"Oh my, Danzo-sama, don't be angry!" Jaxon said with a light wave of his hand, completely disregarding the tension in the room and the oppressive aura radiating from the old war hawk before him. "Look—I have money, and you have power. Doesn't that sound like the perfect formula for cooperation?"
His voice was calm, even casual, but the undertone carried a deliberate sharpness.
He paused slightly, then added with a smirk, "Besides, if you were to become Hokage one day... wouldn't our opportunities for collaboration multiply even more?"
Those words pierced straight through Danzo's cold façade like a poisoned kunai. Hokage. The title he had coveted his entire life. For that ambition, he had schemed in the shadows, made countless sacrifices, and turned himself into something more weapon than man.
And now, this boy—no, this shrewd and calculating merchant of influence—was daring to dangle it before him like bait.
Danzo's first instinct was to scoff, to kill this upstart on the spot.
But then again...
He had to admit—Jaxon wasn't wrong. The young man was outrageously wealthy, and what he lacked in chakra, he made up for in economic leverage and boldness.
There was an old saying among shinobi: There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Danzo was a man of interest, not pride.
And Jaxon? He was becoming quite interesting.
Danzo exhaled slowly, retracting the dense pressure in the air as he seated himself once more. He studied Jaxon with renewed clarity, the corner of his eye twitching at how calm the young man remained under pressure.
"All right," Danzo said flatly. "Speak. What exactly do you want from me?"
Jaxon chuckled. "Now, now... don't be so direct. For the moment, there's nothing I urgently need from you. But in the near future, I'd like to invest."
Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Invest?"
"Yes." Jaxon leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Two hundred million ryo annually. Into your Root's experimental fund."
Danzo's face didn't shift, but his pupils narrowed slightly.
"That's a lot of money," he said slowly. "What's the catch?"
"I want you to develop something," Jaxon replied. "And no, not ninja weapons or forbidden techniques. I want research into medical advancements—for ordinary people."
Danzo blinked. "Medical... for civilians?"
"Exactly."
The imbalance in this world had always frustrated Jaxon. Shinobi possessed jutsu capable of regenerating organs, healing critical wounds, and surviving otherwise fatal injuries. But a farmer with pneumonia or a child with a fever? Dead within a week.
The world poured its genius into warfare, and left its people behind.
"I don't mind your experiments," Jaxon continued. "As long as I get results that help the general population survive the next winter without dying from the common cold."
Danzo's reaction surprised even Jaxon.
"I agree," Danzo said without hesitation. "As long as it doesn't hinder Root's primary function, I'll allocate a dozen researchers to it."
Jaxon smiled, genuinely this time. "Then I hope we have a long and prosperous partnership."
Danzo nodded silently. But Jaxon wasn't done.
"One more thing," he said, voice lighter. "I'd like to purchase some Ninjutsu."
Danzo's expression turned stony. "Purchase?"
"Yes. For my subordinates, of course," Jaxon clarified. "They lack combat experience and could use basic jutsu to defend themselves. Naturally, I don't expect anything for free."
He leaned back on the couch and began listing prices.
"D-rank Ninjutsu: 10,000 ryo each.
C-rank: 50,000.
B-rank: 100,000.
A-rank: 500,000.
S-rank: five million each.
Forbidden Ninjutsu... thirty million."
Danzo didn't respond immediately. Instead, his gaze turned calculating.
This offer was more than just money—it was insight into Jaxon's mind. The boy was willing to treat dangerous techniques as commodities. But... he had a point. Konoha had a vast archive of jutsu, many unused or locked away.
Money in exchange for dust-covered scrolls? It wasn't the worst idea.
But Danzo couldn't resist the moment.
"You realize," he said, voice cool, "that acquiring our village's Ninjutsu—even legally—is grounds for execution."
Jaxon chuckled. "Execution? Oh, Elder Danzo. You and I both know you won't kill someone who offers you 200 million a year."
Danzo's eye twitched again, though the killing intent never rose.
"What do you want in exchange for the money?" he asked.
"I want an assortment of elemental techniques," Jaxon replied. "Wind, Lightning, Water, Fire, Earth. Fifty D-rank, thirty C-rank, ten B-rank, and five A-rank from each element."
"No S-rank?"
"I'd rather not test Konoha's patience—yet."
Danzo nodded slowly. "And what do you expect in return for the 200 million?"
"I'm already giving that for the medical research. The jutsu is a separate purchase."
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "In that case, I want something from you too."
Jaxon tilted his head. "Oh? Name it."
"I want a fully furnished laboratory," Danzo said, "equipped with fifty complete sets of top-tier experimental equipment."
Jaxon paused.
"Fifty?" he repeated, incredulous. "Elder Danzo, that's outrageous."
Even for Jaxon, that was a huge ask. Those kinds of setups required special crafting, transportation logistics, and calibration with chakra-based machinery. They couldn't be bought off a market stall. You had to commission them.
It would cost at least 1.5 billion ryo.
"You can afford it," Danzo said smugly. "I know what you've done. You scammed the Four Great Nations during the grain crisis, pulled their economy under you, and walked away untouched. You're only safe in Konoha now because they're not ready to retaliate."
A thin smile stretched across Jaxon's face. "So it's blackmail now, is it?"
"No," Danzo said. "It's leverage. The same way you use money."
Jaxon didn't respond immediately. He swirled the tea in his cup, then looked up, eyes gleaming with cold amusement.
"Fine. You'll have your fifty labs."
Danzo grunted, satisfied.
"But make no mistake," Jaxon added, "this equipment is top-tier. Chakra-integrated analysis pods, healing tanks, synthetic compound processors—better than anything your Root labs currently run."
He leaned forward. "I'm investing in you, Elder Danzo. Not as a favor. As a businessman. Don't disappoint me."
Danzo stared at him for a moment, then gave a rare nod. "Then it's a deal."
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