"Phew..."
Enkō gently blew away a few tea leaves floating on the surface. The rising steam brushed against his face, giving him a hazy, ethereal air.
Taking a small sip of tea and savoring its fragrance lingering between his lips and teeth, Enkō leaned comfortably against the back of his chair and slowly said, "Tell me, our Minister of Finance, can't you get some better tea? Every time I come here, I have to bring my own tea leaves."
Behind the broad wooden desk, Kakuzu bent over the financial reports in his hands. Without even looking up, he replied, "Do you have any idea how expensive good tea is? That money would be better spent on investments."
Enkō set down his teacup and said pleasantly, "We earn money to spend it, too. There's nothing wrong with improving your quality of life once in a while."
"You just want me to keep working here for a few more years, don't you?" Kakuzu snapped irritably. He raised a hand and rubbed his tired eye sockets. "Go on, then. What do you need from me this time?"
Rather than answering immediately, Enkō asked with concern, "How have your wife and daughter been lately? You should go back and spend more time with them when you can."
At that, Kakuzu's expression softened somewhat. "Yeah, they've both been doing well. I suppose I owe you people one for that."
Back then, Kakuzu had believed that his family had been harmed by Flame Hidden Village and had even attempted to assassinate Enkō. In the end, however, he learned that it had all been a misunderstanding. He had stayed behind and become the Land of Flame's Minister of Finance. Over the past four years, his exceptional talent for accumulating wealth had allowed the Land of Flame's riches