"Haha! That's perfect!"
"Now that Oto no Kuni's environment is sorted, the next step is wealth. A ninja village without money and power won't last long."
"So, what do we do?"
"Power will come with time," Kazama replied. "As for wealth, I've heard there are plenty of bandits around here robbing and pillaging. You can seize their stashes to fund Oto no Kuni. I don't care if you extort, blackmail, or kidnap—just make sure it's aimed at the worst of the worst, the truly irredeemable scum. But if you dare use these tactics on innocent civilians, you're dead!"
"Understood! We'll never harm the innocent!"
After Kazama's warning, Orochimaru and the others swore on their lives to follow his orders.
"And I'll find other ways to bring in funds for Oto no Kuni. So, do your part!"
"Kazama-sama, you can count on us! We won't let you down!"
After spending one night in Oto no Kuni, Kazama set off to return to Konoha.
But before he could even enter the village, Shizune, who'd been sent to track him down, dragged him straight to Tsunade's office.
"Yo, Shizune-neesan, what's the rush?"
"You've got a home and you don't come back—where'd you crash last night? Tsunade-sama has an important mission for you!"
"What's so urgent? I was hoping to catch a nap!"
Kazama let out a helpless sigh.
"What?! Protect the princess of Hi no Kuni?"
When Tsunade revealed the mission, Kazama's heart skipped a beat with excitement.
This was perfect—he'd just been thinking about how to fund Oto no Kuni.
Protecting the princess of Hi no Kuni? With the daimyo's wealth, the reward was bound to be massive.
A grin spread across Kazama's face.
"Tsunade-sama, how much is the reward for this one?"
"What's with you?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You're usually not this hung up on rewards."
She was puzzled. Kazama, part of the Sanada clan—Konoha's richest family—had never cared about money before. As a second-generation rich kid, he wasn't exactly strapped for cash.
"Well, I wanna test my earning skills," Kazama said. "The Sanada clan's a merchant family, after all!"
Oto no Kuni was his personal operation, so using his family's wealth to support it felt a bit off.
"Alright, I'm not sure if you're being straight with me, kid," Tsunade said. "But this mission will definitely meet your expectations. The reward is dozens of times higher than an S-rank mission, and that's before the daimyo's personal bonus. You'll be rolling in it by the end!"
"Well, in that case, thanks for the hookup, Tsunade-sama! I'm in!"
It turned out the princess of Hi no Kuni had recently been attacked by bandits. These weren't your average thugs—their strength was unusually high, and the princess's guard team had suffered heavy losses.
That's why the daimyo had requested Konoha to send ninja to protect the princess and eliminate the bandits.
"Hold on a sec!"
Tsunade called out to Kazama as he was about to leave for the mission.
"These bandits are crafty. Your name's already famous across Hi no Kuni, so if they know you're guarding the princess, they'll likely go into hiding. I've discussed it with the daimyo, and only he and I will know your true identity. Everyone else, including the princess, will think you're just an ordinary genin. So, until the mission's done, don't reveal who you really are!"
"Got it!"
Before heading out, Kazama left kunai marked with Hiraishin seals at both his clan's stronghold and Oto no Kuni.
That way, he could zip back to Konoha or his base in an instant whenever needed.
"Halt! Who are you?"
When Kazama arrived at the Hi no Kuni palace, a group of guards immediately stopped him.
"I'm a genin from Konoha, here to protect the princess!"
Kazama replied politely, bowing slightly.
"What? Has Konoha lost its mind, sending a genin to protect our princess?"
"Look at you, kid—you're so scrawny a fart could knock you over! You, protect the princess? Did a donkey kick you in the head or something?"
"Haha! Go back home and cry to your mom, kid. You're not cut out to guard the princess of Hi no Kuni!"
The guards burst into mocking laughter, pointing at Kazama like he was a joke.