A Test!

Uchiha Nan's expression darkened. He had already reduced the amount three times in a row, yet the Daimyo still refused to show him some respect?

Did he really think that just because he had money, Nan wouldn't dare touch him?

The Daimyo's cheek twitched. Sensing Uchiha Nan's displeasure, no matter how dissatisfied he was inside, he could only compromise once more.

After all, Uchiha Nan's fists were bigger.

These damned ninja!

The Daimyo cursed inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. In an instant, he resumed his carefree demeanor and said,

"Since the Hokage has spoken, I'll take another step back. This time, the funding will be 32 billion Ryo."

"Hahaha, splendid!"

"As expected of the wise Daimyo of the Land of Fire!"

"In the future, you will surely lead the Land of Fire beyond its former glory."

"..."

Uchiha Nan instantly performed Sichuan Opera Face-Changing for the Daimyo, spouting all manner of flattery as though it cost nothing.

The client was throwing money around, so what was the harm in saying a few auspicious, flattering words?

As long as the funding was sufficient, Uchiha Nan could even perform a crosstalk routine to praise the Daimyo.

What a conscientious contractor, right?

The gains from this trip had already exceeded Uchiha Nan's expectations. Squeezing another 1 billion ryo out of these rotten vermin could greatly speed up the clan's recovery.

And there were ten precious lottery draws as well!

Of course, there was also a pair of twins... uh... well... that could be crossed off for now.

"You flatter me, you flatter me!"

The Daimyo stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Nan. The Uchiha before him was vastly different from the Uchiha in his memories.

Proud, cold, arrogant—those words all suited the Uchiha. Of course, they were not wrong when applied to Uchiha Nan either, but another word could be added.

Put kindly, he was uninhibited by trivialities. Put bluntly, he was shameless.

In the past, such flattering words would never have come from the mouths of the two Senju Clan brothers, yet Uchiha Nan could say them without changing expression.

It would have been one thing if it were merely those ministers full of schemes, but now even the Hokage had learned this sort of thing.

This was truly...

A little dangerous.

The Daimyo looked at Uchiha Nan, his face taking on an indescribable meaning.

"The Hokage praises me too highly."

"I have another presumptuous request. I hope the Hokage can agree to it."

"Master Genkū, a high monk from the Temple of Fire, has always wished to experience Konoha's ninjutsu firsthand, but he has never had the chance. Would you be willing to offer him some guidance?"

Konoha was not the only armed force sponsored by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire; it was simply the one that received the largest share.

The Temple of Fire had enjoyed flourishing incense offerings year-round. In terms of amassing wealth, its funds were probably not much less than Konoha's.

In the bizarre world of Naruto, there was no shortage of evil spirits, monsters, and the like. When ignorant commoners encountered trouble, aside from burning incense and praying to Buddha, they likely had no other options.

Bit by bit, small amounts accumulated into more. Over the years, that became no small income, not to mention the great nobles who visited temples from time to time to seek blessings.

The temples in Naruto's world were not staffed solely by monks who could only burn incense and pray. The talismans they gave out, such as safety charms, were probably genuinely effective.

What a thriving source of wealth!

In his previous life, the Rabbit had cracked down on such wealth-hoarding temples quite often in ancient times, even going so far as to launch campaigns to destroy Buddhism, all to slaughter a batch of fat sheep and fill the national treasury.

Hmph?

Was this meant to test him?

Uchiha Nan's expression remained unchanged. He could more or less understand the Daimyo's intentions. It was simply too dangerous for the Land of Fire to have only one armed force. If the other side was strong enough, there was no harm in supporting another one.

At worst, they would just spend a little more money and make the common people suffer a little more.

"No problem. I've long heard that the high monks of the Temple of Fire cultivate a special power known as Sage Clan Talent."

"I would also like to experience it for myself."

Uchiha Nan smiled, paying no mind to the Daimyo's test.

"Hahaha, then it's settled!"

The Daimyo wrapped his arm around the young woman from earlier again and returned to his seat, focusing wholeheartedly on eating and drinking as he turned all the frustration of being extorted into appetite.

One meal had cost him an extra 1 billion ryo.

This meal was truly expensive!

Seeing the Daimyo concentrate on eating and drinking, Uchiha Nan also began to stuff himself. He had been drinking with the Daimyo earlier and had barely had a chance to properly sample the delicacies on the table.

After the banquet ended, the plump attendant led Uchiha Nan back to his room. Naturally, he had not forgotten to bring the sisters Kaede and Suzu along.

The moment Uchiha Nan spoke, the two sisters had already been branded as his.

Naturally, Uchiha Nan spent a wonderfully blissful night.

Very... smooth.

The next day

Uchiha Nan crawled out of bed in a daze. He could not remember how long he had worked the previous night; all he knew was that he was utterly exhausted.

When Kaede and Suzu saw that Uchiha Nan was awake, they habitually attended to him as he dressed and washed up.

Their parents had died early. It was only because they were beautiful, and because being twins made them marketable, that the Daimyo had taken them into the palace and carefully trained them, intending to use them one day to entertain powerful nobles and high-ranking figures.

For instance, they might be gifted to the Daimyo of another country.

Now that they had been given to Uchiha Nan, there was nothing they could not accept. Hunger had long since completed their ideological preparation.

Uchiha Nan merely stood there without moving, and the sisters had him tidied up. They even served him breakfast.

This rotten feudal society really did erode one's will!

Uchiha Nan felt as though his first half of life as a ninja had been wasted. Every day, he had licked blood from the edge of a blade, diligently improving his professional skills so he could kill people. Now, he had finally made it through.

"You two will follow me from now on!"

Uchiha Nan looked at the sisters and spoke seriously.

The deed had already been done, and Uchiha Nan would not evade the responsibility he should bear. It was only two more mouths and two more pairs of chopsticks at home.

He, Uchiha Nan, could afford to support them!

The little Kaede and Suzu nodded. They were very satisfied with Uchiha Nan's arrangement.

They had originally been somewhat afraid that Uchiha Nan would act inhumanely, try every possible trick, and then simply leave. If that happened, life would become very difficult for the two of them.

After Uchiha Nan closed the door, the plump attendant was already waiting outside.

"Let's go. Take me to see the Daimyo!"

Before long, Uchiha Nan was brought to a training ground, where the Daimyo was chatting merrily with a half-naked monk.

From a distance, Uchiha Nan thought he had seen Fahai. Both were bald, and both had tattoos on their bodies.

"Hokage, did you sleep well last night?"

The Daimyo wore a smile, but Uchiha Nan somehow felt that it was a lecherous one.

"Not bad! Your beds are big and soft, better than the ones in my home!"

"Hahaha, if the Hokage likes it, I can give you my finest bed!"

"..."

After exchanging some meaningless pleasantries with the Daimyo, Uchiha Nan finally got to the point.

"This is Master Genkū, a high monk of the Temple of Fire."

"Hello!"

Please keep reading, and send monthly tickets too.

Begging while rolling around.