"I've discovered something quite fascinating recently. The Land of Tea sells its tea throughout the ninja world, making a fortune—so why can't we brew something of our own? I had my former assistant, now one of the Eighteen Seats, Taida, get me some dried sea buckthorn berries. The results were obvious: sweet and tart with a hint of astringency, plus a pleasant aftertaste. I consulted several renowned medical ninja—they all said this fruit is incredibly nutritious. So why not create a health drink? Sea Buckthorn Berry Tea. There's no technical difficulty whatsoever. I'm simply providing the concept. Since Taida also contributed to this idea, he'll take one share. The remaining nine shares follow the usual rules. Any objections?"
"None!" the group answered in unison.
"Excellent!" Rinjin's hawk-like gaze swept the room before he nodded in satisfaction. "I'm stepping out for a moment. See you in half an hour."
With that, he rose smoothly and strode out of the conference room.
Beside his seat, Maki swallowed hard, desperately suppressing his shock. This man's presence was absolutely terrifying. For a split second, he'd glimpsed the shadow of the Third Kazekage in Rinjin's silhouette. Yet even the mighty Third Kazekage lacked this man's overwhelming aura.
Having endured the previous month's darkness, Maki understood clearly: Not just himself—even if the Fourth Kazekage came in person, he couldn't command the Eighteen Seats with such effortless authority. Even if the Fourth could force these thorns to bow through sheer power, he'd never earn their genuine respect.
Was such a domineering figure Sunagakure's blessing—or its curse?
As Maki pondered, a sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Hey you—new assistant—get out. We need to discuss business!"
Maki froze. As an elite jonin, when had he ever suffered such treatment? Being ordered around by Kaza was one thing—that came from the Kazekage's command. But these powerless middle managers dared boss him around too?!
His neck stiffened as he glared back: "I'm Lord Kaza's assistant. I need to monitor you on his behalf."
At those words, everyone burst into laughter, their gazes shifting to former assistant Taida.
"Ha! How amusing. Taida, didn't you teach this guy the rules?"
Taida shook his head with a sneer: "Oh my~ Dear Lord Hanabira~ Do you think I had time for that? The moment I finished notifying everyone about the meeting, Lord Kaza had me planted in this chair."
His words carried soft barbs and unmistakable pride. He couldn't care less about workplace courtesy or acting like the new guy. After countless hours eavesdropping outside these doors, he knew these shameless people only cared about one thing: money. As long as the profits flowed, they'd curse out the Fourth Kazekage himself.
The crowd chatted and laughed, completely dismissing Jonin Maki. No surprise there—among their bodyguards were plenty of jonin-level mercenary ninja. Their philosophy was simple: money made you the boss, not ninja rank.
Once, such people only survived in minor nations. But Rinjin had forcibly transplanted this culture into Sunagakure, transforming the Municipal Ministry into fertile soil for these types to flourish.
Watching the group treat him like air, Maki's face flushed with rage, his fists clenched beneath his sleeves. But he endured it. For the village's sake, he swallowed this humiliation.
Seeing Maki had no intention of leaving, the group simply ignored him. Time was limited—they had to pick winners within the half-hour, or Lord Kaza would declare the meeting void. Then nobody would get anything.
With time running short, they immediately formed factions and began their standoff. Not everything required violence—if intimidation could settle matters, they'd take it. Soon, the wealthiest among the Eighteen Seats were kicked out of this round's profit-sharing. For the rest, a brawl was inevitable.
Meanwhile, Maki watched former allies suddenly turn on each other, his worldview completely shattered. Were these people even human? Did they possess any conscience or moral boundaries? Betrayal—this was naked betrayal!
In the conference room, Taida smiled as he watched the increasingly vicious fighting, glanced at his watch, then at the stunned Maki, and sighed leisurely.
Standing up, he patted Maki's shoulder as he passed: "You shouldn't have come in. Now that you've witnessed everyone's ugly side, you'd better watch your back walking home at night. Oh, and meetings typically run thirty minutes—remember to open the door at the twenty-minute mark. That reminds everyone time's almost up while letting their personal medic-nin in to treat injuries."
With a sinister grin, Taida walked to the door and pulled open the heavy double doors with a creak.
Immediately, numerous medical ninja streamed in, moving swiftly to their respective employers and beginning treatment.
Ten minutes later, Rinjin burst through the conference room doors, his expression unusually stern.
He'd been eating too many dates lately—a bit constipated, and his mood was foul!
Striding quickly to the head seat, his sharp gaze swept the room.
"Well? Have you reached a decision?"
Faced with Lord Kaza's uncharacteristic severity, those still fighting over the final slot felt their blood run cold.
Damn! Hanabira, Kubo—if you two keep arguing, we're all screwed!
From the crowd, Kubo immediately stood, forcing a humble smile: "Lord Kaza, we've worked everything out. The selections are... and finally, Hanabira!"
Seeing this, Rinjin's lips curved slightly as he gave Hanabira a meaningful look and nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent! Since you've decided, get to work! If you need clarification on any details, come see me in my office individually. Meeting adjourned!"
With that, Rinjin rose and left.
Only after he exited did everyone finally exhale.
Kubo, his back soaked with cold sweat, pointed a trembling chubby finger at Hanabira and snarled: "Hanabira, you owe me for this!"
Hanabira let out a long breath while fearlessly retorting: "Just wait and see how I... 'reward'... you, you fat bastard!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (95+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!