Not long after signing the agreement, Yuuki had his men return Yugito and the other Ninja to Darui.
To be honest, as Darui looked at these elite Kumogakure Ninja, one by one, all plump and even a little overweight, he couldn't help but wonder if they were worth the price he paid to get them back, especially when he saw one Cloud Ninja's massive abdominal muscles.
After some thought, Darui decided that once they returned to the Village, as long as they weren't worked to death, he would make them take missions until they dropped.
Forget everything else; they should earn their own living expenses!
The thought of the living expenses he had paid for these guys infuriated Darui. 'You thought you were making things difficult for Konoha Ninja,' he fumed.
'In reality, you were making things difficult for me, the Fifth Raikage. Of course, in the end, you'll realize you were making things difficult for yourselves.'
'Seriously, what were you thinking? The Military Police Force was so good to you; there had to be a trap. You couldn't even see that, and you call yourselves Kumogakure's elites.'
These elites replied, 'It's not that we're stupid; it's all because those Military Police Force members are too cunning, those evil Uchiha!'
After Darui took back his comrades, he didn't linger. After all, things weren't like before; he was burdened with a loan, so he had to work hard to pay off his debt.
However, after this incident, Kumogakure never again wantonly killed innocents when dealing with neighboring small countries. They also learned to treat captives with the highest respect, and the atmosphere of the Ninja World changed as a result. Of course, that's a story for another time.
After seeing off the Cloud Ninja, Yuuki did a quick calculation. He made a small profit of 400 million on military expenses, as Konoha had footed the bill, and the Military Police Force had incurred no costs.
As for why it was 100 million less, Yuuki said that everyone deserved a share. Although 50,000 ryo per person wasn't much, it showed a clear superiority compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, following Hiruzen Sarutobi meant blood and tears, with no compensation for lost work, and certainly no salary or bonuses.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would say, 'You want money for protecting Konoha? Your will of fire is impure!'
On the compensation for the Land of Fire's people, a small profit of 1 billion was not a problem. After all, Konoha wasn't stepping in, so the Military Police Force had to compensate for those losses.
Aside from returning daily necessities to the Land of Fire's people, Yuuki held onto things like food and ore.
At that point, he wouldn't give them the goods; he'd just give them some money. After all, it was the Land of Fire, and their relationship wasn't particularly close or distant. However, Yuuki ultimately didn't plan to drive down the price, just ensuring those guys didn't lose money.
As for letting them make a profit from Yuuki, that was clearly impossible, as everything was the result of Yuuki's tireless efforts, day and night.
The final ransom was the biggest chunk. Roughly estimated, it was around 1.5 to 1.6 billion. As for why the cost was so high, Yuuki said, 'Uchiha, our own people! We can't be stingy; we have to give them more. If you're with me, Uchiha Tomoki, how can I treat you like outsiders?'
In total, after this skirmish with Kumogakure, besides prestige, which is hard to calculate, Yuuki felt a bit shortchanged on his reputation.
He earned the nickname 'Konoha's Red-Eyed Demon,' which was incomparable to his previous 'Vermilion Bird.'
The acquired resources were enough to supply the Military Police Force, let alone Konoha, for a long time, and he even got a Six Paths Ninja Tool.
As for why the amber purifying pot was still in Yuuki's hands, Yuuki didn't mention it during negotiations, and Kumogakure didn't dare to ask.
Secondly, there was the free trade right with the Land of Lightning. This was very useful, as farming requires a lot of money. Quick money comes and goes, but sustained development is the true path.
There was also the right to use Turtle Island. Naruto isn't in a hurry yet; Utakata can go scout it out. Once they've explored enough, then Naruto can go, and by then, they'll have another top-tier fighter!
Speaking of which, he needed to work on Naruto next, building up more goodwill and respect.
The rest was money. This money was about half and half: half cash, and half to be paid back slowly by the Kumogakure workers.
All in all, a small profit, not a loss this time!
As for why Konoha didn't get a share, Yuuki first believed that what belonged to the Military Police Force belonged to Konoha; giving to the Military Police Force was equivalent to giving to Konoha.
After all, the Military Police Force would ultimately use these things for Konoha. Given Danzo's example, Yuuki wouldn't hog everything.
On another note, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Ninja World's peace ambassador, had a long-standing tradition of not seeking compensation.
Yuuki declared, 'Hokage-sama, for your good name, I, Uchiha Tomoki, will bear this sin.'
'Hokage-sama, there's no need to thank me. This is the guidance of the will of fire; everything is for Konoha!!'
After tallying his gains, Yuuki sighed softly, looking towards the Grass Country.
Alas, Ōnoki, you are truly steady. You didn't even give me a chance to supplement my living expenses from you.
As for Hidden Sand Village and Rasa, well, let's not even mention them!
In a very pleasant mood, Yuuki once again embarked on a 'PY journey' with various Konoha Ninja Clans. After all, the economic dungeons of the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning were now open.
Yuuki planned to invite some companions to make big money together. Shared joy is better than solitary joy; Yuuki didn't want to emulate Danzo.
Of course, whoever wanted to join would definitely have to pay a commission.
After all, Yuuki wasn't just building his own brand; he was also building a platform. If a platform didn't charge a commission, was it still a platform?
However, for many Konoha families, not only did they have no objections, they even wished they could pay protection money.
The outside world was not like the Land of Fire. To make money comfortably out there, they had to cling tightly to the Uchiha's leg.
Thus, most Konoha families were overjoyed, preparing to grab a piece of the international market.
These families naturally did not include those of the former Konoha F4.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was, of course, aware of the departure of the Kumogakure delegation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt increasingly powerless. The Village he had governed for decades was slowly clinging to others and calling them 'mother,' but Hiruzen Sarutobi was helpless.
All his powerlessness stemmed from his own insufficient strength.
It was the same with the Hidden Mist delegation, and the Kumogakure delegation. If Hiruzen Sarutobi weren't still bearing the title of Konoha's Hokage, these people would probably head straight to the Military Police Force upon arriving in Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly remembered a certain forbidden jutsu. He truly wanted to personally ask his own teacher why he had created the Military Police Force.
Unable to find a solution, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to start writing letters. This time, it wasn't just Jiraiya; a letter was also sent to Tsunade.
After all, no matter who returned now, Hiruzen Sarutobi would immediately resign and support Jiraiya or Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage.
After sending out two letters, Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe and pondered for a while.
He then unfolded a letter again, and after finishing it, he coughed, and an Anbu Ninja instantly appeared in the office.
'Deliver these two letters to the capital. One to the Daimyo-sama, and one to Asuma!'
'Yes, Hokage-sama.'
Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to correspond properly with the Daimyo.
As for the letter to Asuma, Hiruzen Sarutobi, for once, put aside his pride as a father and proactively admitted his mistakes, hoping Asuma would return soon.
And as for pride? Hiruzen Sarutobi declared, 'Mere pride, it's nothing. Everything is for Konoha!!'
-----------------------------
The story doesn't end here 😉 The next chapter is already up on Patreon, you can read it here: [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]