Yuexi Peninsula

"Yuexi Peninsula."

"Yuexi Peninsula? Where is that, Mute?" The Land of Wind Daimyo glanced to the side, and an elderly retainer immediately stepped forward with a map.

"My lord, it is here, in the south of the Land of Hot Water and west of the Land of Fire, along our eastern border. It is a small fishing village, surrounded by the sea on three sides, with fairly nice scenery. Your grandfather once built a country villa there, but it was destroyed in the flames of war many years ago. There are now only a few dozen fishing households left, making their living from the sea. The farmland has mostly been abandoned."

"Oh! I see. Does the place have any notable products?"

"Uh, I hear the cutlassfish there are quite good."

"Cutlassfish? What is that? Is it tasty?"

"My lord, it is a kind of fish commonly eaten by fishermen. It is not worth much, so it would never make it onto your table."

"Oh, I see. Hm, ninja, you said just now that your Kazekage wants to buy this Yuexi Peninsula?"

"Yes, my lord." Shangshuiliu remained as respectful as ever.

"Given the relationship between your Kazekage and me, I ordinarily should not charge you for a plot of land like this. But the lands of the Land of Wind have all been passed down by our ancestors, so this... you understand?" The Daimyo gave the retainer beside him, Mute, a meaningful look. Mute immediately caught on.

"My lord, this old servant has a suggestion. I do not know whether I should speak."

"Yes, go on, go on." The Daimyo kept winking at Mute.

"Well, Lord Jing Hang wishes to establish a transfer station to serve as a warehouse. It is a very good idea, and our lord the Daimyo fully supports it."

"Yes, yes, yes." Shangshuiliu beamed.

"However, as our lord the Daimyo said, the lands of the Land of Wind are ancestral property and cannot be casually sold to outsiders. But then again, Lord Jing Hang is ultimately a retainer under our Daimyo, not an outsider. It has not been easy for him to straighten out the mess in Sunagakure these past two years, so our lord the Daimyo should offer some support. How about this? Sunagakure can symbolically pay five million ryo... and waive three years of military funding! What does Your Excellency think?"

"This..." Shangshuiliu looked troubled. The Land of Wind Daimyo, however, looked positively radiant after hearing Mute's proposal. He nodded repeatedly and secretly gave Mute a thumbs-up.

"I think this proposal is excellent. Ninja, what do you think?" The Land of Wind Daimyo nearly burst out laughing.

"If that is the case... that would be excellent... then... we shall follow your proposal, my lord." Wearing a pained expression, Shangshuiliu tremblingly brought out a large chest, opened it facing the Daimyo, and respectfully pushed it forward.

"This is five million ryo. Please verify it."

The Land of Wind Daimyo inspected it with interest, then instantly lost interest. Why? The chest did indeed contain five million ryo. Though large, it was packed to the brim with bundles upon bundles of banknotes in various denominations. There were ten-thousand-ryo notes, five-thousand-ryo notes, and even several bundles of one-thousand-ryo notes. A closer look showed that some were new and some old, making them look like money collected from the village. The Daimyo waved his hand listlessly. Mute immediately came over to take the money away, while also bringing over the land deed for Yuexi Peninsula. The Daimyo gave it a cursory glance, nodded, and gestured for Mute to prepare the transfer contract. Before long, the contract was drafted. The Daimyo took out his personal seal, breathed on it, and stamped it down heavily.

"Tell Lord Jing Hang to work diligently. When I have time, I will visit him in Sunagakure again. That will be all for today. I am tired, so I will not keep you for dinner. Mute, see our guest out for me." With that, the Land of Wind Daimyo left the hall supported by two maidservants.

Shangshuiliu took the land deed for Yuexi Peninsula and the transfer contract, nodding in satisfaction. He carefully folded them and tucked them into his robes. He exchanged a look with the retainer Mute, and both of them smiled with satisfaction.

After the two left Green Palace and reached a secluded spot, Shangshuiliu bowed deeply to Mute with a broad smile.

"Thank you, my lord, for mediating before the Daimyo. Before I came, Lord Jing Hang told me that we must never forget Lord Mute's friendship and kindness."

"Not at all, not at all." Mute waved modestly.

"Your Kazekage is too polite. We have been old acquaintances since he was a Jonin. This little bit of help is nothing, nothing at all."

"How can you say that? A single word from you before the Daimyo has brought us untold benefits below. How could that be nothing? Come!" Shangshuiliu snapped his fingers, and a masked ninja carrying a small chest suddenly appeared before them without warning. The ninja knelt on one knee, opened the chest toward Mute, and Mute looked inside. His eyes instantly widened. Inside was a neatly stacked chest full of banknotes, all brand-new ten-thousand-ryo bills!

"Five million ryo, just a small token for Lord Mute to have some tea!" Shangshuiliu waved his hand grandly.

"Oh my, how could I possibly accept this? You are too kind, too kind." Though Mute spoke politely, his hands moved quickly. He snatched the banknotes up at once. He nearly drooled into the chest.

"My lord, please stay. There are still some trivial matters in the village, so I shall take my leave first."

"Oh, oh, safe travels, safe travels." Mute spoke courteously, but his eyes never left the chest. Shangshuiliu shook his head and slowly withdrew with the masked ninja.

Looking back at the gradually shrinking "Half-Mountain Green Palace," the masked ninja impatiently pulled down half his veil and spat.

"Pah! These rotten bureaucrats!"

"Heh." Shangshuiliu gave a cold laugh.

"There is nothing strange about it. Those old nobles are all like that. Aotu Taro, you are still too young. See more of it, and you will get used to it."

"I just cannot stand them."

"Sigh, then do not stand them. But then again, without those rotten bureaucrats, we could not have acquired such a huge tract of Yuexi Peninsula so cheaply. Look, look, it is almost half as large as the Land of Rivers. What a bargain. Before leaving the village, the Kazekage approved a budget of one hundred million ryo for me. Who would have thought that, bribes included, we only spent ten million ryo? Hahaha, it is funny just thinking about it."

"What about the three years of military funding?"

"Pah! Spread that money across every Sunagakure ninja, and it only comes to fifteen hundred ryo a year. That is not even enough to buy toilet paper. That Land of Wind Daimyo has stayed on the Kunling Plain too long. He reeks of the style of a country bumpkin nouveau riche."

"Heh, that is a perfect description." Aotu Taro could not help laughing aloud.

"Do not just laugh. When we get back, the two of us still have to write a report. Ten million ryo is public money too. If we cannot explain it clearly, we will be drinking tea at the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"The Anti-Corruption Bureau? Does the village have a department like that?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. It was established at last week's village representatives' assembly. It specializes in investigating corruption. Official actions like ours must have the flow of funds clearly explained afterward. Once we are back, the department will organize a meeting to convey the spirit of the conference."

"What a hassle!" Aotu Taro seemed to find the matter very troublesome.

"It is not a hassle, and it is absolutely necessary. I even think this was the wisest decision the Kazekage made at this meeting. Not even the resolution to develop the new city can compare with it. It will benefit the present age and bring prosperity to generations to come!" Shangshuiliu suddenly said seriously.

"This?" Taro did not understand.

"Taro, let me tell you. Corruption is an enemy more powerful and vicious than Hidden Leaf Village or Hidden Cloud. No matter how powerful a ninjutsu is, it cannot defeat it. It will utterly destroy a village's foundation! Only by tightening the cage of institutions can we restrain it. On this matter, I absolutely support the Kazekage."

"Oh." Taro nodded as though he half understood.

"Oh, my ass." Shangshuiliu laughed and patted Taro on the head.

"You brat need to watch yourself too. Do not get into trouble over this. Do you know who the first director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau is? Liangping! He is a truly impartial man of iron. He used to be the head of the interrogation room. If you fall into his hands, you would be better off dying on the battlefield!"