It's true that the Daimyō had trump cards, but Kazuki was very troublesome. The Daimyō wasn't completely unaware of the Flying Thunder God Technique. Tobirama had relied on it to become the fastest in the Ninja World back then.
Many powerful ninjas had died because of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kazuki also knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, which made him quite troublesome.
Why did those people from Konoha teach the Flying Thunder God Technique to those inherently evil guys from the Uchiha clan?
Putting aside the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kazuki himself was extremely terrifying. According to reports, he could already rival Madara from back then.
The Daimyō weren't all useless. He naturally knew about the legend of Madara, a powerhouse comparable to Hashirama. If it weren't for Hashirama, Madara would probably have tried to unify the entire Ninja World.
What would become of him then?
Fortunately, there was Hashirama to stop Madara. Otherwise, he would have to beg those guys to act again. It wasn't an easy task to get those guys to act.
Even the Daimyō himself didn't know who those guys were or why they helped them, although they also needed to do things for those people.
However, Kazuki himself possessed one of the top strengths in the Ninja World, and with the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could leave whenever he wanted and fight whenever he wanted. Therefore, facing Kazuki, although the Daimyō felt frustrated and uncomfortable, he still had to pay the money.
As for dealing with Kazuki, that depended on whether there would be a way to deal with him later. He needed to inform those people about Kazuki's situation.
Hiruzen was very satisfied that the Daimyō could send a year's worth of combat supplies in one go. Previously, when he asked the Daimyō for supplies, they were always stingy, but this time, they gave a full year's worth.
Of course, this was extra and not this year's regular budget. This year's supplies were enough for Konoha to spend lavishly for a long time.
Indeed, for someone as unscrupulous as the Daimyō, someone like Kazuki was needed. He himself was too easygoing and a bit too soft.
If it were his teacher, Tobirama, back then, would the Daimyō dare to sell grain to the Land of Wind?
Sure enough, these guys were bullies who preyed on the weak. If he wasn't strong enough, perhaps in the future, the Daimyō would even dare to climb directly over the Hokage's head.
"Hokage-sama, there's also a problem with the Konoha Orphanage." Kazuki suddenly reported, breaking Hiruzen's fantasy.
"What?" Hiruzen immediately lost his composure.
The Konoha Orphanage was very important to Konoha. Many children who lost their parents were sent there, and it was also where Konoha spent the most money.
After all, to make ninjas fight desperately outside, their children's lives must be guaranteed, otherwise, why would others fight for you?
Hiruzen had always provided a good life for the children there, and if any showed good talent, he wouldn't mind providing some resources to help them. But now, Kazuki told him that there was a problem with the Konoha Orphanage.
How could he accept this?
"Starting four years ago, a lot of the Konoha Orphanage's funds were withheld. After the war began, you ordered the Ministry of Finance to increase the Konoha Orphanage's budget by over 20%."
"However, not only did this money not reach the Konoha Orphanage, but they were even informed that due to the war, the annual budget for the Konoha Orphanage would be cut by 50%." Kazuki said in a low voice.
"What? How dare they?"
Hiruzen slammed his hand on the table, and the incredibly sturdy table instantly broke under his immense strength.
Don't let Hiruzen's small stature fool you. In reality, his strength was quite considerable. In Konoha, he was only inferior to Kazuki and Tsunade.
He never thought that someone would dare to target the money of Konoha's Konoha Orphanage.
"It's Danzo, isn't it?"
Hiruzen looked at Kazuki with heavy breathing, his gaze giving off a devouring sensation.
Not many people could do this, and even fewer dared to. Besides Danzo, he couldn't think of anyone else.
Kazuki nodded slightly. He wasn't afraid of Hiruzen, as Hiruzen couldn't find a way to harm him.
Even using the Reaper Death Seal would have no effect on Kazuki. After reaching the Six Paths level, there was no need to worry about the so-called Shinigami.
Kazuki had great confidence in this. Otherwise, why wouldn't they use the Reaper Death Seal to deal with Kaguya?
Kaguya, to some extent, was immortal.
"Why? Why would he do this?" Hiruzen sat down on his seat in a daze.
"He's already the Hokage's assistant, the person with the most power under the Hokage. Why would he do this? Is it because he doesn't have enough money? His clan already has enough money."
"He probably has his own calculations." Kazuki's eyes deepened.
"Besides the Wood Release experiment plan, he might be preparing something else, and such experiments require a lot of resources."
Hiruzen frowned, it seemed quite possible.
"Of course, it's also possible that he's developing his own forces. To be honest, you shouldn't have established Root in the first place." Kazuki said to Hiruzen.
"Now, Root has become an uncontrollable organization in Konoha."
Hiruzen's expression stiffened, but he still explained, "Root was necessary. In the early days of Root's establishment, they played a huge role, and furthermore, there are some powers I must delegate."
Towards the end, he felt helpless. To gain the support of Danzo and others, he had to give up some of his power. Otherwise, Danzo wouldn't have helped him stabilize the situation. Moreover, there were many people behind Danzo. Many times, hardliners were more likely to gain the villagers' support.
"But you gave him too much power. You can delegate power to them, but they should also be under your management. Even if you give power, you should have someone to restrain him. But instead, he ended up restraining you."
Hiruzen fell silent, he truly had no solution for this.
He had been appointed in a time of crisis, facing both internal and external troubles, to the point where even the Senju clan had many grievances about him becoming Hokage.
Without everyone's support, without Mito's help, he likely wouldn't have been able to secure his position as Hokage. Being Hokage is difficult, but becoming a decisive Hokage is even harder.
Hiruzen felt he couldn't achieve that. Even now, with Kazuki's support, he could consolidate power, but was he truly decisive?
Forget it.
Kazuki's words would influence him. Ultimately, he wasn't that kind of person. It was just that Danzo had still disappointed him. He even dared to touch the money for the Konoha Orphanage.