended to have his elder brother—Senju Hashirama—personally visit the capital to conduct "friendly discussions."
The wording was polite.
Respectful.
Impeccable.
But—
Because of the deeply rooted "Hashirama Threat", the Daimyō read something very different.
"You're being ungrateful."
"If you still don't pay up, I'll send Hashirama himself to shake the money out of you."
Cold sweat broke out across the Daimyō's back.
Still—years of rule forced him to remain rational.
Don't panic.
I still have Uchiha Makoto.
I'll write to him immediately—let him deal with this.
Have him restrain Senju Hashirama.
And if all else fails…
I'll give Konoha the money.
I've always been a dignified man.
"Thank you for delivering the letter," the Daimyō said calmly, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
"There will be a banquet tonight. Consider it a reception in your honor."
"Our ties with the Sarutobi and Shimura clans—please don't refuse."
If Konoha could recruit ninja clans—
Then so could he.
Hiruzen and Danzō exchanged a glance, then nodded.
They hadn't eaten a proper meal in days—just ration balls and rice balls along the road.
Meanwhile—
Uchiha Makoto had no idea what was going through the Daimyō's mind.
Uchiha Makoto, go deal with Senju Hashirama.
At that very moment, Makoto was lounging in his office chair, cracking sunflower seeds while staring at Aqua, who was writing the textbook titled:
"Three Years to Train a Medical Ninja, Five Years to Train a Medical Master."
The system's cheerful prompts echoed in his ears.
[Akatsuki Village System Interface]
Village: Akatsuki
Prosperity: 101 + 3 + 5 + 8 + 4
Evaluation:
Though still weak, the village is filled with vitality—
a scene of boundless growth, with all things competing to flourish.
Detected increase in funds: +1,000,000 ryō → Prosperity +3
Detected increase in funds: +3,000,000 ryō → Prosperity +8
Detected increase in funds: +2,000,000 ryō → Prosperity +5
The sound was indescribably pleasant.
Almost like hearing—
"Your account has received 1,000,000 units."
Makoto leaned back, utterly satisfied.
"Everything is going smoothly."
"Let's hope it stays that way."
A contented smile spread across his face.
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