Taking Private Jobs

After hearing that Ryosuke was a member of the Hyuga Main Family, Tokugawa Shigemomo changed not only his tone and manner, but his mood as well.

"Don't just stand there. Sit."

Though Tokugawa Shigemomo was in a poor mood, he put on a far better show than Chounohei.

As he gestured for Ryosuke and the others to sit, he turned a cold face toward Chounohei beside him. "Young Master Ryosuke has come all the way to Kyoto City, and you made them stand around like this?"

"Hurry and prepare some tea and pastries. Also, call someone over to play music."

"There's no need for music. I'm still young."

After sitting down with a light laugh, Ryosuke waved his hand. "But I am looking forward to the pastries and tea, especially since they were made by famous chefs."

Tokugawa Shigemomo did not insist. After signaling Chounohei to hurry along, he proposed, "Young Master Ryosuke, why not stay at the Daimyo's Mansion tonight? I'll hold a banquet tonight and invite the nearby nobles to witness the bearing of the Hyuga Main Family."

Ryosuke did not refuse, merely nodding. "Since Lord Tokugawa is willing to introduce more people to us, we would be disrespectful to decline."

"Excellent, excellent. It just so happens that this is the time when the people in charge of the various villages and towns come to report on their work. Young Master Ryosuke can meet them as well." Tokugawa Shigemomo nodded with a smile that did not reach his eyes, looking extremely satisfied.

Next, he asked after Hyuga Hiashi's health and chatted about everyday family matters.

From time to time, he also slipped in probing questions about the internal affairs of the Hyuga Clan.

Thus, he exchanged pleasantries while sounding him out.

Though Ryosuke was still a young child, Tokugawa Shigemomo did not underestimate him in the slightest.

Children born into ninja clans could not be judged by their age.

After all... they were a group of ruthless people who dared to fight on the battlefield when they were only a few years old.

Ryosuke maintained a composed demeanor throughout, but he did not take the initiative to control the pace of the conversation.

Whatever Tokugawa Shigemomo asked, he answered.

Of course, whenever it concerned important clan matters, Ryosuke gave vague, cryptic answers that sounded meaningful without revealing anything, muddling his way through them.

Tokugawa Shigemomo's words continually carried the implication that he was testing whether the purpose of their visit was the same as in previous years.

Yet whenever Ryosuke tried to answer directly, he swiftly avoided the subject, seemingly unwilling to lay the matter bare lest there be no way to take it back.

Since Tokugawa Shigemomo was not in a hurry, Ryosuke was even less so.

He answered his questions with apparent respect but actual casualness.

Meanwhile, Souji and Seisai stood behind him with straight backs, holding plates and eating to replenish their strength.

Back and forth it went, until the sun was nearly setting. Finally unable to endure Ryosuke's airtight answers any longer, Tokugawa Shigemomo gave a chuckle and decided to ask outright. "Though Young Master Ryosuke is young, his knowledge is quite exceptional. Chatting with you, I nearly forgot that you are still a child."

As he spoke, he laughed heartily.

Ryosuke sat opposite him without any false modesty, simply smiling along with him.

"After speaking for so long, I nearly forgot the important matter. I wonder whether Ryosuke, representing the Hyuga Clan this time, wishes to make any changes to the arrangements we agreed upon in the past?"

Tokugawa Shigemomo had finally asked about the purpose of Ryosuke's visit as the representative of the Hyuga Main Family.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Though the gentle smile on his face remained unchanged, there was not the slightest trace of amusement in his eyes.

"Lord Tokugawa has misunderstood. Although I came to meet you this time, the arrangements will remain unchanged."

Facing the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and Tokugawa Shigemomo's hesitation, Ryosuke explained with a light smile, "Our clan remains very satisfied with and attaches great importance to this matter. Especially recently, with quite a bit of fresh blood joining the clan, our expenditures in every respect have become exceptionally large."

"So we have come to place even greater importance on our cooperation with the nobles across the country."

His words were earnest and sincere.

Yet the meaning behind them made Tokugawa Shigemomo's heart sink.

With only a few sentences, he understood Ryosuke's meaning.

If the clan's expenses had grown compared to before, didn't that mean they wanted to raise their rates?

That was precisely what he had feared to ask about directly.

Once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back. Now that the question had been asked and Ryosuke had all but stated his answer outright, failing to respond would inevitably slight the Hyuga Clan.

"What do you think, Lord Tokugawa?"

Ryosuke watched the silent Tokugawa Shigemomo. "In the past, when our clan handled work for you, our price was five percent lower than the fees for missions issued by the village. Yet the number of tasks you offered was not particularly high."

"In the past, our clan's expenses were low. Even without many missions, we could tighten our belts and get by."

"But times are hard now..."

This practice of taking private jobs was not uncommon in the major countries and ninja villages.

By bypassing the village as an intermediary and taking missions directly from clients, they could receive more in commission fees.

However, only clans with a renowned reputation like the Hyuga Clan had such opportunities.

Most smaller clans, limited by their capabilities and prestige, could only rely obediently on the village's name to accept missions. But if the opportunity arose, many people would not object to such conduct.

Still, aside from the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan, private job-taking among the village's other clans had been rapidly declining in recent years.

The reason was that the village had been using various systems to prevent such things from happening.

Within Konoha, those clans that had been completely assimilated by the Will of Fire and become true members of the village would not take private jobs that harmed the village's interests.

To ensure the continued development of the various clans, Konoha had also provided them with suitable resources.

Take the Akimichi Clan, for example. They operated barbecue restaurants.

Through arrangements made through certain Konoha channels, the barbecue restaurants run by their clan had become famous throughout the Land of Fire, forming a complete industrial chain and brand.

This method of earning money was both proper and legal. It allowed many small clans that lacked ability to see the benefits, and they too began gravitating toward the Will of Fire and actively assimilating into the village.

This had made the position of relatively independent clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha increasingly awkward within the village.

"Actually, the Uchiha Clan has also sent someone to raise concerns about this matter."

Tokugawa Shigemomo looked troubled, but inwardly, he was extraordinarily calm.

Ever since learning of Ryosuke's Main Family status, he had been stalling for time, probing their purpose while considering excuses to brush them off.

That entire afternoon of "pleasant conversation" had not truly been spent discussing family trivia.

"The Ninja World is so chaotic. When there are occasional matters requiring travel abroad, it is only natural to hire ninja for protection."

As he explained, he shook his head regretfully. "But Young Master Ryosuke, you know that we only have so many people. There are only so many missions we can commission each year."

"Whenever there are occasional urgent missions, I always give them to your Hyuga Clan first."

"But recently, the Uchiha Clan also came to raise objections, saying there were not enough missions and that their clan could no longer make ends meet. They wanted to raise their rates, but how could that be possible? If the price really reached that level, we might as well go to Konoha and officially issue commissions..."

Thanks to readers Eren92 and Mika Rui for their generous support.