Chapter 229 229: Ren and Tsunade’s Joint Brain Cell Executes an S-Rank Scam

{The comments are becoming less and less, hope that's fixed in this chapter. Comment on every single line if you have to but I need to read your comments.} {Also, those who haven't posted a review yet, do it, if we get 8 reviews from this chapter you'll get a bonus, so threaten the new guys if you have to but if you want the bonus get me 8 reviews} ~~~ Upon hearing Hiruzen's words, Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and her reply came cold and sharp. "Why," she asked, voice low but heavy, "should the Senju clan have to present proof of ownership over the land this village is built on? Doesn't everyone here already know the answer to that?" Her gaze swept across the council hall, letting the weight of her words settle. She didn't give anyone the chance to interrupt before continuing. "If anything," she said, her tone now laced with disdain, "it should be me questioning the absurdity of this whole situation. All of you know the rules and regulations of the business treaty our clans agreed to generations ago. You know exactly what they say. And according to those rules, you all should have been paying rent for the use of Senju land, every single year without needing to be reminded." Her voice hardened further. "By not doing so, you didn't just break the treaty set by our ancestors you threw away your own dignity for the sake of saving a few coins." Tsunade wasn't the type to willingly involve herself in the political games of the village, she'd made that clear years ago. But she was still the princess of the Senju clan, and no matter how much she avoided politics, she had been raised with the knowledge of how to maneuver through them when needed. And now, with just a little bit of information from Ren about the old rent collection system, she had pieced together the whole picture. She knew exactly where to apply pressure and how to turn the conversation so that the blame landed squarely on the clan leaders instead of her. If she played it right, no one could accuse her of being ignorant about the matter, and their side would gain the advantage. And as expected, it worked. Hiruzen finally spoke, his tone measured but carrying an edge of defense. "The only reason the clan leaders didn't continue paying the rent," he began, "was because you had left the village without clarifying the matter. And with you being the only member-" He cut himself off abruptly. His eyes flicked toward Ren. Ren, in turn, was already looking at him, expression unreadable, but the faint curl at the corner of his mouth told Hiruzen enough. And just like that, Hiruzen understood. 'So this was it... Is this why he wanted Tsunade be present today? Did he plan all of this himself? Almost got me to say it out loud that she was the only living member of the clan at the time. If I had, the rest of the council would start asking why and that would lead straight to the fact that Danzo and I hid Ren's existence.' Hiruzen's thoughts tightened. 'Tsunade must already know the truth... but the rest of them don't. And if it came up now, the council wouldn't stay silent. This boy... he's exactly like his grandfather.' The old Hokage sighed inwardly. 'As expected of Sensei's grandson.' Still, his face showed nothing. He shifted smoothly into damage control, adjusting his words without missing a beat. "With you gone from the village, and young Ren being the only other Senju," Hiruzen continued, "we had to consider his safety above all else. If it had been made public that Tobirama-sensei had a grandson, the risk to him would have been too great. That is why it was decided at the time to officially declare the Senju clan dormant until you returned and took young Ren under your care, or until the world learned that he was also a Senju." His tone remained calm, as if explaining an entirely reasonable decision. "Since the latter happened first, we proceeded accordingly." It was a neat cover. In a few short sentences, Hiruzen had managed to smooth over the awkward edge of Tsunade's attack, giving the impression that the matter was an old, mutually understood decision between the Hokage and the Senju princess. To most of the people in the council chamber, it now sounded like something that had simply been done for the boy's protection, nothing more. Of course, those who truly knew the facts understood the layers under the explanation. But the majority of the council would leave it alone. With Hiruzen's phrasing, the Senju clan was officially dormant for the past eleven years, and that meant one thing above all, No one would be forced to pay the unpaid rent for all those years. Tsunade obviously understood exactly what Hiruzen had just pulled, but she also knew now wasn't the right time to tear into him or cut ties completely. There were still too many things in motion, things Yoru had planned for the future, yes, but also her own questions, ones she had been holding onto for years. She wasn't ready to lay them out just yet. So, instead of digging into the past and dragging the whole council meeting into a spiral, she kept her tone even and businesslike. "Well then," she said, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "now that the Senju Clan is officially active again, the rent must also start being collected again. I'll have the updated rent records and all other matters regarding the shops sent to you shortly. If you have a problem with anything that's decided, you can come directly to me. I'll be staying in the village for a little while." Her voice was calm but carried finality. She clearly wasn't looking to debate the matter any further. In fact, her posture shifted slightly, her gaze drifting toward the far wall, a bored expression settling on her face, like she couldn't care less about the petty disputes of the council. Several of the clan leaders frowned almost in unison. Their eyes slid toward Hiruzen, and it wasn't out of respect. After all, it was Hiruzen who had come to them years ago and assured them that even if the Senju returned, the rent would not be collected for thirty-five years. That promise still had about twenty-four years left on the clock. Now, with Tsunade here saying the exact opposite, the weight of keeping the promise or at least his reputation, fell squarely on his shoulders. Hiruzen, to his credit, didn't look rattled. Instead, he leaned forward slightly and addressed the room in that practiced, weary tone of his. "A few of the clan leaders here are new since the time you left," he said, eyes flicking briefly to Tsunade, "and they'd like to confirm the contents of the deed. You know how the younger generations are..." He ended with a long sigh, as if the whole thing was a minor inconvenience caused entirely by overeager youngsters. A handful of the younger clan leaders, who had been sitting comfortably until now, suddenly looked tense. Some even panicked a little, realizing Tsunade's attention might now swing toward them. Before Tsunade could say anything, Ren cut in. "Just show them the deed," he said bluntly. "Otherwise they'll just keep coming up with reasons to see it. The faster you show it, the faster we can finish here. I also have something cool to show you." The last part he delivered with a rare spark in his eyes, genuine, almost childlike excitement. Tsunade caught it immediately. In the little time she'd known him, she couldn't remember him looking like that, not in a genuine way. That meant whatever he was talking about wasn't just some trick or annoyance, it was something he was actually looking forward to. Since Ren had already said so, she decided to go along with it. "Shizune, get Tonton here," she called. Shizune appeared almost instantly, rushing through the ripped door with Tonton clutched in her arms. She had obviously been with Tsunade earlier, but somewhere along the way, Tsunade had picked up her pace and left her trailing behind. Shizune must have only just caught up to the meeting hall and stood outside. Crossing the gap, she handed Tonton over to Tsunade without a word. Ren glanced at the little pink pig and raised a hand lazily in greeting. "Yo! Uncooked pork, you've gotten fatter since the last time I saw you. Any more and I might not be able to control myself." Tonton let out a series of angry oink-oink sounds in protest, but Ren simply flared his chakra, and the little pig's noise died instantly. "Hey!" Tsunade snapped, her eyes narrowing. "That's my emergency food. Don't even think about eating it." As she spoke, she waved her hand over Tonton's back. A faint shimmer of chakra pulsed, and a small diamond-shaped seal became visible. Tsunade placed her palm against it, channeling her chakra into the seal. After several seconds, she withdrew her hand, and a scroll materialized in her grip. Ren leaned back slightly, one eyebrow rising as he gave Tsunade a look that was halfway between disbelief and mild amusement. "You use your food as storage?" he asked, his tone slow like he was trying to make sure he'd heard her right. "That's not safe. What if you get really hungry one day and, before you even realize it, you eat whatever you've stored?" Tsunade casually twirled the scroll between her fingers, completely unbothered. "That's the magic of Fuinjutsu, you brat," she said, her voice carrying that smug edge she always got when she was explaining something obvious, at least obvious to her. "If I ever get so hungry that I actually try to eat it without breaking the storage seal, the seal automatically transfers to the nearest solid object. So no, I'm not going to accidentally eat a priceless heirloom. And anyway," she smirked slightly, "I only keep things in there that I can sell quickly if I need money for, you know, playing around. Even if I lose it, it's just a minor loss." Ren stared at her for a moment, though he was interested in this new type of application of Fuinjutsu, now wasn't the time. he reached over and very slowly plucked the scroll out of her hand like he was confiscating a dangerous toy from a child. "When we get back," he said evenly, "you're going to show me what you've got stored in this pork, so I can make sure you're not hiding anything that could get us kicked out of the house." "Hey!" Tsunade shot back instantly. "I know how to manage my stuff!" Ren didn't even blink. "And yet you stored the land deed of the Hidden Leaf Village in the same place you keep junk you sell for quick gambling money." That shut her up. She glanced away and ignored both him and everyone else in the room like she could pretend the conversation had never happened. Ren let the silence hang for a second before he unfurled the seal and set it down on the table. What appeared was, nothing. Just an empty scroll. He slid it across the table toward her. Tsunade didn't say a word, she just bit her thumb, drew a leaf symbol on the scroll, and finished the last stroke. As soon as she did, the seal glowed faintly before fading away, replaced by faint, curling words that began to materialize on the surface. Ren's hand shot out, snatching the scroll and holding it tight to his chest before anyone else could get a good look. "Alright, calm down, everyone," he said, his voice taking on a suspiciously serious tone. "I know you're all excited to start paying rent again, but there's something we need to clear up first." Then, without warning, his expression cracked and he let out a loud, wet sob. The sound made everyone look over instantly, Tsunade included. He turned toward the council with watery eyes. "As you all just saw, Big Sis Tsunade used so much blood to make the deed visible that now she's very weak. So... for her health, and as a gesture of goodwill for letting you all see the deed..." He sniffled dramatically. "...we're requesting a small deposit of one million ryo." The moment those words left his mouth, Tsunade's eyes lit up like a festival. She didn't even wait for the bit to settle, she immediately slumped back into her chair, her face going pale in an exaggerated display of blood loss. The council members were not idiots; they saw through the act instantly. But right now, all they wanted was to confirm whether this was the real deed, so they went along with it. One after another, they pulled out stacks of cash and tossed them toward the pair. A million ryo wasn't much for anyone sitting at that table, so the piles started to grow fast. Even Hiruzen tossed in two stacks without blinking, making his contribution an even two million. By the time the money stopped flying, there was a glorious mountain of twenty-three million ryo sitting in front of them. Ren and Tsunade both moved at the same time, hands outstretched to scoop up their winnings but Utakata's hand was faster. The two froze, turning slowly to see him calmly adding his own neat stack of bills to the pile, bringing the total to twenty-four million. Without a word, he stored the whole thing away in one smooth motion. Then he glanced at them and gave them just one sharp, knowing look. Ren and Tsunade both deflated like punctured balloons and sank back in their seats. Neither of them even bothered to ask for the money right now. They knew better. Ren exhaled heavily, set the scroll down in the middle of the table, and said flatly, "Here. You guys can read it." ~~~~~ {Who do you think is more chaotic, Tsunade who stored the land deed in the items she could sell for quick bucks or Ren who demanded a million ryo just to see the land deed?} {The PS goal and the review goal are different so you have a chance for 2 bonus chapters} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else} {280 Stones = Extra chapter} {STONES!!!!}