"Tomita, what are these people here for?"
Uchiha Nan had been promoted, so he naturally moved into Uchiha Tomita's former room and officially began his life as Clan Head.
"Clan Head, these people are Uchiha's accountants."
Uchiha Tomita pointed toward the accountants standing in a row. They were all professional accountants hired by the Uchiha, and all civilians from Konoha.
As for why not a single one of them was an Uchiha, the reason was naturally that the Uchiha were only good at cutting people down. Whenever they looked at these tedious, complicated ledgers, they got headaches.
Uchiha Tomita gave them a look, and the accountants began reporting on the clan's current situation.
"Clan Head, as of now, the clan's weapons business is still running a deficit. To prepare for the war, Konoha has incurred more than 530 million taels in debt for purchasing shuriken, kunai, Exploding Tags, and so on produced by the clan."
"Clan Head, the businesses under the clan are in no better shape. More than thirty percent of the tenants are over six months behind on their rent, for a total of 130 million taels. The details are as follows."
"Clan Head, the compensation for the clan members who died in battle has remained unpaid. Quite a few people are making a fuss about it now."
"..."
The four or five accountants before him droned on as they read from their ledgers, constantly reporting the accounts.
Everything they said boiled down to one thing: Pay up!
Pay up quickly, and pay as much as possible!
Uchiha Nan's expression turned awkward. I just took over, and you're already pulling this on me? I can't exactly say the clan is going to go bankrupt under my leadership.
"Enough. In one sentence, how much cash does the clan have left, and how long can it last?"
Uchiha Nan could no longer stand their scripture-like reports and directly asked for the result.
"About 150 million taels. Excluding the compensation for the clan's fallen heroes, it can probably last for about a month."
Hiss!
That little? They could only last a month?
"Tomita, has the clan's finances really deteriorated this badly?"
Uchiha Nan looked at Uchiha Tomita. His finances had exploded the moment he took office. How was he supposed to work like this?
"Clan Head, you know how it is. This war has gone on for far too long. It isn't just the Uchiha—even every clan in Konoha is in the same situation."
Not only that, Konoha's ninja had barely accepted any missions for a long time. They had all been sent to the front lines, cutting off a major source of Konoha's income.
Konoha had been maintained by the various shinobi clans constantly bleeding themselves dry and sending out their people.
Damn it!
"What about the Daimyo? The Land of Fire's Daimyo!"
"He hasn't sent any money?"
Uchiha Nan was getting exasperated. The ninja were risking their lives outside, while the Daimyo was unwilling to spend a single coin.
"The Daimyo provides Konoha with twenty billion taels every year. Over the past three years, he increased that to twenty-five billion taels."
"But..."
Uchiha Tomita did not finish, but the meaning was obvious: It had all been spent. A single Exploding Tag cost no less than 3,000 taels to make, and no one knew how many were used on the battlefield every day during a small-scale battle.
There were also countless kunai and shuriken flying around the battlefield.
And that did not even include Soldier Pills, food, and medical supplies.
That wasn't fighting a war. That was burning money.
Even burning money was slower than this rate of expenditure.
It seemed Konoha truly could not keep fighting. If this continued, it would collapse from within. What clan could withstand burning money like this?
Not to mention the clan's casualties. Nearly an entire generation had died.
"Don't worry, Clan Head. The Daimyo has reached an agreement with Tobirama Senju. A large sum of money will be allocated to rebuild Konoha."
He had no choice. If he did not bleed a little more, Konoha would start considering whether to replace him with a Daimyo who was more willing to pay.
Throughout the Ninja world's nearly thousand-year history, plenty of Daimyo who were not quite right in the head and failed to provide enough money had been killed by the ninja under their command.
They were all serving the Land of Fire anyway. If the Daimyo died, he still had sons and brothers. They could always find someone to inherit the title of Daimyo.
Seeing Uchiha Nan's expression as if he were about to die, Uchiha Tomita still gave him a dose of encouragement.
A newly appointed Clan Head could not quit just because there was no money. That would make the Uchiha lose all face.
"How much exactly?"
"Lord Tobirama didn't say. It's confidential."
Damn it!
Playing this trick, are you? That bastard Tobirama wouldn't be planning to line his own pockets, would he?
A huge sum of money was now waiting for the next Hokage to distribute. Who got more and who got less would be decided with a single word from the Hokage.
This time, he absolutely could not let the Senju seize the initiative.
"Lord Uchiha Nan, you absolutely have to become Hokage."
Uchiha Tomita's eyes shone as he stared at Uchiha Nan, practically gazing at him with longing. Once Uchiha Nan became Hokage, he would have the authority to distribute the funds for rebuilding Konoha.
Wasn't this exactly what the shinobi clans wanted when they sought the position of Hokage?
They could justifiably ask the Land of Fire's Daimyo for money, then distribute it afterward. The clan could skim off a portion to train its ninja and strengthen its power.
Of course, that was only part of it. There were also all sorts of hidden sources of income.
For example, the allocation of Konoha's missions, land sales, and commercial secrets.
These were all powers that only the higher-ups could control.
Every clan did everything it could to squeeze out and seize as much as possible within Konoha's framework, then used it to train its ninja and strengthen its power. This cycle continued, being passed down from generation to generation.
Any clan that managed to produce a Hokage could naturally feast on the choicest meat.
This was the closest the Uchiha had ever come to the Hokage Position. They absolutely could not miss this opportunity.
The clan desperately needed an infusion of funds!
"I'll become Hokage."
Uchiha Nan made a promise—not only for himself, but also for the clan, and of course for Konoha.
In the original story, Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage, the Senju Clan disappeared, and the Uchiha Clan disappeared. After the fall of these two great noble clans, the only family that gorged itself on the feast was the Sarutobi Clan.
Damn it. He had fattened his own clan while Konoha gradually weakened.
"Of course I believe in you, Lord Uchiha Nan."
Uchiha Tomita had great confidence in Uchiha Nan. After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, who in Konoha could stop him?
"Lord Uchiha Nan, these are the documents the Clan Head needs to handle."
Uchiha Tomita brought over another stack of papers. They were the documents Uchiha Tomita usually had to deal with.
They covered all sorts of matters: promotions within the Uchiha Military Police Force, patrols of Konoha's streets, and the capture of spies.
There were also the clan's businesses and important guests the Clan Head had to receive. Naturally, these guests were either rich or powerful—major merchants and nobles from the Land of Fire.
The next appointment was the day after tomorrow. It was with a major merchant who had always worked with the Uchiha and supplied the iron used as raw material for producing the Uchiha's weapons. He was probably coming to collect a debt.
The Uchiha had nearly half a year's worth of payments outstanding. The last time he came, Uchiha Tomita had drunk with him until well past midnight before finally settling the matter. He had exhausted every polite word he could think of and barely managed to delay things for a while longer.
Of course, this mess was now Uchiha Nan's headache to deal with.
Before you continue