Uchiha Yuta acted quickly.
A few days later, a large contract landed on the Third Hokage's desk.
The moment he saw it, his head began to ache.
So they could even pull a stunt like this?
As if sharing his thoughts,
Mitokado Homura was furious.
Bang, bang, bang—
He pounded the desk several times.
His face flushed as he said,
"Have the Uchiha no shame? Who in the village doesn't know that they own shares in that company?!"
"Do they really think we're fools? This kind of maneuver... Hiruzen! You absolutely can't agree to it!"
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could reply, Utatane Koharu beside him spoke up, sounding troubled:
"We can't refuse... The contract is signed by the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons."
"She's the ruler of her country. If Konoha doesn't accept the contract..."
At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, straightened his expression.
He picked up where she left off:
"Then the Feudal Lords of every nation will learn that Konoha's power struggles take precedence over their interests."
"When that happens... our reputation will suffer, and we can't afford that!"
That was right!
Reality was simply that harsh.
As a mercenary organization, Konoha's profits during peacetime
came overwhelmingly from hired missions.
As for the Feudal Lords' funding?
They weren't fools, either. In peacetime, they only provided enough for the village to keep running.
If a hidden village wanted to grow...
It had to put in the effort and take on missions. That was the money the village could use to develop.
After all, ninja weren't under the direct control of the Feudal Lords.
If it weren't for the supernatural abilities of ninja, the Feudal Lords might not have tolerated ninja seizing control of a nation's military affairs.
Hearing the Third Hokage's words,
Mitokado Homura sadly covered his head.