Hyuga Village's Taxes Were Waived!

Land of Rice Fields, the palace reception hall.

The daimyo stared straight at Shinichi.

Shinichi did not speak immediately.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

The cup touched the wooden table lightly with a clear clink.

Shinichi set down the teacup and looked up at the daimyo.

The daimyo's eyes remained fixed on his hand, and another sheen of cold sweat seeped out on his forehead.

Before coming to the Land of Rice Fields, Shinichi had already decided what to ask for.

Official recognition, land, money and provisions, and tax exemption.

Not one could be left out.

If he was going to ask, he would ask for everything at once.

Now was when the various countries' daimyo were most panicked, and the best time to name his price.

Shinichi raised his eyes and looked straight at the daimyo.

"The Hyuga don't want much. Just four things."

"The Shinobi Village established by our Hyuga Clan is called Hyuga Village."

"Hyuga Village will be the Land of Rice Fields' only Shinobi Village."

Shinichi looked at the daimyo, his voice steady.

"From now on, all ninja within the Land of Rice Fields will fall under Hyuga authority."

The daimyo froze. His hand on the low table trembled slightly, his fingers tightening and digging into the brocade.

If everything fell under Hyuga authority, wouldn't he, the daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields, become a puppet?

Shinichi saw what he was thinking and continued:

"The Hyuga will only govern ninja. The civilians and cities will remain under Your Highness's authority."

"The Land of Rice Fields will always belong to Your Highness."

The daimyo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the hand clutching the brocade.

He thought of the wandering ninja in the city who took his money without doing their jobs and fled at the first sign of trouble. They were utterly unreliable.

Handing that bunch over to the Hyuga to keep in line would save him considerable worry.

The daimyo nodded and agreed.

"The second thing is a site for the village."

Shinichi looked at the daimyo, his voice still even.

"Allocate the mountainous land north of that valley in the southern Land of Rice Fields to the Hyuga to build our village."

At those words, the daimyo began calculating inwardly.

That mountainous area was rather steep and bordered the Land of Fire. Ordinarily, no civilians were willing to settle there, so it was sitting empty anyway.

But if the Hyuga Clan built its village there, it would stand directly between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire.

If Konoha in the Land of Fire dared attack in the future, the Hyuga would be the first to bear the brunt.

This was practically a free shield to take blows for the Land of Rice Fields, guarding his country's southern gateway for him.

The more the daimyo thought about it, the better the deal seemed. He agreed even more readily than before, immediately nodding emphatically.

"The third thing is money."

Shinichi looked at the daimyo, his voice gentle and unhurried, as though discussing something perfectly ordinary.

"Building a village costs money. The daimyo's office will provide that money: one billion ryo."

"Every year after that, the daimyo's office will allocate another billion ryo to Hyuga Village."

The smile on the daimyo's face instantly began to falter.

The Land of Rice Fields was a small, remote country to begin with. Its treasury only took in around three billion ryo a year, and he usually begrudged even spending money on palace repairs.

Now the Hyuga were asking for a billion ryo to build their village, plus another billion every year afterward.

This was practically carving flesh from his body.

The daimyo winced inwardly. His hand on the table instinctively reached for the teacup, but before his fingertips touched the rim, he forcibly pulled it back.

Forcing a strained smile, the daimyo leaned forward slightly and gestured with both hands.

"Clan Leader Shinichi, to tell you the truth, the Land of Rice Fields only brings in around three billion ryo a year."

"One billion to build the village and another billion every year-that's taking away an entire third of the Land of Rice Fields' revenue."

"The palace's daily expenses, officials' salaries throughout the country, road and city repairs-which of those doesn't cost money?"

The daimyo paused and gritted his teeth, as though making an enormous decision.

"I can give at most five hundred million ryo to build the village, and at most five hundred million a year afterward. The treasury truly cannot spare even one ryo more."

After speaking, he secretly raised his eyes to study Shinichi's expression.

Shinichi did not answer immediately. His face remained calm, showing not the slightest pleasure or displeasure.

He had never expected the daimyo to give him the full billion ryo. Those words, "cannot spare," were exactly what he wanted.

Shinichi nodded.

"Five hundred million it is. Five hundred million to build the village, five hundred million every year. It's settled."

Delighted, the daimyo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But Shinichi abruptly changed tack.

"Since the money has been halved, the Hyuga will have to find their own way to cover the remaining cost of building the village."

"If we're to earn our own money, the Land of Rice Fields will have to give something up."

The daimyo's heart, which had just settled, leaped again, and he leaned closer.

"Give up what?"

"Tax revenue."

Shinichi raised his head and looked directly into the daimyo's eyes.

"The Land of Rice Fields must not collect a single coin in taxes from Hyuga Village."

"Land taxes, commercial taxes-all waived."

The Hyuga would inevitably go into business in the future. They absolutely could not live solely on the five hundred million ryo the daimyo allocated each year.

The Land of Rice Fields had routes leading in every direction, making travel convenient wherever they went. Once they used the Hyuga's strength to open trade routes in the future, every coin would be pure profit. They absolutely could not let the daimyo reach in and skim off a share.

The flesh on the daimyo's face twitched violently, and his mouth fell wide open. He instinctively wanted to refuse.

But he had just forcibly cut one billion ryo down to five hundred million, leaving him in the wrong to begin with.

The words stuck in his throat. With his guilty conscience and apprehension, he simply could not utter a single "no."

The daimyo turned the calculations over in his mind three times.

This sixteen-year-old Hyuga clan leader before him was more ruthless in his methods than any ninja he had ever met.

After sitting opposite him and taking a couple of sips of tea, he had torn several great chunks of flesh from the Land of Rice Fields.

Official recognition, land, five hundred million ryo every year-and now he would not even let him touch a penny of commercial or land taxes.

But then the daimyo reconsidered. If he stubbornly refused now and Shinichi Hyuga simply up and left with his people, the Land of Rice Fields would remain an empty shell.

When Konoha in the south attacked one day, he, the daimyo, would not even have anywhere to go.

If he gritted his teeth and agreed, at least the Hyuga Clan would be firmly anchored in those southern mountains, becoming the Land of Rice Fields' strongest barrier.

However he calculated it, agreeing was his only option.

The daimyo let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping as though his whole body were a deflated sack.

"Fine."

"Hyuga Village's taxes are waived!"

The daimyo summoned an attendant and gave an order.

Before long, the attendant returned carrying a lacquered tray. Two folded pieces of white silk lay on it, beside an inkstone with freshly ground ink and a box of bright red seal paste.

The daimyo took the brush, loaded it with ink, and personally began writing on the white silk, one deliberate character at a time.

First, Hyuga Village would be the Land of Rice Fields' only Shinobi Village. All ninja within its borders would fall under Hyuga authority, while civilians would remain under the daimyo's office;

Second, the mountainous land north of the valley on the Land of Rice Fields' southern border would be allocated to Hyuga Village as a site to establish its village;

Third, five hundred million ryo would be allocated for building the village, and the daimyo's office would allocate five hundred million ryo to Hyuga Village every year thereafter;

Fourth, Hyuga Village would be exempt from all taxes, including land and commercial taxes.

After completing both copies of the agreement, the daimyo picked up the heavy official seal beside him, coated it thoroughly with cinnabar paste, and stamped it firmly at the bottom of both pieces of silk.

The daimyo blew the ink dry and presented one copy to Shinichi with both hands.

Standing behind Shinichi, Scarface's Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze fixed on that piece of white silk.

Shinichi took it, glanced over the seal and writing, then casually folded it and tucked it into his sleeve.

He rose and gave the daimyo a slight nod in farewell.

The daimyo escorted the group all the way to the palace gates, his face wreathed in courteous smiles as he bowed to see them off.

After leaving the palace gates, the group walked along the streets of the Land of Rice Fields' capital.

Scarface walked behind Shinichi, rapidly doing the sums in his head.

Five hundred million ryo to build the village, and another five hundred million every year afterward.

Every ninja in the Land of Rice Fields would fall under Hyuga authority, and they would not even pay a single coin in commercial or land taxes.

The clan leader had merely sat down for some tea and wrested the Land of Rice Fields' southern gateway into Hyuga hands.

He remembered going on missions with the Main Family in the past, waiting half a day under the blazing sun outside the daimyo's office without anyone even bringing out a drink of cool water.

Scarface looked up at Shinichi walking at the head of the group. He said nothing, but unconsciously lengthened his stride and followed closely.

Shinichi stopped and turned his head to glance at him.

"Back to the clan grounds. We're moving!"