"You look sweaty."
"Yes, it's very hot and humid outside right now, Lady Sorano."
"I know! Where do you stay, anyways?"
"I was very graciously given a room in the servant's quarters."
"Why don't you take my guest room? It hardly ever gets used."
"Th- that's a very generous offer, Lady Sorano."
"Yes, it is, isn't it? I'll get my servants started on it after the lesson." I nod, and take the lesson folder out of my bag, setting it on the table. "What's today's lesson about, anyways?"
I hesitate, knowing that Lady Sorano isn't keen on learning about "dead guys and treaties". "...Today, I was going to explain some treaties signed by the Hokage, and your ancestors-"
"You can skip the bits about my ancestors, I already know way more about them than I ever wanted to." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she asks, "And why do I need to learn about treaties ninja signed, too?"
"They're important because ninja are an important part of the royal family's income, and things that limit what ninja can do might also affect foreign policy."
"Our income? You never told me that!"
"I was attempting to do it yesterday, but you never let me get started."
"Well, just stick to the parts about income today, alright?"
"Alright. Like nearly every other organization, the hidden village is taxed, too. But whereas the bulk of businesses in the Land of Fire away from the ports are rural and spread out, Konoha is a strong point of reliable income."
"But what do ninja do? I mean, besides sneaking around everywhere."
"Many things. They can act as bodyguards, or escorts, or even rescue a cat belonging to the daimyo's wife. Besides a wide variety of menial jobs, they also undertake missions important to national security."
"So how much does the hidden village get taxed?"
"There's a low flat tax on the quarterly income, in addition to higher taxes on certain types of missions."
"Such as…?"
"...Assassinations, mainly."
"So, your village runs on the things like rescuing cats, while my family gets the juicier parts? Why don't we get more, or less?"
"You don't get more because your ancestors knew the value of having a well-funded group of ninja; you don't get less because the first Hokage was a very generous man."
"Let's say I wanted more for my family. What do think the ninja would be willing to give?"
"...Not that I'm suggesting anything, but you could comfortably increase the hidden village's flat tax by a few percent without too many people complaining."
"And what do well-funded ninja do?" Lady Sorano asks, resting her chin in her hand.
"Anything. They can purchase better equipment, train more effectively…"
"Anything?" Lady Sorano has that look in her eye again, that one where you can almost see the wheels of an evil plot turning in her mind.
"Yes, anything." Lady Sorano looks off into the distance.
"...What can't ninja do?"
"Several things, on paper; but in practice, a fully trained ninja can do anything."
"I'm not talking about running and fighting, what are the technical restrictions on what ninja can't do? Like, politically."
"Well… direct action against your family and the other daimyo is one of the very few things they can't do. There are also a few things related to a number of border treaties and ceasefires, but mainly treason is the only thing off-limits."
"Why is the flat tax low if ninja can do almost literally anything you need them to?"
"It's precisely because they're so valuable that they're given the latitude that they are. L- Lady Sorano, I should mention that the main conflicts of ninja have nearly always been struggles between the hidden villages."
"Wasn't there some war recently?"
"Yes, there was."
"And who won?"
"Nobody…" Lady Sorano was fond of heroes, but she needed to know the truth here.
"So ninja are like invisible players in a game of shogi, then? They can win and lose battles, but no one sees them winning?"
I pull the comment out of my heart, and try to answer. "That's a very good analogy, Lady Sorano."
"Of course; I've not lost a shogi match in quite some time, after all."
"You play?"
"I could ask you the same thing. You didn't seem like the shogi playing kind of smart, Ruza."
"Well, I've done a bit of playing, myself. Perhaps we could have a match later this evening?"
"Yes, that would be delightful!" Lady Sorano clapped and rubbed her hands, and I open the folder on the table...
