Interesting.
Kangetsu turned the matter over in his head, thinking about a certain would-be brother-in-law.
That's right.
Komachi-san was already "reserved" by him. The moment she arrived in the shinobi world, he fully intended to take her in under his roof.
Sure enough, truly sharp people stayed sharp no matter where you dropped them.
She adapted to the law of the jungle at Hitomaru Market ridiculously fast. After watching for a bit and confirming she'd be fine, Kangetsu stopped paying her special attention.
Right now, he only wanted to know one thing: just how big a mess that pampered young master was going to dump in the old man's lap.
These days, Kangetsu had already pulled the Hyuga clan to his side, the Uchiha clan, and—if he was being generous—Ino-Shika-Cho could count as "halfway in."
He also had Konoha Hospital in his pocket, and a medical corps would follow soon enough.
It looked pretty good on paper, but Konoha still had plenty of clans and factions left. Forget everything else—just the interests tied up in the education system and the military apparatus alone made up half the village.
Kangetsu still had work to do.
At the same time…
Danzo and the other two advisers went back to the Hokage's office to raise hell again.
The atmosphere inside was so delicate it was almost funny. None of them wanted to be the first to open their mouth, which only made it easier for the old buddies to "surround and suppress" them.
Danzo, especially, sat there with his eyes lowered, looking like he'd attained enlightenment.
As Homura put it: You old bastard, that stunt you pulled on us last time? We can milk that for the rest of your life.
Danzo clicked his tongue internally.
Oh, so it's just me now?
What about Hiruzen? Didn't Hiruzen try to eat alone last time too?
It's not like it worked out for him.
The Third Hokage shot Danzo a deeply irritated look.
Why would you bring that up now?
"…Alright," Hiruzen said at last, clearly displeased. "Dragging this out helps no one. Let's talk. This tobacco business—how are we splitting it?"
Kangetsu was still waiting on the contract draft. They couldn't afford to slow the kid down. If they delayed the money, what were they supposed to do then?
Homura thought for a moment, then contributed an absolutely useless observation.
"Mm. The raw materials are being cultivated by our adviser families together. There's no need to allocate profit for that portion."
"…Then what about the front-line sellers and the various networks?" Koharu countered immediately. "You can't pretend they don't deserve a cut."
Without them, the tobacco wasn't going anywhere.
"…Fair point," Homura conceded. "Then give them… ten percent?"
"That's too much," Danzo blurted, pained.
You think this is the clothing business?
This is tobacco.
This would out-earn several clothing businesses put together.
"Not too much," Homura said flatly. "Ten percent is what Kangetsu set."
Oh. Kangetsu set it?
Then it was fine.
Konoha's one and only true high-achiever said so. He had his reasons.
Ten percent out. Ninety percent remained.
"Kangetsu said he doesn't want to get involved in the split anymore," Hiruzen continued. "What do you think?"
What?
Kangetsu wasn't taking a cut?
At first glance, it sounded like great news.
On second thought, all three of them went cold inside.
No.
Absolutely not.
If word got out, what would the village think of them?
Overbearing? Ungrateful? Kicking the ladder down after climbing up? Robbing the man who dug the well after drinking the water?
Did they want their political reputations to go straight into the trash?
Even if they were greedy, you didn't get greedy like that.
More importantly, if Kangetsu didn't have a stake, what if he stopped caring about the tobacco business?
If it earned less, that was the same as losing money.
Losing money was unacceptable.
So Danzo immediately slapped a proposal onto the table.
"Twenty percent. We still give the kid twenty percent. Not a hair less."
"Agreed. Twenty percent," Koharu said at once. "Can't be less."
"We'll be relying on that kid to make money for a long time," Homura added. "Twenty percent isn't much."
With the advisers aligned, Hiruzen lit his long smoking pipe and took a slow pull.
For once, nobody complained about the Hokage smoking.
They looked at him with something close to admiration.
Hokage-sama, that's a good smoke.
That smoke of yours just birthed a tobacco empire.
Even Hiruzen couldn't help preening a little, his mustache lifting with pride.
"Alright," he said. "That makes thirty percent allocated. Then the remaining seventy percent…"
The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the room turned into a dead, uncanny silence.
The old men narrowed their eyes, as if refusing to let anyone see what was happening behind them.
Danzo, though, couldn't sit still.
Among these old geezers, he was the obvious… weak link.
That stunt he pulled last time would haunt him forever.
Seventy percent clearly meant three people got twenty, and the unlucky bastard got ten.
And who was the unlucky bastard?
The others' gazes drifted, subtle but unmistakable, toward Danzo.
"How outrageous!" Danzo slammed the desk, finally exploding.
Watch closely—Danzo slammed the desk.
Mustache bristling, eyes wide, momentum rising.
"My Root provides intelligence and networks for Konoha—do you think that's easy?
"I assist you every day, Hiruzen—do you think that's easy?
"I have to root out spies in the village—do you think that's easy?
"Huh?! Answer me!"
That did it.
Koharu shot to her feet, voice sharp enough to cut.
"Why are you standing up? I'm asking you!
"Why are you standing up?!
"Easy? You think we have it easy?!"
Homura didn't back down either, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Right. Only you, Danzo, are loyal to Konoha. The rest of us are just dead weight."
Two advisers, one after the other.
Danzo's momentum collapsed instantly.
He sank back into his chair, deflated, still muttering under his breath.
"This isn't right…"
Why did it feel like they'd suddenly formed a united front?
United against who?
Danzo glanced around, tugged his mouth into a crooked line, and realized it.
Oh.
He'd become the "outsider."
Danzo wasn't even being that greedy. He just wanted twenty percent.
The truly greedy one was still sitting there smoking.
Hiruzen squinted, smiling, and waved a hand like a kindly grandfather.
Alright, alright, stop making a scene.
Talk it out nicely.
If there was something to discuss, sit down and discuss it slowly.
For example…
"I think," Hiruzen began, "as Hokage, I govern the entire village. I control the administrative arteries of Konoha. Every allocation passes through me. And also—"
…Wait.
The more he talked, the more it sounded wrong.
All three advisers snapped into an instinctive reaction and locked onto Hiruzen like predators.
Especially Danzo.
He was practically vibrating with glee.
There it is.
Hiruzen. Your fox tail finally can't stay hidden, can it?
Go on.
Say it.
Say it out loud.
I promise I won't beat you to death.
Hiruzen wasn't stupid. He felt the temperature drop under those stares, and his voice immediately swerved.
"Ahem. I propose Danzo gets ten percent, and we—"
"Hiruzen!! I knew it! You're trying to hog it again!"
Danzo surged up like a spring.
"Take this!"
"Fūton: Daitoppū (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!!"
(End of Chapter)
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