The crazier Akatsuki Ninja Village gets, the more it proves my loyalty to the Land of Fire!

He had searched high and low in vain, only for it to fall into his lap without any effort.

That was more or less what Tobirama Senju thought as he looked at the intelligence in his hands.

Just a short while ago, he, the Second, had personally bowed ninety degrees and said "Sumimasen" before the great nobles and senior officials in the Capital of the Land of Fire. He had humbled himself as much as possible, all to coax them into putting a little money into Konoha and supporting the village's development.

Yet the results had fallen far short of his hopes.

Every one of those bastards had talked a good game, but when it came time to pay, they all started pleading poverty. Their promises amounted to next to nothing.

Who could have imagined that things would take such an unexpected turn at this very moment?

Now, without him even asking, quite a few great nobles were already eagerly showing up with hard cash, begging to support Konoha. Their demands were also very simple: all they wanted was Konoha's protection for their lives and property.

That was practically effortless for Konoha.

The Land of Fire was vast. If these nobles insisted on staying on their own estates, Konoha truly could not disperse all its ninja to serve as their bodyguards.

That was also why Akatsuki Ninja Village's Anbu Ninja had succeeded so easily in their assassinations.

But as long as those nobles were willing to relocate and bring their fortunes to Konoha... Tobirama Senju was fully confident that he could thump his chest and guarantee their safety under Konoha's protection.

These nobles were genuinely wealthy. It was no exaggeration to say their family basements held mountains of gold bars.

Even a fraction of that enormous wealth flowing into Konoha