Sarutobi Hiruzen was puzzled, but he didn't think there was any major issue.
Haruto Saito, who was only twelve years old, wanted to take eight-year-old Namikaze Minato as his personal disciple. Even though there was only a four-year age gap between them, with Haruto Saito's strength, teaching Namikaze Minato was no problem at all. While Namikaze Minato was a genius, based on his current talent, he was still quite average and couldn't compare to Tsunade, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru.
It was important to note that Sarutobi Hiruzen's three personal disciples had all graduated from the Ninja Academy by the age of six!
In reality, Haruto Saito's request was simply to allow him to take a disciple who hadn't yet graduated from the Ninja Academy. If Haruto Saito's chosen disciple had already graduated, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have any reason to object.
"I approve!" Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment before saying, "However, whether Namikaze Minato is willing to take you as his master is up to him."
"He will agree." Haruto Saito smiled confidently.
Under the command of Mitokado Homura, the "Meiji Treasure" stored in the courtyard was completely taken away. Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo also left shortly after. Before leaving, Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded Haruto Saito to contribute the Meiji clan's techniques to Konoha as soon as possible and that the money Konoha owed him would be delivered by tomorrow night.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru also took their leave—one to drink with friends, the other to train.
Soon, in Tsunade's luxurious mansion, only Haruto Saito and Tsunade remained.
Guest Room in the Main Building
As soon as Haruto Saito returned to his room, Tsunade pushed the door open and followed him in.
"Brat, you nearly scared me to death just now! Where did you hide those scrolls? When did you take them out? I didn't even see it happen." Tsunade frowned in confusion.
"Ta-da! Right here!" Haruto Saito flicked his wrist, and five white scrolls tumbled out from his black robe. He caught them in one sweeping motion. In reality, he had already stored the scrolls in his Item Space when Tsunade wasn't paying attention on the way back. However, since he couldn't expose the existence of the Item Space, he acted as if he had hidden them inside his robe all along.
"Hmph! Do whatever you want. But since you already said you'd destroy them, do it soon! If you get caught, you're dead!" Tsunade snorted.
"I will. Once I memorize the contents of the scrolls, I'll take care of them," Haruto Saito replied with a grin.
"Oh, right!" Tsunade crossed her arms and leaned against the door, her face looking annoyed. "What about the ten million ryo you owe me? When are you going to pay up?"
Haruto Saito had intended to give her the money right away, but since all the gold and silver had been taken away for official calculation, Tsunade hadn't received her share yet.
"No rush. Once Lord Hokage gives me the money, I'll naturally pay you back," Haruto Saito said casually.
"Hmph!" Tsunade wasn't worried that he would default on his debt, but she still snorted twice in dissatisfaction. She turned and walked away. "Fine, I'm going to visit Grandma. I probably won't be back for the next few days, so don't cause any trouble."
"You're going to see Lady Mito? Why—" Haruto Saito was about to ask more, but Tsunade had already left without any concern for his curiosity.
"Damn woman!" Haruto Saito muttered under his breath. He picked up a secret scroll from the Hyuga clan and examined it for a moment. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he stored all five scrolls into his Item Space, along with the thirteen Meiji clan scrolls and a bundle wrapped in beast hide.
Seals Formed!
With a swift motion of his hands, Haruto Saito performed a hand seal.
A puff of white smoke enveloped him briefly, and when it cleared, his black robe and battle armor had been replaced with a comfortable sleeping robe.
"Finally, I can get some sleep…" Haruto Saito stretched lazily and walked toward the soft bed. He lay down, pulled up the blanket, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.
He hadn't slept for over two days—it was about time he got some proper rest.
Meanwhile, in Konoha's Central Market District
At Aoba Tea House, a sixteen-story establishment owned by the Hyuga clan, a shadowy figure stood by the window on the top floor, gazing in the direction of Tsunade's mansion with a deep frown.
It was Hyuga Reita.
Tsunade's mansion was quite far from the tea house. From this location, it was impossible to see anything beyond the layers of buildings obstructing the view.
However, at this moment, Hyuga Reita's Byakugan was fully activated. His sharp gaze was locked onto Tsunade's mansion, and the chakra in his body fluctuated noticeably.
He had been standing there for over half an hour. Ever since he left Tsunade's mansion and arrived at the tea house, he had been maintaining long-distance Byakugan observation on Haruto Saito.
For any ordinary Hyuga ninja, prolonged use of Byakugan over long distances would drain an excessive amount of chakra. If it had been someone else, they would have long collapsed from exhaustion.
As an elite of Kage-level strength, Hyuga Reita hadn't collapsed yet, but his chakra was nearing depletion!
He saw everything.
Even though he couldn't hear what was being said, he saw it all.
The moment Haruto Saito returned to his room, in a single flick of his hand, five scrolls bearing ancient Hyuga clan markings appeared out of nowhere. To the untrained eye, it looked as if he had pulled them from inside his robe.
But with Byakugan, Hyuga Reita could see through Haruto Saito's robe—he knew those scrolls had not been hidden there. They had materialized out of thin air!
And then, an even more shocking sight followed—Haruto Saito made all five scrolls disappear again, along with the thirteen Meiji clan scrolls.
They had truly vanished!
Hyuga Reita was certain of it. He knew what he had just witnessed.
"Space-time jutsu… It's space-time jutsu…" Hyuga Reita murmured, his expression filled with shock. Suddenly, his body swayed, his face turned pale, and he nearly collapsed. His Byakugan deactivated automatically at that moment.
His chakra had been completely depleted! Even his remaining physical strength was insufficient to keep him standing.