Chapter 161: The Sky of Konoha Is Too Narrow for Me

"I see, then I look forward to working with you."

Tōshirōcasually swiped a finger across his forehead in a nonchalant gesture and called out, "Big bro Kakuzu."

Kakuzu snorted coldly at Tōshirō's attempt to pay his respects, maintaining his aloof demeanor.

Feeling like his warm greeting had been met with indifference, Tōshirō coughed twice to cover up the awkwardness. "Well then, it's time to split the spoils, isn't it?"

"Hmm..."

For the sake of future cooperation, Kakuzu had no intention of keeping everything for himself.

The Sharingan's abilities were quite convenient in his view, whether for hypnosis or intelligence extraction. The success of their heist this time was largely thanks to Tōshirō's Sharingan.

Before long, the two arrived at the stash of treasures. Due to time constraints earlier, they had yet to properly examine everything they had looted.

Now that they had time, it was necessary to sort through everything carefully.

The first step was categorizing the treasures: gold, silver, and jewels went into one chest; cash into another; rare artifacts, antiques, and paintings into yet another.

There were many valuables, and sorting them was no easy task.

It was unclear how long they had been organizing when Tōshirō stumbled upon an ancient-looking treasure chest among the riches. His curiosity piqued, he tried to open it, only to find it locked. Without a key, it wouldn't budge, and its exterior was exceptionally sturdy—his attempts to force it open proved futile.

"Tsk, this thing is pretty solid."

Just as he spoke, a hand suddenly reached out, took the chest without a word, and began fiddling with it.

"Hey..." Tōshirō muttered in protest.

Kakuzu ignored him. Using his secret technique, tendrils extended from his hand, slipped into the keyhole, and, after some tinkering, unlocked the chest. Inside was a half-black, half-white scroll.

A scroll?

Typically, information recorded on scrolls was of great importance.

Kakuzu unrolled it, scanned it a few times, and immediately lost interest, tossing it to Tōshirō .

Tōshirō asked, "What's written in it?"

"See for yourself," Kakuzu replied disinterestedly.

Curious, Tōshirō skimmed through it.

The contents were cryptic, filled with phrases like "Seven Losses, Eight Gains" and "Ten Movements, Ten Stillnesses." The most frequently mentioned terms were "Yang" and "Yin," and the technique described required two people to work together, bodies in close contact, borrowing each other's free hands to form seals. Through this connection, they could achieve a deep-level chakra exchange.

Since the technique required two people, Tōshirō thought he could invite Tsunade to study and practice it together, starting with theoretical exploration and gradually moving toward practical application.

Seeing the gleam in Tōshirō's eyes, Kakuzu couldn't help but throw cold water on his enthusiasm. "You don't seriously believe in what's written on that scroll, do you?"

Chakra had existed for over a thousand years, leading to the development of countless creative ninjutsu.

Many had attempted to create similar techniques, but without exception, they had all failed. The scroll in Tōshirō's hands was, at best, just a theoretical concept.

"How will we know if we don't try?"

"Ridiculous."

"Kakuzu, how old are you this year?"

"Don't pry into my past."

"I'm guessing you've never had a girlfriend or been in a relationship."

Kakuzu snorted coldly, hit right on the mark.

Right now, his only focus was making money. He had zero interest in any so-called love stories.

Tōshirō shrugged. He was just testing the waters, laying the groundwork for future interactions so their relationship could slowly develop.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his mood visibly dampened.

Kakuzu looked at him, puzzled.

"Nothing," Tōshirō shook his head. He remembered that he was still a bit young this year, which meant he couldn't practice the technique with Tsunade, and that realization made him a little sad. Shifting topics, he asked, "Kakuzu, let me ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Where do you usually keep the money you earn?"

The question was phrased in a way that could easily raise suspicion.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I mean, how do you spend the money you earn? You don't seem like someone who splurges."

Kakuzu remained silent.

Tōshirō covered his mouth in mock surprise, looking at Kakuzu as if he were an idiot. "Don't tell me... you just hoard all your money?"

In the future, Hidan would mock Kakuzu for taking on part-time jobs even while carrying out missions. Generally, someone with real financial intelligence wouldn't waste time on such inefficient means of making money.

Tōshirō figured Kakuzu was similar to some NBA players—high earning potential but lacking financial literacy, likely entrusting most of his wealth to an agent.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Kakuzu had no habit of spending money and usually entrusted his earnings to a close confidant.

"You have no idea how dumb that is."

Kakuzu's expression darkened slightly—this was the first time someone had called him an idiot to his face.

Tōshirō raised two fingers and casually gave two examples. "Have you ever heard of the time value of money? What about inflation?"

Kakuzu: ???

Those sounded like some high-class financial concepts.

Tōshirō smirked and, parroting what he'd learned from others, gave Kakuzu a rough explanation of the two theories.

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu suddenly felt as if the clouds had parted, and everything became clear—so money could actually depreciate just by sitting there…

He had learned something new.

"So, what do you suggest?"

As soon as he asked the question, Kakuzu found it amusing. At his age, he was actually asking a thirteen-year-old kid for financial advice like a student seeking guidance from a teacher.

But the kid made sense.

Tōshirōsmiled slightly, putting on a mysterious expression. "That's why I say we need to invest."

"Invest in the country, right?" Kakuzu recalled their earlier conversation.

"Exactly. In this world, every business carries the risk of loss—except for one. A guaranteed profit."

Kakuzu asked, "What is it?"

Tōshirōsaid in a deep voice, "Monopoly."

"Monopoly?"

"The state is not only a machine of violence but also the largest monopolist."

Kakuzu pondered this statement. "That actually makes a lot of sense. But how can you be sure the daimyo will obediently listen to us? As far as I know, those daimyos are all quite arrogant."

Tōshirō grinned. "Oh, he will listen."

"Why?"

"It's simple. As long as the daimyo is someone we installed, he'll listen. More precisely, as long as the daimyo is our subordinate, not just a collaborator, he'll have no choice but to obey us."

Kakuzu was intrigued. "And how do we do that?"

"First, we need to find a prince who has been displaced due to a coup. Then, by helping him reclaim his throne, we essentially gain control of the country."

Kakuzu understood the concept but had one question. "And where exactly do we find a displaced prince?"

"If there are no opportunities, we create them," Tōshirō said with a sly smile.

"Hmph, this brat is keeping me in suspense, huh…" Kakuzu grinned.

Tōshirō chuckled. "Who knows?"

"Alright, cut the act. Just tell me how we do it. For the sake of money, I'll fully support your plan."

"It's simple. We just need to stir up some ambition among those with power and ambition around the king. Then, we arrange for the daimyo to have a little 'accident.' Once the power structure is destabilized, some opportunistic schemer will seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance for a coup. At that point, the young prince will most likely be smuggled out by loyal retainers. That's how it usually goes."

Kakuzu caught on and continued, "And then we help the prince reclaim the throne to gain his trust, right?"

Tōshirō shook his head. "Not quite. Like I said, I don't want the daimyo as a mere ally—I want him as my subordinate."

Kakuzu was momentarily stunned.

Tōshirōsmirked. "How much do you think a person can change in a few years?"

Kakuzu thought about it and chuckled. "Probably quite a lot."

"Exactly. We'll simply replace the prince with someone else, an impostor. Using his identity, we launch a counterattack. By then, the people, having suffered under the new ruler's oppression, will welcome us with open arms." Tōshirō clenched his fist in the air. "And at that moment, the entire country will fall into our hands."

Kakuzu laughed. "With someone like you in Konoha, I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse."

Tōshirō turned his back, hands clasped behind him, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, his eyes as deep as the ocean. In a solemn tone, he said, "The sky of Konoha… is far too narrow for me."

It was inevitable that Tōshirō would be this candid with Kakuzu.

Kakuzu knew all his secrets, and Tōshirō couldn't defeat him. Since he couldn't kill him, the only option was to rope him in and bind their interests together.

To make Kakuzu his partner in crime, Tōshirō had to continuously put on airs, act like a visionary, and prove his value.

Of course, being this open with Kakuzu was also a calculated move—giving him just enough leverage to feel reassured about working together.

Tōshirō continued, "And once we reach that point, your identity will finally be washed clean."

Kakuzu froze.

Tōshirō smiled. "You're not planning to stay a bounty hunter forever, are you? Once we control the country, you'll officially become its Minister of Finance—the head of the entire nation's economic system."

"Minister of Finance?"

That was a term Kakuzu had never heard before.

Tōshirō nodded. "A term I invented. You can think of it as the head of the treasury."

"Your daily job will be collecting taxes from the citizens—completely legal and far safer than being a bounty hunter. I think you'll like it."

Hearing this enticing promise, Kakuzu's eyes became unfocused. However, one thing still puzzled him—how did all this political scheming relate to investing in a country? He voiced his doubts.

Tōshirō smirked. "Simple. You take all the money collected and reinvest it into the country, improving the citizens' living standards."

What!?

The idea of spending his hard-earned money on infrastructure and public welfare instantly made Kakuzu uncomfortable.

In his mind, the first thing to do after seizing a country was to amass wealth, not spend it.

"You better have a good explanation," he said, displeased.

"Relax, you won't lose out."

Tōshirō smiled. "I think now is the perfect time for you to learn two important concepts: 'The Base Determines the Superstructure' and 'Sustainable Exploitation.'"

(End of Chapter)

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