At Asuma's proud declaration, not only did Tsunade and Shin Uchiha freeze, but even Kurenai Yuhi and Kakashi beside them were momentarily stunned.
In the end, they all looked at the genius before them with expressions that defied description.
Shin Uchiha raised an eyebrow slightly. He now understood Asuma's train of thought. Turning to Kakashi beside him, he waved a hand speechlessly and instructed:
"Kakashi, explain our current relationship with the Daimyo's Palace to Asuma."
At Lord Shin's words, Kakashi rubbed his chin helplessly. In the end, he stepped forward and sighed before explaining to the bewildered Asuma:
"Asuma, you've been away from Konoha for quite some time, and you don't seem to have paid attention to these matters since returning. There are probably some things you aren't aware of."
Kakashi paused briefly. Once Asuma's attention had shifted to him, he continued:
"After taking office, the Fifth Hokage felt that Konoha relied too heavily on funding from the Daimyo's Palace.
Although we shinobi can earn money by accepting missions, that income still falls far short of our expenses.
So several years ago, the Fifth Hokage began taking steps to change that situation.
Over the years, we've not only supported quite a few merchant caravans, but also acquired considerable territory and assets outside the Land of Fire.
The income from those sources has been enough to cover all of Konoha's expenses for years now.
Recently, the Daimyo's Palace seems to have realized something was wrong, because they can no longer use funding to exercise control and influence over Konoha.
So they've been secretly targeting our businesses. They've been careful enough that we haven't caught them with any evidence yet. Otherwise, Lord Hokage would have confronted the Daimyo's Palace long ago."
At this point, Kakashi looked Asuma squarely in the eye and