Chapter 90: Selling Someone While They Help You Count the Money
"No need. Quality over quantity," Stelle said, her lips curving into a genuine smile. "I like this gift."
She took the delicate hairclip from its box and, without a moment's hesitation, pinned it into her hair. The simple, elegant accessory settled perfectly against her dark locks.
"To celebrate," she declared, raising her cup, "let's have two more bottles."
Just then, a man passing by the private booth happened to overhear her. His name was Tsukiyomi Kenshi, and a look of deep self-reproach filled his eyes.
'The Fourth Hokage truly has it hard,'he thought, his heart aching with misplaced sympathy.'To support all of Konoha, she's forced to suppress her own desires and drink her sorrows away. She clearly prefers simple, thoughtful gifts, yet the clans only offer her power and influence.'He clenched his fists.'No, I have to do something. I must find a way to make the Fourth Hokage's life a little brighter.'
At their table, three bottles of wine had already been ordered. Stelle had polished off two by herself, while Uchiha Kagami had barely made a dent in his first. When she ordered two more and proceeded to down them with practiced ease, the cumulative effect of four bottles finally hit her. Stelle was, to put it mildly, completely drunk.
The alcohol loosened her tongue, and the complaints began to flow.
She grumbled about the head of the Aburame Clan, who wanted to foist an assistant on her but had sent a pair of hideously ugly Chakra Blades as a "gift."
Then there was Danzo Shimura's nephew, who also vied for the assistant position. His offering? A family-inherited ninjutsu scroll. As if she, the Hokage, was lacking in jutsu.
"They don't know how to give gifts at all," she slurred, her words thick. "Not a single one was to my liking. They don't see me as a woman, or even as a person. I'm just a stepping stone for their ambitions."
As the alcohol surged through her, a deep crimson flush spread across her cheeks, making the rest of her skin appear as pale and luminous as snow. Her eyes, now hazy and unfocused, stared straight at Uchiha Kagami. She leaned in slowly, her head tilted as if trying to solve a complex puzzle that was his face.
The distance between them shrank until her warm, wine-scented breath fanned across his skin. Kagami's back went ramrod straight, every muscle tensing, before he forced himself to relax.
"Kagami," she murmured, her voice a low purr. "When are you getting married?"
The question came out of nowhere, sending Kagami's mind into a dizzying tailspin. 'This is too fast!'he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.'I haven't even confessed yet! Isn't this... isn't this wildly inappropriate?'
"Mar... mar... marriage..." he stammered, his own face heating up. "Th-then... when do you think is a good time to get married?"
Stelle, her brain already sluggish from the drink, was completely stumped by his question. She blinked slowly, processing his words at a glacial pace. Then, with a sudden lurch, she threw an arm around his neck, pulling him close in a clumsy, brotherly embrace.
"How should I know when you're getting married?" she said, her tone conspiratorial. "But that's not important. What's important is that your grandson must be named Uchiha Shisui. You understand?"
The moment the words left her mouth, a sharp notification pinged in her mind.
[Host, do not speak nonsense. Be careful not to expose anything you shouldn't.]
Stelle snorted, her drunken brain misfiring. "Expose? Expose what? I'm more into explosive force."
[The system processor whirred for a moment, unable to compute the pun.]
Kagami's face was now beet red from her proximity. He gently but firmly restrained her, pulling her back to sit properly in her seat. "Why a grandson? Shouldn't we name the son first?"
"No!" she insisted, wagging a finger at him. "It must be the grandson. Remember, your grandson is named Uchiha Shisui. Don't you dare get it wrong."
"Alright, alright, I'll remember," Kagami said hurriedly, capturing her flailing hands to still them. "He'll be called whatever you say."
"Good that you know," she mumbled, her eyes drooping. "Kagami, let me tell you, those Ninja Clan heads, they..."
Her vision suddenly swam and went black. She pitched forward, her head about to slam onto the wooden table. With lightning-fast reflexes, Kagami shot his hand out, catching her forehead in his palm just in time.
The warmth of her skin seeped into his hand, and Kagami froze completely, not daring to move an inch. It was then that he felt it—the weight of countless gazes fixed upon him.
He risked a glance around the tavern. Every single ninja, who moments before had been drinking and chatting amongst themselves, was now staring directly at their booth.
The private booths only had half-partitions, decorated with flower pots that did little to conceal anything. From the moment Stelle had walked in, she had become the tavern's focal point. She was the Fourth Hokage, after all. Her presence demanded a few extra looks.
The patrons had already been gossiping, whispering about how the major clans were desperately trying to stuff handsome young men into the Hokage's office, only for her to reject every single one. Now, as they watched, they had stumbled upon some truly juicy gossip. Of course, they were going to stare.
Heat flooded Kagami's face, turning his ears bright red. He quickly bent down, scooped the unconscious Stelle into his arms, and vanished from the tavern in a swirl of leaves, using the Body Flicker Technique.
After bringing Stelle to her home, Kagami found a female ninja from the Uchiha clan to come over and help her change into something more comfortable. Once he confirmed she was sound asleep, he left with a soft smile, turning off the lights as he closed the door behind him.
The wind that night was exceptionally gentle.
The result of drinking too much was waking up the next day with a splitting headache—the obvious consequence of a hangover.
Stelle lay listlessly on her desk, her head cradled in her arms. She couldn't believe she had been taken down by a few bottles of wine. She, who possessed an immortal body and feared no poison, had lost a battle against mere alcohol.
'System, I didn't do anything weird last night, did I?' she asked inwardly, dreading the answer.
[System: Host, you didn't do anything weird, but you nearly scared me to death. I have never seen you lose consciousness so completely before.]
She carefully sifted through her hazy memories of the previous night. There were no outrageous actions, just... helping name Uchiha Kagami's grandson in passing. A small sigh of relief escaped her. It was fine. She hadn't dug a hole for herself.
'It seems I can't drink casually in the future,'she resolved, the throbbing in her temples reinforcing her decision.'One wrong word, and I could spring a trap on myself. I've decided: I'm quitting alcohol, starting today.'
Just as she was about to force herself to start working, the office door burst open, and Jiraiya, followed by his two teammates, rushed in.
Jiraiya couldn't wait for Orochimaru to begin his research on the mechanical arm. Not wanting to delay for even a second, he slapped an application form—written by Orochimaru—onto Stelle's desk and launched into an impassioned speech requesting its immediate approval.
Stelle had been saving the position of Research Department Head for Orochimaru, so she naturally wouldn't refuse. The department was already tinkering with concepts like televisions and washing machines, but without a high-level scientific genius like Orochimaru at the helm, progress was agonizingly slow. She was counting on him to kickstart Konoha's industrial revolution.
However, she felt obligated to mention the practicalities. "Scientific research costs a lot of money," she said, tapping the application. "A project like a mechanical arm, which doesn't even have a theoretical starting point yet, will require an unknown amount of funding."
Jiraiya immediately puffed out his chest, his loyalty on full display. "I'll donate all the money I earn from missions in the future to the Research Department! I'll only keep a small portion for food!"
He paused, a flicker of doubt crossing his face as he realized that, as a mere genin, his mission pay wouldn't even be enough to buy a week's worth of experimental materials.
Anxious, he began scratching his head. Just then, he spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi passing by the office. An idea struck him. He dragged his sensei inside, wanting to borrow an astronomical sum from him, promising to write a promissory note to pay it all back later.
Hiruzen was left dumbfounded. Did he look like some kind of tycoon? The boy was asking to borrow hundreds of millions of ryo right off the bat.
Finally, Stelle stepped in to stabilize the situation. "Jiraiya, this is research that will benefit all of Konoha. I'll have the Finance Department allocate the necessary funds."
Jiraiya's frantic energy immediately subsided, replaced by a wave of overwhelming gratitude. The sincere, worshipful look in his eyes made Stelle's long-lost conscience twitch for a fleeting moment.
'Why does it feel like I just sold him, and he's now helping me count the money?' she wondered.
It had to be an illusion. Just her imagination.
She was just a person trying to survive. She had no conscience, only the grim determination to earn emotional value to trade for her life.
Stelle was a woman of her word. She immediately summoned Danzo to her office and informed him that he was to allocate another tens of millions of ryo for the Research Facility's "Electrical Appliance Research Project."
Usually, allocations were in the millions. Stelle's opening bid of tens of millions made Danzo's eyes widen in horror, and he immediately refused.
"No money! You're asking for tens of millions for a single research project? Why don't you just go rob someone?"
"Cut the crap," Stelle retorted, her patience wearing thin. "If I tell you to allocate funds, you allocate them. The Research Facility submitted a report the day before yesterday asking for ten million. Why are you dragging your feet? Just approve fifty million."
"Fifty million?!" Danzo shrieked, clutching his chest. This was no different from asking for his life. "I think you should calm down. Money isn't meant to be spent like this!"
"Shut up. I, the Fourth Hokage, say pay up."
"If you want money, there is none," Danzo declared, his face a mask of stubborn defiance. "If you want my life, take it."
Stelle was so angered by his theatrics that she laughed. "I haven't even settled the score with you for placing a curse mark on Uchiha Kou, and you have the nerve to come here and argue with me over money?"
Her eyes flashed. "Secret Technique: Hell Realm Domain!"
In an instant, towering walls of violet fire erupted from the floor, sealing the room and trapping Stelle and Danzo inside.
When the domain finally dissipated, Danzo was a miserable sight. His clothes were burnt to rags, his hair was singed into tight curls, and his face was blackened with soot. He lay on the ground, pathetically puffing out small clouds of smoke.
The commotion from the barrier jutsu had been too loud to ignore, even alarming Uchiha Kagami in the adjacent office. He vaulted onto the windowsill just in time to see Danzo's pathetic state and let out a laugh devoid of any sympathy.
Stelle looked down at the scorched finance minister. "Now," she asked sweetly, "will you send the money?"
Danzo gave a weak, shaky nod. Stelle was satisfied.
"Danzo," she said, her voice dropping to a cool, firm tone. "I am the Hokage."
Seeing his old friend in such a miserable state, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly tried to change the subject. He stepped forward, placing a large bouquet of bright red roses he had been holding onto Stelle's desk.
"Here," he said, offering a strained smile. "For you."
Stelle leaned back in her chair, propping her chin on her hand as she regarded him with a cool, appraising gaze.
"What, did you have a fight with Biwako? She didn't want the flowers, so you decided to recycle the waste by bringing them to me?" Her smile was anything but friendly. "If so, I'll have to be sure to thank you properly... with the power of my fists."
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