Chapter 24: Konan's Economics

(A/N:Warning: This chapter has some quirks. The later chapters smooth out the plot points. Thanks for your understanding.)

Deidara walked alone through the streets of Amegakure, surrounded by towering skyscrapers. The village's near-constant rainfall made low, ordinary buildings prone to flooding. This architectural adaptation, however, lent Amegakure an oppressive, solemn atmosphere. The perpetually overcast sky only added to Deidara's unease.

"Next time I see Nagato, I should suggest regulating the rain," Deidara muttered. "He controls the weather anyway. A bit of moderation could ensure good harvests every year—wouldn't that be something?"

Compared to Konohagakure, Amegakure's prosperity was sorely lacking. After a couple of laps around the streets, Deidara quickly lost interest.

Just as he was thinking about finding a place to eat, a heated but oddly familiar argument reached his ears.

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

Turns out it was Suigetsu and Karin, bickering in the middle of the street.

"Ah! Deidara-san!" Karin exclaimed, her voice tinged with surprise and delight. Ever since Deidara had taken her away from Kusagakure, this was the first time they'd crossed paths again. She had thought he'd forgotten all about her.

"Karin, didn't you used to call me a ' man-eater'? Hm?" Deidara teased, grinning. Honestly, he found the timid, trembling version of Karin from back then a bit cuter. Maybe playing with explosives too much had skewed his perspective—seeing someone scared stiff was just so entertaining!

"Deidara-san, you're joking, right?" Karin lowered her head, her voice soft, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as memories of her past behavior surfaced.

"Hah! So even you can blush, you tomboy!" Suigetsu laughed, dramatically pointing at her.

"Shut up!" Karin snapped, instantly shifting gears and landing a solid punch on Suigetsu's head, sending water splashing everywhere.

Deidara chuckled and extended his right hand in a mock-friendly gesture. From his palm, the mouth opened wide, its slick tongue sticking out.

"Well, since you've realized your mistake, let me give you a head-pat as punishment!"

"Eek!" Karin flinched, recoiling as far as she could. Watching the tongue come closer, her expression twisted in disgust. Finally, she couldn't hold back and retreated several steps.

"No, no head-pats! I've hated those since I was a kid."

"Haha… Deidara-san, please spare me!"

"Nope!"

With a quick motion, a clay snake shot from Deidara's palm and coiled around Karin, pulling her back.

"Come on, just enjoy my artful affection!"

Ten minutes later, the trio arrived at a dango shop—Karin still wiping herself off in exasperation, Suigetsu struggling to stifle his laughter, and Deidara as nonchalant as ever.

They sat down to enjoy tea and dango. Halfway through, Deidara recalled the earlier argument.

"So, I noticed you two were fighting earlier. What was that about?" Deidara asked, slowing his pace from triple-speed eating to double-speed.

"A few days ago, I took on a mission helping a village transport a massive amount of stone," Suigetsu began, his irritation bubbling up. "I worked my butt off for days, only to have the village take an 80% cut of the commission! I barely got 20%! Isn't that ridiculous?"

Deidara raised a brow. Who came up with that kind of split? 

"I heard it was Lady Byakko's policy," Suigetsu grumbled. "So, I figured I'd go talk to her about it. But on the way, I ran into this tomboy, and since she's Lady Byakko's apprentice, I thought she might be able to help. Instead, she told me I was making a fuss over nothing!"

Oh, it's Konan? Well, that explains everything.

Deidara patted Suigetsu on the shoulder with a look of sympathy.

"Suigetsu, whenever you feel wronged, just remember one thing," Deidara said.

"What's that?" Suigetsu asked between bites of dango, his sharp teeth flashing.

"Us S-rank members don't get any salary. Every mission we complete? All of it goes straight to the organization."

Clatter!

The sound of Suigetsu's dango stick hitting his plate echoed. His voice was filled with despair.

"So… you're telling me this is just how things are now? I'll have to live with being exploited?"

"Exactly. Back in the Bloody Mist days, we used to keep 40% at least!"

"Yeah, well… those days are over. My condolences."

After parting ways with the pair, Deidara retired to an inn for the night. Unfortunately, trouble came knocking first thing the next morning.

It was Mangetsu, accompanied by several shinobi, looking utterly distraught.

"Please, you have to help us!" Mangetsu pleaded, practically bowing in despair.

"What's going on?" Deidara asked, helping him to his feet, utterly confused.

Mangetsu handed over a document, his voice trembling with emotion.

"We submitted a proposal to expand Amegakure to Pain-sama yesterday, and they approved it!"

"That's good news, isn't it?" Deidara replied, flipping through the document.

"But we calculated a budget of 500 million ryo, and Pain-sama only allocated 50 million!" Mangetsu exclaimed, nearly in tears. "That's barely enough to lay a foundation!"

An elderly shinobi chimed in. "We've already slashed the budget to the bare minimum to save money for Pain-sama. This level of funding… it's impossible!"

Deidara sighed, massaging his temples.

"Alright, alright. Go back for now. Let me eat breakfast first, and then I'll bring this up with the boss."

After managing to calm the group, Deidara quickly scarfed down a few bites before heading to the central tower.

"Deidara, you're just in time," Tendo greeted him, rising from his chair. He started to turn to Konan but stopped mid-sentence at the sight of her icy glare.

"Ahem! Actually, I'll handle this myself," Nagato said, sitting back down with a nervous chuckle.

"So, what's the issue?" Nagato asked.

Deidara handed him the file. "Mangetsu and his team are saying the funds for Amegakure's expansion are way too low. 50 million won't cut it."

Nagato frowned. "But Konan said 50 million was enough."

"Uh…" Deidara glanced at Konan, who was giving him the same icy stare.

"Well, it's slightly short," Deidara admitted, holding his thumb and forefinger close together for emphasis.

"How much do they need?"

"Probably around 400 million," Deidara replied.

Nagato nodded. "Alright. If that's what's necessary, we'll allocate the funds."

"No money." Konan's calm, cold voice cut through the air.

Nagato looked puzzled. "What do you mean? Didn't we bring in over a billion ryo last month from the Akatsuki's operations?"

"That's Akatsuki's money, not Amegakure's. They're separate."

Nagato glanced helplessly at Deidara, who returned the look.

"How about we approve the funds and let Amegakure repay them later?" Deidara suggested tentatively.

Konan responded without missing a beat. "Fine. Over fifty years. No interest."

Deidara nearly choked. Fifty years?! That's longer than most mortgages! By the time they're done paying, half the village will be dead!

"Well, what about my reimbursement for that billion I requested?" Deidara asked cautiously.

Konan turned her glare on him.

"Get out."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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