Troublesome Little Ghost

"Daimyo, the matter of the Scroll of Seals is of too great importance for me to decide alone. We require some time to deliberate."

Facing the request from the Third Hokage, the Daimyo readily agreed. He gestured for the Third Hokage to make himself at home, then leaned back into the sofa with a look of contentment, allowing the group to depart from the Hokage Building.

Meanwhile, Ye Ning was lost in silent contemplation.

His cheapskate father had made his stance clear: if the Scroll of Seals was not lent out, then Konoha's funding for the year would be cut off.

Despite their fury, Ye Ning estimated that the Third Hokage and Danzo had no way around it.

After all, they were ninjas, not magicians; they couldn't just conjure money out of thin air.

Therefore, it was foreseeable that no matter how displeased the Third Hokage and Danzo felt, they would have to swallow their pride and obediently hand over the Scroll of Seals.

However, not being able to refuse openly didn't mean they couldn't pull some strings behind the scenes.

After all, the Scroll of Seals was kept by the Third Hokage, and only a very small number of people knew exactly what kind of ninjutsu were recorded within it. It wouldn't be strange if they presented a censored version when the time came.

Given the temperaments of the Third Hokage and Danzo, such a thing was highly likely to happen.

"Xiao Ning."

The Daimyo's cheerful call pulled Ye Ning from his thoughts.

He saw his father winking triumphantly, completely devoid of the imposing aura he had displayed before the Third Hokage. "How was that? Was I alright just now?"

Of course he was.

Using power to pressure others—it was incredibly cool.

"Your father, at the end of the day, is still a politician. Although in your eyes I might seem a bit unreliable or absurd, this kind of skill is carved into my bones, and it is something you must learn in the future."

"In the future, when negotiating with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the like, you will inevitably need to use such tactics. In a situation like today, your goal was to borrow the Scroll of Seals, but you couldn't say it directly, or you would have revealed all your cards."

"First, propose something they could never accept, or describe a consequence they cannot bear, and only then present your actual demand. That is the essence of negotiation. Learn it well; you will have to deal with other Daimyo often."

Ye Ning nodded thoughtfully.

This method was somewhat like the open-window effect, though not entirely the same.

However, Ye Ning had a different opinion regarding his cheapskate father's logic:

"I feel like I might not have any use for this kind of negotiation technique. If other Daimyo don't agree, I can just beat them up! Ninjas can't lay a hand on a Daimyo, but I can! Who says only ninjas can use ninjutsu?"

The Daimyo was instantly rendered speechless.

For a moment, he actually felt that there was nothing wrong with that statement.

If he could use ninjutsu and had his son's talent, would he still need to waste time bickering with those distant relatives?

He would have punched them out long ago!

In another office within the Hokage Building, Danzo's face was dark, filled with suppressed rage. He looked like a beast ready to devour someone:

"How dare he! Instead of staying put in his Capital of the Land of Fire, he actually came to my Konoha to throw his weight around! Who does he think he is?"

"Say less. The urgent matter at hand is to discuss what to do."

"What to do? He wants to borrow the Scroll of Seals? He's dreaming!"

"Danzo, stop with the angry talk. If we truly offend the Daimyo, what will we do if this year's funding is gone? Konoha's finances are already tight; I was even planning to ask the Daimyo for an increase in funding!"

"Enough, stop arguing!"

The Third Hokage interrupted the bickering with a headache, his face full of helplessness. "The continued operation of Konoha cannot do without the support of the Daimyo, so we absolutely must not provoke him. Let's think about how to handle this."

Mitokado Homura, who had been quiet until now, suddenly suggested: "The Daimyo only said he wanted to borrow the Scroll of Seals, but he has no way of knowing what ninjutsu are recorded inside. Why not just copy a few random ninjutsu to fob him off?"

The eyes of the others lit up.

This was a good plan!

It would dismiss the Daimyo's unreasonable request without offending him, and Konoha's funding would still arrive smoothly. It was killing three birds with one stone!

"Daimyo, sorry to keep you waiting."

With a solution in hand, the Third Hokage's face regained its smile.

After entering the office, before the Daimyo could even speak, the Third Hokage took the initiative:

"Daimyo, we can lend the Scroll of Seals to the young master for study, but there are some ninjutsu within the Scroll of Seals that even the ninjas of Konoha cannot learn, and practicing them is extremely dangerous."

"For the young master's safety, we will remove some of the highly dangerous ninjutsu and leave behind those that pose no risk. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Ye Ning couldn't help but click his tongue.

Sure enough, it was exactly as he had expected.

However, this was also quite normal.

Some of the ninjutsu in the Scroll of Seals were indeed not suitable for casual lending and study.

Take Impure World Reincarnation, for example.

To put it mildly, it was an evil art that desecrated the dead; to put it strongly, it was a ninjutsu capable of endangering the entire ninja world!

However, to prevent the Scroll of Seals from being too heavily censored, Ye Ning added a layer of insurance:

"I have long heard of the great name of the Scroll of Seals; surely the ninjutsu contained within must be quite comprehensive? It couldn't possibly lack even a single genjutsu, could it? I heard that... the First Hokage back in the day had a genjutsu called the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, right? It should be recorded in the Scroll of Seals, shouldn't it? Oh, and there are also some ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage; I heard they were all forbidden techniques? Surely the Scroll of Seals must have records of those as well?"

"Oh? Is that so?" The Daimyo immediately became interested.

The First Hokage, the figure who ended the chaotic era, was illustrious enough that even he knew of him.

The ninjutsu of the First Hokage certainly wouldn't be bad!

The corners of the Third Hokage's mouth twitched instantly.

What a troublesome brat!

The Third Hokage did not find it strange that Ye Ning could know such secret information.

After all, the lineage of the Daimyo and the Senju Clan had a deep connection, even sharing marital ties. The Daimyo of the past had even dealt directly with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, so it was not surprising that he would know certain secrets.

Ye Ning's words truly made the Third Hokage feel quite uncomfortable.

He had been planning to just copy a few ninjutsu for the brat to make a simplified version of the Scroll of Seals to brush him off, but it turned out this brat actually had some understanding of the ninjutsu contained within the Scroll of Seals!

This was going to be difficult.

It seemed he would have to add a few more ninjutsu.

Although there was no change in the expression on the Third Hokage's face, he was bleeding internally. Facing the Daimyo's inquiry, he could only force a smile and nod.