In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

If it this were a joint development project, negotiations would be possible. But these nobles clearly wanted a free handout, or worse, the lion's share of the profits. It was hardly different from outright robbery.

Moreover, the Intelligence Division's funding came from Tsunade, and even if the communication project had a slow return on investment at the start, it still needed to eventually generate revenue. Letting the Land of Fire nobles carve out a chunk of it for free? No one would be happy about that.

Ino had mentally prepared for this before coming. After a moment of silence, she looked up and said, "The capital's communication project can set aside a portion for joint development, as long as..."

"Not just the capital!" The fat noble interrupted again, waving a finger that resembled a plump carrot in Ino's direction, "We want a share of the entire Land of Fire's communication project."

Hearing this, Ino's clenched slightly.

"How much of a share are you asking for? And regarding investment…"

"Investment? What investment?" The fat noble looked genuinely confused, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. "Our participation itself is the biggest investment! With us involved, the project is guaranteed to go smoothly."

"As for shares… let's talk numbers. We'll take seventy percent."

Hearing this, Enwa, who was seated at the head, smiled faintly. He remained silent, letting the others do the talking, leaving himself room to maneuver without making any definitive statements.

"This project is funded by Tsunade-sama, and you wanted seventy percent?" Ino bit her lip, her gaze sweeping over the gathered nobles, "If that's the case, this project won't be profitable at all."

"Didn't you just say this project is to make people's lives more convenient?" Another noble retorted, "What, you're not going to do it just because it's not profitable?"

Crack!

Ino clenched her fists under the table, forcing herself to stay calm. She knew these nobles weren't deliberately making things difficult for her, and this was simply how they operated.

The negotiations weren't going well, but judging by Enwa's expression, he and the other nobles were still open to discussion. Even if an agreement was reached, there would no doubt be more haggling down the line.

Seventy percent? Even if they gave a one percent concession, it would still be a huge loss. These people were still thinking of getting something for nothing. It was obvious that they deliberately made an impossible condition because they saw that Ino was young.

Most likely, they wanted to seize control of the project's total shares and then redistribute them among the three other noble factions in the Land of Fire. That way, they would gain the upper hand in negotiations.

The nobility of the Land of Fire wasn't a unified front. Aside from Enwa's faction, there were three other noble factions. If Ino had to negotiate with them all individually, she might even end up having to pay out of her pocket.

Even if each faction demanded just ten percent, the Intelligence Department would be left with nothing but a doomed, unprofitable mess. No matter how deep their pockets, they couldn't afford to let the nobles bleed them dry like this.

…

After leaving the nobles' estate, Ino met up with her subordinates and shook her head slowly.

"Seventy percent? Are these nobles insane?" Yamafuji exclaimed, "Why don't they just rob us outright? Damn nobles, always so disgusting!"

"Yes, Ino-sama, you absolutely cannot agree to that!"

"That being said, the capital is essential location to this project. Are we really going to give up on this place?"

"Better to abandon it than lose everything! Even if the nobles control the capital, they can't control every other city."

"Don't be so sure. Those nobles own way too much land, and their power runs deep. We can't win against them politically."

"Exactly. And don't forget, they have the Daimyo backing them. Even though Rokudaime-sama supports the project, with this much resistance..."

The members of the Intelligence Department debated amongst themselves, but Ino remained silent. She sat in her office chair, deep in thought, her brows tightly furrowed.

'It is impossible to give up this place. As the heart of the Land of Fire, the Konoha Intelligence Department had to take control of the capital. The cost of giving up this place is simply too high.'

'Moreover, it's impossible for those nobles to allow the Intelligence Department to establish the communication network in other cities of the Land of Fire. They will definitely try to obstruct us, no matter where the project went.'

Just as the tension in the room grew unbearable, Ino suddenly spoke.

"Let's go out for a team dinner!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, looking at each other in doubts. Some opened their mouths to argue but quickly realized that right now, this might actually be the only thing they could do.

Seeing Ino's bright, carefree smile, they could only nod in agreement.

After all, not every boss was willing to treat their subordinates to a meal out of their own pocket. It was obvious that Ino was trying to lift their spirits, and they were smart enough to play along.

…

Ino was the last one to leave the camp. After locking her office door, she turned to catch up with her team… only to find her vision suddenly blocked by a figure.

She blinked, momentarily stunned.

Looking at the figure that suddenly appeared, she instinctively lifted her gaze to his face, and then was stunned again.

Naruto stood there, dust-covered and weary, and his clothes are slightly dirty. Fortunately, he was over 1.8 meters tall, so he didn't look pitiful, just like a resilient white poplar tree battered by wind and sand.

"You… you're back?" Ino's lips moved, and her usually composed expression wavered.

When she saw Naruto, she couldn't help but want to cry, and all the grievances she'd been holding in for days came rushing to the surface.

But she still held it back. the past, she would have already been in tears. But Ino was no longer just a carefree girl, she's now one of the leaders of the Intelligence Department, shouldering the responsibility of leading a group of subordinates.

Ever since the communications project began, the pressure on her had been immense, but she had shouldered it all.

In just a few short months, she was no longer just 'Yamanaka Ino', but 'Ino-sama', who was independent and admired.

With this in mind, she forced a smile on her face.

"I miss you. I had some time, so I came back." Of course, Naruto didn't say the real reason. He did have business in Konoha, but flirting came naturally to him.

"Really?" Ino looked up at him and smiled innocently. For a moment, she was once again that bright summer girl, showing her charming side to her loved ones.

"Would I lie to you?" Naruto hugged Ino without caring about the dirt on his body, "By the way, I just heard something about a team dinner just now?"

"Yeah. You wanna come?" Ino smiled.

"Why wouldn't I? Free food is free food." Naruto blurted out the first thing on his mind, then coughed awkwardly, "Cough… I mean, actually, I'd rather have dinner with just you."

"Tch, like I'd believe that." Ino pouted and rolled her eyes, then as soon as she saw no one else around, she quickly stole a kiss, "Come on, let's go. If we're any later, we won't be able to find them."

"Sounds good. But... your subordinates don't seem to be in a good mood earlier." After he finished speaking, his sharp senses picked up that Ino was in a bad mood and he couldn't help asking, "Ino, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"…Yeah." She admitted after a brief pause. Then she forced another smile. "Let's catch up with the others first. It's complicated, so I'll explain on the way."

Hearing this, Naruto raised his eyebrows.

'Something really happened, huh?'