"Haruto Saito?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly turned around and barked, "Send him to see me!"
"Hokage-sama, Haruto Saito is currently with Lady Uzumaki Mito!"
"Oh?" Hiruzen squinted his eyes.
Haruto Saito had just returned, yet instead of reporting to him, he went directly to Uzumaki Mito. This was unusual. What was he up to? Hiruzen pondered briefly, his eyes flashing with a sharp gleam as he considered one possibility—
The Uzumaki treasure!
When it came to the Uzumaki treasure, no one had more authority than Uzumaki Mito. Although she was no longer an Uzumaki clanswoman and had become a Senju by marriage, no one dared to challenge her words. As the "Empress Dowager" of Konoha, she was the most influential woman in the ninja world. As long as she lived, her word was law!
"Haruto Saito! That little brat!"
Cursing under his breath, Hiruzen quickly left the Hokage building, rushing toward the rear mountain.
He had already realized it—knowing Haruto Saito's nature, he must be trying to "sweet-talk" Uzumaki Mito. If she declared that the treasure belonged to Haruto Saito alone, without ties to Konoha or other Uzumaki survivors, even Hiruzen would find it difficult to overrule her!
******
Deep within Konoha's rear mountain, inside a treehouse.
"Lady Mito, I came to see you." Haruto Saito respectfully bowed to Uzumaki Mito.
"Little one, when did you return?" Uzumaki Mito reclined on her bed, a blanket covering her legs. Her deeply wrinkled face carried a gentle smile.
"Just now, Granny Mito. How's your health?" Haruto Saito grinned innocently, deliberately changing his address from "Lady Mito" to "Granny Mito." It was appropriate given their generational gap.
For someone of her age, it was only right to call her Granny.
Not to mention, Uzumaki Mito was Tsunade's biological grandmother.
And Haruto Saito and Tsunade…
"Ah, I'm not doing well. I'm getting old!" Uzumaki Mito sighed, shaking her head.
"Nonsense! You'll live to be a hundred!"
"Haha, you little charmer. Now tell me, what brings you here? Don't try to fool me. You're a greedy little rascal—don't think you can pull tricks on me."
"Hehe! Granny Mito, look at this!" Haruto Saito beamed, presenting a small box out of thin air and handing it to Uzumaki Mito on the bed. It was the sealed chest he had retrieved from the Uzumaki treasure vault.
"Oh?" Uzumaki Mito took the box, examined it, then glanced at Haruto Saito. "Where did you get this?"
"I dug up a treasure and found it inside." Haruto Saito chuckled. "You must have heard about it, right? The news reached Konoha a long time ago."
"Hmph, and you dare bring it up!" Uzumaki Mito shot him a reproachful look. "So many people were looking for you, but you never showed up. We thought you were lost."
"I was just carrying out my teacher's mission!" Haruto Saito sighed dramatically.
"Sneaky little brat!" Uzumaki Mito reached out and flicked his forehead.
Just like Tsunade… No, Tsunade must have learned it from her!
Uzumaki Mito examined the box before placing her right hand over it. Without forming a single hand seal, a burst of light erupted from her palm, activating the seals on the box. The symbols glowed for a few seconds before fading away.
She then opened the chest.
Haruto Saito watched in awe. Uzumaki Mito had effortlessly broken the seal!
This was not only because of her immense skill but also due to the specific nature of the seal itself. The seals were undoubtedly powerful, but they weren't designed to be unbreakable. After all, if they were too complex, how could any remaining Uzumaki clan members ever unseal them?
The treasure, after all, was meant for the revival of the Uzumaki clan!
Thus, while the seal was formidable, it wasn't overly difficult for an Uzumaki to undo.
Inside the chest lay a collection of scrolls.
Uzumaki Mito picked one up, unrolled it, and skimmed through the contents. Haruto Saito curiously peeked over her shoulder, but she made no attempt to stop him. The scroll detailed the training method for an S-rank sealing technique.
Just as he had suspected—the chest contained forbidden Uzumaki sealing techniques!
Uzumaki Mito read through a scroll before looking back at Haruto Saito. "What else did you find?"
"Money. A lot of money!" Haruto Saito declared. "Some are in the form of money certificates, some in gold. Also, I found documents, records, and the Uzumaki clan's leader seal, as well as the royal decree of Uzushiogakure…"
"Where are they?"
"On me!"
"On you?" Uzumaki Mito was slightly surprised before recalling how he had conjured the small chest earlier. She had assumed it was some kind of summoning technique or a special storage device, but it seemed that wasn't the case. She paused before asking, "You can open an alternate dimension?"
"Wow, Granny Mito, you're so sharp!" Haruto Saito gasped, feigning amazement. "Yes! I can access a storage dimension. I accidentally created it while researching the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Oh…" Uzumaki Mito showed little surprise. She had seen countless unbelievable feats in her lifetime. Developing an unexpected ability while researching a jutsu wasn't that far-fetched.
It also confirmed that Haruto Saito had an incredible talent for space-time ninjutsu!
"So, what do you plan to do with all of this?" Uzumaki Mito asked.
"I want to give it all to you, Granny Mito." Haruto Saito grinned brightly.
"Oh, alright. I'll take it then." Uzumaki Mito nodded.
Haruto Saito's expression stiffened.
What the hell?!
Uzumaki Mito—was she serious? Was she actually accepting it? She was so old, nearly at the end of her life, and she was willing to take such a massive gift from a junior? What would she even do with it?
Haruto Saito had come here expecting to negotiate, but now he felt like he had walked into a trap. Uzumaki Mito wasn't following the script!
"Haha! You little rascal, still trying to trick me! I told you, you can't fool me!" Uzumaki Mito chuckled, flicking his forehead again as if she could see right through him.
"Hehe…" Haruto Saito laughed awkwardly, at a loss for words.
"So, tell me, what's your real plan?" Uzumaki Mito asked. "Hiruzen has been keeping me updated about the treasure situation. He says you're blinded by greed. If not for your contributions, he would have hunted you down himself! I know he's just venting, but if you don't handle this properly, you'll be in trouble."
Uzumaki Mito was subtly warning him!
"Actually, I believe this wealth doesn't belong to any single person," Haruto Saito said thoughtfully. "It belongs to the Land of Whirlpools. To all its people."
"Oh?" Uzumaki Mito raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a perspective. So what's your plan?"
Haruto Saito met her gaze. "I want to use this fortune to bring peace to the Land of Whirlpools!"
Uzumaki Mito smiled approvingly. "Little one, you certainly have bold ambitions!"
"I know I may not have the strength now, but I will grow!" Haruto Saito declared. "I want to build a hidden village. A powerful ninja village—to protect the Land of Whirlpools!"
*********************************************************************************************************
"Hello everyone! If you'd like to support the novel and gain early access to chapters up to 100, And Want to read More Novels you can join my Patreon at
patreon.com/Rawink00
Receive daily updates on all novels by joining us on Patreon.