After the little incident with Kakuzu's assassination attempt, Senju Tobirama continued leading Renya and the others toward the Daimyō's mansion.
Although the bounty on Senju Tobirama in the black market was as high as two hundred million ryō, no one besides Kakuzu had dared to make a move along the way.
Those bounty hunters were indeed tempted by the enormous reward, but not a single one dared to act.
They didn't need to think twice — try it, and you die.
Assassinating Senju Tobirama for the bounty was nothing short of walking to their own deaths. They knew the difference between wanting money and wanting to stay alive.
Putting aside Tobirama's strength for a moment, just his title alone — the Second Hokage — was enough to make most people back off.
Even if someone miraculously succeeded in assassinating him, Konoha would retaliate without mercy, hunting them down until death.
No one wanted to make an enemy of the strongest shinobi village in the entire world.
Unless someone had the power to stand against Konoha alone — but if they were that strong, they wouldn't even care about such a measly bounty to begin with.
...
After a period of travel, Senju Tobirama arrived at the capital of the Land of Lightning with the heavily injured Raikage. The Daimyō's mansion was not far now.
Inside the grand, gold-adorned hall of the Daimyō's mansion, the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning suddenly shot up from his seat, roaring:
"Why?! Why is Senju Tobirama still alive?!"
He had put a bounty of two hundred million ryō on Tobirama's head in the black market, and yet no one had managed to kill him.
Now, with Tobirama drawing closer and closer to his mansion, the Daimyō's fury burned hotter and hotter. He wished he could send someone to kill him right this instant.
"Raise the bounty! Increase it!" the Daimyō snarled through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with vicious light.
"Five hundred million… five hundred million! I refuse to believe no one will dare to touch him!"
That amount of money would drive bounty hunters into a frenzy.
With so many people coming after Tobirama, no matter how strong he was, there was always a chance he'd make a fatal mistake.
The retainers knelt on the floor, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Just then, a guard rushed in, bowing as he reported:
"Daimyō-sama, the Second Hokage has already arrived at the gates and requests an audience with you."
The hall fell into dead silence.
The retainers cautiously lifted their heads, sneaking glances at the Daimyō's ever-shifting expression, trembling in fear.
Senju Tobirama had arrived. They only hoped Daimyō-sama wouldn't do anything impulsive.
The Daimyō's face twisted unpleasantly. That bastard Tobirama had really come. Once Tobirama entered the hall today, his own reputation among the Daimyō circle would take a massive hit.
But there was nothing he could do. Tobirama was already at the gates.
Refusing to meet him would only stir rumors and give people something to gossip about. How would the citizens view him then?
Whether he liked it or not, he had to let Tobirama in.
The Daimyō snorted coldly, flicking his sleeve with force.
"Let them in!"
...
As the guards pushed open the grand doors, Senju Tobirama led his group into the hall.
Renya followed closely behind, his eyes sweeping over the opulent decorations, unable to suppress a sigh.
Looks like the Daimyō is even wealthier than I thought. This time, I need to make sure we squeeze him dry.
Less than ten billion? No way we're walking out of here without that much...
"The Hokage has traveled far to visit. This humble mansion is honored by your presence," the Daimyō said with a fake smile, snapping open a folding fan with a sharp pa! before closing it again.
Every movement, every word of his reeked of arrogance. He didn't even bother to put Tobirama and his group in his eyes.
Even though the people standing before him could easily kill him, his condescending attitude never wavered.
Renya frowned slightly. The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning was acting far too arrogant.
Where was this guy getting his confidence from?
Could it be… there was a Kage-level powerhouse secretly guarding him?
He activated his Sharingan and swept his gaze across the dozens of people in the hall but found no trace of any formidable shinobi. Even the guards surrounding the Daimyō were nothing more than ordinary people.
How the hell does he have the guts to act so high and mighty with this lineup?!
...
Senju Tobirama stood at the center of the hall, expressionless, his crimson eyes locked onto the Daimyō.
"Daimyō-sama, I came here today to discuss the matter of war reparations with you. The Land of Lightning has already surrendered to Konoha. I assume you're aware of this..."
The hall fell silent. The retainers lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word.
"Reparations?" the Daimyō asked coldly, his face darkening. "And just how much does Hokage-dono expect me to pay?"
This damned bastard had humiliated him enough, and now he dared to demand compensation?!
"Kumogakure launched a war against Konoha, causing enormous losses to our village," Tobirama said calmly, pausing briefly before continuing, "Kumogakure must compensate Konoha with ten billion ryō."
Renya nodded approvingly. Finally, the old man was thinking along the same lines as him.
Yes, make the opening offer sky-high. Squeeze the Daimyō until even his underwear is gone.
Honestly, Renya thought ten billion was on the low end...
The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning was swimming in wealth. Paying tens of billions wouldn't even dent his fortune.
After all, this was a man willing to spend two hundred million just to put a price on Tobirama's head. This guy clearly wasn't short on cash.
"Ten billion?!" the Daimyō almost popped his eyeballs out, immediately snapping back:
"Hokage-dono's appetite is far too large! I will never agree to ten billion!"
Finally, he understood why Tobirama had come all the way to his mansion.
While ten billion was just a painful bite for him, he would never waste such an amount on war reparations.
Tobirama had expected the pushback and asked calmly:
"Then how much is Daimyō-sama willing to compensate?"
Negotiations were like this — both sides would throw out their numbers until they eventually found middle ground.
The Daimyō slowly raised a single finger, his expression dead serious.
"I intend to compensate Konoha with one billion ryō."
Tobirama's brow furrowed.
"Daimyō-sama, one billion cannot cover the damages Kumogakure caused to Konoha."
"Heh." The Daimyō's lips curled into a smirk. "I believe one billion is perfectly reasonable. After all, Kumogakure suffered significant losses in the war as well..."
Shnk!
Before he could finish, a kunai suddenly buried itself into the pillar right next to his ear, missing his skull by less than an inch.
Had the throw been just slightly off, he'd already be dead.
The Daimyō nearly toppled out of his chair, his face draining of color, panic and fear replacing his earlier composure.
Just now… he had almost died.
And he didn't even know who had made the throw.
"One billion? Are you trying to hand us pocket change?"
Renya stepped forward from the crowd, his scarlet Sharingan spinning as he took in every detail of the Daimyō's terrified expression.
This guy was weak as hell but still dared to act high and mighty.
Clearly, he'd never been taught how harsh reality could be.
Renya figured it was about time someone gave him a proper lesson.
That kunai just now? Yeah, that was Renya's doing.
No other reason. The money was simply way too low — completely unacceptable.
His expectation was in the tens of billions. There was no way he'd agree to just one billion.
Renya fixed the Daimyō with a cold stare and said flatly:
"This price doesn't satisfy me. I'll give you one more chance to rephrase your offer."