"...The village's school and hospital, among other important facilities, are in severe disrepair. Therefore, Lord Hoshikage hopes that Lord Daimyo can increase the budget by 30% this year to help develop the Hidden Star Village."

The ninja from the Hidden Star Village, wearing a headband engraved with the 'pentagram' emblem, knelt on one knee in the room, his head deeply bowed, as he spoke these words.

Listening to the Star Ninja's speech in the conference room, the Daimyo of the Land of Bear gently stroked his chin, displaying a thoughtful expression.

He pondered in his heart about which woman to invite tonight for companionship.

Six people sat below the Land of Bear, all key officials of the country. They too displayed a serene demeanor, as if they were seriously considering the words of the Star Ninja.

Thus, about half a minute passed in the meeting room, with no one speaking up.

The atmosphere was slightly tense, giving a suffocating feeling of breathlessness.

The Star Ninja, kneeling there, nervously swallowed and couldn't help but remind:

"Um, Lord Daimyo, about this year's budget..."

"Oh, the budget..."

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear suddenly seemed to recall something and responded indifferently to the Star Ninja.

"Yes."

Although he felt furious, these few people in the conference room indeed controlled the economic lifeline of the Hidden Star Village.

If a Ninja Village wants to develop, it cannot do without enormous financial support.

Over the years, the Hidden Star Village has grown weaker due to material scarcity.

"You just said... increase by what percentage?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear wanted to confirm once more if he had heard correctly.

"Increase by 30%."

Actually, the Star Ninja knew that the Daimyo and the other officials weren't seriously listening to his and the Hidden Star Village's demands.

These people were merely wondering why such a boring and tedious meeting couldn't end swiftly.

Before the Daimyo of the Land of Bear could speak, another official spoke up.

"As far as I know, the military strength of the Hidden Star Village has been severely declining in recent years, with very few Chunin and Jonin being produced, less than 20% of what it used to be. If you can't show some decent results, it's difficult for us to invest in the Hidden Star Village. If the money invested doesn't yield the corresponding returns, it must be chosen with extreme caution."

"But, it's precisely because of insufficient funding that the birth rate of Chunin and Jonin in the village is lowered."

"Then show us some results first."

"But that requires a lot of resources."

"As I said, you produce results, and we will invest funds. The Land of Bear is a small country, and using the remaining funds wisely has always been our style. As long as you achieve good enough results, we naturally are willing to invest in the Hidden Star Village."

The Star Ninja knew that this official had no intention of caring about the life and death of the Hidden Star Village.

He looked again at the Daimyo of the Land of Bear, whose mind had wandered elsewhere once more.

"Lord Daimyo, what is your decision?"

No matter what, the Daimyo was the one who truly called the shots.

As long as he could agree, the matter would be more than halfway successful.

"Increasing the budget by 30%... Hmm, that is not an easy task. How about this, you go back and tell the Third Hoshikage that we will draft a plan and give him a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."

The Land of Bear earnestly said to the Star Ninja.

"But..."

"Alright, that's settled. You go back first. After all, an increase of 30% in the budget is not a small figure, is it?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear picked up a folding fan, covering half of his face, smiling with narrowed eyes.

Just as the Star Ninja was about to speak, several cold auras shot from the corners of the room, enveloping his entire body.

The Star Ninja couldn't help but shiver, realizing he was being watched.

At least a few ninjas were monitoring his every move, silently releasing killing intent towards him.

If he dared to speak again, it was certain that his head would roll the next moment.

The lurking ninjas in the shadows conveyed this clearly to him.

"I understand. Please make a decision quickly, esteemed sirs."

The Star Ninja gritted his teeth in humiliation and awkwardly exited the conference room.

The Daimyo and the officials watched the Star Ninja leave, and someone let out a snicker.

"The Hidden Star Village is really becoming more and more incompetent. They haven't even cleared the domestic bandits, yet they want to increase this year's budget. Where do they get the gall?"

"Indeed, it's outrageous, demanding a 30% increase in the budget. Isn't that asking for our lives?"

"Every year they want to increase the budget. It's exasperating; can't they just shut up once and for all?"

Other officials chimed in, each expressing their dissatisfaction.

However, the Daimyo of the Land of Bear coughed, quieting the conference room.

The officials looked at the Daimyo, waiting for him to speak.

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear set down his folding fan and spoke, "Giving them a 30% increase in the budget isn't really much. If we all chip in a bit, we can still manage it."

"So, you mean to accept their request?"

An official expressed slight discontent.

Though the Hidden Star Village was the military assurance for the Land of Bear, the country didn't need to expand its territory outward, wedged between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, the Land of Bear could just maintain the status quo.

If too much military funding is given to the Hidden Star Village, the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind might also have objections.

Unlike the Land of Demons, which is a neutral country, the Land of Bear is not neutral. If the ninja village in the country becomes too strong, it's very likely to be targeted by the great nations.