Still Want a Kickback?

"You're too kind, too kind!"

"This is nothing more than a trivial trick."

"Not just any rabble is qualified to challenge Konoha."

Uchiha Nan humbly replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes. His scarlet Sharingan fixed on the Daimyo, making the latter's skin crawl.

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Who in the entire Ninja world hasn't heard of the Uchiha Sharingan's great name?"

The Daimyo repeatedly agreed. 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 Xuankong away!"

"What a 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 Xuankong, who was sprawled on the ground and unable to rise.

Seeing that his display of intimidation had achieved its purpose, Uchiha Nan stopped keeping a stern face and resumed smiling as he warmly chatted with the Daimyo.

Their conversation covered all sorts of topics.

The Daimyo complained about his hardships, lamenting how difficult it was to govern a country.

His ministers deceived those below and concealed things from those above, falsified accounts, seized land, refused to pay taxes, and embezzled his money.

That's all my money!

Uchiha Nan put on a show of agreeing from the side, likewise lamenting his own hardships.

Being a ninja was hard; being Hokage was even harder!

He had to fight through blades and guns, plunge into wind and fire—one careless moment, and he could lose his life.

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

Men could talk about history, then military affairs, then aliens, and then the origin of the universe. There were no limits to the conversation, but in the end, it always somehow circled back to women.

"Was the gift I sent the Hokage yesterday to your satisfaction?"

The Daimyo wore the knowing smile all men understood. Uchiha Nan naturally returned it with a smile, and everything that needed to be said was left unspoken.

"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. To people like them, women were the cheapest things there were.

So long as they could provide even a little value by drawing him closer to Uchiha Nan, the Daimyo would do everything in his power to satisfy Uchiha Nan's demands.

The deranged task involving three widows immediately surfaced in Uchiha Nan's mind, but he instantly rejected the idea.

Too perverse!

What little integrity Uchiha Nan had left was not something he wanted to throw away.

"No, no."

"Don't be greedy for too much!"

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.

Since he was already here, Uchiha Nan naturally did not refuse. The Daimyo's chefs were genuinely skilled!

After lunch, Uchiha Nan naturally did not forget to pack a portion for Fu and Rin in the room. It was food that only the Daimyo could enjoy; it was probably the first time the two sisters would get to taste it.

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

They did not know much about the title of Hokage, but when it came to ninjas, they understood all too well!

With a mere gesture, they could unleash killing ninjutsu. They had not only heard of Missing-nin wantonly slaughtering civilians—they had seen it with their own eyes.

"Thank you, Master."

As the older sister, Fu was a little braver. She stepped forward and took the box full of food. Though the lid covered the dishes, their fragrance still wafted out from inside.

Gulp!

The two 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 the word, so they did not dare.

"Eat. Why are you looking at me?"

"There's cream cake at the bottom too. I figured you'd probably like it, so I brought you some."

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

After giving them his instructions, Uchiha Nan walked out the door. He still had to take the Daimyo's authorization slip to the Ministry of Finance to collect the funds.

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

"Big Sister, the cake is so sweet!"

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

Sugar was a rare commodity. These days, commoners were doing well if they could merely fill their stomachs and avoid starving to death. Sugar was something only nobles and the wealthy were qualified to enjoy.

Not to mention cream cake!

"Mm."

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

Uchiha Nan left the palace and went to the Ministry of Finance with the warrant approved by the Daimyo.

Ministry of Finance

The room was filled with ledgers. Every clerk had stacks of account books piled before them, their abacuses clicking away beneath their hands.

A middle-aged man in a black robe, fat-bellied and sluggish, sat there sipping tea with nothing to do.

So idle?

Then he must be the one in charge!

"Where is your minister?"

Uchiha Nan walked straight up to the man and spoke.

The man looked up, saw Uchiha Nan wearing the Divine Robe, and immediately rose to greet him, his face breaking into a broad smile.

"The minister is working in the inner office. I shall take the Hokage to see him at once."

Uchiha Nan nodded and followed him into the room, where he saw the minister drinking tea as well.

The Minister of Finance immediately greeted Uchiha Nan with a smile. Uchiha Nan got straight to the point and stated his purpose.

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

Upon hearing that he needed to hand over 32 billion ryo, the Minister of Finance's smile froze, turning into a bitter grimace.

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

He rattled off one excuse after another. In short, there was no money. He did not say he would refuse, only that he wanted to stall.

Damn!

Damn parasite!

The Minister of Finance subtly rubbed his fingers together. He was clearly asking for a benefit. He even dared to skim from the ninja village's military budget?

He really wanted money more than his life!

"One million ryo."

Uchiha Nan raised one finger and named his offer. This man was the Minister of Finance, one of the Land of Fire's upper echelons. Some social courtesy still had to be observed.

"Tch."

The Minister of Finance chuckled and raised five fingers instead.

"Fifty million ryo!"

Looking for death?

Uchiha Nan had already activated his Sharingan. He dared embezzle this much?

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

"Rest assured, we'll cooperate wherever needed. The accounts your Ministry of Finance prepares will be flawless. No one will be able to find anything!"

Uchiha Nan smiled faintly as his Sharingan appeared.

A moment later, the Minister of Finance crawled up from the floor, trembling all over, his eyes filled with terror. He never mentioned kickbacks again. The payment, falsified accounts, receipts—an entire set of procedures was completed at lightning speed.

"What a pathetic bastard!"

Pah!

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

"Take care, Lord Hokage! Take care!"

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

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