A Bit of Compensation~ (Seeking Collection, Seeking Follow-up Reads!!)

"Holy crap, you old pervert, stay away from me! I don't need your appreciation!"

To everyone's utter shock, faced with the appreciation of the Fourth Elder, Uchiha Sanhe, Uchiha Chen put on a look of sheer terror, assuming a defensive stance while backing away and spouting words that no one could quite understand.

Although Uchiha Sanhe didn't quite grasp what "old pervert" meant, the implication of the following words was clear enough; it was no different from a slap to his face in public.

Uchiha Sanhe's sunken eyes widened abruptly, looking quite terrifying, and he continued in a raspy voice, "Uchiha Chen, although I appreciate you, you should still understand basic manners. I will not hold what just happened against you. Prepare a room immediately; I have important matters to discuss with you."

Subsequently, Uchiha Sanhe looked toward Uchiha Itachi. "Young Clan Head Itachi, I have some private matters to discuss with Uchiha Chen. I must ask you to bear with it and step aside."

Though the words sounded respectful, the tone was filled with an undeniable, commanding air.

Uchiha Itachi's brow furrowed, and just as he was about to speak, Uchiha Chen cut him off.

"Hold on. Fourth Elder, is it? Did you forget that this is my home, Uchiha Chen? I am the master here."

"Uchiha Chen, I have already given you enough face. Do not be ungrateful."

Even with his level of composure, Uchiha Sanhe was finally reaching his breaking point.

Watching Uchiha Sanhe on the verge of an outburst, Uchiha Chen remained completely unfazed. "Fourth Elder, I know you're in a hurry, but don't be in such a rush."

"As the owner of this house, setting aside whether you have the right to argue with me, there is one thing I absolutely must settle with you!"

Then, under the bewildered gazes of Uchiha Sanhe and his men, Uchiha Chen pointed at the kicked-in, severely deformed door and shouted, "I just finished rebuilding this house, and I've only been back for a few days! Now you've destroyed the front door—you must pay for it!"

"So that's it. It's just a door; I'll pay for it. Can we discuss the real business now?"

Uchiha Sanhe had a sudden realization. No wonder the brat's tone had been off from the start. If it was really just about this, it made sense—as long as you were greedy for money, everything was negotiable!

"Oh my, Fourth Elder, I told you not to rush. We need to talk about the compensation properly. For instance, how much are you planning to pay?" Uchiha Chen raised an eyebrow, wearing a cheeky grin.

"Hmph, it's just a door, worth at most 3,000 ryo. How about I pay you double... no, ten times that?"

(The original work notes: 1 ryo = 10 yen.)

Uchiha Sanhe chuckled with disdain.

"Thirty thousand ryo, I suppose that's barely acceptable. Of course, besides that, we need to have a good chat about other damages." Uchiha Chen rubbed his chin and nodded "satisfactorily."

"Other damages?" Uchiha Sanhe's brow knit together. The direction this was heading seemed a bit wrong.

"Uchiha Chen, don't push your luck!"

Uchiha Hikari, who had been furious behind Uchiha Sanhe, could no longer restrain himself and jumped out, pointing angrily at Uchiha Chen.

"I am speaking to your master; what right does a dog like you have to bark here? Get lost!" Uchiha Chen glanced at Uchiha Hikari, dismissing him entirely, and rebuked him directly.

"You're courting death!!" Uchiha Hikari's face turned beet red, his eyes looking as if they were about to spew fire.

"Enough, stand down!" Uchiha Sanhe barked coldly. Uchiha Hikari shuddered and obediently retreated behind him.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Fourth Elder, you really need to discipline your subordinate. He has absolutely no sense of decorum!" Uchiha Chen now wore the look of a petty man who had gained the upper hand, becoming increasingly insufferable.

"I will punish him myself. Let us return to the matter of compensation..." Uchiha Sanhe tried his best to suppress his rage, his mouth twitching. But as an Elder and a high-ranking member of the Uchiha clan, he had to prioritize the bigger picture.

He had come today with a purpose; as long as that was achieved, what did a little patience matter?

"Hmm, that's more like it. Since that's the case, let me put it simply: you kicked my door down, which gave me a fright, so you owe me emotional distress damages. Repairing the door takes time, and since you've delayed my work, you owe me lost wages. I was already recovering from a serious injury, and if this shock causes any long-term complications..."

Watching Uchiha Chen's endless stream of words and the strange, unheard-of terminology, the veins on Uchiha Sanhe's forehead began to bulge, and his breathing grew ragged.

But to Uchiha Chen's surprise, the enraged Uchiha Sanhe simply closed his eyes. After a long moment, he opened them and said, "Fine, enough. Just give me a number—how much do you want in total!"

"Oh? Since you're being so straightforward, I will be too. Let's go with 10 small targets—just pay me 1 billion!"

Uchiha Chen's eyes darted around as he blurted out a number he was familiar with—naturally, he had just inflated it tenfold.

"One billion!!!"

Everyone present was so shocked their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Even Uchiha Itachi was stunned. Although everyone knew Uchiha Chen was planning to extort them when he started listing those fees, they never expected him to start outright robbery!

"Fine, this old man agrees to your terms!"

What shocked everyone present even more was that Uchiha Sanhe only hesitated for a moment before agreeing outright.

Uchiha Chen: ...

Damn, he agreed so readily; I asked for too little!

"Alright, seeing as you're so sincere, let's get straight to the point. What do you want with me?"

"Heh, we've reached this point, so this old man won't beat around the bush. I came here this time to recruit you under my command!"

"What? Become your subordinate?"

Uchiha Chen had already guessed Uchiha Sanhe's intentions, but he still put on a look of utter astonishment.

"Correct!"

Uchiha Sanhe nodded. If it weren't for that person demanding that he bring Uchiha Chen into the fold, would he have ever offered such a massive stake?

"This... what are the benefits of being your subordinate?"

"Haven't I already agreed to give you one billion ryo?"

"Hey, hey, hey, those are two separate matters. That one billion is the compensation you owe me; what does that have to do with the benefits?"

Uchiha Chen tilted his head, wearing an expression of complete innocence.