Actually, by the time Haruto Saito led his team into the Hidden Leaf Village, the Anbu had already been aware of everything. However, they didn't immediately report it to Hiruzen Sarutobi because he was in a meeting. While the discovery of the Meiji treasure was significant, it was not an urgent matter, so they naturally didn't want to interrupt.
Sarutobi only received the report after the meeting ended, and since several other high-ranking officials were present at the time, they all came along.
Hearing Haruto Saito repeatedly emphasize that the treasure belonged to him, Sarutobi gave him a sidelong glance. Although his face remained expressionless, Haruto could sense a hint of disdain in his gaze.
"We know it's yours," Sarutobi said, then looked toward the chests. "You don't have to worry—no one is going to take your things."
Haruto instantly felt relieved. The Hokage was indeed an honorable man—far better than a certain woman he knew! He couldn't help but glance at Tsunade. Now, she had no reason to demand a cut of the treasure. However, she still had a chest filled with gemstones strapped to her back, and she was clutching that glowing jade stone in her arms.
The five high-ranking officials walked into the area where the treasure was placed, moving slowly as they examined the surroundings. Some chests had been opened, revealing gold and silver. Sarutobi even opened the coffin, took a brief look at its contents, and then closed it without further interest.
Koharu Utatane picked up an old scroll from a pile of miscellaneous items, unrolled it, and after a glance, said to Homura Mitokado, "At least 800 years old. Worth over a million ryo."
Danzo, on the other hand, didn't touch anything. He simply walked around, observing in silence. The emotionless gaze beneath his mask gave nothing away—no one knew what he was thinking.
To Haruto, though, Danzo still radiated an unmistakable hostility. To this day, Haruto couldn't figure out why Danzo harbored such ill intent toward him.
Haruto, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all stood at the entrance of the main building.
"Did you estimate its value?" Jiraiya asked, turning to Tsunade with a grin.
"It's definitely over three hundred million," Tsunade replied. "The miscellaneous items are hard to estimate, but they're all valuable. If some turn out to be exceptionally rare, the total could exceed four hundred million ryo."
"Heh, little brother, you're rich now!" Jiraiya moved closer to Haruto, playfully patting his shoulder. "Tsk, tsk! After today, you're officially the richest man in the Hidden Leaf! No one has more money than you!"
"The richest?" Haruto looked at Jiraiya.
"Mm-hmm!" Jiraiya nodded. "Not just in the Hidden Leaf—even across the entire Land of Fire, your wealth is among the highest. Aside from the Daimyo, only a few well-known tycoons can compare!"
"I see," Haruto responded, though he felt a bit strange about it.
The ninja world was one where strength reigned supreme. For the truly powerful, wealth didn't hold much significance. Take, for example, the legendary First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. In his time, he was an invincible force—money meant nothing to him. If he wanted wealth, he could acquire as much as he desired.
And yet, here was Haruto, someone whose strength didn't even rank among the elites of the Leaf Village, suddenly finding himself as its wealthiest resident.
Having too much money was just a number. For a ninja, strength mattered far more than wealth. A strong enough ninja could generate money like a printing machine.
Take Tsunade, for example. She always seemed short on cash, constantly borrowing and shifting debts around. But in reality, her earning potential was terrifying—one mission alone could earn her at least a few hundred thousand ryo, an amount that ordinary people couldn't make in a lifetime. If not for her gambling addiction, she would undoubtedly be a rich woman.
That being said, money was still incredibly useful. Some might even say that 99% of problems could be solved with money.
On a small scale, daily life depended on it. On a larger scale, wars in the ninja world were fought over resources and wealth. Conflicts were ultimately struggles over profit—this had always been the way of the world.
"Hehehe!" Haruto suddenly chuckled. "Let's keep a low profile! Being the richest man or whatever—it was just luck. No need to make a big deal about it. Low-key is the way to go!"
"Hmph!"
A cold snort came from beside him. Haruto turned to see Tsunade glaring at him, her expression filled with discontent.
That woman was still holding a grudge!
"Mitokado, call some people over," Sarutobi suddenly commanded, turning to Homura. "I want everything here accounted for—I need to know the exact value."
"Understood!" Homura nodded and formed a hand seal before disappearing. Several Anbu operatives followed him, leaving the scene.
"Hey, hey, hey! Lord Hokage, what are you doing?" Haruto hurried forward. "We agreed—it's all mine!"
"We know it's yours," Sarutobi replied calmly, glancing at Haruto. "Once we finish taking inventory, I'll have it transported. You'll be given money orders equivalent to the total value."
"Oh, alright! That's fine then. Thank you for your help, Lord Hokage." Haruto sighed in relief.
The Hokage truly was a man of integrity!
Not long after Homura left, both Koharu and Choza Akimichi departed due to other duties. Danzo and Sarutobi remained. Half an hour later, Homura returned with over a hundred people, including many specialists in antique appraisal.
The assessment began.
Even the chest full of gemstones and the glowing jade stone that Tsunade had been "safeguarding" were taken for evaluation.
The process moved far faster than Haruto had anticipated. In just ten minutes, they had already reached a general estimate. Haruto noticed that while appraising the various artifacts, they seemed to assign values quite casually—just glancing at them before giving a price. Clearly, they were offering low estimates.
It was obvious what would happen—the Leaf Village would resell these antiques on the black market, likely making double the appraised value.
Haruto didn't mind. He had no interest in personally selling each item on the black market—that was too much of a hassle. It was simpler to sell everything in one go and let the Leaf Village handle the resale for profit.
Sarutobi's decision to take inventory and collect the treasure wasn't just about fairness—it was also a way to generate revenue for the village. Acquiring large quantities of gold and silver would bolster the village's strategic reserves.
Overall, it was a win-win situation!
"Hiruzen," Homura called out once the calculations were complete. Holding a notebook, he quickly walked over to Sarutobi and handed it to him. "The total value is approximately 3.6 billion ryo."
"Hmm." Sarutobi scanned the list briefly before returning the notebook. "Have it transported."
"Lord Hokage, when will I get my money orders?" Haruto suddenly appeared beside Sarutobi, grinning. "I heard it all—3.6 billion, plus the 750 million from my negotiations, making a grand total of 4.35 billion ryo!"
"Tomorrow," Sarutobi replied, glancing sideways at Haruto, his disdain now completely unconcealed.
Haruto looked exactly like a miser! Just how paranoid was he about being cheated?!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In a corner of the courtyard, three figures suddenly appeared.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man with pale white eyes—none other than Hyuga Raita, the head of the Hyuga Clan's branch family.
"Lord Hokage, so you're here," Hyuga Raita approached Sarutobi respectfully.
"Raita, what's the matter?" Sarutobi asked in his usual authoritative tone.