Chapter 23: ch23
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"Tomita, what do these people do?"
Having been promoted, Uchiha Nan moved into Uchiha Tomita's former quarters, officially beginning his role as the clan leader.
"Lord Clan Leader, these are Uchiha's accountants," Uchiha Tomita explained, pointing to a row of accountants. They were professional accountants hired by the Uchiha, all civilians from Konoha.
As for why there weren't any Uchiha in these roles, it was because the Uchiha were skilled in combat, not in managing complex financial ledgers, which often gave them headaches.
At a glance from Tomita, the accountants began reporting on the family's current financial situation.
"Lord Clan Leader, currently, the family's weapons industry continues to operate at a deficit. For the war effort, Konoha owes us over 530 million ryo, used to purchase shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags produced by our family."
"Master Patriarch, the performance of the family-owned shops is also lackluster. Tenants on the third floor have been overdue for more than six months, with total arrears of 130 million ryo. The detailed breakdown is as follows."
"Lord Patriarch, compensation for fallen family members has not been paid. Many are voicing their discontent."
"."
The four or five accountants each read from their ledgers, reporting non-stop.
In essence, they were saying: make money!
Make money quickly, and as much as possible!
Uchiha Nan looked uneasy. They confronted him with financial woes right as he took office. He didn't want the family to go bankrupt under his leadership.
"Stop. Just tell me, how much cash flow does the family have now, and how long can it last?"
Nan couldn't endure the continuous reports, preferring to hear just the outcome.
"Around 150 million ryo. Without accounting for the family martyrs' pensions, we can likely manage for about a month."
Hiss!
With so little, it can only last a month.
"Tomita, has the family's financial situation become this dire?"
Nan looked at Tomita. Facing financial ruin just after taking office wasn't fun.
"Lord Clan Leader, this war has dragged on too long, affecting not only Uchiha but every family in Konoha."
Moreover, Konoha's ninjas hadn't taken on missions for some time, all sent to the front lines. This has cut off a significant source of Konoha's income.
It relies on each ninja clan to continue funding and staffing Konoha.
Damn it!
"What about the daimyo? Where is the Fire Country's daimyo?"
"Hasn't he paid?"
Nan was frustrated. The ninjas fought hard, yet the daimyo hesitated to provide funds.
"The daimyo's annual funding to Konoha is 20 billion ryo, recently increased to 25 billion over the past three years."
"But."
Tomita didn't finish, but it was clear the funds were spent. The cost of an explosive tag alone was no less than 3,000 ryo. Countless tags, kunai, and shuriken were used daily in battles.
Not to mention the costs of food, medical supplies, and soldiers' provisions.
This wasn't just fighting; it was burning money.
The burn rate of money in war was staggering.
It seemed Konoha couldn't sustain this indefinitely. Continued combat would lead to internal collapse. No family could endure such financial waste.
And the family casualties were significant—almost a generation lost.
"Don't worry, clan leader. The daimyo and Senju Tobirama have negotiated to allocate substantial funds to rebuild Konoha."
They had to; without it, Konoha might seek a new daimyo willing to provide financial support.
In the ninja world's nearly thousand-year history, daimyos who failed to pay adequately often met unfortunate ends at the hands of their ninjas.
After all, they all served the Land of Fire. If a daimyo died, there were always sons or brothers to succeed him.
Tomita gave Nan an encouraging nod, offering some motivational words.
A newly appointed clan leader couldn't quit over a lack of funds—that would disgrace the Uchiha.
"How much exactly?"
"Tobirama-sama didn't specify; it's a secret."
Damn it!
That bastard Tobirama wasn't planning to hoard it, was he?
Now, a significant sum awaits the next Hokage's allocation. Who gets more, who gets less—that's for the Hokage to decide.
This time, we can't let the Senju family take the lead.
"Uchiha Nan, you must become Hokage."
Tomita looked at Nan with intense determination. Becoming Hokage means controlling the funds for Konoha's reconstruction.
Isn't this why ninjas aspire to be Hokage?
To legitimately request funds from the Fire Country's daimyo, distribute them, and use them to train family ninjas and strengthen the clan.
This is part of it, along with other hidden benefits.
For instance, control over Konoha's mission distribution, land sales, and business secrets.
These are privileges only accessible to the top leadership.
Each family strives to capture and occupy as much as possible within Konoha's framework, then cultivate family ninjas and enhance their power. This cycle continues, passing down through generations.
The family with a Hokage naturally enjoys the most benefits.
Now, the Uchiha clan is closer than ever to achieving this, so they can't miss the opportunity.
The family urgently needs resources!
"I will become Hokage."
Nan promised, not only for himself but for his family and Konoha.
In the original storyline, Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, leading to the decline of both the Senju and Uchiha clans, while the Sarutobi clan thrived.
Damn it, Konoha weakened while his own family prospered.
"Of course, I believe in Uchiha Nan."
Tomita had great faith in Nan. Who in Konoha could oppose Nan, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?
"Uchiha Nan, here are the documents the clan leader needs to handle."
Tomita brought another stack of papers, representing the issues he usually managed.
These included promotions for Uchiha security personnel, Konoha street patrols, and spy apprehensions.
There were also family business matters and important guests the clan leader must receive. These guests were usually wealthy or noble, major businessmen and aristocrats from the Land of Fire.
The next visit was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. It was a prominent businessman partnering with Uchiha, supplying the raw iron for weapon manufacturing. He was likely coming to collect debts.
Uchiha had been in arrears for nearly six months. On his last visit, Uchiha Tomita had stayed up drinking with him, smoothing things over with pleasantries and barely delaying the issue.
Now, this problem was Nan's to manage.
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