Chapter 37 Taking Private Jobs

After hearing that Ryosuke was a member of the Hyuga clan, Tokugawa Shigemo changed not only his tone and gesture, but also his mood.

"Don't stand for now, sit down."

Although Tokugawa Shigemo was in a bad mood, he was much better at pretending than Nagano Taira.

While motioning Ryosuke and the others to sit down, he looked at Nagano Taira next to him with a cold face, "Mr. Ryosuke came all the way to Kyoto City, and you let them stand like this?"

"Why don't you prepare tea and snacks, and call someone to play music next to you."

"Music is not necessary, I'm still young."

After Ryosuke sat down with a chuckle, he waved his hand, "As for snacks and tea, I'm still looking forward to it, after all, they are made by famous chefs."

Tokugawa Shigemo didn't force the arrangement, but motioned Nagano Taira to go quickly. , and then suggested: "Mr. Ryosuke, please stay at the daimyo's mansion tonight. I will hold a banquet tonight, so that the surrounding nobles can also come to see the style of the Hyuga clan."

Ryosuke did not refuse, and nodded, "Your Highness Tokugawa is willing to introduce more people to me, then we will respectfully obey your order."

"Very good, very good, it just so happens that this period of time is the time for the heads of various villages and towns to come to report their work, and Mr. Ryosuke can also meet them." Tokugawa Shigemo nodded with a fake smile, looking very satisfied.

Then, he asked about the physical condition of Hyuga Hiashi and talked about some family matters.

From time to time, he would mix some tests about the internal situation of the Hyuga clan into the topic.

In this way, he was polite and tested at the same time.

Although Ryosuke was a young child, Tokugawa Shigemo did not mean to despise him at all.

Children from a ninja family cannot be measured by age.

After all... they were a group of ruthless people who dared to fight on the battlefield at a young age.

Ryosuke always maintained a calm attitude, but did not take the initiative to control the rhythm of the conversation.

He answered whatever Tokugawa Shigemo asked.

Of course, Ryosuke always said some vague words about some important matters in the clan, which made people confused.

And Tokugawa Shigemo's words always had the meaning of testing whether the purpose of their visit this time was the same as in previous years.

But every time Ryosuke wanted to answer directly, he quickly avoided it, as if he was unwilling to put the problem on the surface, lest it be irreversible.

Since Tokugawa Shigemo was not in a hurry, Ryosuke was even less anxious.

He seemed respectful, but actually answered his questions casually.

And Souji and Xingcai stood behind him, straightened their backs, holding plates to eat to replenish their energy.

They kept going back and forth until the sun was about to set. Tokugawa Shigemao finally couldn't bear Ryosuke's flawless answer. He laughed and planned to ask directly, "Although Ryosuke is young, he is quite knowledgeable. Chatting with you, I almost forgot that you are still a child."

As he spoke, he laughed heartily.

Ryosuke sat opposite him, and he didn't show any modesty, just smiled and accompanied him.

"We've been talking for so long that I almost forgot the business. I wonder if Ryosuke came here on behalf of the Hyuga clan this time. Is there anything you want to change about the rules that we have set with us in the past?"

Tokugawa Shigemao finally asked about the purpose of Ryosuke's coming here on behalf of the Hyuga clan this time.

He half-closed his eyes, and although the gentle smile on his face did not change, there was no smile in his eyes.

"Tokugawa Daimyo has misunderstood. Although I am here to see you this time, the rules remain unchanged."

Facing the hesitation of the Fire Country Daimyo, Tokugawa Shigemo, Ryosuke chuckled and explained, "Our clan is still very satisfied with this matter and attaches great importance to it, especially since there has been a lot of fresh blood injected into the clan recently, and the expenses have become particularly huge."

"So we attach more importance to cooperation with the nobles in the country."

His words were sincere and genuine.

But the meaning of his words made Tokugawa Shigemo, who was sitting opposite him, feel depressed.

With just a few words, he understood what Ryosuke meant.

The clan's expenses are higher than before, doesn't that mean they are going to raise the price?

Just now, he didn't dare to ask directly because he was afraid of this situation.

Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. If he doesn't respond to Ryosuke's almost explicit answer, it will inevitably make the Hyuga clan lose face.

"How is it, Lord Tokugawa?"

Ryosuke looked at the silent Tokugawa Shigemo, "In the past, our clan offered you a price 5% less than the amount of money issued by the village, but the number of tasks you gave was not very large."

"In the past, our clan had low expenses and few tasks, but we could get by with a tight belt."

"But now, life is not easy..."

This phenomenon of taking private work is not uncommon in major countries and ninja villages.

If you put aside the village as an intermediary and take the task directly from the client, you can get more commission money.

But only a well-known family like the Hyuga clan has such an opportunity.

Most small families, based on their ability and reputation, can only honestly rely on the reputation of the village to accept tasks, but once there is an opportunity, many people do not mind this behavior.

However, except for the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan, the other clans in the village have been rapidly decreasing in recent years.

The reason is that the village is using some systems to prevent such things from happening.

In Konoha Village, those families that have been completely assimilated by the Will of Fire and become true members of the village will not do such things as taking private jobs and harming the interests of the village.

In order for each family to continue to develop, Konoha has given them some suitable resources.

For example, the Akimichi clan runs a barbecue restaurant.

Under some channel arrangements in Konoha, the barbecue restaurant run by their clan is very famous throughout the Fire Country, forming a complete industrial chain and brand.

This way of making money is both formal and legal, allowing many small families who originally had no ability to see the benefits, and also move closer to the Will of Fire and actively assimilate with the village.

This has also led to the increasingly awkward status of relatively independent families such as Hyuga and Uchiha in the village.

"In fact, the Uchiha clan has also sent people to give their opinions on this matter."

Tokugawa Shigemao looked embarrassed, but his heart was unusually calm.

Since just now, when he learned about Ryosuke's royal family identity, he has been stalling for time, while testing the purpose and thinking about any excuses.

This afternoon of "free chat" was not really spent on family matters.

"The ninja world is so chaotic, and sometimes we have to go abroad for business trips, so it's inevitable to ask for some ninja protection."

As he explained, he shook his head regretfully, "But you know, Master Ryosuke, we only have so many people, and there are only so many tasks that can be entrusted every year."

"Occasionally, if there are some sudden tasks, I will give them to your Hyuga clan first."

"But recently, the Uchiha clan also came to give opinions, saying that the number of tasks is not enough, and their clan is not making ends meet, and they want to raise the price, but how is this possible? If it really reaches that price, then we might as well go to Konoha to officially announce the commission..."

Thanks to book friends Allen 92 and Weihua Lei for their reward support.