"Lord Kakuzu, Lord Kazekage is waiting for you in his tent."
Xuechi Gaoyi smiled broadly.
"Oh, then let's go."
Kakuzu spread his arms wide.
"Uh, what for?"
Xuechi Gaoyi was full of question marks.
"Isn't the chairman meeting with me privately? Don't you need to search me?"
Kakuzu seemed surprised.
"Lord Kakuzu, you're so humorous. You're home now, among family—why would we need such formalities?"
Xuechi Gaoyi laughed.
"Home?"
Kakuzu murmured.
"Please go right in. Lord Kazekage postponed all his morning military duties just to wait for you."
"Oh!"
Kakuzu straightened his tie and was about to lift the tent flap when he suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to Xuechi Gaoyi.
"Brother, could you do me a favor?"
"Of course. What do you need?"
Xuechi Gaoyi nodded politely.
"Please hold out your hands."
"What?"
"Hold out your hands."
"Oh, like this?"
Xuechi Gaoyi spread his palms.
Kakuzu deftly removed his rings one by one, placing them in Xuechi Gaoyi's hands, finally taking off the gold chain around his neck as well.
"What are you doing?"
Xuechi Gaoyi was completely confused by Kakuzu's actions.
"Please help me keep these safe."
"Huh?"
Seeing Xuechi Gaoyi's confusion, Kakuzu smiled.
"Have you ever seen the chairman wearing any accessories?"
"Uh, Lord Kazekage never seems to..."
"Exactly. The chairman has always advocated simplicity. Would it be appropriate for me to meet him dripping with jewels?"
"You're right."
Xuechi Gaoyi suddenly understood.
"But Lord Kakuzu, you're being overly cautious. You're a meritorious minister—Lord Kazekage wouldn't mind."
Kakuzu said seriously,
"Little brother, let me teach you something: wear pants that fit your ass, sing the right song for the right mountain. The chairman is someone who can shake the business world just by scattering a handful of grain. Showing off wealth in front of him—wouldn't that be utterly embarrassing?"
"Oh, I understand now."
Xuechi Gaoyi had an epiphany.
Kakuzu smiled.
"Remember, details determine success or failure. Keep these safe for me!"
"Don't worry. When you come out, I'll return everything exactly as it was."
Xuechi Gaoyi took out an empty ninja tool pouch in front of Kakuzu and stuffed all the jewelry inside.
Kakuzu smiled and lifted the tent flap.
Xuechi Gaoyi weighed the pouch.
"Good heavens, over half a pound! Doesn't it feel heavy wearing all this?"
...
Seeing Kakuzu enter the tent, Jinghang immediately stood up with a broad smile.
"Haha! The great hero of our Golden Sand Group has arrived! Come, come sit down."
Kakuzu first bowed politely to Jinghang, then sat down properly.
"How was the journey? Everything went smoothly?"
Jinghang asked with concern.
"With the chairman's military might, everything went smoothly."
Kakuzu bowed slightly.
"We can't drink alcohol in the military, but I have some excellent Blood Mist Red here. This isn't the common stuff sold in ordinary tea houses—it's genuine mother tree variety. One ounce of tea leaves costs three ounces of gold."
Jinghang smiled as he picked up the tea kettle. Kakuzu quickly grabbed a teacup, holding it almost higher than his head. His respectful attitude was even more deferential than a Japanese corporate slave meeting his company president.
You might ask why the once-proud, cold-faced assassin would show such deference.
Jinghang would answer: I provide for him, so naturally he obeys.
In The Godfather, when Michael asked the Don how he made his subordinates so loyal, the Godfather smiled and replied, "Simple, child. Make them fear losing your trust." (Not the movie—read the novel.)
Jinghang had a deep understanding of Kakuzu. Beneath his exterior obsession with money, what he truly craved deep down was recognition.
Even after his village betrayed and abandoned him, even after he killed the higher-ups of Hidden Waterfall, he still yearned for acknowledgment. Contradictory? Not at all. In his eyes, the village and those so-called higher-ups were two different concepts.
Think of it this way: you might hate a corrupt official, but you'd still love your homeland.
During these eight years on Yuexi Peninsula, though Jinghang had never met Kakuzu face-to-face, he'd long ago instructed Maki to give Kakuzu complete trust.
Maki executed this perfectly, attributing all this trust to Jinghang's name.
So toward Jinghang, this "junior," Kakuzu felt genuine gratitude and admiration.
"How did things go?"
Jinghang asked with a smile.
Kakuzu nodded.
"Very smoothly. All assets confiscated from the Fire Eight Pillars Commerce Association in southern Fire Country have been transported back home. Total assets amount to 87.276 billion ryō. The goods confiscated from Fire Eight Pillars have been transferred to Fire Country's noble envoys, netting 8.938 billion ryō in cash. The shops, real estate, and farmland under Fire Eight Pillars' name have been sold off almost completely, currently yielding 11.174 billion ryō. My five disciples are handling the cleanup work—I believe everything will be finished within five days."
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Beautifully done!"
Jinghang excitedly slapped the table. Now Fire Country was truly crippled. Konoha's financial backers had been completely wiped out. The situation wouldn't show immediately—Konoha might still have some reserves—but after this war ended, Konoha would suffer. At minimum, three generations would see their living standards plummet drastically. Garlic sprout stir-fry with pork would become cold dandelion salad, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall would become spicy soup. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura—hmph! Go gnaw on corn bread!
"Come, cheers!"
Jinghang raised his teacup. Kakuzu quickly met it.
Both drained their cups.
"Kakuzu, you're truly the greatest hero of this war!"
Jinghang praised generously.
"Chairman, you flatter me. This was all my duty."
Kakuzu humbly bowed.
"Merit is merit. You know me—I've always been clear about rewards and punishments."
Jinghang patted Kakuzu's shoulder.
"According to our previous contract, you'll receive your percentage commission."
"Thank you, chairman."
Kakuzu's face immediately bloomed like a flower.
"Not only that—I'm promoting you!"
Jinghang stood up.
Kakuzu quickly stood as well.
"Maki's vision is too small, his steps too cautious. Board member? From today on, you're the general manager of Golden Sand Entertainment Group!"
"Ah!"
Kakuzu gaped in amazement.
He could hardly believe Jinghang would give him such tremendous trust.
From now on, he could legitimately embrace all of Yuexi Peninsula!
This is how a real man should live!
"Lord Kazekage... are you... are you serious?"
"Would I lie?"
Jinghang smiled as he pulled out an appointment letter.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next 60 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]