Naruto: With the Right Pay, Kick Out the Five Kage

On the border of the Land of Fire, Suimi City

Rei, Kushina, and Shikaku slowly walked out of the woods.

Standing atop a mountain, they looked down at the town nestled along the border.

The town was poor.

Several small villages surrounded it, with sparse farmland stretching outward.

Because it was located in a mountainous region, the yield wasn't very high.

"I didn't expect us to return here," Kushina said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at a nearby village.

Rei placed his hands in his pockets and spoke with emotion.

"Since our journey as ninja began here, it's only fitting that we start again here."

Indeed, this mountaintop was the location of Rei's very first mission after becoming a ninja.

Shikaku looked at the two, who were lost in nostalgia, and said helplessly,

"Alright, that's enough reminiscing. I've never had any fondness for this place."

"And besides..."

He held a scroll in his hand, which detailed the affairs of the Water Forest City territory.

It contained damning evidence against the current daimyo's cousin—former official Mori Toshi.

Shikaku's hand tightened around the scroll, making it creak.

If what was written in it was true, calling this former official a demon wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Rei glanced at Shikaku, whose expression was deeply conflicted, and said calmly,

"Then I'll leave things here to you, Shikaku."

He also needed to use this opportunity to see whether Shikaku truly stood on the same side as him.

"Understood."

Shikaku waved his hand, trying to recover his usual calm and composed demeanor.

Just then, another figure emerged from the forest.

The man wore a white robe adorned with a large aster flower emblem on the back.

He approached Rei, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully,

"Master Rei."

Rei rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Didn't I tell you? There's no need to kneel to me."

He quickly helped the man up.

This was Hyuga Tokumitsu, who had broken the Caged Bird Seal by himself several years ago.

He was now the chairman of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce.

Tokumitsu stood up with a smile.

"Master Rei, I kneel only to show my respect. After all, you saved my life."

Rei sighed again. There was no changing Tokumitsu's mind.

"But your figure..."

Rei pointed at Tokumitsu's increasingly round belly.

Tokumitsu could only shake his head helplessly.

"I can't help it. I'm constantly entertaining nobles. Those feasts are unavoidable."

Rei chuckled but didn't comment further.

After all, Tokumitsu had managed to grow the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce to its current size in just a few years.

The hardship and dedication behind that success were known only to him.

Tokumitsu turned to Shikaku with a polite smile.

"This must be Mr. Shikaku?"

Shikaku, having assessed him quietly, responded,

"Nara Shikaku. And you must be Mr. Tokumitsu. A pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine," Tokumitsu said as he extended his hand and shook Shikaku's.

After some disguise, the group entered the town.

Two guards stood stationed at the city gate and moved to stop them.

"Who are you?"

Without changing his expression, Tokumitsu pointed at the emblem on his clothes.

"Oh, from the Aster Flower Merchant Guild. Alright, go ahead."

The two guards stepped aside.

After all, the Aster Flower Merchant Guild was currently considered a prestigious guest of the local lord.

These low-ranking guards knew better than to cause trouble.

Once inside, they spotted a crowd gathered in front of a wall.

"What's going on?" Kushina asked curiously.

Tokumitsu answered without changing his expression,

"Tax collection."

"Due to the years of ongoing war in the Land of Fire, the daimyo has decided to raise the per capita tax from 300,000 ryō to 1.5 million ryō annually."

"One and a half million?!" Kushina exclaimed, stunned.

That was the equivalent of an A-rank mission fee.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes and said coldly,

"This couldn't have come directly from the daimyo's office."

Tokumitsu looked at him with a hint of admiration.

"Mr. Shikaku, your instincts are sharp."

"The daimyo's original order was to raise the tax to 700,000 ryō. But the local lord inflated it to 1.5 million and demanded it be collected within five days."

"Anyone who fails to pay on time will be sent to work in the mines as a laborer."

His voice was calm.

He was no longer a pure ninja.

After so many years in this world, he had seen more than his fair share of its darkness.

He had grown numb to it all.

Shikaku, however, though calm on the outside, was already seething inside.

Kushina whispered,

"The Land of Fire is preparing for war. But no matter how much they tax, I doubt Konoha will see a single coin."

Rei shook his head.

"War is just a tool for them to redistribute the wealth of the people."

As for where that money really ended up—who could say?

"This is the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce," Tokumitsu said, leading them to a storefront.

This is a pharmacy with the name of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce hanging on it.

At this time, many people were seeing a doctor and treating their injuries in the pharmacy.

Simu noticed one of the half-grown boys raise his eyebrows suddenly.

"I didn't expect to meet acquaintances here..."

Kushina followed Simu's gaze.

"This little guy seems to be one of the few kids we rescued back then?"

Simu nodded impassively, and Hyuga Tokumitsu walked into the backyard of the pharmacy.

"Master Simu, I have lowered the price of medicines to treat diseases for the people as you ordered."

Hyuga Tokumitsu said respectfully.

It was winter, and many people were injured and sick because of the heavy corvee.

And there was only one medical clinic opened by Morimi Tashi in the entire Suimi City.

All the medicines around were monopolized by them.

The fees were extremely expensive, and most people simply couldn't afford them.

Even if these people were sick, they could only endure.

The Ziyuan Flower Chamber of Commerce gained a foothold in the local area instantly by virtue of its affordable prices.

Hyuga Tokumitsu thought for a moment and then said:

"In addition, the few scripts you mentioned have also received a good response."

A curious look appeared on Lu Jiu's face.

"What scripts?"

Hyuga Tokumitsu glanced at Simu.

"Take it out and let Mr. Lu Jiu see it."

"Yes…"

With Simu's permission, he produced a few notebooks and handed them to Lu Jiu.

Lu Jiu opened them, and undisguised surprise appeared in his eyes.

These stories told the tales of ordinary heroes.

For example, a nobleman robbed a civilian girl, a man helped her, and was arrested by the nobleman, then he learned ninjutsu by chance, leading all the villagers to overthrow the nobleman's rule.

There were actually quite a few similar novels and biographies in the ninja world.

But it was rare for them to directly target nobles like this.

After all, the nobles at this time were the absolute rulers; no one dared to provoke them like this...

Lu Jiu looked complicated and asked:

"Can they understand it?"

Hyuga Tokumitsu replied:

"We will tell these scripts in the form of stories.

"Of course, it's not told by people from the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce, but by wandering witches and wandering poets."

Lu Jiu instantly understood the significance of Simu's actions.

These people were mostly uneducated.

Even if they could read, the busy work and the pressure of survival made them uninterested in books.

Therefore, it was the most appropriate way to let the wandering poets tell the stories.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Simu again.

From the Aster Flower Merchant Guild to the wandering poets and wandering witches, if Simu hadn't been prepared, he wouldn't believe it.

Facing Lu Jiu's gaze, Simu just smiled lightly.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the pharmacy.

A group of warriors barged in rudely, exclaiming:

"Let your person in charge come out quickly! Our lord wants to see him!"

A dangerous gleam flashed in Hyuga Tokumitsu's eyes upon hearing this.

Simu lifted his chin.

"Go."

"Yes."

He turned his head, no threat could be seen on his fat face.

His eyes instantly changed from vicious to the cunning typical of businessmen.

Lu Jiu raised his eyebrows and walked out beside Hyuga Tokumitsu.

"My lords, I'll go right away."

Hyuga Tokumitsu skillfully took out a 2.3 silver note from his sleeve and stuffed it into the hand of the leader of the samurai.

The latter showed a satisfied smile.

"That's about the right amount. Let's go."

His attitude improved a little, and he took Hyuga Tokumitsu and Lu Jiu toward the Lord's Mansion.

As soon as they entered the Lord's Mansion, Lu Jiu heard the sound of Shengzhu music.

The decoration of the yard in front of them could be called luxurious.

Even the walls were made of fine nanmu.

The rockery in the garden was extremely exquisite, and all kinds of precious flowers were everywhere.

One of the flowers, called agave, he had seen his father grow.

The price of one tree was 500,000 taels.

And the tequila here was counted by one slice...

Shikahisa's expression remained unchanged as he followed Hyuga Tokumitsu across the huge garden.

They finally saw the source of the Shengge.

More than 20 singers were dancing to the music.

A big fat man, who looked two to three hundred catties, slumped on a chair made of gold like a mountain of meat.

He was smiling and watching the dance.

The desire in his eyes seemed to drown all these girls.

Lu Jiu secretly sighed in his heart.

His face remained unchanged.

Even Hyuga Tokumitsu couldn't help but praise Lu Jiu's concentration in his heart.

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