Chapter 232 232: Inoichi’s Daughter Falls for Street Art, Father Spirals Into Existential Crisis

Ren tilted his head at Tsunade's suggestion, eyes narrowing slightly as he asked, "Isn't that the pervy sage's territory? He's already covering most of the intel requirements, isn't he?" Tsunade gave a small nod, as she explained, "He is. But here's the thing, he wants to stop. That idiot just wants to enjoy life, well, more than he already is, anyway. The only reason he hasn't quit yet is because there's no replacement network to take over the village's intel operations. Once something else is up and running, he'll wash his hands of it. This could be your opening." Ren frowned at that, his mind turning over the idea. "If I do that, though... wouldn't the village have no use for its shinobi with intel-gathering skills anymore? That'd turn into a dead industry overnight. My butterflies don't need much human assistance to gather basic intel." Tsunade leaned back slightly, almost amused at his concern. "You're looking at it from the wrong angle. The gains could outweigh the losses by a lot. Intel missions are some of the highest-risk jobs in the shinobi world. The fatality rate is high, sometimes so high that the cost of training those shinobi ends up wasted entirely. If I were Hokage, I'd much rather have replenishable butterflies than risk people's lives. And besides," She gave him a pointed look. "...you might be giving your butterflies too much credit. They're amazing in open spaces, sure, but what about places where their presence would make no sense? What about deep undercover missions where blending in as a human is the only way to get the truth? And most importantly, once the right people start noticing the butterflies and figuring out what they're for, they won't be able to operate as freely as you think. Humans will still be necessary." Ren blinked at her, honestly surprised, and thought to himself, 'Damn... she's sharp. I get this because I saw something similar back in my previous life with the whole AI revolution, but for her to figure it out here? She really does have brains.' A thought popped into his head, and his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Wait... do you know all this because my mother explained it to you when she was setting up her own network?" Tsunade's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, but it was enough. Even without her saying a word, Ren understood. His lips curled into a snicker. That snicker seemed to set something off in her. Tsunade's eyes darkened, and she straightened as if ready to pounce. "Brat..." Just as she was about to grab him by the collar and teach him a proper lesson about respecting his elders, Ren was already gone as he vanished from her reach in an instant. When she looked, he was a few meters away, wiggling his hips in a deliberately ridiculous way. "You're slow, unmarried elder sister!" Then, before she could even react, he was gone again, slipping out of sight entirely. Tsunade's temper boiled over. "DAMNED BRAT!" Her voice echoed down the street, and several passersby glanced their way in confusion, wondering who in their right mind would dare provoke the Legendary Sucker like that. Thus began the chase of the princess of the Senju clan and the one cause the chaos in the village but still got away scot free. ~~~ Nara Clan Compound After the village council meeting had finally wrapped up, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance did what they usually did, head over to the Nara Clan compound for a private chat, away from the formal setting. It was practically tradition by now. The council ended, they gathered, they talked. Routine. As they passed through the main entrance of the compound, the calm atmosphere of the Nara estate greeted them, quiet, shaded, and just the right kind of lazy. But what caught their attention was the unusual noise near the inner courtyard wall. A small crowd of kids had gathered there, clustered around something with excited chatter. Curious, the three men followed the sound. As they turned the corner and entered the courtyard, the sight became clear, children from all three clans were flocking near the far wall, pointing and whispering animatedly. Painted boldly across the stone surface was the unmistakable crest of the Senju Clan. Shikamaru was among the group, hands in his pockets, gaze lazily scanning the wall. He heard the approaching footsteps and looked back over his shoulder. His voice came out with that signature bored drawl, "You're back already? Don't you get assigned actual work by the Hokage? Or do they just pay you for standing around?" Shikaku leaned against a wall nearby, arms crossed, giving a half-hearted sigh. Inoichi and Choza both chuckled behind him. Unbothered, Shikaku shot back with the same lazy energy, "They'd pay me even if I did absolutely nothing, you little brat. Now why do you think that is?" Shikamaru blinked once, then glanced back at the wall, not phased in the slightest. With a tone more thoughtful he replied, "Because the village would rather keep you on their side, even if you're doing nothing than risk you working against them. So technically, they're buying your loyalty, not your labor." Then, after a brief pause, he added, "But that's kinda like blackmail, isn't it? What if someone gets fed up? Wouldn't they start causing problems if they actually got pissed off enough?" Inoichi gave a low whistle and sighed, "I'm honestly not surprised anymore. He's definitely too sharp for his age." Choza chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. I think he's even smarter than Shikaku was when he was this age." Shikaku ignored the comment entirely and turned to his son. "That's exactly why you've gotta use that big brain of yours. Life's not just about being the smartest in the room, it's also using that smartness to keep yourselves worthy of being alive." Shikamaru held his father's gaze for a moment longer, then let out a resigned sigh. "What a drag~" Meanwhile, a few feet away, Ino had her hands on her hips as she stared at the crest on the wall. She tilted her head, admiring the artistic touch. "Daddy, did you find out who made this?" she asked innocently, still staring up at the painting. "It's really pretty." Inoichi crouched beside her, a wide, goofy grin spreading across his face as he patted her head gently. "Oh? You like it that much? More than the drawings Daddy makes for you?" Ino didn't even hesitate. "Yeah, I like this one more." Inoichi's smile shattered. He slumped, mumbling like a heartbroken ghost. "I can't let that brat get close to her, he already stole her away with just a damn drawing." Ino, completely unbothered, wandered over to Shikaku and tugged at the leg of his pants from the knee as was her way of asking for attention when everyone else was taller. "Uncle Shika?" she asked sweetly. Shikaku looked down at her, one eyebrow raised. "Yeah?" She pointed back to the wall. "Can you ask the person who made this to draw me next time?" Shikaku gave a side glance to Inoichi, who looked horrified beyond belief, then shrugged. "Sure. Next time." Ino clapped her hands together, delighted. Choza, who had been watching from a few steps away while holding little Choji up on his shoulders, chuckled and said, "Still... we probably should do something about this whole thing. Might become a problem." Shikaku nodded slowly, his gaze drifting back to the crest on the wall. "Yeah. I've already notified the Fuinjutsu Department to look into it. Thing is, they're saying if they try to remove it recklessly, the wall might collapse." Choza raised a brow. "So it's sealed into the structure?" "Yup. Knowing that brat, he's layered it with some weird trickery. Not even sure they'll be able to undo it without breaking half the compound," Shikaku replied, sounding almost impressed. Choza gave a small smile. "Then all we can do is wait." "Yeah," Shikaku muttered, folding his arms again, "and hope that kid doesn't go on to redecorate the entire village." Inoichi, still crouched and emotionally crushed, whispered under his breath, "He's already stolen my daughter's heart... now he's stealing our walls..." ~ It took a while before the courtyard finally quieted down, the laughter of the children fading into the background as they wandered off elsewhere. The three clan heads stayed back, finding a shaded spot inside the compound wall to settle into. Once it felt like they had enough privacy, Inoichi turned toward Shikaku, his tone direct but not accusatory. "So. Why did you look surprised too, when you found out that Tsunade-sama had the original land deed? Don't try to play it off," he added, leaning in a little. "I've known you longer than even Yoshino's known you. Your face is an open book to me, Shikaku. Don't even bother denying it." Choza nodded in agreement, arms crossed, "Yeah, I noticed it too. Your lips froze up for just a second. That's rare." Shikaku exhaled, leaning his back against the wooden post. "That's 'cause I was surprised," he admitted, tone lazy but serious. "I truly didn't know. For years, I genuinely believed that the Third Hokage had the original deed. And not just me, almost everyone in the council did." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "But... after seeing how everything unfolded today, I'm starting to realize that we were all part of someone else's plan. Me, The Third, Tsunade-sama, Ren... all pieces. Commander Yoru must've set this whole thing up from the very start." Inoichi gave a low whistle through his teeth. "You really think so, even you got played?" Shikaku nodded slowly. "Yes, totally. I think the whole point was to force the Third to reflect on the mistakes he was making by meddling into something this messy. And from the way he reacted after the message surfaced... I'd say the message landed. Might've stung too." Inoichi leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, and muttered, "Still... I didn't expect him to go as far as repaying the excess funds out of his personal accounts. Out of all the profit cuts we handed to the village over the years, the amount that exceeded the theoretical rent... being returned? That's a first." Choza chuckled softly, "It is a surprise. Barely counts as one, but still." Shikaku gave a tired shrug. "It's better than nothing. If the clan heads had pushed too hard for the no-rent promise, the Third might've just walked away, let his reputation take the hit. But this way, we at least get some of what was owed. It is a compromise in a way." Choza scratched his chin. "Well, for our clans it won't be an issue. My clan runs the food sector, yours handles medicine and pharmacy, and Inoichi's family has the flower business as a front for information gathering so their rents are some of the lowest. We can manage. Uchiha and Hyuga too, they've got side businesses and influence." He looked over at the other two, more serious now. "But there are still a good few clans who won't fare so well. Ones who've just started to grow or haven't developed any profitable ventures. If rent comes back into the picture, they'll struggle. You think they are going to accept this deal?" Shikaku didn't answer right away. He picked up a small twig from the ground and twirled it between his fingers, eyes focused on something far off. "They'll accept it," he said eventually. "They don't really have a choice." He shifted his gaze to them. "And more importantly, they need to understand one thing clearly, the Senju clan wasn't just sitting idle all these years. It wasn't dormant by choice. It was made dormant. The entire reason was to keep the existence of Ren a secret. Not from the villagers, but from the outside world." Inoichi narrowed his eyes. "Because of how dangerous his existence is?" "Because of how dangerous his existence is," Shikaku affirmed. "If this whole land deed matter grows bigger, it won't just be internal politics anymore. Other villages will start asking questions. Why was a Senju heir hidden? Why during peacetime? Why so carefully covered up? Even if they were our enemies before, now it looks like we're hiding something." He flicked the twig aside. "And once those questions reach the Fire Capital... it's going to start bothering the Daimyo." Inoichi raised an eyebrow. "The Daimyo?" Shikaku explained, "Yeah. As far as I know, the Third had a hell of a time convincing the Daimyo back then to declare the Senju clan dormant. The main reason was simple, the Daimyo takes a good cut from the clan compound rents under the name of 'tax'. If the Senju clan was listed as dormant, then that income vanished. And the Daimyo doesn't like losing income." He paused for a moment, letting the weight of that sink in before continuing. "But now that the Senju clan is active again, and with all the noise Ren made during the return it's certain that the Daimyo already knows. It's probably on his desk already. And if he finds out that some clans are still resisting rent payments or are trying to dodge backpay...he's going to be furious. The kind of furious that doesn't send letters but cuts budgets." Inoichi and Choza both shifted uncomfortably at that. "And if by even the tiniest chance," Shikaku added, tone growing sharper, "word got out that it was the Third who intentionally delayed the rents, or worse, planned not to pay them at all? Then the Daimyo and the Third would be on opposite ends of the rope." Choza muttered, "That'd be bad." "Worse than bad," Shikaku corrected. "You've seen what's happening to the Sand Village, right? Their Daimyo doesn't trust them anymore. Their funding's been slashed to the bone, and even mission allotments from the capital are being rerouted to us. That's why we've had an uptick lately. But imagine what happens if we end up in the same boat. It'll be Konoha bleeding next time." He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as the others nodded, now visibly more serious. The implications were clear. If they didn't manage this correctly, they wouldn't just have a clan scandal, they'd have a national one. There was a quiet moment, the kind of silence that settles when everyone at the table realizes the stakes are far higher than they'd wanted to admit. Then, Inoichi asked with a hint of curiosity, "By the way... if you really didn't know the deed was with Tsunade-sama, then why were you still backing Ren from the beginning? That's practically opposing the Third. Are you really ready to do that openly, right now?" Shikaku didn't answer immediately. He let the question hang, staring off at nothing for a few seconds. Finally, he gave a tired sigh. "...It was just me using my smartness. If I don't use my brains, I stop being worthy." He gave a small shrug. "That kid Ren... he moves like a storm, and smart people either ride the storm or get crushed by it. I figured I'd try riding it." ~~~~~ {The Daimyo is also in the picture now. Do you think Ren and Tsunade knows about the 'Tax' that the Daimyo takes?} {Also, don't worry I won't be expanding the Daimyo angle for now, it's been enough politics already} {The next two chapters are pegging chaps so make sure the goal's completed if you wanna read them together you brutes} {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!!!!} {Also