In the bath, Xingzhuo relaxed his somewhat weary body.
With his eyes closed, he calculated his current monthly income.
The Dessert Shop and Barbecue Shop were now bringing in more and more money each month.
Their monthly income had skyrocketed from one hundred thousand ryo to one million.
The clan was already preparing to help him open more branches. They had only just settled the matter of the shares over the past couple of days.
Elder Qiyan had wanted to give him only a 20 percent share in each branch.
But Xingzhuo had held firm on the recipes and "copyright," and with his father, Hyuga Tianren, giving his tacit approval, he had managed to negotiate a 40 percent share.
That was already an absurdly generous stake.
After all, he wouldn't be putting up any money or effort to open the branches; all he had to do was provide a recipe and send someone to keep an eye on things.
So the only reason he'd secured such a generous share was that he was the future clan head.
Xingzhuo was actually happy to see the clan's income increase so much.
After all, the clan could only pay its members more if it had more money.
For instance, he'd used to receive only one hundred thousand ryo in resources each month.
Since the Sarutobi Clan incident, his clan resources had increased to three hundred thousand ryo.
But he had expenses of his own, too.
Never mind his own needs; he had to cover Yun Fei and Lian's cultivation resources, and pay Ziyin a high salary as his chief financial officer.
He also had to hire people to take care of all the odd jobs around the courtyard.
And now there was Kenshi as well. He was a talented kid, so Xingzhuo needed to make sure his cultivation resources kept up.
As he worked it all out, he lost track of time. Then he suddenly realized that nobody in the bath seemed to be saying anything.
He looked up.
Yun Fei was lying in the bath, relaxing as he gazed at the ceiling.
Kenshi was trying to do the same, but he was already half-grown, so the position looked a little uncomfortable.
Xingzhuo sighed helplessly.
Kenshi still couldn't bring himself to relax.
So Xingzhuo swam over and helped spread his legs apart, letting him stretch out and forcing him to relax.
After another stretch of awkward silence,
Xingzhuo cleared his throat and took the initiative to start a conversation.
"Kenshi, how much did you earn each month before?"
Kenshi paused, then answered promptly:
"Before I started at the Dessert Shop, the clan gave me only fifty thousand ryo a month."
"After I started working at the Dessert Shop, the clan allowance went up to seventy thousand."
Hearing Kenshi's answer, Xingzhuo's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? Only seventy thousand?"
Kenshi nodded and glanced curiously at young Master Xingzhuo.
What was wrong with seventy thousand?
Through gritted teeth, Xingzhuo said:
"On top of your clan allowance, I gave you another one hundred thousand ryo, so you should've been getting a total of one hundred and fifty thousand. That old geezer Hyuga Qiyan really gave you less than half of that?"
Kenshi lowered his eyes slightly, as if he'd already accepted that this was normal.
But Xingzhuo felt that this kind of culture needed to change.
"Keep taking your clan allowance from now on. I'll provide you with a fixed amount of cultivation resources and two hundred and fifty thousand ryo each month."
At his young master's words, Kenshi looked up in confusion.
He felt like he'd just heard something he couldn't understand again.
"Is that not enough? That's what I give Yun Fei and Lian."
Kenshi suddenly caught on. He stammered:
"It's enough, it's enough. That's a lot."
Watching Kenshi stumble over his words, Xingzhuo suddenly felt mischievous. He teased him:
"Kenshi, you're already sixteen. If you go to Windy Street every month to meet some pretty ladies, three hundred thousand ryo really wouldn't be enough."
At that, Hyuga Kenshi froze. Once he understood what his young master meant, his face turned bright red, and he looked ready to pass out.
"Hahahaha!"
Laughing loudly, Xingzhuo reached out to steady him.
Yun Fei couldn't help laughing, either.
Xingzhuo figured Hyuga Kenshi was just like Hyuga Hinata in the future: the easily embarrassed type, to the point that it was practically an illness.
Now that he'd figured that out, he felt like he'd found himself another source of amusement.
That was it, then. From now on, he'd tease the kid whenever he got the chance and add a little fun to everyday life.
It would also give Kenshi less time to dwell on bad things.
The three of them soaked for over an hour before finally leaving, one after another.
Mostly because Xingzhuo kept making dirty jokes at Kenshi's expense.
The result was that two of them laughed the whole time, while the third swung back and forth between passing out from embarrassment and nearly passing out from embarrassment.
The next day was pretty much the same as the one before.
Everyone ate breakfast together, then Ziyin went to work while the other four began training.
Young Master Xingzhuo seemed to have a thing for beating other people. He would challenge them to spar, then win with overwhelming strength.
They all took a break together at noon. In the afternoon, they went out to inspect the shops as usual.
It was Lian's turn to work today, so she went out with her young master, while Yun Fei stayed behind to train with Kenshi.
When evening fell, Kenshi entered the bath, fidgeting nervously.
Then, just as expected, his young master made him the target of his teasing again.
But compared to the day before, he no longer fainted.
Xingzhuo also felt that this source of amusement wouldn't last much longer.
Another new day dawned.
Today, Kenshi, who had just finished his sick leave, was back on duty.
But today's schedule was different from before.
Hyuga Xingzhuo was going to the Senju Clan Grounds to study Sealing Techniques.
After finishing breakfast as usual, Xingzhuo took Kenshi to the Senju Clan Grounds.
But contrary to what Kenshi had imagined, once his young master arrived at the Senju Clan Grounds, he seemed even more at ease than when he was back in the Hyuga Clan Grounds.
It was as if he were home.
Kenshi found himself doubting things all over again.
Had I been dreaming these past few days?
Of course, he hadn't been dreaming.
Between Xingzhuo's personality and temperament, and his status as Tobirama's student and Yuto's friend, he'd quickly become close with everyone.
That was why he felt right at home at the Senju Clan Grounds.
"Hey, Lord Hokage's here too! When are you going to teach me Wood Release?"
"Master, you haven't gone to work yet? Without you, Konoha will grind to a halt in no time."
"Yuto, why are you still sleeping in? Get up and study with me!"
"Lady Mito, we're learning the Four Symbols Seal today, right? I can't wait! Once I've learned three more Sealing Techniques, I'll be able to study the Flying Thunder God!"
Half an hour later, Xingzhuo dragged Yuto, who was still rubbing his eyes, over to sit across from Uzumaki Mito.
Mito looked at her younger son's sleepy appearance and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
She rubbed the heads of the two children, had someone bring over some snacks and tea, and then began today's lesson.
"The Four Symbols Seal is one of the Sealing Techniques that marks the beginning of the more advanced ones."
"It works by using a cycle of four symbols to seal a particular kind of power for a long time..."
Meanwhile, Kenshi wasn't idle, either.
He ate the little snacks the servants brought him while studying the Taijutsu Scroll his young master had given him in the room next door.
He, too, eagerly absorbed the knowledge.
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