220. Mistake

"Hashirama-kun, is there some difficulty you're facing?"

Uchiha Gin casually pulled out a chair, sat down with his legs crossed, and glanced at the glaring red numbers on the desk. His half-lidded, dead-fish eyes gleamed with a hint of understanding. Judging by Hashirama's barely concealed expression of distress, Gin had already guessed that the newly appointed village leader had run into some trouble.

"Uh, well..."

If it were Madara who had come, Hashirama might have poured his heart out with tears and snot, complaining until he wrangled an angel investment that he wouldn’t intend to repay. But with Uchiha Gin here, Hashirama felt too embarrassed to speak up. After all, Gin was a close friend of his son, Touka. If not for the fact that his son's hair was silky smooth and his eyes were so bright, Hashirama might have doubted Gin's intentions behind those holiday gifts.

"Big brother, let me explain."

For the sake of the village, Tobirama decided to speak up. Unlike Hashirama, Tobirama didn’t concern himself with pleasantries. Turning to Gin, he handed over the financial report and glanced at the youth’s fluffy curls before speaking in an unusually neutral tone:

"According to the plan, the village’s foundational construction is nearly complete, but several critical facilities have run into financial obstacles."

"Let me take a look... Wait, you’re telling me you’ve run out of funds for building the Hokage Tower?"

Hearing Tobirama's words, Gin already sensed something was off. He took the financial report, scanned it, and couldn’t help but exclaim:
"Why did you add so many residential districts afterward?"

Gin pointed to the large number of newly added housing areas in the budget, raising a brow in confusion.

"Uh, that’s because of Big Brother."

Tobirama, holding his face in his hand as though too ashamed to continue, sold out Hashirama without hesitation.

"Haha, what could I do? So many ninja clans applied to join us. We couldn’t just leave them without housing, right?"

Hashirama scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh, trying to justify his actions.

"Why didn’t you let them build their own houses? Why were you in such a rush?"

Gin raised an eyebrow, surprised that the future cornerstones of Konoha were already gathering.

"Giving them peace is our gift. Not asking for money is already generous. Why are you providing food and shelter too?"

"Exactly! Big Brother, your approach is overly accommodating," Tobirama added, his red eyes fixing on Hashirama with a rare note of visible frustration.

"Well... the houses are already built. There's no use complaining now!"

Deflated, Hashirama lowered his head like a child scolded by his parents.

Gin tone was resigned as he mumbled:
"So, you want to ask for money?"

Tossing the financial report aside, Gin sighed, already guessing the purpose of this meeting.

"Haha, you’re sharp!"

Hashirama grinned widely, immediately moving closer to pat Gin on the shoulder in a show of exaggerated friendliness. His bright eyes narrowed into crescents as they radiated a scheming glint.

"Tsk! Look at what power does to men," Gin muttered under his breath.

"Well, Hashirama-kun, I’d love to help, but sadly, even the landlord’s family is running out of grain."

Feigning a troubled expression, Gin elaborated on the supposed financial state of the Uchiha clan:

"You see, managing expenses is harder than it looks. Every penny we spend is carefully allocated. Aside from material costs, the construction of our district was done thanks to the unpaid labor of our clan members. Every brick and tile was laid by their own hands."

"Clan members? But I heard you hired highly-paid architectural masters from another nation to design and build your district," Tobirama interjected coldly, piercing through Gin’s fabricated story without hesitation.

The Land of Waves, renowned for its skilled construction workers, had provided extensive aid in the Uchiha district’s development. Gin had even contacted Tajima Uchiha, requesting a large team of craftsmen from the Land of Waves. Among them were not only foreign artisans but also some Uchiha clan members looking for an excuse to return home.

"Oh, you mean those ‘masters’ from the Land of Waves? Well, here’s how it really went down..."


Tobirama Senju, keeping a close eye on the Uchiha clan as always, had apparently noticed right away when Gin brought in some specialists from his uncle’s connections. Thankfully, Gin managed to avoid exposing too much. With a quick flick of his eyes, he devised a countermeasure.

"We signed a contract with the Land of Waves. The Uchiha clan paid a small deposit upfront, and once our district is completed, we'll repay the remaining amount in annual installments—with interest."

"There's such a deal?"

Hearing about this seemingly futuristic contract, Hashirama's eyes lit up. A deal where you could start first and pay later? That sounded too good to be true.

"Interest included? What’s the rate?"

Unlike his straightforward older brother, Tobirama focused on the details. If the Land of Waves was this agreeable, the Senju clan could also negotiate such a contract, ensuring the village's construction wouldn’t be delayed due to funding issues.

"Uh… it's quite high, about 35%."

Gin tensed up, worried Tobirama would dig deeper. Hoping to discourage him, he mentioned what he thought was an exorbitant rate—one step shy of loan shark territory. Surely, that would make Tobirama drop the matter.

But Gin underestimated the standards of lending in the ninja world.

"Quick! Give me the Land of Waves' contact information."

Before Gin could react, Tobirama appeared in front of him in a flash, gripping his shoulder and urging him to comply.

"Huh? Did you not hear me? I said 35%!"

Gin was dumbfounded. Most people would balk at such a high interest rate, but Tobirama seemed almost frantic.

"I heard you loud and clear. You Uchiha sure know how to keep a good deal under wraps. And you planned to hog this opportunity all to yourselves?"

"Huh???"

In the end, under Tobirama's relentless pestering, Gin reluctantly handed over the contact details. Once he was no longer useful, Tobirama practically kicked him out of the office.

"Tch, how strange. Is he actually excited about a high-interest loan?"

Leaving Hashirama's makeshift office, Gin returned to the bustling Uchiha district construction site. He stopped a young, unfamiliar craftsman who was hard at work.

"Hey, buddy, where’s your leader?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

The craftsman, holding his tools, didn’t appreciate being interrupted by a stranger and impatiently brushed off Gin’s hand.

"Let’s just say I’m your employer. How about showing some respect, kid?"

Unbothered by the craftsman’s rudeness, Gin glanced curiously at the golden strands of hair peeking out from under his helmet and calmly explained himself.

"Oh, you’re the boss? My apologies for being rude!"

The craftsman’s demeanor instantly flipped. With a beaming smile as bright as the sun, he bowed respectfully to Gin.

"No harm done. Sorry for interrupting your work. So, are you from the Land of Waves?"

"Yes, born and raised in the Land of Waves," the young man replied earnestly, his blue eyes brimming with sincerity.

"How do you like the Land of Fire?"

Gin raised an eyebrow, studying the youth’s vaguely familiar face with interest.

"It’s great! The climate here is much better than back home. If I had the chance, I’d love to settle here."

"You're welcome to!"

After chatting briefly with the blond craftsman, Gin followed his directions and found the leader of the Land of Waves craftsmen.

"Gin-sama!"

Before Gin could speak, the leader greeted him with utmost respect. As Gin looked on in confusion, the leader formed hand seals, and with a puff of smoke, the seemingly unfamiliar craftsman revealed himself to be a black-haired, black-eyed Uchiha clansman.

"Oh, you’re here to visit family too?"

Gin wasn’t surprised to find some Uchiha clan members mixed among the workers, but he hadn’t expected their leader to be one of them.

"No, Gin-sama. I was sent by the elder of our clan as a liaison for this project."

The Uchiha clansman explained his role and added, "The elder instructed me to communicate solely with you. No one else."

"Uncle sure is cautious. Since you’re one of us, this makes things easier."

Initially planning to explain the fabricated loan arrangement to the Land of Waves workers, Gin relaxed now that he was dealing with family. He explained the made-up terms to the liaison, instructing him to use the same 35% interest rate if the Senju clan approached them for a loan.

"Uh… 35%?"

The Uchiha liaison looked at Gin with a strange expression, his tone thick with doubt. "Gin-sama, are you sure it’s 35% and not… 350%?"