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Chapter 24 - The Pot Shadow's First Business

Mitsuki Kōmei watched Go Kawa and the other man close their eyes in unwillingness, then glanced sideways at Kakuzu, who looked wary.

"Kakuzu, rogue Ninja from Hidden Mist Village, I bear you no ill will."

Mitsuki Kōmei curiously scrutinized Kakuzu, who was completely covered by a forehead protector and mask, with only his eyes visible.

Recalling a meme from his past life, he wondered if Kakuzu could really hit Senju Hashirama with a shuriken from eight hundred meters away.

The goodwill released by Mitsuki Kōmei did not sway Kakuzu; he continued to stare intently at him.

"I spent a large sum of money to lure you out. Isn't your hostility a bit excessive?"

Mitsuki Kōmei's implied meaning was that he had shown great sincerity in meeting Kakuzu.

This had the opposite effect. Upon hearing this, Kakuzu thought, "Premeditated?" He became even more vigilant. "I don't know you. What do you want with me?"

Mitsuki Kōmei suddenly understood, lightly tapping his head with his right hand.

"Oh! Did I not say? It's not important. I am the Water Country Daimyo, and I am now formally inviting you to serve as the Water Country Finance Minister."

"I refuse, sorry. I still prefer my current life." After a moment of thought, Kakuzu decisively refused.

"Oh dear, I'm quite unhappy to be refused."

Mitsuki Kōmei stomped his foot, and a barrier instantly enveloped the entire Village.

"No one who refuses me lives to tell the tale. Today, either I beat you to death, or you get beaten to death by me."

"Water Release — Whale Swallowing the World."

Mitsuki Kōmei's expression instantly changed. With a wave of his right hand, a hundred-meter-long whale slapped Kakuzu to the ground, easily taking one of his lives.

Mitsuki Kōmei watched Kakuzu's performance with an amused, intrigued look, watching him play dead, watching him lie motionless on the ground.

"I heard that Hidden Mist Village's secret Ninjutsu, Earth Grudge Fear, allows one to possess five lives by taking hearts, and can even achieve immortality through this Ninjutsu. Mr. Kakuzu, do you know if this rumor is credible?"

Mitsuki Kōmei spoke to Kakuzu's body with amusement, as if to himself. As soon as he finished speaking, Kakuzu, who was playing dead on the ground, moved.

"It seems I can only fight with all my might. Secret Ninjutsu — Earth Grudge Fear." Three masks appeared behind Kakuzu, and his entire body became entangled with black threads.

"Water Release — Whale Swallowing the World."

Mitsuki Kōmei directly threw out an even larger whale, once again slamming Kakuzu to the ground.

"You still have three lives left. If you don't use your ultimate moves soon, you won't get another chance."

"Combined Ninjutsu: Blazing Wind Storm / Fiery Mask Explosion."

Two masks behind Kakuzu appeared on his shoulders, jointly releasing Ninjutsu to combine into an even more powerful Ninjutsu.

"Not bad, not bad, now this is more like it." Mitsuki Kōmei praised, "Water Release — Whale Swallowing the World."

A three-hundred-meter-long whale once again slammed Kakuzu to the ground.

Mitsuki Kōmei watched Kakuzu get up and retrieve the heart from his back. "What? Giving up resistance?"

"What exactly do you want to do?!"

Kakuzu silently wept internally, feeling utterly bullied. From beginning to end, Mitsuki Kōmei only used one Ninjutsu, giving him no chance to resist.

Mitsuki Kōmei ignored the aggrieved Kakuzu and invited him again.

"I invite you to serve as the Water Country Finance Minister. Have you considered it? This is your last chance."

"Alright, I agree."

Kakuzu nodded and agreed very "willingly." It definitely wasn't because Mitsuki Kōmei had thrown out an even larger whale; it definitely wasn't.

Mitsuki Kōmei reached into his bosom, pulled out a mask, threw it into a corner, and left on the wind.

Returning to the Daimyo Manor, he lay down in a rocking chair in the yard, watching Guo Er diligently Cultivate while waiting for Kakuzu to arrive. Guo Er had stolen her father's private money, and Mitsuki Kōmei rewarded her with a small kiss, making Guo Er even more enthusiastic about Cultivating.

Three days later, Mitsuki Kōmei awaited Kakuzu's arrival.

"Uncle He, this is Kakuzu. He will be taking over your position as Finance Minister. You will serve as Minister of Personnel, overseeing the assessment and promotion of Water Country officials."

"This is Uchiha Kawa, the former Finance Minister. Kakuzu, you will take over his work."

Mitsuki Kōmei introduced the two to each other.

"It's an honor to meet you, an honor. To dare to fight against Senju Hashirama, truly courageous. Only Lord Madara from our Family could fight Hashirama. Let's look out for each other in the future."

The two former enemies of Hashirama instantly found common ground and began to communicate happily.

"You two can go back and chat slowly. Kakuzu's salary is ten million Ryo per year. Uncle He, do you want me to increase yours a bit more?"

"Whatever, I don't care about money!"

When it came to salary, Mitsuki Kōmei was almost scorched by Uchiha Kawa's resentment. Not long after his salary was increased, his leaky little cotton jacket, Guo Er, had robbed him.

Mitsuki Kōmei dismissed the two, spread out paper and pen, and wrote a letter to the Mizukage.

The letter stated that Kawa Wa and two Ninja had gone out on a mission and had not returned, hoping that Hidden Mist Village would investigate the truth of the matter.

The Mizukage received the letter and dispatched an investigation team to the Land of Fire. They found the bodies of the two in Kami Shika Village, killed with a single blow. A mask was found at the scene.

Intelligence from the Underground Exchange reported a bounty mission posted by a Ninja named Root.

Kakuzu accepted the mission but did not return to complete it; instead, he went to the Land of Water and exchanged grain for the position of Finance Minister.

Root had not appeared since posting the mission until a Konoha spy sent back news.

This spy's friend from a certain Family had complained to him that Danzo was becoming increasingly brazen, threatening the Family's Geniuses to join Danzo's Root.

The Mizukage's spirits lifted upon seeing the investigation report. So it was Konoha causing trouble. The newly added thousands of Ninja finally had a use.

He immediately sent someone to Konoha Village to demand an explanation from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Danzo, was it you who did it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought Danzo was capable of it. For his Root, Danzo had raised many orphans, so stealing some grain was normal.

"Of course it wasn't me. Someone must be framing me." Danzo flatly denied it.

"Then what's with the Root mask?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the evidence sent by Hidden Mist Village; the mask looked very similar to those worn by Root members.

"Root was only recently established, and very few in the Village know about it. How would an outsider know?"

"How would I know? I'd even say it was you who did it, to prevent Root from becoming too powerful." Danzo considered this possibility.

"You're talking nonsense! Hidden Mist Village is demanding compensation. How should we compensate them?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi began to pound the table.

"Why should we compensate them? We can just go to war!"

Danzo began to pound the table.

"The Village just ended a major war a few years ago. We need peaceful development and cannot go to war with Hidden Mist Village."

"You're too soft, Hiruzen." Danzo slammed the table again, glaring at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi met Danzo's gaze, unwilling to back down. "I am the Hokage. What I say goes."

"You'll regret this!" Danzo slammed the door and left the Hokage Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately chose to compromise. After discussing with two Advanced Advisors, he decided to compensate Hidden Mist Village one hundred million Ryo.

The Mizukage was very dissatisfied with the compensation. He demanded that Konoha either increase the compensation or kill two of Konoha Village's Jonin, a life for a life.

Konoha said that was unacceptable. Jonin were too valuable. "I can add a few more Ryo."

Hidden Mist Village stated, "I'm not short on money. Your Konoha must compensate me with several A-rank or higher Ninjutsu."

Mitsuki Kōmei forcefully interjected, announcing, "I am also a victim. I almost lost my grain, and I lost a Finance Minister position. I also demand compensation."

The three-way war of words officially began.

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