All eyes were on him…
Sasuke couldn't help but marvel at how glorious it looked to be a walking cash god, but the job his father handed him still had to get done.
Sasuke was Hiruzen's eldest son.
He'd inherited his grandfather's name, and in the Sarutobi clan he carried real weight. The moment he thought about his clan getting another cut of the profits, even a "young master" like him felt his blood heat up.
As for whether the tobacco business would make money, he wasn't worried at all.
Even if they lost on this one, there was still the clothing empire.
The Sarutobi clan had deep pockets now. They could afford to take a hit.
He followed Kangetsu into the Land of Fire.
All the land his old man had circled got put to work recruiting people to plant tobacco.
Sasuke kept a close watch on the Shimura clan, the Mito clan, and the Utatane clan members.
His gaze was razor-sharp.
He was terrified those families would take advantage of them.
And no, he wasn't being paranoid.
That was exactly the kind of people they were.
Even now, he still remembered how those "advisors" had strong-armed his father, forcing him to cough up profit shares that should've stayed in Sarutobi hands. Just thinking about it made his teeth itch.
Less for his old man meant less for him, too.
So he hated them by association and held a grudge like it was a mission.
As his father's right-hand man, he firmly opposed any advisor who tried to hamstring his father.
"Sasuke-sama, how's the planting going today?"
The cash god was here?
Sasuke greeted him warmly.
This guy was absolutely his father's trusted confidant—and the reason Sasuke got to live well every single day. Of course he had to be enthusiastic. He couldn't let his father's inner circle feel slighted.
"Same as always. Nothing special. Oh, and Kangetsu—drinks again tonight?"
He spotted a few Shimura higher-ups wandering over to cozy up. Sasuke immediately locked in a dinner-and-drinks plan.
Kangetsu didn't refuse.
He was used to it—keeping a young master company.
Anyone who wanted to climb inside the system usually couldn't skip this step.
A few higher-ups from the Shimura clan, the Mito clan, and the Utatane clan all came over with smiling faces, trading small talk and pretending they were old friends.
There were plenty of hands to work the fields. The priority wasn't the dirt.
It was Kangetsu.
They had to keep their own interests nailed down on his side.
No way were they letting those slippery bastards kick them out of the game.
Before long, Kangetsu acted like he had something to handle and moved to leave. The higher-ups immediately lost interest in talking to each other.
Why waste breath on a bunch of idiots trying to steal your money?
They clicked their tongues at each other and returned to their respective plots.
Only Sasuke started to leave too—until he caught a subtle hand signal from Kangetsu.
That…
Sasuke's pupils tightened.
His heart jumped hard.
A signal?
Now?
Why?
He studied Kangetsu's expression again. It didn't look like bad news.
If it wasn't bad news, then…
Warmth spread through Sasuke's chest.
Could it be… another way to make money?
The thought lit him on fire. Sasuke hurried off with some throwaway excuse and left the fields behind.
Heaven and earth could wait. Money came first.
Nobody was stopping Sasuke from getting paid.
He'd contributed to Konoha in ANBU for years. Enjoying himself a little—what was wrong with that?
He arrived at a hotel in the Land of Fire and went straight into a private room. Sure enough, Kangetsu was already there.
Sasuke grinned and hustled over.
"Hey! Hey! Kangetsu, you can't be the one pouring drinks! After everything you've done for Konoha, those hands shouldn't be pouring sake—they should be doing work for Konoha!"
He snatched the bottle, poured them each a cup, and lifted his.
"Little brother—no more talk. Let's drink first!"
Kangetsu's expression looked faintly pleased, and Sasuke's excitement spiked.
He glanced left and right, then leaned in, forcing himself to keep his voice down.
"Brother, tell me straight. Is there another road?"
"Sasuke-niisan, you really are a capable man from ANBU…"
So it was real!
Sasuke poured again, then drained three cups in a row.
The clothing empire—his father had a twenty-percent cut. That twenty percent alone had Sasuke eating and drinking like a king every day. And now there was another route?
That wasn't just taking off. That was flying.
"Brother, just say it. Whatever it is, I've got you covered!"
Sasuke thumped his chest like a man of honor.
Talk.
Your brother's got people.
My dad is the Hokage, understood?
Kangetsu hesitated for a beat, then lowered his voice even further.
"Niisan, you know this. If we want real results from planting tobacco, it'll take at least a year or two."
So Kangetsu wasn't planning to wait for the fields to pay off.
He'd already been quietly organizing a network of small-time tobacco peddlers.
He pulled a contract from inside his vest and slid it across the table.
"Niisan, this time I left Hokage-sama the biggest share."
Buying tobacco: thirty percent.
The peddlers: twenty percent.
Kangetsu himself: ten percent.
Hokage-sama alone: forty percent.
Forty?
Just hearing it made Sasuke's mouth go dry.
But Sasuke didn't understand business details, so he grabbed Kangetsu's sleeve with earnest urgency.
"Brother, tell me—this forty percent… about how much does that turn into?"
Kangetsu raised his hand and indicated a number.
"If nothing goes wrong, it should be around this."
Wha—!?
Sasuke stared at the figure Kangetsu had shown him, and his eyes went red.
Another "clothing empire"?!
Good. Good!
Kangetsu really was his father's trusted confidant.
When there was profit to be had, he actually thought about the Sarutobi clan.
Sasuke was so excited he almost sprang up and did some ridiculous chugging stunt on the spot—
But Kangetsu pushed him back down immediately.
"Niisan, keep it tight. Things like this only work if they stay quiet. There are too many eyes around here. Be careful."
Right.
Right!
There really were plenty of dogs sniffing around. They couldn't let those dogs catch the scent.
"Write a letter!"
"I'm writing to my father right now!"
"Brother, you wait here—I'll be right back!"
Your brother's calling people in.
He bolted out of the room and raced for the Sarutobi clan's station in the Land of Fire.
To hell with sleep.
Get up.
Time to scoop money.
But while Sasuke was riding high, people out in the fields saw it.
The advisor families exchanged looks.
Most of them narrowed their eyes, the corners of their mouths lifting.
See?
Letting that young master play fisherman didn't just catch a fish—it hooked a big one.
Look at him showing off.
He definitely landed a huge payday.
That cash god… still the same cash god as ever.
Then their expressions sharpened.
Uh-oh.
The direction he was heading…
He was going to call backup.
"Sarutobi brat! Stop right there!!"
"Sasuke! You bastard think you can run?!"
(End of Chapter)
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