Mabui raised her head and turned a page of the document in her hands.
"There are two main reasons. First, Iwagakure recently lowered its commission rates for missions, diverting some of the border escort missions that would originally have gone to Kumogakure. Second..."
She paused.
"The Uchiha Clan has left Konoha and established Hidden Xuan Village in the Land of Hot Water."
A's gaze abruptly sharpened.
Mabui continued:
"Hidden Xuan Village is located at Azure Tide Port, the largest port in the Land of Hot Water, with convenient transportation and a constant stream of merchant ships."
"The Uchiha have always been renowned for their formidable strength and enjoy an excellent reputation in the mission market."
"Now that they've established an independent village and secured a geographical advantage, many high-ranking commissions are going directly to them."
"Uchiha..."
A gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.
Mabui turned to another page of the document.
"According to our intelligence, since Hidden Xuan Village was established, the Uchiha's mission commissions haven't decreased because of their departure from Konoha. Instead, they've increased by nearly thirty percent."
"They take only thirty percent of mission payments to cover the village's operating expenses. The remaining seventy percent goes entirely to the ninja who carry out the missions."
"This distribution ratio is unprecedented in the entire shinobi world."
"Seventy percent?"
A jōnin at the conference table couldn't help speaking up.
"Are they insane? How is the village supposed to operate like that?"
"They have sufficient financial resources to support it."
Mabui spoke evenly.
"The wealth the Uchiha accumulated during their time in Konoha far exceeds our previous estimates."
"In addition, the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water granted Azure Tide Port to Uchiha Xuantou as his territory. Tax revenue from that prosperous port is another substantial source