Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Shimura Danzo was fuming.
"Shimura Dandan!
Shimura Dandan!!
Shimura Dandan!!!
That bastard Rinjin! He's been screwing me over non-stop!
My reputation is in absolute shambles!
Now the entire ninja world thinks I've been double-crossing them!
Hiruzen, do you know what happened yesterday? I was assassinated eight times!
EIGHT TIMES! Those damn mercenary ninjas are like weeds—they just keep coming!
Damn it! This is driving me insane!"
His furious roars echoed throughout the office.
Looking at Shimura Danzo, whose face was red and neck veins bulging from anger, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even crack a hint of his usual smile. Instead, his eyes carried a rare trace of worry.
Recently, Sakuhō Rinjin had been making some big moves.
The Land of Fields, the Land of Iron, the Land of Tea, the Land of Rivers, the Land of Grass, the Land of the Moon, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Whirlpools...
Populations from countless small nations were disappearing without a trace.
At the same time, a massive number of people were gathering along the borders of Konoha and the Land of Rain.
There was no doubt that this was Rinjin's doing.
Not only that, but according to intelligence from the Fire Temple, Rinjin seemed to have already secured the title of Daimyō of the Land of Rain.
And this title wasn't just for show.
It meant that, nominally speaking, the Land of Rain now belonged to Rinjin. And this title had been recognized by the Daimyōs of other nations!
...
To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi desperately wanted the large group of civilians gathering at the borders between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. He wanted them even more than the eight hundred million ryō that was about to fall into his hands.
The size of a population determined the number of ninjas a village could produce. It was also the foundation of a village's prosperity.
The wars between the Five Great Nations weren't just battles over resources; they were wars over population.
War destroyed homes, and the great nations harvested the population resources of smaller ones.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was lost in thought, the office door was suddenly knocked.
Outside, a voice from the ANBU sounded.
"Hokage-sama, Sakuhō Rinjin is requesting an audience downstairs at the Hokage Building."
"Let him in!"
"Yes!"
Moments later, the door was knocked again. Following a "Come in!" Rinjin, dressed in a black yukata and wearing wooden clogs, strolled in.
"Yo~ Uncle Hiruzen! Yo~ Big Bro Danzo!" Rinjin greeted enthusiastically, waving his hand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly in response.
Beside him, Shimura Danzo's face turned dark as he rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Rinjin-kun, what brings you here today?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, feigning ignorance.
"Good news! I've come to deliver money!"
As he spoke, Rinjin clapped his hands.
Behind him, three shadow clones entered one after another, each carrying a uniform-sized briefcase.
The clones placed the briefcases down in a neat row and opened them simultaneously.
The next second, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo's faces twitched in unison.
The largest denomination of banknotes, five thousand ryō each, filled the six briefcases to the brim.
It didn't look like much, but it was an astonishing amount.
Ringing a bell, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned two ANBU members to take the money away.
Rinjin, ever so considerate, found a seat for himself and sat down. He had no intention of leaving until the money was counted.
At that moment, Shimura Danzo suddenly spoke.
"Rinjin, you owe me an explanation."
"An explanation for what?" Rinjin scratched his head, genuinely curious.
"Shimura Dandan!"
Danzo pinched his nose, looking utterly exasperated.
Hearing this, Rinjin's lips curled into a grin as he nodded thoughtfully.
"Big Bro Danzo, what do you want?"
Danzo's heart skipped a beat.
This sly fox agreed so readily? No negotiation or haggling?
His mind raced.
"Money. I want money too!"
Sitting behind the desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't interfere in their conversation.
He and Danzo were comrades who had fought side by side through life and death.
Previously, Danzo had taken the fall for the sake of the village. Now, if he wanted money, he could just ask Rinjin for it. Worst case, they'd cut off Root's funding later.
The negotiation between Rinjin and Danzo continued.
"Five thousand ryō. Give me five thousand ryō, and I'll publicly announce that I have a younger brother named... Dandan."
Danzo pinched his nose as he spoke.
Hearing this, Rinjin immediately extended a single finger and chuckled.
"I'll give you a hundred million!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Hiruzen Sarutobi's face twitched again. This kid was truly a master of reverse bargaining.
But on second thought, didn't this just prove that Rinjin wasn't short on money at all?
In contrast, Shimura Danzo wasn't surprised. He had already witnessed Rinjin's reverse bargaining tactics in the Raikage's office.
Without hesitation, Danzo nodded in agreement to the price.
Watching the satisfied Danzo, Rinjin chuckled silently to himself.
A hundred million ryō to buy out most of the Uchiha clan—was it a profit or a loss?
"Keep it up, Big Bro Danzo. Build up Root's strength and kick the Uchiha clan out of Konoha as soon as possible."
"After all, the Uchiha clan is treated like outcasts in Konoha. They work hard but get no recognition. They might as well follow me to Amegakure."
"In Amegakure, whoever has the strongest fists gets to call the shots. Those little devils would fight tooth and nail for it."
...
Before long, the ANBU returned with the results: eight hundred million ryō, not a single coin missing.
With that, Rinjin politely bid farewell to Hiruzen Sarutobi and left the Hokage's office.
At the staircase landing.
Suddenly, a figure came rushing in like a whirlwind.
The next moment, the figure collided with Rinjin, who was descending the stairs.
Without thinking, Rinjin instinctively fell to the ground, groaning, "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Stop pretending!" a familiar voice snapped.
Looking up, Rinjin saw Tsunade. Her blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail, and her hands were planted on her hips as she looked at him with an odd expression.
Rinjin stood up with an awkward laugh, brushing the dust off his clothes.
"Sorry, force of habit."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted downward, noticing something different.
A white crop top revealing her midriff, paired with a black striped mesh underlayer. What was different?
Oh boy! I underestimated you before!
At the same time, Rinjin noticed a purple diamond-shaped mark on Tsunade's forehead, which hadn't been there before.
"Long time no see, Tsuna—uh, Little Tsuna. Haven't been out on missions lately?" Rinjin greeted casually, waving his hand.
Tsunade nodded, her amber eyes scanning Rinjin up and down.
"No, I've been training in the village recently."
"Oh? Training in what?" Rinjin asked curiously.
After all, he hadn't forgotten that he was still counting on Tsunade to help him unlock the Eight Gates Released Formation.
Hearing Rinjin's question, Tsunade suddenly became a bit flustered. Her amber eyes darted away as she stammered softly, "Summoning techniques and sealing jutsu."
Rinjin didn't notice her unusual behavior and nodded. After quickly glancing around to ensure no one else was nearby, he leaned closer to Tsunade's ear.
"Little Tsuna, I need your help with something. Can you research a way to open the Gate of Life using external forces?"
Feeling his warm breath on her ear, Tsunade's face instantly turned crimson. She instinctively stepped back, stammering, "S-sure! I-I'll look into it right away!"
With that, her face practically steaming, she bolted away without looking back.
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