For the next ten minutes, Hideo reported everything that caught his attention: the atypical Fire Country house, the fortress crowned with vast fuinjutsu blocking Byakugan, and the enigmatic head of this mercenary group.
"Interesting…" Hyuga Hiashi murmured thoughtfully, adding, "Perhaps I should visit them myself?"
"I don't think that's wise, lord. Due to the recent conflict with Suna, an Elite Jonin from Konoha leaving might be misinterpreted… But of course, the decision is yours," Hideo said respectfully.
"Damn Suna! We should have crushed it with full force long ago. Shikaku and I could handle the Kazekage; we'd just need to deal with old hag Chiyo, and Suna falls!"
"Kumogakure, led by the Raikage, won't just watch, and the other nations will join. A new war would start—you know that without me, lord," Hideo added respectfully.
"What's the point of being Hyuga Clan head if I must stay cooped in Konoha all the time!" Hiashi snapped irritably.
"It's a temporary measure, lord. I'm sure Suna's elite shinobi are hunkered in their village too, to avoid sparking conflict," Hideo added. He was one of the few branch members who could discuss important matters with the clan head. Hiashi saw the rest as mere servants.
"It's all Hiruzen, with his softness and compromises. Not only can't we smash enemies with an iron fist, but my Hinata consorts with that Jinchuriki! All because of that stupid 'Will of Fire' policy…" Hiashi hissed. He strongly disliked his beloved daughter associating with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a ticking time bomb that could explode anytime. Yet for some inexplicable reason, his daughter liked the boy, and Hiashi was powerless.
"If raised right, that Jinchuriki could become a very strong Kage, like Kumogakure's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. He's the only one who tamed his tailed beast and is now one of his great village's two pillars. In my humble opinion, Hiruzen-sama is right, lord," Hyuga Hideo said, not hiding his thoughts.
"Your opinion? Who asked for your worthless opinion?!" Hiashi roared, unable to contain his rage. His shout made Hideo's head throb unbearably, and he collapsed.
"Out of my sight!" Hiashi declared, somewhat calmed, interrupting the slave seal's harmful effect. He felt a twinge of unease for snapping at someone he liked, but pride wouldn't let him admit fault.
"Yes, lord…" Hideo said, breathing heavily, and withdrew.
Hiashi spent more time in the garden, trying to dispel his anger. He didn't want to interact with his wife and beloved daughters in this state, lest he once uncontrollably yell at Hinata, whose shocked then hurt face he still couldn't forget.
Calming his rage, Hyuga Hiashi returned indoors, where little Hanabi immediately threw herself into his arms, instantly melting the remnants of his anger.
For the next two weeks, Kenshin was on pins and needles. He constantly expected an attack and worked even harder because of it. But the anticipated assault never came, though envoys from various entities visited "as guests" several times.
Talking to Konoha envoys was easy for him, but the envoy from Kazoku Watanabe proved trickier. When Daichi Watanabe learned an unknown mercenary group had settled on his land, he immediately wondered about their solvency and sent a scout.
Kenshin was a good empath, and without much effort discerned the messenger's intentions, seeing how the man appraisingly evaluated the wealth of the territory and the fortress itself, calculating how much money could be squeezed from this non-impoverished organization calling itself the "Nakayama Family."
408th day, Nakayama Family home.
"Nakayama-san, with the utmost respect, I would like to convey the will of my Lord..." began the middle-aged man sitting opposite Kenshin, clearly belonging to the aristocracy. "Kazoku Watanabe will turn a blind eye to the disrespect shown by your organization, but from this moment on, you are obligated to pay one million Ryo per month for the rent of this land."
"I understand your lord's indignation, but my Nakayama Family did not intend to offend the esteemed Kazoku Watanabe. His indignation is not unfounded, however, the sum of one million Ryo is a bit inflated." Kenshin said with a smile. For his current finances, one million Ryo per month was an unaffordable expense.
"Nakayama-san, the appointed sum already includes all the respect my Lord has shown you." the messenger tried to object. He knew how much Daichi Watanabe would dislike this information and was trying to persuade his interlocutor.
"Unfortunately, my Nakayama Family is currently facing some financial difficulties, and we cannot afford such a deal." Kenshin said with a sigh.
"Nakayama-san, with all due respect, but my education as an accountant allows me to assess the approximate value of this fortress..." the messenger said with a hint. He knew perfectly well how much it cost to build such a huge fortress in such a backwater, and still couldn't understand how Kenshin had managed to pull it off unnoticed by everyone around.
"You are definitely clever." Kenshin praised him, then added: "However, your conclusions imply that I have ALREADY spent a fortune building this fortress, and I have no spare money right now."
They spent some more time in negotiations but came to no agreement. In the end, the messenger said he would relay everything to his lord and try to find a compromise in the situation. He understood perfectly well that forcing the Nakayama Family to pay by force would be extremely difficult.
Kazoku Watanabe himself clearly saw the trend of gradual loss of power by the feudal lords and knew that the times of unlimited Daimyo power were already over. And now, the title of Kazoku, which had inspired terror just a hundred years ago, was no longer so formidable. And the five Jonin under his command were not guaranteed to dislodge the Nakayama Family from their perch. Losing even one Jonin would cost him far more than one million Ryo, and the messenger was confident his Lord would agree to some concessions.
After the messenger left, Kenshin continued sitting in his armchair, pondering. After a while, Kasumi entered the room and silently circled behind him, lightly embracing him.
"How did it go?" she asked tenderly, kissing his neck.
"About as I expected. Daichi Watanabe won't let such a fat chunk of profit slip from his hands, but he can't use force either. If he's not a fool, he'll be forced to make concessions." Kenshin said, leaning back in the armchair, allowing his beloved wife to massage his shoulders.
"And if he decides not to make concessions after all?" Kasumi asked.
"Then he'll be left only to scheme against us from afar. He's not foolish enough to break his teeth on our fortifications and end up a general without an army. Most likely, he'll try to leverage his connections and first ask Konoha to intervene, which might give free rein to our ill-wishers in the form of the Hyuga clan, and possibly Shimura Danzou..." Kenshin said with a sigh. He really didn't want to conflict with anyone at this stage, but he didn't have a million Ryo per month either.
"I hope that senile, worthless bastard makes the right decision." Kasumi said in irritation. Aristocrats who gained power and position not through their own intellect or strength, but by right of birth, had irritated her since childhood; many of them indulged in all sorts of vices and committed even more vile acts than shinobi.