Naruto: IY Ch. 28

"You think my kunai isn't sharp?"

"My kunai has never been dull!"

Sakumo stared wide-eyed as the two people pulled out their kunai.

Aren't we here for a meeting? Why the heck are you drawing blades?

He glanced at Yahiko, seated at the head of the table, who looked completely unfazed.

"Ahem! Nonsense! Finish the meeting first!" Yahiko slammed the table with a stern face.

The two of them begrudgingly sat back down.

"Sakumo, any suggestions?"

He looked seriously at Sakumo.

How about taking those earplugs out first? Sakumo complained inwardly.

"I'd like to teach swordsmanship to the village's ninjas."

"No, we don't need a budget. Don't worry."

Sakumo's heart sank when he saw Kakuzu's eyes gleaming green like cash registers.

Why did I have to run into such a stingy person on the day I visited Yoake?

To Sakumo's confusion, Kakuzu actually gave a resigned look as if to say, "Fine, fine, whatever."

Just a few words and a lip-read was all Yahiko needed to understand. He also clearly read Kakuzu's expression, basically, he was not covering wear and tear on the equipment.

Such a cost-saving move for the village... He was actually useful.

The next person gave a report, it also involved spending money.

The person after that? Another funding request.

Before the last one could even finish...

Hey! I've had enough of this!

Kakuzu couldn't take it anymore. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue.

"You punk! I've been around longer than you've been alive!"

"I've lived since the Warring States period. My rivals were legends like Madara! You think I don't understand the shinobi world?"

He didn't even get to argue before others who wanted their own policies approved started hurling curses.

"Fight me if you think you can!"

"You think I'm scared of you?"

Sakumo glanced at Yahiko, who had leaned back with his head tilted and fingers massaging his brow. Then he looked at the crowd, who were now insulting and even spitting at each other.

What madness is this?

"You idiot!"

"Moron!"

"Bastard!"

"Asshole!"

One shout, one sip of mineral water. Another shout, another sip. So this was how mineral water was meant to be used?

Sakumo quietly followed suit and covered his ears.

Who knows how much time passed... The noise finally stopped.

"Alright, submit your proposals in writing."

Yahiko clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.

"So that's why you wear earplugs, to tune all this out?" Sakumo's eyes widened. Should he wear some next time too?

"Konan, you don't have to hand anything in. Mm, I'm directly approving yours."

Yahiko didn't want to see her handwriting produce such cold, ruthless wording again.

"Really?" Konan smiled sweetly, more dazzling than cherry blossoms in spring.

She looked eagerly at everyone, urging them to write quickly.

"Hope you adopt my proposal."

After everyone had left their written plans on a nearby table, Konan stayed behind. She walked up to Yahiko and held out her hand.

"Give me your hand."

"?"

He gave it to her.

Unhurriedly, Konan summoned a collection of nail polishes in various colors.

She selected her favorite one, the one she thought suited Yahiko best.

Red.

It was easy to see that her own neatly trimmed nails were painted a coral-orange shade.

She wants to paint his nails?

He was stunned. He tried to pull his hand back, only to find that Konan was gripping it tightly, he couldn't move at all.

"What are you doing? I'm a guy, why would I wear nail polish?"

Yahiko stood up in shock, his hand still firmly held by Konan.

"Huh? Didn't you say you'd accept my proposal?" Konan paused mid-action, the red nail polish cap half-twisted off, looking confused.

"Your proposal was painting nails?"

"Yeah, let's paint the nails of all Yoake's top members."

"?"

Sakumo with nail polish? Yahiko didn't even want to imagine that mental image.

So the nail polish thing... you started it?

How did Nagato even agree to this?

Wait, no, Nagato's super sly. He doesn't paint his own nails; he paints mine... after I'm dead.

"I won't wear nail polish. From now on, I'll wake up early, go to bed early, and cook you breakfast every morning."

"I can make breakfast for you. Be good, now hold still."

"No way!"

"Why not?"

"I'm a man!"

"Then can you approve my budget request for stockpiling explosive tags?"

"...Let's look at this red nail polish again."

Konan beamed with joy and delicately held Yahiko's hand, carefully brushing polish on one finger at a time.

---

At the Shadow Division base, two people sat across from each other at a table.

"Pfft!"

"Hahahaha!"

Looking at Yahiko, who had red polish on both his fingers and toes, Nagato burst out laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

Yahiko had reached his limit.

He rolled his eyes and continued seriously, "We've made all this money, but Hanzō hasn't said a word. I don't feel at ease."

And then there was Danzō.

That guy had also been unusually quiet lately.

To be fair, he really was being falsely accused here. He was too busy lobbying somewhere and plotting against the Uchiha. Who had time to care about some backwater village making cash?

His work in the shadows was exhausting, alright?

"The price of bread in Ame dropped from 50,000 ryō to 10,000."

Nagato sighed, recalling the intel.

Yahiko narrowed his eyes and tapped his polished index finger on the table. "If the country's broke, then we'll have to turn outward, plunder resources from others to support ourselves internally?"

"Ame can't compete with the Five Great Nations, and Kusa is barely hanging on. So who's the only one left worth looting? Yoake, huh?"

That red-painted index finger waggled threateningly.

"Pfft... hahaha!"

"You're still laughing? I'm being serious here!"

"I'm not, I mean, okay, I won't laugh, I won't..."

Nagato tried to cover his mouth, but his body was trembling as he tried to suppress the laughter. Yahiko's hand gestures didn't help.

"Huuuu..." Yahiko took a deep breath and gave Nagato the same deadpan look a cat gives when it was done with nonsense.

"Hahahaha..."

"Sorry, I didn't want to laugh... but I really couldn't help it."

Nagato was dying from holding it in.

"Nagato-nii, I came to see you!"

Just in time, Kana arrived.

Nagato, terrified Yahiko might actually throw something at him, quickly got up to greet her.

"Guess what I brought you!"

Kana bounced over, hands hidden behind her back, looking super mysterious.

"Hmm..."

"You can't guess, can you?"

Nagato was already stressed out. Why didn't the Rinnegan come with x-ray vision?

"Ta-da!"

Kana mimicked trumpet sounds as she pulled her hands from behind her back... Revealing a bottle of pink nail polish.

Nagato: "..."

Me and nail polish will never coexist peacefully!

"Konan-nesan gave it to me. Isn't it pretty?"

"So what are you trying to say?"

Nagato slowly turned around, only to see Yahiko looming behind him, one hand clapped on his shoulder like a trap, preventing any escape.

"Hehehe..."

Everyone burst into laughter again.