"The vilge is currently fag financial difficulties."

  "Even my meal allowance as a Hokage advisor is only enough for a bowl of jajangmyeon with garlic."

  "And you, Gojo Kaigetsu, wants to use the funds meant for post-war restru during this critical period to fund the enemy... Are you sug the lifeblood out of Konoha, preparing a fortable haven for yourself to defect as a missing-nin?"

  Missing-nin-!

  Such dangerous ay words tumbled out of Homura Mitokado's mouth.

  Indeed, if blown out of proportion, this matter could be beled as treason in the eyes of the uninformed.

  If it truly happened, it would undoubtedly be a major blow to Konoha's prestige. A Hokage advisor being a missing-nin… It would be akin to Madara Uchiha's defe during the First Hokage's era.

  The atmosphere in the Hokage's offistantly plummeted to freezing point.

  "Also, the 'Konoha Headband Improvement Pn' submitted by the Fourth Hokage a few days ago was also your idea, wasn't it?"

  "Gojo Kaigetsu, do you know that the design of the headband ersonally approved by the First Hokage?!"

  "Do you know that the Shinobu Rules ot be ged?!"

  Danzo Shimura, who had been silent and seemingly half-asleep, finally opened his eyes, a cold and dangerous glint flickering within them as he uhe sed wave of his political attack against Gojo Kaigetsu.

  "Three hundred and fifty million ryō…"

  "I was aware of this matter, but I didn't expect you, Gojo Kaigetsu, to use this moo bribe nobles from the Four Nations."

  "All for… this nonsensical magazine."

  "Gojo Kaigetsu, give me an expnation."

  *Sp*

  A slightly worn copy of "Iki" was thrown onto the table by Danzojo Kaigetsu's secret bribery of the Four Nations' nobles had been exposed.

  With Danzo deliberately assigning Root ninjas to follow up oter, various details were preseo him.

  But even with an open-book exam, Danzo still couldn't grasp the intricacies of the pn.

  Bribing nobles from various nations with a "generous" sum of three hundred and fifty million ryō, just to have them carry this magazine in public?

  Fine!

  Even if that was the case, Danzo could tolerate it.

  If the magazine's tent promoted the strength of Konoha and its ninjas, it could be sidered a worthwhile endeavor.

  But what was written inside?!

  Stories about shops, vilgers paying, and anonymous ministers?

  What was the point of it all?

  Danzo Shimura, who had spent most of his life immersed in schemes and calcutions, was enraged, feelirayed and maniputed.

  If Gojo Kaigetsu didn't provide a reasonable expnation today, he would make him uand the true meaning of darkness in the shinobi world.

  Not even the Fourth Hokage could protect him, Danzo vowed!

  "Hmm… There are quite a few questions, so I won't ahem individually. Let's set aside Elder Homura's s about the headband pn for now."

  "As for the issue of where the funds went, raised by Elder Danzo… It's a plicated matter, so I'll keep it brief."

  "Gentlemen, do you know what advertising is?"

  Unsurprisingly, an awkward silence followed. Even Minato looked at him with a mixture of uanding and fusion.

  'Sigh, from this geion onwards, the Ninja Academy o add new subjects.'

  'Future ninjas 't all be funally illiterate with low education levels!'

  With a sigh, Gojo Kaigetsu expined,

  "In short, this is a legitimate expenditure. It will bring Konoha returns far exceeding three hundred and fifty million ryō."

  "Everything I did was to increase Konoha's wealth~"

  "Foolish!"

  Homura Mitokado interjected. As the elder in charge of taxation, he had a say in this matter.

  "What do you know?!"

  "Increase Konoha's wealth? That money should be used to train exceptional ninjas to plete high-difficulty missions."

  "Using the quality of our powerful ninjas as a draw, attrag capable merts to issue issions and i in Konoha."

  "Using the quantity of our powerful ninjas to secure more financial aid from the daimyo."

  "You cim it's for Konoha's development? From the day you squahat money until now, Konoha's wealth hasn't ged in the slightest. The number of fn merts hasn't increased or decreased. Is that your excuse?"

  In Homura's old-fashioned and servative mihis was the corred sustainable "vilge policy" for a shinobi vilge.

  Indeed, it was the norm in the shinobi world. Almost every hidden vilge followed this development model.

  But-

  "Just because it's always been dohis way, does it mean it's right?"

  The same tactic wouldn't work on a ninja twice. This time, Danzo didn't fall fojo Kaigetsu's cims.

  He issued a stern warning:

  "Gojo Kaigetsu, if today…"

  "Report-"

  Before Danzo could finish, Kakashi, his ANBU uniform, barged into the Hokage's office with a sense ency.

  "Fourth Hokage-sama, I have an importa."

  "Kakashi, what is it?"

  "During the vilge entry iion, we discovered a group of merts from the Land of Lightning." Kakashi's expression was grim. "Upon interrogation, they identified themselves as ninja tool shop merts from Kumogakure."

  "Hmm? Ninja tool shop?" Homura suggested, "They might be spies. Let's arrest them and have Root du interrogation."

  "What are you saying? How we treat fs like this!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu, who had already received a system notification, immediately interrupted. "Let Kakashi finish."

  Gojo Kaigetsu nodded, gesturing for Kakashi to tinue.

  "I initially suspected they were spies, but after examination by Byakugan users, we firmed they were not ninjas."

  "Moreover… they brought the deeds to properties in our new Konoha ercial district, along with a rge sum of cash. They've also pleted all the necessary paperwork and qualifications for opening a ninja tool shop."

  "In my humble opinion, they are legitimate merts."

  Kakashi offered his assessment.

  "Hmph, legitimate merts?" Danzo scoffed. "How much cash did they bring?"

  Generally, even high-level infiltrators carried limited amounts of cash.

  Iimes, every vilge's ey was devastated. Even a powerful vilge like Konoha was relying on their daimyo's financial support. Where would they find the extra funds to establish intelligeworks in other vilges?

  Just look at Mabui, who infiltrated Konoha with a fake identity and nothing else.

  In the current climate, using funds solely for developing one's own vilge was the traditional mi. Spending money in other vilges… regardless of the purpose, was akin to self-harm.

  Based on Danzo's preceived notions, even for a vilge of Konoha's size, the financial support provided to a single infiltrator wouldn't exceed thirty million ryō. Any more than that would disrupt the normal operations of their own ANBU.

  In other words, any amount within this range…

  '…was worthy of suspi~'

  "Elder Danzo, the amount of money brought by the mert is…"

  Kakashi gulped, his retively youthful Sharingan eye widening slightly.

  "Three hundred million ryō."

  ....

  To Be tinued...

  ....