"Tch…"
Is that really something you say out loud?
Clan Head Tsume hurriedly cut the other person off.
But Clan Head Shibi couldn't suppress the anger boiling in his chest.
Why!?
The Aburame clan is a major clan.
Who among us hasn't rendered meritorious service to the Leaf?
Now there's money to be made, benefits to grab—
And they just forget about our two clans?
Who does business like that?
Hearing him, Tsume sighed and downed a cup of酒.
She didn't try to persuade him again.
Because what he said was exactly what she'd been thinking.
Bullshit!!!
Lately, the Third has been getting more and more ridiculous!
Fine, you want to rake in money—go ahead.
But how the hell do you rake it in without letting us play?
Where's the Third who used to be good at balancing factions?
The Third now—no matter how Tsume looked at him—just looked like a complete blockhead.
She'd even heard—
Even the Ino-Shika-Chō were being eyed by the Third and that old bastard Danzō, trying to kick them out of the game.
So the Ino-Shika-Chō had started pulling their forces in and keeping their heads down.
Otherwise…
Why would their medicine shop have closed?
"Clan Head Tsume, tell me—shouldn't we do something to earn merit with that person?"
"Cough—cough—COUGH!!"
Tsume's eyes sharpened as she cut him off hard.
Watch your mouth.
Say that kind of thing in private.
This place is packed, and mouths are loose—are you trying to get us killed?
"Ah—right, right, right."
Shibi scratched his head awkwardly. He stopped talking and just kept drinking.
He wasn't trying to be reckless.
He was just too anxious.
One after another, Leaf clans and factions were taking off—
And his clan couldn't see even the smallest ripple, couldn't smell even a hint of profit.
Was that reasonable?
"Don't rush."
Tsume, the sort of hard-edged woman who could keep her composure, narrowed her eyes.
In her mind, their two clans weren't meant to enter the arena yet.
Because every faction that "took off" did so only after that person made a move.
So the Inuzuka clan and the Aburame clan had to wait until that person moved—then seize the chance and jump in.
Maybe they wouldn't get to feast until their mouths dripped with grease, but at least they could lock in a floor.
Tsume wasn't greedy.
If they could get what the Uchiha and Hyūga got, that was enough.
Those two clans were huge, too—each one of them could stand on their own, not that far behind any one of the Ino-Shika-Chō branches.
"Sigh…"
You're not in a hurry, but I am!
Shibi looked like he wanted to speak, then swallowed it, then wanted to speak again.
Do you know Torune?
Yeah. My nephew.
He's a department head in Root right now.
What, that sounds powerful?
Don't talk nonsense.
Root right now is basically the definition of "no one loves you."
It used to have that old bastard Danzō as a backer.
Then Danzō ran off to cozy up to his Sun-Moon Light-and-Dark ANBU or whatever the hell.
And Root's budget—what little it had—got cut clean in half.
Is that how a boss acts?
Root is suffering, do you understand?
"Oh? And how is that related to our two clans?"
"Ah, Clan Head Tsume—how do you not get it?"
Our two clans share the same breath. If one falls, both fall. If one rises, both rise.
But how many Aburame have we poured into Root?
"I'm not afraid of you laughing—half! At least half of our clansmen serve in Root!"
"Tch…"
Tsume froze, and her head started pounding.
No, listen—
To relieve your clan's finances, you went this far?
Tsume had heard plenty about how bad Root was right now.
And now you're telling me—
Half your clan is trapped in that boiling pit!?
Shibi shut his eyes in pain, then nodded stiffly.
Tsume's face went green.
What the hell do we do now!?
If your clan collapses, it's going to drag my clan down with it.
This… this…
"You absolute idiot…"
"I— I… sigh…"
Uncarriable.
Face still an ugly shade of green, Tsume tipped her head back and drank hard.
These two messes they were sitting on—
She couldn't carry them.
Originally, Tsume's plan had been simple: hold steady and wait for that person to make a move.
But with the Aburame clan like this, begging for a bowl of rice might not even be close to enough…
A cold glint flashed through Tsume's eyes.
Third. Old bastard.
You forced me into this.
You left our two clans no way out.
Fine.
Then I'll follow the one who's willing to leave a path.
That "god of fortune" is famous for being kindhearted.
"Clan Head Tsume, what do you say? I'll do whatever you decide."
Shibi knew what his clan had done wasn't exactly decent, so he kept his posture low.
"Wait."
Tsume didn't blame him.
Pot, kettle.
Back when the Inuzuka clan caused trouble, the Aburame clan didn't hesitate to shoulder part of it.
The bond between their two clans wasn't any weaker than the Ino-Shika-Chō's.
In the Leaf, if you don't have allies, you really can't take two steps without getting stuck.
Not everyone can be like the Uchiha or the Hyūga.
"Wait for what?"
Tsume only gave him a look.
Wait for what, you think?
Wait for the god of fortune to move.
"Huh? What kind of damn move?"
Sarutobi estate.
The Third should've been asleep, but a burst of clattering and bang-bang noise jolted him awake.
He listened closely.
Oh.
It was his unfilial son.
Then it was fine.
Probably rummaging around for banknotes again.
The Third didn't care.
He kept his banknotes on his person—when he slept, they went under his pillow.
If that brat could find even a single hair, the Third would count it as his loss.
Elsewhere…
Pinching a single hair between his fingers, Sarutobi Sasuke's face turned a shade of pure venom.
Good. Real good.
You old bastard… you really aren't human.
You even guard against your own son!!!
He yanked a black-and-white photo frame into his arms and didn't spare a glance for the rest of the junk.
Because there was nothing worth looking at.
The most valuable thing—the golden Buddha on the jade throne—was already gone, hidden who-knows-where by that old man.
That had been given to him personally by his best bro!
And in the blink of an eye, the old man confiscated it.
It hurt so bad he couldn't sleep for days.
"Hmph!"
He hugged the black-and-white frame tighter.
The more Sasuke thought about it, the angrier he got.
Old man!
You think hiding the banknotes means I've got no options?
Just you wait.
Next time, we'll see who blinks first.
Shimura estate.
Danzō looked at Torune with open disgust.
Why are you here again, you blockhead?
Didn't we agree Root would stop bothering me from now on?
Do you have any idea how easy it is for ANBU to misunderstand?
Torune's expression twisted bitterly.
"My lord, I'm innocent!"
I even came in the middle of the night to report—nobody's watching!
Not good enough!
Even if nobody saw, it still won't do!
I'm pure as ice and clean as jade now—how could I be the same kind of person as you Root lot?
I can't.
(End of Chapter)
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