Chapter 372: Let Me Do It

Sorry for keeping the Hokage waiting.

I don't know how long passed before the Fire Country Daimyo finally arrived, lagging behind.

He said sorry, but his face showed no remorse.

The Daimyo prides himself on nobility and looks down on others from his very core.

Especially those ninja who love fighting and killing.

"No problem, Lord Daimyo, you have countless affairs to attend," Tuan Cang said expressionlessly.

The more arrogant the Daimyo becomes now, the worse it will be later.

They instinctively glanced at the ashen‑faced Lian Ye, a smile tugging at their mouth.

"I wonder why the Hokage has come all the way here—what business is it?"

The Fire Country Daimyo didn't notice Tuan Cang's expression and swaggered onto the main seat.

"Lord Daimyo, the Village's current funds can't meet daily needs, you see…" Tuan Cang said tentatively.

"Are you here for money?"

The Daimyo instantly suppressed their smile and squinted slightly.

They allocate hundreds of millions of taels to the Village each month, yet these damned ninja are still unsatisfied and now come to them asking for more money!

"Exactly, Lord Daimyo," Tuan Cang nodded and explained.

"Konoha is currently in a rapid development phase; everything requires financial support, and your allocations are indeed stretched thin…"

They never mentioned the Daimyo cutting funds, only that the Village is severely short of money.

Some matters are understood tacitly; stating them would be pointless.

"Heh, I think the allocations to Konoha are already plenty," the Daimyo said with a forced grin.

These ninja are truly greedy!

Even hundreds of millions of taels per month aren't enough.

"Lord Daimyo, there are things you don't know…"

Tuan Cang then earnestly detailed the purpose of each fund.

The Daimyo casually scratched their ear, paying no attention at all.

"Alright, I think I understand now."

The Daimyo impatiently cut Tuan Cang off, asking sarcastically.

"Hokage, how much money do you intend me to give you?"

Lian Ye looked at the Daimyo's lofty demeanor and burst into a bitter laugh.

A mere mortal daring to boss around ninja, shouting orders…

If he didn't hold the Daimyo's rank, he'd have been torn apart and fed to dogs long ago.

He had already sentenced the Daimyo to death in his mind.

It's just killing one Daimyo, after all.

If not, replace him.

But Lian Ye didn't plan to act now; he'd wait a while.

He wanted to see just how arrogant the Daimyo could be.

"Lord Daimyo, after calculation, you need to increase monthly support by three hundred million taels on top of the current amount."

Tuan Cang produced the documents prepared by Ri Zhan and handed them to the Daimyo.

"Oh? Three hundred million taels?"

The Daimyo glanced at the documents but didn't reach out to take them.

Tuan Cang's expression instantly fell apart.

Now he finally understood why Lian Ye disliked the Daimyo.

What a damn show‑off.

He now wishes he could kill the arrogant guy right in front of him!

"Hokage, isn't your appetite a bit too big?"

The Daimyo said with a playful expression.

He doesn't believe the Hokage will spend all that money on village construction.

None of these ninja are good!

"Daimyo, what do you mean by that?" Tuan Cang was truly angry.

The Fire Country Daimyo not only sits high above but also looks down on everyone, barely giving the Hokage any regard!

Since becoming Hokage, he's never felt such contempt.

The Daimyo stared at the sullen Tuan Cang and sneered, "Nothing special, just think the Hokage demands too much funding…"

He has to allocate one‑fifth of his annual income to support Konoha Village's ninja.

Over time, dissatisfaction naturally arises.

Thus the Daimyo began cutting financial allocations to Konoha Village.

Give Konoha a little less, and he can spend a little more himself.

He didn't expect that after just a few months, those ungrateful ninja would come knocking for money.

The Daimyo is indeed very wealthy, but he doesn't want to spend on others.

Even if Konoha Village claims to guard Fire Country's safety, it makes no difference.

If possible, he wouldn't spend a single cent.

It's all the damned Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha's fault!

If it weren't for the two founding Konoha Village, he wouldn't have to waste money.

In the Warring States Period, the ninjas' disputes were solely the ninjas' business, unrelated to these rich people.

They only need to spend money to hire ninjas to do the work.

The rest need not be considered.

Unlike now, when a huge amount of funds must be poured into supporting a ninja village?

If Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha hadn't existed, this wouldn't have happened!

The Daimyo's Residence's assets have been rapidly drained by Konoha.

If you ask who despises Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha the most,

there's no doubt it's the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations.

Since the two founded the ninja village, ninjas from other countries have been copying them.

The Daimyos are so angry their livers ache.

Tuan Cang's face turned sour; he wished he could pull out a kunai and slash his neck.

But he held back after thinking it over.

He is now the Hokage, so let Lian Ye handle this.

Anyway, that guy's grudge against the Daimyo hasn't been just a day or two.

Tuan Cang took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Lord Daimyo, I guarantee that every single coin on the books will be used for the village's construction, not a single coin will be embezzled!"

The Daimyo merely smiled, choosing not to speak.

Who would believe such words if spoken aloud?

"Hokage, although you speak so solemnly," the Daimyo said with a smile, shaking his head, "I still think adding three hundred million taels of funding is too much…"

He is rich but not stupid.

It's impossible to trust Tuan Cang's one‑sided words; even if he were telling the truth, it wouldn't help.

He simply doesn't want to give that much money.

"Lord Daimyo, how much additional funding can you provide?" Tuan Cang asked.

The Daimyo slowly extended a single finger.

"One hundred million taels?"

"Heh, ten million taels!"

Tuan Cang saw the Daimyo's cheerful demeanor, and a vein on his forehead instantly bulged.

He talked here for ages, his mouth dry from all the talking.

In the end, he was only willing to increase it by ten million taels!

Tuan Cang laughed, so angry he laughed on the spot.

The Daimyo at this moment had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Just ten million, no more! I'll still consider the fact that the Hokage came from afar…"

"Daimyo, you will regret this!"

Tuan Cang considered his words and stood up in anger.

"Tuan Cang, what are you doing?!"

Ri Zhan was startled by his friend's actions.

He actually dared to speak harsh words to the Daimyo in the great hall!

If this provokes the Daimyo, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Hokage, what do you mean?" the Daimyo squinted, "Are you expressing dissatisfaction to me?"

Ri Zhan saw this and his complexion instantly turned deathly pale.

It's over, it's over!

He really angered the Daimyo; Tuan Cang was too impulsive!

No, I must step forward in time to defuse the situation.

To prevent the matter from worsening.

As Ri Zhan was about to stand up and explain, a strong hand pressed him down.

He turned his head in surprise.

Lian Ye, expressionless, said.

"Let me handle it."

…

…

ps: Everyone's back to school, no one reads my books anymore, eek—