Still Want a Kickback?

"Too kind, too kind!"

"It was nothing more than a trivial trick."

"Not just any random nobody is qualified to challenge Konoha."

Uchiha Nan feigned humility with a smile that did not reach his eyes. His scarlet Sharingan stared at the Daimyo, making the latter's insides crawl.

"Indeed, indeed!"

"Who in The entire Ninja World hasn't heard of the Uchiha Sharingan's great reputation?"

The Daimyo agreed again and again. He understood Uchiha Nan's unspoken meaning: even if Konoha's strength had greatly declined, it was still unquestionably the strongest force in the entire Land of Fire.

"Someone, carry Genkū away!"

"Useless piece of trash!"

The Daimyo turned around, and the smile plastered across his face instantly vanished. He directly ordered his subordinates to drag away Genkū, who was sprawled on the ground and unable to rise.

Seeing that his display of force had achieved its purpose, Uchiha Nan stopped keeping a straight face and resumed smiling as he began chatting warmly with the Daimyo.

Their conversation covered all sorts of topics.

The Daimyo aired his grievances, lamenting how difficult it was to govern a country.

His ministers bullied those beneath them and deceived those above, falsified accounts, seized land, refused to pay taxes, and embezzled his money.

This was all my money!

Uchiha Nan nodded along perfunctorily from the side, also lamenting his own hardships.

Being a ninja was hard. Being Hokage was even harder!

He had to fight through blades and spears, charge through wind and fire—one slip, and he could lose his life.

Sometimes, people shared the same joys and sorrows. The Daimyo and Uchiha Nan chatted on and off like that.

Men could talk about history, then military affairs, then aliens, then the origins of the universe. The point was to be uninhibited, but eventually, the conversation always turned to women.

"Were you satisfied with the gift I sent the Hokage yesterday?"

The Daimyo wore the knowing smile all men understood. Uchiha Nan naturally returned it with a smile, and no words were needed.

"If the Hokage likes that sort of thing, then I have plenty here."

The Daimyo's eyes shifted as he extended an invitation to Uchiha Nan. Women were the cheapest things in the world to people like them.

If they could be used to bring him closer to Uchiha Nan, the Daimyo would do everything in his power to satisfy Uchiha Nan's demands.

The deranged mission involving three widows immediately surfaced in Uchiha Nan's mind, but he rejected it at once.

Too perverse!

Uchiha Nan had no intention of throwing away what little moral integrity he had left.

"No, no."

"Don't be too greedy!"

Uchiha Nan repeatedly shook his head and declined the Daimyo's goodwill. The Daimyo was slightly disappointed, though he did not show it.

After chatting with the Daimyo for a while, it was time for lunch. Naturally, the Daimyo invited Uchiha Nan to dine in the palace.

With the mindset of not turning down a free meal when he was already here, Uchiha Nan naturally accepted. The cooks the Daimyo kept really were excellent!

After lunch, Uchiha Nan naturally did not forget to pack a portion for Kaede and Suzu in their room. It was food that only the Daimyo could enjoy, so it was probably the first time the two sisters had tasted it.

The sisters stood nervously in the room, waiting for Uchiha Nan. They had heard that the important person before them was a ninja—and even Konoha's Hokage!

They did not really understand what the title Hokage meant, but when it came to ninja, they knew plenty!

With a mere gesture, ninja could unleash deadly ninjutsu. Not only had they heard of rogue ninja wantonly slaughtering civilians, they had seen it with their own eyes.

"Thank you, Master."

As the elder sister, Kaede was a little braver. She stepped forward to take the box full of food. Though the lid covered the food, its aroma still wafted out from inside.

Gulp!

The sisters swallowed. Uchiha Nan had tormented them for half the night yesterday, and they had barely eaten breakfast. By now, they were starving, yet they still did not open the food box.

Uchiha Nan had not given them permission, so they did not dare.

"Eat. What are you looking at me for?"

"There's cream cake at the very bottom. I figured you two might like it, so I brought some back for you."

"I still have things to do. After lunch, stay in the room and don't run around."

After giving them a few instructions, Uchiha Nan walked out the door. He still had to take the Daimyo's signed order to the Ministry of Finance and collect the funds.

The moment Uchiha Nan left, the sisters impatiently opened the box and began enjoying the food.

"Big Sister, the cake is so sweet!"

Suzu picked up the cake and licked the cream on top. It was soft and sweet.

Sugar was a rare commodity. In these times, ordinary people were fortunate if they could fill their stomachs and avoid starving to death. Sugar was something only nobles and officials were qualified to enjoy.

Not to mention cream cake!

"Mm."

Kaede nodded. The sweetness in her mouth eased some of her fear for the future. Her master seemed to be a good person!

Uchiha Nan left the Imperial Palace and arrived at the Ministry of Finance with the order approved by the Daimyo.

Ministry of Finance

The room was filled with account books. Before every clerk sat stacks upon stacks of ledgers, while the abacuses beneath their hands clicked incessantly.

A middle-aged man in a black robe, fat-bellied and sluggish, leisurely sipped tea while doing absolutely nothing.

So idle?

Then he had to be in charge!

"Where is your Minister of Finance?"

Uchiha Nan walked straight up to the man and spoke.

The man looked up and saw Uchiha Nan wearing a Haori. He immediately rose to greet him, his face full of smiles.

"The Minister is working in the room inside. I will take the Hokage to see him at once."

Uchiha Nan nodded and followed him inside, where he saw the Minister also drinking tea.

The Minister of Finance immediately greeted Uchiha Nan with a smile. Uchiha Nan got straight to the point and explained why he had come.

"This... this is rather difficult, Lord Hokage!"

When the Minister of Finance heard that he was expected to provide 32 billion taels, the smile on his face immediately froze and turned into a bitter grimace.

"The treasury has no money! We need to provide relief for disaster victims and take in refugees. There was a drought in the north this year, and flooding in the south..."

He casually rattled off all sorts of excuses. In short, there was no money. He did not say he would refuse, only that he intended to drag things out.

Damn!

These damned parasites!

The Minister of Finance rubbed his hands discreetly. He was clearly demanding benefits, even daring to skim off the ninja village's military expenses.

He truly wanted money more than his life!

"1 million taels!"

Uchiha Nan raised one finger and made his offer. This man was the Minister of Finance and one of the Land of Fire's high-ranking officials, so he still had to observe the usual social etiquette.

"Tch."

The Minister of Finance chuckled and held up five fingers instead.

"50 Million Ryo!"

Looking for death?

Uchiha Nan had already opened his Sharingan. He dared to pocket that much?

"Don't get angry, Lord Hokage. This is the old rule. I'm not asking for too much."

"Rest assured, we'll cooperate however we should. The accounts your Ministry of Finance makes will be flawless. No one will be able to spot anything!"

Uchiha Nan smiled faintly, his Sharingan appearing.

A moment later, the Minister of Finance crawled up from the floor, trembling all over. His eyes were filled with terror. He never mentioned kickbacks again. The transfer, falsified accounts, and complete set of receipts were handled in a flash.

"What a pathetic bastard!"

Pah!

Uchiha Nan spat on the Minister of Finance's face and walked out without looking back.

"Take care, take care!"

Though it was a little late, happy Qixi Festival, brothers.

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