The next morning.
The top-floor conference room of the Hokage Building.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table.
He held a relocation compensation list more than a dozen pages long.
The tobacco in his pipe had burned down to the bottom.
Yet he had no desire to take even a single puff.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura huddled beside him.
Each looked more grim than the other.
Shimura Danzō leaned heavily on his cane, his lone eye fixed on Uchiha Fugaku across from him.
"Absurd!"
Danzo finally exploded.
"You Uchiha are extorting us!"
"What is this emotional distress compensation for dedicated patrol Ninja Dogs?"
"And compensation for romantic setbacks suffered by unmarried young people?"
"This is utterly ridiculous!"
Fugaku sat upright in his chair.
His arms were folded across his chest.
His face was expressionless.
In truth, he was panicking inside.
Watching Chikage write it yesterday had felt great.
But now that he had actually slapped the list onto the Third Hokage's desk...
He was still afraid these old geezers would flip the table on him.
But then he remembered what Chikage had said yesterday: "What the leadership fears is us rebelling."
Fugaku's confidence returned.
He imitated Chikage's tone from the day before.
And spoke at a leisurely pace.
"Advisor Danzo, that's no way to put it."
"For the sake of the village's peace and stability, the Uchiha are willing to make concessions."
"Hundreds of people throughout our clan are giving up the homes we've lived in for generations."
"Isn't that the highest expression of the will of fire?"
"Since we're putting the will of fire into practice..."
"Shouldn't the village offer us some negligible material compensation?"
Danzo was so furious that his beard trembled.
"Negligible?"
"Look at the total on this list!"
"That money could equip three battalions of elite troops!"
Fugaku spread his hands.
"Then that's a headache for the finance department."
"I'm leaving the bill here."
"Every item has a sound justification."
"If the village considers any item unreasonable, we can sit down and discuss it at length."
"But if the village wants to drive the Uchiha into the wilderness without paying a single coin..."
"As clan head, I'll find it very difficult to explain that to our young people."
"As you know, the young people of our Uchiha Clan aren't exactly mild-tempered."
The moment he said that...
The conference room fell utterly silent.
The Third Hokage put down the list.
He relit his pipe.
And took a couple of puffs.
He studied the Uchiha Clan Head before him, who was behaving completely out of character.
He was filled with surprise and suspicion.
In the past, Fugaku would only have flatly refused something like this.
Or invoked the Uchiha's honor in protest.
Why had he suddenly changed his tune today?
Not only had he refrained from rejecting the relocation outright...
He had instead thrown down a bill that was mercenary to the extreme.
It was like watching a shameless scoundrel haggle at a market.
Yet that very shameless approach...
Left the Third Hokage at a complete loss.
The Uchiha were willing to move.
That was a good thing.
It meant they had no intention of rebelling.
But they wanted money.
And that really was a killer.
Konoha's finances were far from comfortable right now.
"Fugaku."
The Third Hokage exhaled a smoke ring.
His tone became earnest.
"You know the difficulties the village is facing."
"The amount on this list really is too large."
"How about this? Let's both make a concession."
"The village will cover all actual relocation expenses."
"As for that emotional distress compensation and the like, let's say no more about it."
Fugaku shook his head.
"Lord Hokage, that won't do."
"Several of our clan elders already reviewed this list last night."
"They were originally adamantly opposed to relocating."
"It took a great deal of persuasion, and the compensation on this list, to appease them."
"If most of that money is cut now..."
"I'm afraid they'll storm straight into the Hokage Building and demand an explanation."
Mitokado Homura slammed the table and rose to his feet.
"Fugaku, you're threatening the village!"
Fugaku met his gaze without either submission or arrogance.
"I'm merely stating the facts."
"The Uchiha can make concessions."
"But we cannot keep conceding without any limits."
"If you refuse even this little compensation, it proves the village doesn't consider the Uchiha its own people at all."
"And if we're not your own people, what right does the leadership have to demand that we swallow our grievances for the greater good?"
The conference room fell into deathly silence once more.
The Third Hokage rubbed his throbbing temples.
He knew he would gain no advantage in today's negotiations.
Uchiha Fugaku undoubtedly had a skilled adviser behind him.
This approach of mixing pressure with persuasion, discussing only interests and never feelings...
Was nothing like the Uchiha's usual style.
The Third Hokage sighed.
He set the thick list back on the table.
And tapped the tabletop twice with his fingers.
"Fugaku."
"The sum involved in this matter really is enormous."
"You know the state of the village's finances. I can't make this decision alone."
"We need time to check the figures."
"Go back for now. We in the leadership will discuss it further."
It was an obvious delaying tactic.
But Fugaku did not impatiently demand an answer as he would have in the past.
He had achieved his objective for the day.
He had laid out his bottom line.
The fact that the other side hadn't immediately turned hostile meant there was a chance.
Fugaku stood.
He straightened his robe.
And gave a slight, perfectly courteous bow.
"Then I'll await your good news, Lord Hokage."
"But please be quick."
"The young people in our clan are impatient. I'm afraid I can't keep them in check for too long."
With those words...
Fugaku turned and walked out of the Hokage's office.
Two ANBU wearing animal masks stood in the corridor.
Their bodies tensed as they watched Fugaku emerge.
Fugaku didn't spare them a glance.
He strode toward the stairs and headed down.
His steps were unusually light.
The moment he stepped out of the Hokage Building...
The cool evening breeze brushed his face.
Fugaku drew a deep breath, feeling as though the frustration that had weighed on his chest for decades had been swept away.
Decades.
Ever since he had taken over as Uchiha Clan Head...
When had he ever attended a meeting in this building without going home seething?
Those leaders always claimed the moral high ground.
They used things like the "will of fire" and "the village's greater good" to pressure him.
Forcing the Uchiha to give ground again and again.
And today?
Today, he had slapped a bill onto the table.
And shut those old geezers up completely.
The sight of Danzo's beard trembling with rage had been wonderful.
The Third Hokage's constipated expression had delighted him even more.
How had I never realized negotiating with these people could be this much fun?
There was no need to draw a blade.
No need to shed blood.
Not even any need to activate the Sharingan to intimidate them.
All it took was a sheet of paper and a pen.
Using the most shameless yet perfectly logical approach to back the other side into a corner.
Fugaku couldn't help laughing aloud.
That kid Chikage.
He always looked so lazy, slacking off at work and leaving faster than anyone when his shift ended.
Who would've thought his head was full of dirty tricks like these?
How was he just an ordinary clerk?
He was a treasure of the Uchiha Clan!
I had to give him a raise when I got back.
No, a raise alone wasn't enough.
I had to promote him.
The Konoha Military Police Force happened to need a deputy captain. With a mind that sharp, the kid was more than qualified.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Fugaku hummed an unfamiliar tune as he headed toward South Street.
Just as Fugaku walked away, thoroughly pleased with himself.
Inside the Hokage's office.
As the heavy wooden door closed.
The tension that had been building for so long finally erupted.
"Bang!"
Danzo slammed his cane hard against the wooden floor.
It left a noticeable dent.
"Hiruzen!"
"Just look at that smug face of his!"
"What do the Uchiha think they're doing?"
"This is extortion!"
"They're openly blackmailing Konoha's leadership!"
Before you continue