"Hokage's brat! Stop right there!!"
"Sasuke! You bastard think you can run?!"
"Sasuke! What're you running for? C'mon, big brother's just inviting you to tea!"
"Sasuke! You run today, and I'll piss all over your field!"
The barrage of shouted threats made Sasuke's heart drop.
Crap.
They spotted him.
Sasuke didn't even look back. He ran harder.
His face twisted, muscles knotting as he forced speed out of his legs.
Move, you useless legs!
You want a cut of my money?
Dream on!
Sure enough.
The moment they saw Sasuke bolt like that, the higher-ups from the advisor factions immediately decided he'd just landed a massive payout.
But Sasuke was fast.
They were faster.
They closed in like a net, cutting off routes in a tightening circle.
One elder from Danzo's side watched Sasuke about to slip the ring, gritted his teeth, and went all in.
"You little punk! Eat my fist!"
Hiss…
That old man had guts.
He'd dare hit the Hokage's son?
But once someone threw the first punch, the others stopped hesitating too.
All three advisor factions together—what did they have to fear from one clan?
"Ha—ptui! You little punk! Eat my fist too!"
"Fūton (Wind Release)! Gre—"
"Don't you 'Gre' anything! Use taijutsu!"
"Konoha Daisenpū (Leaf Great Whirlwind)!"
Damn it!
He was that close.
Sasuke got tackled and pinned.
He fought like hell, but that same elder landed a couple of heavy shots—bam, bam—until Sasuke finally stopped struggling.
He went still.
Only the way he looked at Danzo's people turned uglier by the second.
Fine.
Fine.
So that's how you want to play it.
"Kid. Talk. What did you get from Kangetsu-san?"
"Heh. If you don't talk, I'm sure everyone here can pry your mouth open."
"Root! Where are the Root guys?!"
"Me! Let me!"
"Sasuke, you don't want Root questioning you, do you?"
Sasuke's hand twitched.
He stared at the elder threatening him, his mouth jerking like he was chewing glass.
My dad is the Hokage!
I've got someone above me!
Nobody there cared.
You've got someone above you—so do we.
Three advisor factions together could crush you just by leaning.
"Elder! He's got something in his pocket!"
"Oh?"
Sasuke swore to himself: once he survived this, he was going to make Danzo's people pay.
Because the one reporting him was from that side too.
They fished out a contract from Sasuke's pocket.
It was cleanly written, with clear breakdowns and itemized numbers.
For a moment…
The higher-ups from the advisor factions just stared.
A-again…
"Another 'clothing empire'?!" someone blurted.
Instantly, the whole group exploded.
Voices piled up, everyone shouting over each other until faces went red.
"I knew it! I knew it!!"
"Good. Real good. You're trying to eat it all yourselves!"
"And you're taking four-tenths of it!"
"You think you won't choke on that?!"
Seventeen or eighteen of them locked onto Sasuke like wolves.
Their eyes looked ready to swallow him alive.
Blocking someone's money was like murdering their parents.
And this wasn't just blocking them.
This was leaving them no opening at all.
"Quick! Now! Write to your clan heads!"
"Yeah! Don't let this punk get away with it!"
"Business Kangetsu-san brings out—there's no way all the good stuff goes to the Hokage's house!"
"This is ridiculous! Aren't we all part of Konoha?!
Haven't we all contributed to Konoha?!"
"I'm taking this to the Hokage Tower! I'm taking this to the Hokage Tower!!"
Oh, great…
Watching it spiral, Sasuke felt his scalp go numb.
He didn't even get to enjoy the monopoly—and now he was covered in stink.
Kangetsu… big brother screwed you over.
Right then—
Kangetsu "happened" to stroll over, a stack of bills tucked against his chest, looking confused.
"Hm? What's going on here…?"
Bills.
The elder's eyes were sharp. He caught a corner of the paper peeking out from Kangetsu's vest.
Oh, so that's how it is.
Hokage's boy!
And you still claim you weren't eating alone?!
Root!
Get the heavy punishment ready!
At the same time, back in Konoha…
All the major clans were waiting to see how the cash god's latest deal would turn out.
Even the old men in power couldn't focus on their work.
It had been a month already. Kangetsu should've finished setting everything up by now, right?
Could they tell early if it would make money?
Probably not.
...
Inside the Hokage's office—
Danzo glanced at Homura and Koharu, both clearly restless.
Where'd that steadiness go?
Where'd that "big picture" mindset go?
This was why they'd die as advisors.
Pathetic.
Not like him—he could practically see the vice-seat reaching out for him.
He even found himself considering whether he should soften things with the old man a bit.
When the time came to pick a deputy, maybe the old man would give him a vote.
He decided it. Old friends hadn't "caught up" in ages.
Next time, they'd go fishing together at the river.
The old man, though, wasn't worried.
He'd sent his eldest son to oversee everything.
In his view, that boy was steady. By now, he should've gotten everything settled.
The old man was looking forward to his son learning more at Kangetsu's side.
And then bringing him a pleasant surprise.
A few days later—
The surprise arrived.
It was that same chūnin from the Nara clan again, reporting in.
The advisors practically sprinted into the Hokage's office too.
All the old men were present. The old man couldn't help feeling a little sick of it.
Where was this enthusiasm when there was actual work to do?
"So? Did Kangetsu say anything?"
The chūnin was practically vibrating with excitement.
He quickly pulled out the bills.
Three hundred million.
Another three hundred million!
"Honored sirs! Kangetsu-san earned again!
Pure profit—three hundred fifty-eight million ryō!"
Hiss—!!
The old man's heart thumped hard.
Danzo wasn't the man he used to be.
But a capable young man was still a capable young man.
"Quick, quick! Where's the breakdown? Put the bills down, now!"
Even Danzo couldn't stay seated.
A pile of crisp bills like that—who could resist?
Homura and Koharu rushed to shut the door.
No way could they let outsiders see.
This was profit the top brass kept for themselves.
The chūnin, to his credit, shut his mouth and quietly backed out.
Danzo rubbed his hands together, grinning, eyes burning.
This time, surely he'd take the biggest cut.
And then—
Carrier pigeons arrived in a flurry.
Letters from the advisor factions, all at once, landing on the Hokage's desk.
The old man's brow furrowed.
Watching the advisors scramble, he realized something wasn't simple at all.
Because he also had a letter—
From his eldest son.
(End of Chapter)
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