After a stretch of travel, Sarutobi Sasuke and his party finally arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire.
"Hiruzen, Danzo, be careful in everything you do here in the capital. First deliver Lord Tobirama's letter to the Daimyo, then purchase the supplies. I've already given you the procurement list."
Sarutobi Sasuke instructed Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo. One of them carried the letter for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire; the other held a sealed scroll containing the huge sum of eight hundred million ryō.
"And remember—haggle hard when you buy."
"I know, Father. No matter what it is, start by cutting the price in half!"
Seeing his father's repeated reminders, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He understood the rules of bargaining: open by halving the price.
"Good. You must complete this mission. Lord Tobirama is watching your performance."
"Mm... we know!"
"Mm... we know!"
After a final round of instructions, Sarutobi Sasuke and Shimura Shima left the capital of the Land of Fire. They still had to return to their clan lands and relocate everyone to Konoha. The job of buying supplies was handed to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
"Hiruzen, let's go. We'll first pay our respects to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and complete the task Lord Tobirama gave us."
Watching the two elders depart, Shimura Danzo could no longer wait. He wanted to meet the Daimyo and deliver Senju Tobirama's letter; once done, half their mission here would be complete.
"Mm..." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He was thinking the same thing.
Delivering a letter was much easier than buying supplies.
Purchasing wasn't easy work. Not only did they have to buy everything on the list, the most important part was saving as much money as possible.
The more they saved, the more they would impress Lord Tobirama.
That meant wrangling and haggling with merchants—time-consuming and exhausting, and not something either of them was good at. They were shinobi, after all, used to letting shuriken do the talking.
But they had to find a way to overcome this.
Because Lord Tobirama had said, "To become an excellent shinobi, you have to make a comprehensive, all-around assessment. Personal strength is only one part." Of course, that was only the first half. In his heart he added, "If your strength is as great as my brother's, then do as you please."
With their minds made up, the two headed straight into the city.
After a few turns they reached the Daimyo's palace. They presented their calling cards and were promptly received by the smiling Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
The smile, of course, was put on.
The moment he heard Konoha had sent another letter, the Daimyo felt numb. He had already read Konoha's previous letters; they had only one core message: "Daimyo, I am building a shinobi village. But building a village takes a lot of money. I hear you have deep pockets—would you be willing to sponsor a little?"
Sponsor?
Hand money to Konoha?
What if they grew too powerful?
What if one day Senju Hashirama inexplicably ended up wearing his robes?
So, to delay as much as possible, the Daimyo always replied, "It is under consideration... we are actively considering it."
He hadn't expected Konoha to be so persistent; now they had sent a third letter.
He wanted to have the guards throw the messengers out. But after some thought, he decided to meet them.
For the sake of appearances.
He had always been a man of propriety.
"Sit. No need to be formal. Someone—tea!"
The Daimyo sat on the sofa and gestured for Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo to sit.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
After the pleasantries, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo stated their identities and purpose: they were here to deliver a letter. The Daimyo, however, focused on who they were.
"You're from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"The Sarutobi have decided to join Konoha."
"The Shimura have as well."
"I see."
The Daimyo's expression froze slightly, unease stirring in his heart.
He had long feared that the village Senju Hashirama founded would grow strong and then draw other shinobi clans to join of their own accord. He hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
"Your Highness, this is the letter Lord Tobirama asked us to deliver."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took the letter from his robes and handed it to the Daimyo, who accepted it and began to read.
Its core message was much the same as before: "Daimyo, you have deep pockets. Send funds."
But there was a difference. At the end, Senju Tobirama specifically emphasized that if the Daimyo wished to continue "considering," he would have his elder brother, Senju Hashirama, come in person to the capital of the Land of Fire for friendly talks.
The wording and tone were courteous and deferential.
Heaven bear witness—Senju Tobirama truly hoped the Daimyo would provide financial support for Konoha; in return, Konoha would pledge loyalty to the Daimyo.
However, because of the "Hashirama threat theory," these respectful words transformed in the Daimyo's eyes, the sense of menace practically seeping from the page.
"Daimyo, how ungrateful can you be? If you still won't pay, I'll have my big brother Senju Hashirama come to the Land of Fire and straighten you out—shake the gold right out of you."
As the Daimyo's mind spun with this, cold sweat rose on his back. Still, his years on the throne kept him rational.
Don't panic yet.
There was still Uchiha Makoto.
He would write to Uchiha Makoto about this, have him handle it—have him go fight Senju Hashirama.
If that didn't work...
Then he would just pay Konoha the money. He had always been a man of propriety.
"Thank you both for the delivery. There's a banquet tonight—perfect for welcoming you."
"I have ties with your Sarutobi and Shimura clans... don't refuse."
The Daimyo dabbed the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and invited Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo to the evening banquet. If Konoha could win over clans, then so could he.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo exchanged a glance and accepted. They hadn't eaten a proper meal in days—just rice balls and ration pills.
At that very moment, Uchiha Makoto had no idea what the Daimyo was thinking—"Uchiha Makoto, go take care of Senju Hashirama!"
Uchiha Makoto sat in his office chair, cracking melon seeds and watching Aqua compile the medical ninjutsu textbook, "Three Years to Medical Ninja, Five Years to Medical Master," while a system chime sounded in his ears.
[Dawn Ninja Village]
[Prosperity: 101 +3 +5 +8 +4...]
[Rating: Though weak, it brims with vitality—a world of thriving growth.]
[Detected budget increase of one million ryō, Prosperity +3]
[Detected budget increase of three million ryō, Prosperity +8]
[Detected budget increase of two million ryō, Prosperity +5]
What a delightful sound—like hearing in his previous life in China, "Alipay: one million yuan received."
"Everything is going so smoothly..."
"May it keep going this smoothly."
A satisfied smile spread across Uchiha Makoto's face.
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