After the Kaguya Clan leader finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.
Shinichi did not try to persuade the Kaguya Clan leader again.
Shinichi said, "It's a good thing that the Kaguya want to establish their own Shinobi Village."
"When the Hyuga left the Land of Fire, we also wanted a Shinobi Village where we could make our own decisions."
"I understand what the Kaguya are thinking."
Shinichi turned to the Hyuga jonin beside him.
"Go get a hundred million ryo in banknotes."
The Hyuga jonin acknowledged the order and went out.
The Kaguya Clan leader did not understand.
He asked, "Hyuga Clan Leader, what are you doing?"
Shinichi said, "This hundred million ryo is still for the Kaguya."
"Our clans are distant relatives."
"Consider this money the Hyuga's support for the Kaguya Clan in establishing your own Shinobi Village."
The Kaguya Clan leader hurriedly waved his hands.
"We can't accept a reward we haven't earned."
"The Kaguya can't take so much money from the Hyuga for nothing."
"Waiving the franchise fee was already an enormous favor."
Shinichi said, "Kaguya Clan leader, don't be so quick to turn this money down."
"Establishing a Shinobi Village isn't something you can accomplish just by saying you will."
"Every part of the clan will need money, and you'll have to provide for your clansmen."
"When the Kaguya buy goods from the Hyuga in the future, you'll need capital for that too."
"I know the Kaguya aren't exactly flush with money right now."
The Kaguya Clan leader said nothing.
Shinichi continued, "The Hyuga aren't short of money now."
"What the Hyuga lack are allies we can trust."
"I hope that once the Kaguya Clan establishes its own village, you can form an alliance with Hyuga Village."
The Kaguya Clan leader looked at Shinichi.
He asked, "An alliance?"
"That's right, an alliance!"
"In the future, whether it's Hyuga Village or the Kaguya Clan that runs into trouble, either side can issue a mission to the other, and the other side will send shinobi to help."
"Whatever commission the mission calls for, that's what will be paid."
The Kaguya Clan leader thought for a while.
He asked, "If the Kaguya really do run into trouble, will the Hyuga really send people?"
Shinichi said, "Of course!"
The Kaguya Clan leader asked again, "Then if the Hyuga run into trouble, the Kaguya have to send people too?"
Shinichi said, "Naturally."
The Kaguya Clan leader nodded.
"All right, I'll accept this hundred million ryo."
"The Kaguya Clan will form an alliance with Hyuga Village."
The door opened.
The Hyuga jonin who had left earlier walked in.
He held a thick stack of banknotes.
The Hyuga jonin handed the banknotes to Shinichi.
"Clan leader, a hundred million ryo. It's all here."
Shinichi took the banknotes and handed them to the Kaguya Clan leader in front of him.
The Kaguya Clan leader stood up and accepted them with both hands.
Shinichi said, "Count it."
The Kaguya Clan leader shook his head.
"No need."
"Hyuga Clan Leader, I trust you!"
"The Kaguya Clan will remember this kindness from the Hyuga."
"If the Hyuga need anything in the future, just say the word, and the Kaguya will be there."
"I'll return to the Land of Water first thing tomorrow morning and gather the clansmen to discuss establishing the village."
Shinichi said, "If the Kaguya lack anything for establishing the village, you can come to the Hyuga too."
"As soon as the first batch of goods is ready, I'll have someone deliver it to the Land of Water."
The Kaguya Clan leader cupped his fist toward Shinichi and said his farewells.
Shinichi looked at the Hyuga jonin beside him.
"See the Kaguya Clan leader out."
The Hyuga jonin acknowledged the order and led the Kaguya Clan leader out of the room.
Shinichi was left alone in the room.
Shinichi knew perfectly well.
The hundred million ryo he had given away was not just to help the Kaguya establish their village.
He had not yet given up on bringing the Kaguya Clan into Hyuga Village.
Establishing a Shinobi Village was no easy task.
If the Kaguya failed to establish their village in the end, inviting them to join Hyuga Village then would be much easier with the goodwill from today's hundred million ryo.
Besides, the Hyuga were not short of this bit of money now.
But money piled up in a storehouse was nothing more than a stack of banknotes.
If it could not be turned into strength, no amount of money was of much use.
And strength was precisely what the Hyuga Clan lacked most right now.
At present, the Hyuga were the only shinobi clan in all of Hyuga Village.
Even counting everyone, they had fewer than thirty jonin.
He alone possessed strength on par with the Kage of the various Shinobi Villages.
Hyuga Village was now far stronger than those small Shinobi Villages.
But compared to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, leaving Shinichi himself out of the equation, the village's raw strength still fell far short.
With that thought, Shinichi knew where things stood.
The Hyuga were no longer short of money.
The most important thing next was to improve the strength of the village's shinobi.
The Hyuga shinobi outside knocked and entered.
"Clan leader, the Aburame Clan's leader has been waiting outside for quite a while. He wishes to see you."
Shinichi said, "Show him in."
The Aburame Clan leader entered the room.
He wore high-collared clothes and sunglasses.
The Hyuga jonin who had escorted the Kaguya Clan leader out had also returned and stood to one side of the room.
Shinichi invited the Aburame Clan leader to sit.
The Aburame Clan leader sat down.
Shinichi had the Hyuga jonin pour the Aburame Clan leader a cup of tea.
The Aburame Clan leader began by asking Shinichi, "Hyuga Clan Leader, back then, Konoha invited the Hyuga to join."
"Why didn't the Hyuga join, and instead establish your own Shinobi Village in the Land of Rice Fields?"
"Now my Aburame Clan faces the same choice the Hyuga faced back then. I'd like to know your reasons."
Shinichi said, "The era of Shinobi Villages is upon us."
"The Land of Fire has Konoha."
"The great nations of Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth have all followed suit and established their own Shinobi Villages."
"The era of shinobi clans is over!"
"Shinobi clans are remnants of the old era. There is no ship in the new era to carry the shinobi clans of the old."
"If a shinobi clan wants to survive in the Shinobi World, it must attach itself to a Shinobi Village!"
"Either join someone else's Shinobi Village or establish one yourself."
"But if you join someone else's Shinobi Village, you'll have to follow their orders from then on."
"The Hyuga wanted to make our own decisions."
"So the Hyuga didn't join Konoha. We established Hyuga Village ourselves."
After hearing him out, the Aburame Clan leader nodded.
Shinichi looked at him and continued, "I'd like to invite the Aburame Clan to join Hyuga Village."
"Once the Aburame clansmen arrive in Hyuga Village, they'll receive the same treatment as Hyuga clansmen."
"Hyuga Village will provide grounds and houses."
"The Land of Rice Fields has plenty of mountains and forests."
"There will be no shortage of places for you Aburame to raise Kikaichū."
The Aburame Clan leader thought for a while.
He said, "This concerns the entire clan."
"I can't decide on my own."
"I'll have to go back and discuss it with the clansmen."
Shinichi did not let him leave just like that.
"If the Aburame Clan is willing to come, the Hyuga will provide a hundred million ryo as a resettlement allowance."
Shinichi went straight to using the power of money.
The Aburame Clan leader was stunned and sat without speaking.
Only after a while did he speak.
"Konoha has invited the Aburame to join several times."
"All they promised the Aburame was a plot of land for our clan grounds."
"That's why the Aburame have never agreed to join Konoha."
"But now, Hyuga Village values the Aburame so highly and offers such generous terms."
"If we Aburame refused, we'd be failing to appreciate your kindness."
The Aburame Clan leader stood up.
He said to Shinichi, "The Aburame Clan agrees to join Hyuga Village!"
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