Shinobi really are poor…
No matter how much time passed, Kangetsu still felt a ridiculous sense of disbelief.
How much do missions even pay?
And most shinobi don't know how to run businesses.
The big profits all get swallowed by merchants and nobles.
Shinobi get tossed the scraps.
Does that make sense?
Yes.
In the eyes of most shinobi, it makes perfect sense.
If shinobi don't fight and bleed for a little money to keep a roof over their heads, are they even shinobi?
Kangetsu shook his head.
Now he fully understood why his clothing business could function as his "ironclad immunity token."
And he also finally understood—
Why, in canon, merchants held such high status in the shinobi world.
Pay a little money, and shinobi will do whatever you want.
They'll even protect you from getting hurt along the way.
Even the Five Great Villages treat merchants with smiles and soft words.
No one dares speak harshly.
Because they're terrified that if a merchant gets angry, they'll stop doing business with that village.
But if you think about it, it's also perfectly logical.
How many years had the shinobi world—even the Five Great Villages—actually existed?
And in that short time, they'd fought several shinobi wars.
Every village was still stumbling around, feeling its way forward.
Kangetsu's homeland in his previous life hadn't been any different—crossing the river by feeling for stones.
There had been a time they'd been so desperately poor they would even sell strategic weapons.
Seen that way, it wasn't strange at all that he'd become "the cash god" in Konoha's leadership's eyes.
Under the Third Hokage's endless warnings and reminders, Kangetsu was finally invited into the Hyuga clan compound.
The Hyuga main family really wanted to put together some kind of welcome ceremony, but when they considered both their pride and their poverty, they could only drop it in frustration.
Kangetsu first studied the Hyuga estate's grand homes carefully.
Honestly, it wasn't bad.
Even a rotten ship has a few nails left.
Even fallen on hard times, the Hyuga were still a camel that hadn't completely starved.
But the moment that thought rose up, Kangetsu stepped inside and his mouth twitched.
Oh.
Spoke too soon.
This was "gold on the outside, rot on the inside," wasn't it…
From the outside, the Hyuga looked fine.
On the inside, it was basically an empty shell.
The decorations were arranged with care, but as a businessman, Kangetsu could tell at a glance: none of it was valuable.
Puffing up their cheeks to pretend they weren't starving—truly living up to the phrase…
Then he looked at the main family members gathered in the hall.
The moment they saw Kangetsu, their eyes practically turned dollar symbols.
Only Hiashi managed to keep his composure.
He simply nodded in greeting.
"Kangetsu-san, we've been awaiting you. Please, sit."
"Thank you."
Kangetsu answered politely and took his seat.
Calling it a "seat" was generous—just a worn cushion on the tatami.
Hiashi knew his clan had no dignity left to spare. He silently poured Kangetsu tea.
With the elders staring at his back, Hiashi felt as if thorns were pressed against his spine.
So he didn't waste time.
He went straight to the point.
"Kangetsu-san, I believe you understand the Hyuga clan to some degree. Then I'll be blunt. Our Hyuga clan's eldest daughter is currently lacking a husband."
Mm.
That was direct enough.
It looked like the Hyuga were dead set on handing Hinata over to him.
And, honestly, it made sense.
Hanabi had been born. Hiashi had to secure a path forward for both his daughters.
He had lived through the Hiashi–Hizashi incident himself.
There was no way he would allow his daughters to follow his brother's fate.
And Kangetsu was the "back road" Hiashi had carved out.
The Third Hokage had explained as much.
Of course.
What the old men emphasized most—again and again—was one thing:
No profit-sharing.
Especially Danzō.
The man had practically been foaming at the mouth as he dragged the Hyuga through the mud.
"The Hyuga clan thinks it deserves a cut?!"
"The Hyuga have been drifting away from Konoha. They don't get a cut!"
"Have they contributed anything to our clothing enterprise? And they want a cut?"
"Let them earn it themselves!"
"Kangetsu, you have to stay firm. Don't worry—this old man will back you!"
To avoid being forced to give up profit, that old bastard Danzō was truly desperate.
But he didn't have a choice.
In the past, everyone was broke, and they muddled through.
Now there was money.
If he let profits leak out, he was certain—
Root would collapse on the spot.
And Orochimaru's side would follow suit, learning from the Ino–Shika–Chō clans and blocking his door for money.
And worst of all, his own Shimura clan would come for him.
You're the head of the Shimura clan, and you're not hoarding money and prioritizing your own clan.
Is that acceptable?
Even someone as terrifying as Madara had been abandoned by his own clan.
Did Danzō want the same ending?
"Thank you for speaking so frankly. In my view, Hinata is still too young.
I think… when she's older, she should decide for herself. How about that?"
Obviously, that was a lie.
With Konoha's leadership and the Hyuga pushing together, the matter was already decided.
Kangetsu said it only because he didn't want to step into the grave of marriage too early.
After all, Konoha had plenty of pretty girls.
He ought to give them a little chance, shouldn't he?
And besides, Hinata wasn't going anywhere.
The will of the Hyuga clan and Konoha's leadership had already bound Kangetsu and Hinata tightly together.
Understood.
Hiashi took a satisfied sip of tea.
Kangetsu-san… is a good man.
He didn't want his eldest daughter's life decided too early?
A son-in-law like that—Hiashi had judged correctly.
No wonder the Third Hokage favored him so much.
That "Will of Fire" truly did inspire respect.
So.
Host and guest were both pleased, and the conversation flowed smoothly.
From this point forward, the Hyuga would present themselves as Kangetsu-san's in-laws.
Once the marriage alliance was established in principle, the two sides were effectively political allies.
Hiashi wanted to keep Kangetsu for a meal.
But behind him, the senior elder coughed lightly.
Clan Head… the compound has no surplus grain left.
Inviting him to eat is easy. The problem is what you expect this "lord-consort" to eat.
The same chaff and boiled weeds we eat?
Hiashi immediately dropped the idea.
Before everything was fully sealed, he didn't want Kangetsu to see just how fallen the Hyuga had become.
Because Hiashi still had pride.
As the future father-in-law, he couldn't even lay out a proper table.
What kind of look was that?
His clansmen already exhausted themselves to keep the Clan Head's household fed and presentable.
He couldn't pile more burden onto them.
Still, this visit wasn't a waste for Kangetsu.
He'd confirmed his next operating principle.
If even the Hyuga—one of the "ceiling-tier" great clans in Konoha—looked like this…
Then the other clans wouldn't be much better.
Which meant…
There was a lot of room to maneuver.
(End of Chapter)
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