Chapter 43 : No Concession!!

"Uchiha Kinya's merchant association?"

Uchiha Itachi frowned as he looked at his father's angry expression. He couldn't help but ask, "Is there an issue with his merchant association? Should we go check it out?"

The thought of problems arising at Uchiha Kinya's association piqued Itachi's interest. 

He wanted to see how they dealt with those who dared to involve members of the Police Force in business, ensuring they fully returned to the clan's control.

"Itachi, it's not about enforcement; we're going to borrow money!" At that moment, a man with dark circles under his eyes walked over to Itachi, his tone somewhat numb.

"Borrow money? Is our clan out of funds?" Itachi frowned, but looking at his father's annoyed expression, he added, "Dad, we don't need to borrow from a merchant. How much do we need? I currently have a monthly salary of twenty thousand ryo; I can lend you some!"

With his monthly income of twenty thousand ryo and additional rewards from missions, he had plenty of money!

Seeing his father willing to set aside his pride to ask Uchiha Kinya for a loan was shocking; it felt like the clan leader was borrowing from his own clansmen.

"You have twenty thousand?" Fugaku looked at his naïve son, knowing he meant well, but he shook his head helplessly. "That's not enough. The Police Force needs at least one hundred and fifty thousand ryo to get through this crisis!"

One hundred and fifty thousand ryo?

Itachi's mouth twitched at the mention of such a large sum. Earning that much would take him at least five years of hard work without eating or drinking! But why was the Police Force so short on funds?

He wanted to ask more, but seeing the lifeless expressions on his father and the other clansmen, he decided to keep quiet and followed his father to Uchiha Kinya's merchant association.

Inside the association…

"Dad, do you believe that Uchiha Fugaku will come to us for money? Not just to borrow, but to demand it?" Genya, looking at his father, was stuffing his mouth with food. With the evolution of his Dual Pupil, he felt a greater hunger for energy! 

He needed food, energy and chakra! 

It was never enough.

Next to him, the little girl Hikari was tidying up the dishes, struggling to keep up with Genya's eating pace. They couldn't fit all the food on the table.

"Surely not; Uchiha Fugaku is the clan leader and knows I won't give him money. He shouldn't come asking for it," Uchiha Kinya said, casually eating a chicken leg, seemingly deep in thought.

Genya looked at his innocent father and felt speechless.

His father was great at business but lacked political insight, perhaps because he didn't consider the darker side of human nature.

"Dad, you don't get it!" After finishing the last chicken leg and letting out a satisfied burp, Genya calmly explained, "I recently heard that Konoha only gives the Uchiha Police Force fifty thousand ryo each month, and the Third Hokage has deducted over thirty thousand ryo for various reasons. The remaining money has to be given to those little thugs, meaning the Uchiha Police Force won't even be able to pay salaries this month!"

"Hiss~~"

Uchiha Kinya gasped at this revelation.

Recently, he had been busy expanding his business and hadn't paid much attention to the affairs in the village.

Hearing this, he couldn't help but admire, "The Hokage is really something! He has the Uchiha clan working for Konoha without even paying them. He's even more ruthless than I am as a businessman!"

At the very least, Uchiha Kinya had never owed his subordinates a single paycheck.

"So, you're saying the remaining members have no salaries, which means they have no income?" Genya nodded and continued, "Do you think Fugaku is going to the Third Hokage for money, or is he coming to you?"

"Of course, he's coming to me!" Uchiha Kinya pointed to himself as if realizing something. He then angrily added, "Do they think I am an easy target? If he dares not ask the Third Hokage for money, he comes to me instead?"

"Congratulations, Dad, you got it right!" Genya nodded.

"So what should we do?" Uchiha Kinya was at a loss. Should they give the money or not?

"Don't give them a single ryo!" Genya shook his head decisively. "If others treat us as fools, we shouldn't act like fools ourselves. Not a single ryo!"

"Right, don't give!" Uchiha Kinya nodded in agreement.

Just as the father and son reached this decision, Uchiha Shin walked in, looking somewhat troubled. "Boss, Clan Head Fugaku and the Police Force members are here!"

Uchiha Shin knew Fugaku had come to borrow money, which Uchiha Kinya had refused, but now Fugaku was coming in with a murderous aura, clearly not in a good mood.

"They're already here?" Uchiha Kinya didn't expect Fugaku to arrive so quickly. He stood up and said to Genya, "Son, let's go welcome the clan head!"

Fugaku was, after all, the current clan head of the Uchiha clan, so they had to observe the proper etiquette.

"Welcome, Clan Head! Please come into my association!" Uchiha Kinya greeted Fugaku with a smile, but Fugaku didn't return the sentiment.

As Uchiha Kinya moved, the Uchiha clan members who had been resting in the business also came out to greet him—there were at least sixty to seventy of them.

Having just joined the business without being assigned escort duties, they spent their days chatting, drinking tea, and training in ninjutsu. They had gained weight and looked much healthier than before.

In contrast, the ninjas that Fugaku brought along, except for Uchiha Itachi, who looked somewhat rosy, wore expressions of deep exhaustion. They appeared gaunt and worn out, with dark circles under their eyes.

When the few members left in the Police Force saw their former colleagues looking lively and cheerful, they couldn't help but feel regret for not having joined Uchiha Kinya earlier.

Some Uchiha clan members at the business spotted familiar faces and greeted them: "Hiro, have you lost weight? You look so thin! And your complexion has improved, though the makeup under your eyes is a bit heavy!"

The speaker was a female ninja, and it was unclear if her words were teasing or just catching up.

Amid the noise, Uchiha Fugaku, with Itachi and a few loyal subordinates, followed Uchiha Kinya into the inner room.

Uchiha Shin and the other four team leaders who weren't on missions exchanged glances and followed inside.

They took their seats in succession.

Uchiha Fugaku got straight to the point, saying, "Kinya, you know why I'm here at your merchant association. Our clan urgently needs money. Please lend me one million ryo to get by!"

This time, Uchiha Fugaku had already lowered his tone when asking for a million ryo.

"Not possible!" Uchiha Kinya shook his head firmly. He couldn't lend even a single ryo!

Seeing Kinya's decisive refusal, Fugaku frowned, feeling displeased, but he held back and made another concession. "Then how about five hundred thousand ryo?"

"Still not possible!" Uchiha Kinya shook his head again decisively. "Clan leader, I can't spare even a single ryo right now. You'll have to think of another solution!"

Crash!

At this, Uchiha Fugaku and the people who had come with him turned pale, their faces becoming extremely ugly.

Uchiha Itachi raised his eyebrows, staring intently at Uchiha Fugaku.

****

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