After seeing Danzō off, Uchiha Jin returned to his office.
Inside, the clan's First Elder Uchiha Setsuna, Second Elder Uchiha Yashiro, and Captain Uchiha Fugaku were already waiting.
The moment Jin stepped in, Setsuna couldn't hold back.
"Clan Head, what did Mito Menma and Shimura Danzō want?"
"What else?" Jin waved a hand and took his seat. "They came for the Daimyō's thirty billion ryō subsidy."
All three men froze.
"Thirty billion ryō?"
"Subsidy?"
"What does that have to do with us?"
Their confusion was genuine.
Jin suddenly realized he had never explained this part to them. Fugaku knew only that Jin had established contact with the Daimyō and arranged for Uchiha Shisui to join the Guardian Ninja Twelve. As for the funding matter—they were completely in the dark.
Jin cleared his throat.
"You're all aware Shisui became one of the Daimyō's Guardian Ninja Twelve, correct?"
They nodded.
With the war just ended, it was impossible to conceal Shisui's absence from the battlefield. Fugaku had already informed them of Jin's dealings with the Daimyō—just not the details.
Jin continued.
"Before the clan ceremony began, I reached another agreement with the Daimyō. A way to strengthen our cooperation."
Fugaku leaned forward. "What agreement?"
Jin's expression grew faintly awkward.
"A political marriage."
Silence.
Yashiro frowned. "Between whom?"
Jin pointed at himself.
"The Uchiha clan head… and the Fire Country's princess."
"In other words—me and Tsunade."
Setsuna: "???"
Fugaku: "???"
Yashiro: "???"
Three blank faces.
That the Daimyō would choose Jin as the marriage candidate made perfect sense—only a union of equal status held real weight.
But Tsunade?
Princess of the Fire Country, yes.
But also the last direct descendant of the Senju clan.
An Uchiha–Senju marriage?
Was the world upside down?
Setsuna's brows knitted tightly.
"Clan Head… explain."
Jin sighed lightly.
"The root of this was strategic. I wanted to secure a contingency for the Uchiha."
"To become the Daimyō's representative in Konoha."
"To control all subsidies allocated to the village."
The three elders' eyes lit up at once.
They understood exactly what that meant.
Control the purse strings—and the village would think twice before targeting the Uchiha again.
Fugaku's voice trembled with restrained excitement.
"So… you secured it?"
Jin nodded.
"Yes. It's done. The thirty billion ryō just allocated to Konoha is already in our hands."
"Excellent!" Fugaku exclaimed. "The village is desperate for resources. And now the rice pot is in our hands. Even the elders will have to tread carefully."
Yashiro added, "This is enormous leverage. If handled properly, the Uchiha's standing in Konoha could rise several tiers."
Jin shook his head.
"Don't celebrate too early. The Daimyō didn't hand us that authority for free."
Their smiles faltered—then returned almost immediately.
Setsuna waved dismissively.
"It's just a marriage. Senju or not, it makes little difference. The Senju are nearly extinct anyway. Consider it us taking her in."
Fugaku frowned slightly.
"Elder Setsuna, mind your phrasing. Tsunade isn't merely Senju blood. She's the Fire Country's princess. One of the Legendary Sannin. The strongest medical-nin in the world."
"If she marries into the Uchiha, that's a match of equals. We must treat her with due respect."
Yashiro, however, cut straight to logistics.
"When is the wedding?"
"Will there be a formal engagement ceremony?"
"Where will it be held—Konoha or the Daimyō's court?"
Jin: "..."
He had his answer.
Not one of them had the slightest intention of asking how he felt about any of this.
Jin rubbed his temples.
"You're getting ahead of yourselves. This matter hasn't even begun properly."
They blinked.
Setsuna frowned. "Why? Didn't the Daimyō already hand over the funds?"
Jin explained calmly.
"This proposal was originally the Daimyō's idea alone."
"Tsunade herself may not even know."
"And based on what I know of her personality—she would never agree to such an arrangement."
"So my reply to the Daimyō was simple: if Tsunade agrees, I have no objections."
"He also made it clear—if she refuses, that's his problem. The funds remain ours regardless."
"In other words, we profited either way."
Fugaku nodded slowly.
"So that's how it is."
"In that case, the Uchiha truly gained the advantage."
Jin shook his head again.
"These subsidies were always meant for the village. We're only holding and managing them."
"The Daimyō simply wishes to use us to restrain Sarutobi and the others."
"For him, there's no loss."
"This is mutual benefit."
"As for the marriage—it's an auxiliary clause. Whether it succeeds or not changes little."
Setsuna leaned back.
"So Menma and Danzō came to demand money?"
"More or less," Jin replied, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"But more than that…"
"They came to test my position."
And tomorrow—
The village would demand a clearer answer.
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