Chapter 36

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Chapter 36: Taking Private Jobs

After hearing that Ryosuke was a member of the Hyuga clan, Tokugawa Shigeshige's tone and posture changed, as did his mood.

"Don't just stand there, sit down."

However, although Tokugawa Shigeshige was in a bad mood, he was much better at pretending than Naganohira. While motioning for Ryosuke and the others to take a seat, he looked at Naganohira next to him with a cold face, "Ryosuke came all the way to Kyoto City, and you just let them stand there like this?"

"Why don't you go prepare some tea and snacks, and ask someone to come over and play some music."

"There's no need for music. I'm still young."

Ryosuke chuckled and sat down, then waved his hand, "As for snacks and tea, I'm still looking forward to it. After all, they are made by famous chefs."

Tokugawa Shigeshige did not force the arrangement. After signaling Naganohira to hurry up, he suggested, "Mr. Ryosuke, please stay at the daimyo's mansion tonight. I will hold a banquet tonight and invite the surrounding nobles to come and see the elegance of the Hyuga clan."

Ryosuke did not refuse and nodded, "If His Majesty Tokugawa is willing to introduce more people to me, then I will respectfully obey your order."

"Very good, very good. It just so happens that this period of time is the time for the heads of various villages and towns to come and report on their work, and it would be a good opportunity for Master Ryosuke to meet them." Tokugawa Shigemo nodded with a forced smile, looking very satisfied.

Then, he asked about Hyuga Hiashi's physical condition and chatted about some family matters. From time to time, some attempts to explore the internal situation of the Hyuga clan would be mixed into the topic.

In this way, he was polite and tentative at the same time. Although Ryosuke was just a young child, Tokugawa Shigeshige had no intention of looking down on him at all. Children born into a ninja family cannot be judged by their age. After all... they are a group of ruthless people who dare to fight on the battlefield at a young age.

Ryosuke remained calm throughout the conversation, but did not take the initiative to control the pace of the conversation. He answered whatever Tokugawa Shigeshige asked. Of course, when it came to some of the more important matters within the clan, Ryosuke just spoke in vague and confusing terms, making people confused.

And Tokugawa Shigeshige's words always seemed to be testing whether the purpose of their visit this time was the same as in previous years. But every time Ryosuke wanted to give a direct answer, he quickly avoided the question, as if he was unwilling to bring the issue to the surface, lest it become irreversible.

Since Tokugawa Shigeshige was not in a hurry, Ryosuke was even less anxious. He seemed respectful, but in fact he answered his questions casually. Souji and Hoshcai stood behind him, with their backs straight, holding plates and eating to replenish their energy.

They kept going back and forth like this until the sun was about to set. Tokugawa Shigeshige finally couldn't bear Ryosuke's flawless answers, so he chuckled and planned to ask directly, "Although Ryosuke is young, he is quite knowledgeable. Chatting with you, I almost forgot you were still a child."

As he spoke, he laughed heartily. And Ryosuke was sitting opposite him, not being modest, just smiling and accompanying him.

"We've been talking for so long that I almost forgot the main thing. I wonder if Ryosuke, who came here on behalf of the Hyuga clan this time, wants to change anything about the rules we set with you in the past?"

Tokugawa Shigeshige finally asked about the purpose of Ryosuke's visit on behalf of the Hyuga clan. He half-closed his eyes, and although the gentle smile on his face remained unchanged, there was no smile in his eyes.

"Tokugawa Daimyo has misunderstood. Although I am the one who comes to see you this time, the rules remain the same."

Facing the hesitation of the Land of Fire Daimyo, Tokugawa Shigeshige, Ryosuke chuckled and explained, "Our clan is very satisfied with this matter and attaches great importance to it. Especially since there has been a lot of new blood injected into the clan recently, the expenses have become particularly huge."

"So we attach more importance to cooperation with the nobles in the Land." His words were sincere and genuine. But the meaning expressed in the words made Tokugawa Shigeshige, who was sitting opposite him, feel depressed.

With just a few words, he understood what Ryosuke meant. The clan's expenses are higher than before, doesn't that mean they're going to raise prices? He hadn't dared to ask directly just now because he was afraid of this situation. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. This question has been asked, and Ryosuke's answer is almost explicit. If he doesn't respond, it will inevitably bring shame to the Hyuga clan.

"How is it, Lord Tokugawa?"

Ryosuke looked at the silent Tokugawa Shigeshige, "In the past, our clan has done things for you, and the price we offered was 5% less than the amount the village offered to issue the commission, but the number of tasks you offered was not that large."

"In the past, our clan had low expenses and few tasks, but we were able to get by by tightening our belts." "But now, life is hard..."

This phenomenon of taking private jobs is not uncommon in major countries and ninja villages. If you ignore the village as an intermediary and take the task directly from the client, you can get more commission money. But only a family as famous as the Hyuga clan has such an opportunity.

Most small families, based on their abilities and reputations, can only rely on the reputation of the village to accept tasks, but once there is an opportunity, many people do not mind this behavior.

However, except for the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan, the number of other clans in the village taking private jobs has been rapidly decreasing in recent years. The reason is that the village is using some systems to prevent such things from happening.

In Konoha Village, those families that have been completely assimilated by the Will of Fire and become true members of the village will not do such things as taking private jobs and damaging the interests of the village.

In order for each family to continue to develop, Konoha provided them with some appropriate resources. For example, the Akimichi clan runs a barbecue restaurant. With the help of some channels arranged by Konoha, the barbecue restaurants run by their clan are very famous throughout the Land of Fire, forming a complete industrial chain and brand.

This way of making money is both formal and legal, and many small families that originally had no ability have seen the benefits and have moved closer to the Will of Fire and actively assimilated with the village.

This has also led to the increasingly awkward status of relatively independent families such as the Hyuga and Uchiha families in the village.

"In fact, the Uchiha clan also sent someone to give their opinions on this matter."

Tokugawa Shigeshige looked embarrassed, but his heart was unusually calm. Ever since he learned about Ryosuke's Main family identity, he has been stalling for time, testing the purpose while thinking about excuses to come up with.

This afternoon of "free chat" was not really spent on gossip. "The ninja world is so chaotic, and occasionally when we have to go on business trips abroad, it's inevitable to ask for some ninja protection."

As he explained, he shook his head regretfully, "But you know, Master Ryosuke, there are only so many of us, and there are only so many missions we can entrust each year."

"Occasionally, if there are any unexpected tasks, I will hand them over to you, the Hyuga clan, first."

"But recently, the Uchiha clan also came to complain, saying that the number of missions is not enough and their clan is running out of money. They want to raise the price, but how is that possible? If we really reach that price, then we might as well go to Konoha to officially announce the commission..."

(End of this chapter)

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