Haruto Saito had once loudly declared, "I have contributed to Konoha! I have shed blood for Konoha!" but it was of no use—he was personally escorted to prison by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Unfortunately, Haruto Saito was no match for Hiruzen Sarutobi...
Creak!
Haruto hadn't been lying in his cell for long when the door made a noise and soon opened.
Shinsuke walked in carrying a food box.
"Tell me, Lord Shinsuke, what is your father thinking? I've done so much for Konoha, why am I being locked up? I've risked my life for this village—this isn't fair!" Haruto complained to Shinsuke.
"You! Just keep quiet for a bit," Shinsuke sighed with a helpless smile, shaking his head.
"How long will I be in here?"
"No idea."
"Do I even get an explanation? What crime have I committed?"
"No idea."
"What if I sneak out?"
"Try it and see."
Shinsuke handed over the food box to Haruto, exchanged a few casual words, then left.
The cell door closed again.
Haruto looked up. Honestly, the door couldn't really stop him—his barrier-breaking jutsu would let him pass through easily. However, unless absolutely necessary, he had no intention of escaping. It was better not to stir up trouble at the moment.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't officially spoken with him yet regarding the treasure's ownership or the idea of establishing a shinobi village in Uzushio.
So, it was best not to provoke Hiruzen Sarutobi just yet!
Haruto opened the food box. The meal was quite luxurious—plenty of fish, meat, and even seafood soup. This was clearly a special meal. Normally, prisoners in ANBU's cells wouldn't be treated to such fine dining!
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Haruto finished his lunch.
Then he got up and took a look around.
The cell was filthy!
It wasn't particularly small, but if considered as a single room, it was quite spacious.
The walls and floor were grimy, and there was old straw bedding on the ground, which had been used by who knows how many prisoners.
Haruto started cleaning the cell.
He first gathered all the trash into a pile and burned it to ashes. Then, he used ninjutsu to smooth the floor, walls, and ceiling. Finally, he summoned water-style jutsu to wash the entire cell and then dried it out.
After all that effort, the cell became spotless! Since the floor, walls, and ceiling were made of stone, they had become as polished as mirrors after being smoothed.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad!" Haruto nodded in satisfaction before waving his hand.
A luxurious wardrobe appeared out of nowhere, which he placed against the right-side wall of the cell.
Another wave of his hand, and a grand wooden bed appeared, which he set up in the corner. Then, one by one, he took out a table, chairs, a sofa, a rug, a bathtub, a screen partition—he had everything!
He spent the entire afternoon setting up the cell.
By the time he was done, the cell had been transformed into a VIP suite at a high-end inn!
******
Inside the Hokage Tower's conference room.
A special meeting had been ongoing for two hours.
There were four people present: Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and advisors Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Torifu Akimichi. They were Konoha's top leadership, though not the full council—Danzo Shimura, who was second only to the Hokage, was absent.
Danzo was still in Uzushio, handling the aftermath of the conflict.
The main topic of the meeting was Uzushio.
The discussion was nearing its conclusion. Kirigakure had been expelled from Uzushio, though they might attempt a comeback. To prevent this, Konoha planned to increase the number of stationed operatives and implement a strategy for controlling the civilian population.
Since Haruto had wiped out Kirigakure's covert forces, Konoha's control over Uzushio's civilian world would now be much easier!
Once Konoha controlled Uzushio's civilian world, it would be difficult for Kirigakure to launch a counterattack. Even if they sent an army, they wouldn't be able to establish meaningful control. Instead, they would be at a severe intelligence disadvantage, allowing Konoha to strike back hard!
The only way for Kirigakure to reclaim Uzushio would be to send multiple main battle divisions to forcibly subjugate the land, but such an operation required immense resources.
Kirigakure would struggle with the financial burden and extended supply lines. If they failed to gain a foothold in a short period, the sheer cost alone could cripple them!
War was waged for profit, but if the cost of war outweighed the benefits, then it was unnecessary.
Hiruzen Sarutobi predicted that Kirigakure would instead opt for covert operations, sending waves of hidden operatives to rebuild their intelligence network and clash with Konoha in the shadows.
And this was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped for!
If Kirigakure took that approach, Konoha wouldn't be under immense pressure. Even if Kirigakure managed to regain a foothold in Uzushio's civilian world, it would take at least six months—potentially years!
"Ahem!" Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Now, let's discuss how we should handle Haruto Saito. He has returned—you all know that, right?"
The advisors nodded.
"Share your thoughts," Hiruzen prompted.
The advisors exchanged hesitant glances.
This was a difficult situation to handle.
Haruto had intentionally severed contact with Konoha, disobeying the Hokage's orders. Technically, this was desertion—arguably even betrayal!
But Haruto had never actually betrayed Konoha. On the contrary, even while avoiding Konoha's commands, he continued fulfilling Hiruzen Sarutobi's missions, accomplishing extraordinary feats—especially the destruction of Kirigakure's vanguard base. That act alone was one of Konoha's greatest military achievements since the First Shinobi World War!
So, should Haruto be punished? Or rewarded? Perhaps both—acknowledging his achievements while reprimanding him. But his contributions were so great that any minor offenses seemed negligible.
Moreover, there was another complication—Haruto was Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct disciple!
"I think…" Koharu Utatane finally broke the silence, "Haruto's contributions are enormous. He must be rewarded. But punishment is also necessary. We should approach this from two angles—he should receive honors and possibly an official position, but as for punishment… I suggest a fine!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow and tapped his fingers on the table.
Koharu's reasoning was... unconventional.
"Haruto is extremely wealthy—he already claimed the Meiji treasure, and now he has the Uzumaki treasure as well," Koharu continued. "I say we fine him a few billion ryo!"