Deidara strolled alone through the streets of Amegakure, surrounded by towering spires. This architectural style was a necessity, as the village experienced near-constant rainfall throughout the year. Low-rise buildings would easily be submerged by the floods caused by heavy downpours.
However, this also gave Amegakure an oppressive and somber atmosphere. The perpetually overcast skies added to Deidara's discomfort.
The next time I see Nagato, I should suggest he regulate the rainfall. If he can control the weather, why not make it rain in moderation? That way, we could ensure yearly harvests and prosperity—how great would that be!
Overall, though, Amegakure's level of prosperity paled in comparison to Konoha. After wandering around for two laps, Deidara quickly lost interest.
Just as he was about to find a place to eat, he heard a somewhat childish argument ahead. The voices sounded oddly familiar.
"Hey! What are you two up to?"
It turned out to be Suigetsu and Karin, who were quarreling in the middle of the street for some unknown reason.
"Ah! It's Deidara-sama!" Karin exclaimed in surprise. Ever since Deidara had brought her out of Kusagakure, this was the first time she had seen him again. She had almost thought he had forgotten about her.
"Karin, weren't you the one who used to call me a man-eating demon?" Deidara teased with a smile. He found that he still preferred the timid, trembling little quail she used to be.
Perhaps it's because I've played with too much clay, but even when I see girls, I just want to scare them. Destroying things is so much fun!
"You're joking, Deidara-sama," Karin replied softly, lowering her head. Her face flushed red, embarrassed by her past foolishness.
"Hey! So even a tomboy like you can blush?" Suigetsu shouted exaggeratedly from the side.
"Shut up!" Karin instantly switched modes and delivered a solid punch to Suigetsu's head, sending water splashing everywhere.
Deidara smiled faintly and extended his right hand in a seemingly friendly gesture. The mouth on his palm opened wide, and a slippery tongue slithered out.
"Since you've realized your mistake, let me pat your head as punishment!"
"Eek!"
Karin instinctively shrank back, her neck retreating as far as possible. Watching the mouth and tongue inch closer, her expression grew increasingly disgusted. In the end, she couldn't hold back and jumped several steps away.
"There's no need for a head pat! I've never liked people touching my head since I was a kid."
"Haha... Deidara-sama, please forgive me."
"Nope!"
A clay white snake shot out from Deidara's right hand, pulling Karin back. "Feel the love of the great me!"
Ten minutes later, Karin was trailing behind Deidara, wiping herself off repeatedly, while Suigetsu struggled to suppress his laughter. The three of them arrived at a dango shop.
The trio sat down, eating dango and sipping tea. Only then did Deidara remember the earlier argument.
"I think I saw you two arguing earlier. What was it about?" Deidara asked curiously, slowing his eating pace from triple speed to double speed.
"A few days ago, I took on a mission to help villagers transport a large batch of stone materials," Suigetsu began venting his frustration.
"I worked myself to the bone for several days, and in the end, the village took 80% of the commission! I only got 20%! Isn't that outrageous?"
Who came up with that commission split? Even the most ruthless landlords in history would shed tears at such exploitation.
Hearing this, Suigetsu glanced at Karin, moved a little farther away from her, and continued, "I heard it was Lady Byakko who set the ratio. So I thought I'd bring it up with her."
"But then I ran into this tomboy on the way. Since she's Lady Byakko's disciple, I figured she might have some influence."
"Turns out, this tomboy said I was being unreasonable."
Ah, so it was Konan!
That explains it.
If she didn't take the entire commission and make you work for free, you should already be counting your blessings.
Deidara sympathetically patted Suigetsu on the shoulder. "Suigetsu, whenever you feel frustrated, just remember one thing."
"What?" Suigetsu asked, biting into a dango, his sharp teeth occasionally visible.
"We S-rank members don't even get paid. Every mission's reward goes straight to the organization."
"Thinking about that, don't you feel a little better?"
Clink!
The sound of a dango skewer falling onto a plate echoed. Suigetsu's voice was filled with despair. "So, does this mean I just have to accept this kind of exploitation from now on?"
"Back during the Bloody Mist era, we used to get 40% of the commission!"
"Well, tough luck!"
After parting ways with the two youngsters, Deidara checked into an inn and rested for the night. But trouble found him as soon as he woke up the next morning.
It was Hōzuki Ritsuki, accompanied by several other ninjas. He approached Deidara with a tearful expression.
"Lord Seiryu! Please save us!"
"What's going on?" Deidara quickly helped Ritsuki and the others to their feet, utterly confused.
Ritsuki handed over a document, his voice filled with grief and indignation. "Lord Seiryu! Yesterday, we submitted a proposal to expand Amegakure to Lord Pain and Lady Byakko."
"Hmm, that's a good thing!" Deidara nodded.
"And it's been approved, hasn't it?"
"But we budgeted five billion ryō for the project, and Lord Pain only approved fifty million!"
"That's ridiculous! Fifty million isn't even enough to lay the foundation, let alone expand the village!" Ritsuki was practically in tears. Ever since coming to Amegakure, everything had been great—except for the severe budget constraints.
Even the most infamous tyrants in history didn't go to such extremes!
"Exactly!" an elder chimed in. "We've already cut the budget as much as we could to save money for Lord Pain and Lady Byakko. But this is just too much!"
Deidara rubbed his forehead, feeling helpless as he looked at the group. "Alright, alright, everyone calm down. Go back for now. I'll have breakfast and then bring this issue up with the leader."
After much effort to pacify the crowd, they finally dispersed.
Deidara quickly ate a few bites of breakfast before heading to the office in the central tower.
"Deidara, you're just in time," Tendo Pain (Nagato) said, standing up from his chair. He turned to Konan and started to speak, but after seeing her icy gaze, he coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem! I'll handle it myself." Recognizing the danger in Konan's expression, Nagato wisely decided to sit back down. Defying her in this situation would be unwise.
"Deidara, what brings you here so early?" Nagato asked.
"Well, Ritsuki and the others came to me, saying the budget you approved for the Amegakure expansion is far too low. It's simply not enough," Deidara explained, handing over the document.
"Not enough? Konan said fifty million ryō should be sufficient," Nagato replied, puzzled.
"Ahem!"
Under Konan's icy gaze, Deidara forced himself to continue. "It's... a little short."
He held up his thumb and index finger, indicating a small gap.
"How much do they need?"
"At least four billion, I'd say."
"Four billion? That's a lot, but if it's necessary, we'll allocate it," Nagato agreed readily.
But Konan interjected, "There's no money!"
Nagato looked at her in confusion. "How can there be no money? Didn't the Akatsuki bring in over a billion last month from its bases and Kakuzu? Allocating four billion shouldn't be an issue."
"That's Akatsuki's money, not Amegakure's. They're separate and can't be mixed," Konan stated firmly, her tone as cold as ever.
Nagato looked to Deidara for help, but Deidara also looked to Nagato for assistance. The two exchanged helpless glances.
"How about... we let them owe the money and pay it back later when Amegakure has funds?" Deidara suggested tentatively.
"Fine. They can repay it over fifty years," Konan immediately replied.
Deidara: "..."
Wow! That repayment period is longer than a mortgage, and you're not even charging interest. By the time it's paid off, most of the people involved will probably be long dead.
"What about the one billion I requested for reimbursement from the organization?" Deidara asked cautiously.
Nagato gave him a look of helplessness and glanced at Konan.
Konan first glared at Nagato and then turned her icy gaze to Deidara.
"Get out!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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