"Ninja conscripted by the village during wartime aren't paid in the first place. By longstanding custom, ninja only hand over half the spoils they capture on the battlefield."
"I wonder what rules you mean, Advisor? And who made those rules?"
Mitokado Homura's expression darkened.
"That was before! This time, you allowed your subordinates to plunder the Land of Wind, seriously damaging Konoha's reputation! All these assets must be handed over to the village for centralized disposal!"
Xuandou scoffed.
"The money has already been distributed. If you find that inappropriate, Advisor, you're welcome to collect it from the ninja of the various clans yourself. That's not my concern."
Mitokado Homura choked on his words, his face darkening.
Collect it himself?
That would mean offending every ninja clan that had participated in the war. He didn't have the nerve for that.
Xuandou ignored him and continued his report.
"In addition, Sunagakure's war reparations amount to five billion ryo."
As those words fell, even the breathing in the office paused.
Five billion!
That was almost two years of Konoha's fiscal revenue!
"Together with the previous 2.8 billion, that makes 7.8 billion ryo in total. Of that, 5.5 billion went toward the various expenses of this war. The remaining 2.3 billion is here."
Xuandou pushed three scrolls forward.
"5.5 billion in expenses?"
Utatane Koharu couldn't help questioning him indignantly.
"What expenses could possibly cost that much? You're handing over less than half!"
Even Hiruzen, who normally maintained a calm expression, knitted his brows tightly at this moment.
Uchiha Xuantou... had taken far too much.
Mitokado Homura slammed the desk and rose again.
"Could you, Uchiha Xuantou, have won this war without Konoha's support? Now you've made a fortune, yet you're giving the village this little? I absolutely refuse!"
Xuandou merely looked up and asked flatly,
"Not enough?"
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a mouthful of smoke and finally spoke.
"Xuandou, it really is... too little. You know how heavy the village's losses have been since the Third Shinobi World War began. The compensation for many fallen ninja still hasn't been secured..."
Xuandou swept his gaze over the three of them and suddenly asked,
"Then how much did the commanders of the other three fronts-Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze, and the late Hyuga Hideshu-each hand over?"
Utatane Koharu froze.
Xuandou continued unhurriedly.
"Since my 2.3 billion counts as too little, I assume the other three all handed over more?"
Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu were momentarily speechless.
Merely keeping the other three fronts from collapsing had been difficult enough. What spoils could they possibly have? The village had even needed to keep supplying them with resources. Calling them "negative returns" would not have been an exaggeration.
Then Xuandou's tone turned hostile.
"Besides, paying ninja compensation is hardly my responsibility, no matter how you look at it. The ninja under my command suffered practically no casualties."
He looked at Hiruzen and added one final remark.
"Lord Hokage surely hasn't forgotten that the Sunagakure front was the only front where Konoha could hold its head high and claim a sweeping victory."
He paused, lowering his voice a little.
"Perhaps even your political life... will be extended because of it."
With that, Xuandou said no more.
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time, the glow in his pipe flickering.
Finally, he slowly nodded.
"Then... we'll leave it at that. This was Xuandou's first time commanding a major war. Some additional expenses are understandable. There will be no next time."
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu wanted to say more, but Hiruzen silenced them with a look.
Xuandou bowed in farewell, turned, and left.
He had barely left when Shimura Danzō pushed open the door and entered.
"Hiruzen, approve another billion in funding for my Root."
Hiruzen took a deep drag on his pipe.
"There isn't any."
"How could there not be?!"
Danzo's voice rose abruptly.
"Didn't Uchiha Xuantou just hand over nearly ten billion? I've heard all about it!"
"The Uchiha and the village... split it seventy-thirty."
"Why only seventy percent?!"
"The seventy percent is theirs!"
Danzo's expression became quite a sight, shifting from bewilderment to shock, then to barely contained fury.
"Hiruzen! You've truly gone senile!"
He all but pointed at the Hokage's nose.
"How could you let the Uchiha take so much money? Do they even know how to use it?"
"When the Uchiha's influence grows, what will the village use to keep them in check?"
"You'll regret this!"
Hiruzen raised his eyes.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
Bang!
Danzo slammed the door behind him and left.
Xuandou was in quite a good mood as he walked out of the Hokage Building.
He had secured 5.5 billion ryo. That money would be enough for him to vigorously promote population growth after taking over the Uchiha Clan.
As he was thinking, a pair of soft hands suddenly covered his eyes from behind.
"Guess who~?"
Without even thinking, Xuandou reached back and pulled the person into his arms.
"Ah! Xuandou, let me go~!"
Kurenai Yuhi's coy protest rang out, though she couldn't hide the laughter in her voice.
Xuandou planted a firm kiss on her cheek before letting go with a smile.
Kurenai looked especially radiant today.
She wore a cropped ninja outfit, its slightly tight top outlining her full bust and slender waist.
Below that were shorts that allowed easy movement, exposing her long, straight legs.
She exuded a youthful, sexy air.
"How did you know I was back?"
"Hmph, my father's back, so of course you're back too!"
Kurenai wrinkled her nose and said proudly,
"I was the one who got Father to volunteer to join your team!"
Xuandou understood. No wonder Hiruzen had specifically assigned Yuhi Shinku to him. It had been Kurenai's persuasion.
"So you arranged it... Your father was a huge help this time."
"Then how are you going to thank me?"
Kurenai blinked and leaned close to his ear.
Xuandou smiled and pinched her cheek.
"A new dango shop opened. Shall I take you there?"
"Sure!"
The two arrived at the shop hand in hand.
Xuandou had only just spoken.
"Two servings of three-color dango, please."
The shopkeeper looked up and exclaimed in delighted surprise,
"Isn't this Lord Xuandou, Konoha's hero? For you, it's free! Free!"
Kurenai covered her mouth and giggled beside him.
"See? The whole village knows you're a hero now~"
A little embarrassed, Xuandou hurriedly took the dango and pulled Kurenai away at a brisk pace.
They strolled aimlessly while eating the sweet, soft dango.
Before they knew it, they had reached the foot of Xuandou's home.
After so many days of traveling and fighting, Xuandou had long since been pent up to his limit.
He stopped, looked at the faintly blushing Kurenai beside him, and asked softly,
"Want to come upstairs for a bit?"
Kurenai feigned ignorance.
"Upstairs... for what?"
Xuandou grinned wickedly.
"To have a 'thorough' exchange on genjutsu, of course."
As he spoke, he pulled Kurenai into his arms.
Kurenai cried out in surprise.
Yet her arms naturally slipped around his neck, and she offered no resistance.
The door closed.
Soon, soft rustling sounds came from inside.
Both were young, hot-blooded ninja brimming with energy.
This exchange on genjutsu was anything but quiet.
Fortunately, Xuandou lived in a detached house. Otherwise, the neighbors would have complained about all that noise long ago.
Only in the afternoon did the door open again.
Kurenai Yuhi braced herself against the wall, her cheeks still flushed.
"No more... I really can't do it anymore... I can't get home too late."
Xuandou still hadn't had his fill, but he could only let her leave.
Over the next few days, the two were practically inseparable, clinging to each other.
Every time Xuandou invited Kurenai to his home, the two would have another vigorous session.
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, only two days remained before the Uchiha clan meeting.
That day, a member of the Uchiha Clan came to report,
"Lord Xuandou, the Scorch Release ninja you brought back says she wants to see you."
Xuandou's expression immediately shifted at the news.
"Oh? Has Pakura finally come around and decided to become his woman?"