Danzo's intentions were not hard to guess.
Chikage leaned back in his spacious office chair, studying the official letter bearing the Hokage Advisor's seal on his desk, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Uchiha Hikari stood beside the desk, stamping her feet in agitation.
She feared the vice-captain would act on impulse and actually sign it.
When Chikage still gave no response, the Root ninja standing before him grew even more severe.
"Vice-Captain Chikage, sign to confirm immediately."
"The Border Smuggling Case cannot wait."
"You cannot bear responsibility for delaying the investigation."
Chikage leisurely lifted his teacup and took a sip.
The warm tea slid down his throat.
He set down the cup and picked up the official letter.
The paper was of decent quality.
The Hokage Advisor's red seal stood out vividly against the white paper.
But aside from that seal, the letter had neither a Hokage Mission Seal nor an acknowledgment of registration from Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.
Danzo had certainly put considerable thought into luring him out of the village.
Unfortunately, the paperwork still fell short.
Chikage casually tossed the letter back onto the desk.
"I can sign it."
"And I can accept the mission."
Uchiha Hikari's expression changed, and she hurriedly spoke up to stop him.
"Vice-Captain!"
"This is obviously a trap!"
"You can't go!"
Chikage waved a hand, signaling for Uchiha Hikari to be quiet.
He turned to the two Root ninja.
"Since this is a joint law enforcement mission assigned by the village, the Konoha Military Police Force will naturally cooperate."
"However, this letter only bears the Hokage Advisor's seal."
"It has neither a Hokage Mission Seal nor an acknowledgment of registration from police headquarters."
"Complete the paperwork first, then come back for my signature."
The leading Root ninja's face darkened.
"The Hokage Advisor has the authority to coordinate the participation of village departments in major cases."
"Are you questioning Lord Danzo's authority?"
Chikage scoffed.
"Any high-risk mission requiring a police vice-captain to leave the village must be confirmed by the Hokage Mission Department and registered with the commanding officer of the Konoha Military Police Force."
"That procedure dates back to the Second Hokage's tenure."
"No matter how much authority Danzo has, it does not supersede the village's rules."
The Root ninja was momentarily at a loss for words.
But Chikage did not stop there.
He opened a drawer and pulled out a thick booklet.
The cover bore the words "Konoha Military Police Force Field Finance Regulations" in large print.
Chikage opened the booklet and pushed it toward the Root ninja.
"Besides the paperwork, there's one other matter."
The Root ninja stared at the booklet.
"What matter?"
Chikage tapped a finger against one of the pages.
"Funding."
"Under Article Fifteen of the Konoha Military Police Force Field Finance Regulations."
"When police personnel leave Konoha on official business, all related expenses must be calculated and disbursed in advance."
"These include round-trip travel, lodging, meals, intelligence purchases, and communication allowances."
Chikage tapped the desk.
"The Border Smuggling Case qualifies as a high-risk mission, so a hazardous-duty field allowance must also be added."
"For interdepartmental joint law enforcement, allowances are calculated at three times the standard rate."
"If additional police personnel are needed during the operation, temporary support expenses must also be included in the budget beforehand."
He raised his head and looked at the two Root ninja.
"The official letter is here."
"Where's the funding?"
The two Root ninja exchanged looks.
They had spent years in Root, carrying out countless assassination, infiltration, and intelligence missions.
But Root ninja obeyed orders; they had never asked Danzo for travel expenses.
The leading Root ninja's expression turned grim.
"Uchiha Chikage, don't be so insatiably greedy!"
"This is an urgent mission assigned by the village!"
"And you're demanding money at a time like this?"
"You're attempting to disobey orders!"
Chikage leaned back and propped both legs on the edge of his desk.
"Watch what you say."
"When did I disobey an order?"
"Complete the paperwork and transfer the funds, and I'll sign and accept the mission immediately."
He pointed at the regulations on the desk.
"The Konoha Military Police Force maintains its own accounts. We have no dedicated budget to cover Root's border operations."
"The Hokage Advisor is the one asking the police to send personnel out of the village."
"Naturally, the department initiating the mission should bear the expense."
Chikage looked at the Root ninja.
"You won't provide the money, and you won't complete the paperwork."
"So who's really violating the village's rules?"
The Root ninja was left speechless by his retort.
He pointed at Chikage, taking a long moment to squeeze out a reply.
"You're twisting the facts!"
Chikage picked up the letter from his desk and tossed it straight back into the Root ninja's arms.
"No paperwork, no funding, no joint law enforcement."
"Go back and tell Danzo."
"If he wants me to go to the border, fine."
"First, get the Hokage Mission Seal and police registration completed. Then disburse the triple travel allowance and hazardous-duty allowance."
"If even one is missing, I won't sign."
The Root ninja caught the letter.
Seeing how utterly unmoved Chikage was, he knew there was no way to force him to sign today.
"Fine."
"I will convey your words to the Hokage Advisor exactly as you said them."
"Uchiha Chikage, you'd better watch yourself!"
The two Root ninja turned and left the office.
Uchiha Hikari watched them leave and let out a long breath.
She turned back to Chikage, her face full of admiration.
"Vice-Captain, that was brilliant!"
"Both the paperwork and the funding are mandatory."
"Danzo definitely won't want to pay that much, so the trap will fall apart on its own."
Chikage lifted his teacup and gently blew aside the leaves floating on the surface.
"You're underestimating Danzo."
"To get me out of the village, he'll complete the paperwork, and he'll pay the money too."
Uchiha Hikari froze.
"Then you're still going?"
Chikage smiled.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"Someone's bringing me a properly authorized letter and paying a fortune to invite me to the border."
"As long as we keep the accounts and paperwork in order, what reason do I have to refuse?"
At the underground Root Base.
Shimura Danzō sat behind his desk, his expression growing darker as he listened to his subordinate's report.
"The Hokage Mission Seal."
"Police registration."
"Triple travel allowance."
"Hazardous-duty field allowance."
Danzo recited each item through gritted teeth.
His hand slowly clenched against the desktop, his knuckles turning faintly white.
Only yesterday, he had been forced to pay 350,000 Ryo on Shimura Ken's behalf.
Today, merely assigning Uchiha Chikage a mission meant carving yet another sum out of Root's funds.
What exactly did this brat think Root was?
A cashier's office where he could withdraw money?
The leading Root ninja knelt on one knee.
"Lord Danzo, Uchiha Chikage refuses to budge."
"He says both the paperwork and the funding are mandatory."
"What should we do next?"
Danzo rose and paced around the office.
Without the money and completed paperwork, Chikage would have legitimate grounds to refuse the mission.
Then the measures he had already arranged at the border would become pointless.
He had finally found an opportunity to get Chikage out of Konoha through legitimate means.
He could not simply give it up.
Once Chikage left the protection of the Uchiha Clan Compound and the Konoha Military Police Force and reached the remote wilderness along the border, everything would change.
He had plenty of ways to make this brat die at the hands of a Rogue Ninja.
Once Chikage was dead.
Root could naturally recover the Mission Funds it had disbursed.
Danzo stopped pacing.
"What is the total on the expense estimate he submitted?"
The Root ninja answered at once.
"Based on a seven-day joint operation budget."
"Including the hazardous-duty allowance, triple travel allowance, intelligence purchases, and temporary support funds, the total is 200,000 ryo."
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