Naruto: The Scientific Ninja

Hey everyone!

Great job this week! Thanks to you all smashing the Power Stone goal and more members joining the Patreon, we've unlocked a big boost in chapters.

Starting this Monday and all the way through Sunday, I'll be posting 4 chapters daily here on Webnovel!

And for those of you with a paid Patreon subscription, you'll be getting a massive 8 chapters daily all week!

Remember, Patreon also has a huge library of 50 to 100 advanced chapters of each novel ready for you to read right now.

Thanks again for your awesome support! Let's keep this going.

Chapter 55: Remuneration Commission

"Counting this latest record, you have completed a total of 1 S-rank mission, 3 A-rank, 44 B-rank, 283 C-rank, and 388 D-rank."

Nara Shikaku read from the small merit book and nodded with a smile. "Such a mission rate is enough to be evaluated for the title of Special Jonin. And it turns out you're good at tool manipulation, which fits perfectly."

"Special Jonin?" Sasuke was stunned, his mind racing. In peacetime, he would have accepted without hesitation. But now, with Shimura Danzo in command, a Special Jonin would be sent on the most dangerous missions. His current patrol post, thanks to his radar, was extremely safe.

"Lord Shikaku, if I'm classified as a Special Jonin, will I be transferred from Lord Torifune's patrol team?" he asked hastily.

"Of course," Shikaku replied, adopting an air of importance.

"This..." Sasuke feigned hesitation, as if he had something to hide.

"Don't you want to become a Special Jonin as soon as possible?" Shikaku asked, surprised. The dream of countless civilian ninjas was right in front of him, and yet he hesitated. "With your record, if you nod, I can evaluate you as a Special Jonin today. I still have that influence."

"Shikaku-sama, thank you for your kindness. But without Lord Torifune's approval, I will not leave the patrol team," Sasuke said firmly, feigning unwavering loyalty to Torifune.

"Are you truly not considering it?"

"I won't leave without Lord Torifune's consent."

"Since you insist so much, then forget it," Shikaku said with apparent regret, but with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. He was very pleased with the test. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans were allies; he was merely helping Torifune test his new subordinate. And the result was excellent.

Sasuke, with his keen perception, instantly understood Shikaku's true intentions. "If it weren't for Lord Torifune's timely support, I would have died with my body covered in explosive tags. As long as I can work under his command in the future, I will accept it, even if I cannot be evaluated for the Special Jonin rank."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry you have to go through this," Shikaku said, patting him comfortingly. "You will remain under Torifune's command. When he is transferred back to base as a battalion commander, I will undoubtedly bring you back as a squad commander and get you the Special Jonin rank."

"Sasuke, tools are very expensive, aren't they?" Shikaku changed the subject.

"Yes, Lord Shikaku, I'm almost bankrupt," Sasuke complained bitterly.

"Well, well. The two A-rank missions will be assigned to you with a high difficulty level to maximize the reward. As for the 'gratitude commission,' it won't apply to you, nor will the task dispatch team's. You'll only pay 10% income tax. The rest is all yours."

Sasuke was incredulous. When had the logistics department become so generous?

The wartime period was not like peacetime. In peacetime, the village only collected 10% tax. But in war, for an ordinary ninja with no background, there were at least four levels of exploitation.

The first level was the "gratitude commission" from the task evaluation team, around 30%. If you didn't pay, they would lower the difficulty of your mission and give you the lowest reward.

The second level was the fee from the task dispatch team, between 10% and 50%. They controlled whether you were sent on a suicide mission or to guard a gate.

The third level was the direct superior's cut, usually 20%. If you didn't pay, you could be used as bait or to disarm traps.

The fourth level was the village's 10% tax, the only fixed and unavoidable one.

After four levels of exploitation, a lucky ordinary ninja was left with 30% of their earnings. This was the unspoken rule that only veterans knew. Rookies who didn't follow it died in misery.

It was impossible for Konoha's high command not to know this. In fact, it wasn't simple corruption; it was a policy designed by them. The high commissions didn't go into private pockets; they were used to solve the village's financial shortages during the war. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the common ninjas were the ones who paid the price, and the main beneficiary was Konoha's own administration.