What to ask for?
Haruto Saito had considered this question for a long time. After accomplishing such a great feat, it was only natural to receive a reward. However, even after days of contemplation, he had yet to come to a clear decision. Initially, he had thought about requesting permission to establish a village, but Uzumaki Mito had already taken care of that matter, making the request unnecessary.
"If I ask for something, will you definitely grant it, Lord Hokage?" Haruto asked, having just made up his mind about what he wanted.
"Tell me first. What is it that you want?" Sarutobi Hiruzen inquired.
"I want the Reanimation Jutsu... No, never mind. I know that's impossible. Forget I said anything. Don't look at me like that. Just ignore what I said earlier." Haruto was joking; he knew that no matter how great his contributions were, he would never be allowed to learn the Reanimation Jutsu.
"I want money. Think of it as my mission commission. I won't ask for much—just 2.6 billion ryo. How about that?" Haruto asked with a smile, this time completely serious.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened.
This brat! He was doing it on purpose!
Konoha had fined Haruto 2.6 billion ryo, and now he was requesting a reward of the exact same amount, effectively canceling out the fine.
"Do you think that's possible?" Sarutobi countered.
"Why not?" Haruto retorted. "It's not like Konoha is actually losing money. You fine me 2.6 billion ryo, then reward me with 2.6 billion ryo—it evens out. A perfect solution!"
"No!" Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected firmly. "Konoha has never issued such a high reward!"
"Yet you've issued fines that high?" Haruto jabbed back.
Sarutobi squinted at Haruto.
He really wanted to punch him.
"If you think the fine is too high, we can negotiate. But your reward will not be money!" Sarutobi stated clearly.
"No room for discussion?" Haruto spread his hands.
Sarutobi, still wearing a grim expression, stood up and left without another word.
He was too angry to continue the conversation. In fact, he was even considering locking Haruto up for a year to give him time to reflect... but he knew that was unrealistic. Doing so would only create resentment and push Haruto further away from Konoha.
For the next few days, Sarutobi did not bother Haruto.
Though confined, Haruto kept himself busy by modifying his prison cell.
He had dug into the ground.
Since the floor was sealed with a jutsu, breaking the floor destroyed the seal. This disturbance even alerted Sarutobi Hiruzen. Yet even so, Sarutobi did not come to talk to Haruto about it, nor did he have the seal reapplied.
Both men understood that Sarutobi could imprison Haruto only because Haruto did not resist. If he really wanted to, he could break out easily. With his current strength, destroying the prison was not difficult at all.
Unlike the other prisoners in the depths of Konoha's Anbu prison, who had restrictive seals placed on them, Haruto had none.
And so, six days passed.
That afternoon...
The sealing inscription on the prison door suddenly glowed, and the door swung open.
A young, beautiful kunoichi stood at the entrance, staring blankly at the transformed cell.
Tsunade! She had returned. After hearing about Haruto's situation, she had come to visit, only to be shocked by the changes to his cell.
"Are you sure he's supposed to be serving time and reflecting on his actions?" Tsunade turned to ask the Anbu guards at the door.
Both guards were speechless.
"Huh?" Tsunade seemed to notice something else and quickly asked, "Where is he? Where did he go?"
"He should be on the second underground level." One Anbu pointed to the corner of the cell, where a square wooden board lay on the floor, resembling the entrance to a basement.
"There's a second level?" Tsunade was even more shocked.
"He dug it himself..." The Anbu replied helplessly.
At that moment...
Creak!
The wooden board in the corner lifted, and Haruto jumped up from below. He spotted Tsunade immediately and, unsurprised, grinned. "You're back!" He had sensed her presence earlier, which was why he had come up.
Tsunade looked Haruto up and down before scowling and stepping into the cell. "Living quite comfortably, aren't you? You've certainly improved!"
Creak.
The cell door shut again, leaving only Haruto and Tsunade inside.
"Lady Tsunade, I missed you so much..." Haruto rushed toward her, arms wide open for a big hug.
A touching scene—Haruto was sure Tsunade wouldn't reject him!
But he was wrong.
Boom!
Just as he was about to embrace her, a fist slammed into his stomach, sending him to his knees.
"Before I came here, my teacher hinted that you were in desperate need of a beating and that I should take the opportunity to oblige," Tsunade said, arms crossed. "At first, I thought he was just mad at you. After all, you made great contributions but still got locked up. It seemed a bit pitiful. But seeing how well you're living... he was right! You really do deserve a beating!"
"Damn you, woman! I'll fight you!" Haruto leapt up to retaliate.
***
Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office Conference Room...
"I object!" Danzo slammed the table. "Hiruzen, you're too lenient with him! The Uzumaki treasure cannot remain in his possession! If we fine him, it must be a severe fine! Rewarding him is one thing, but that has nothing to do with the treasure or his mistakes. We must treat them separately!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated at the head of the table, pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
Headache.
Danzo had just returned, and Sarutobi had called for this high-level meeting to discuss Haruto and the Uzumaki treasure.
Sarutobi was not set on a single course of action, nor did he feel an absolute need to decide alone. That was why a discussion was necessary. Danzo had missed the previous meetings, so Sarutobi brought him up to speed and asked for his opinion.
The result? Danzo opposed nearly everything that had been previously agreed upon.
He even tried to challenge Uzumaki Mito's decision!
This put Sarutobi in a difficult position.
Ordinarily, Sarutobi could simply overrule Danzo.
But this time was different. Danzo had returned victorious.
The chaos in the Land of Whirlpools had been resolved—Haruto had played a key role in the early phase, but in the latter phase, it was Danzo who had led the efforts. His Root division had lost half its forces in the process.
A hero could not be dismissed lightly.
But Haruto was also a hero! His contributions were immense!
And so, Sarutobi was torn.
The focal issue: the ownership of the Uzumaki treasure. Danzo refused to acknowledge Haruto as its rightful owner.
"But... Lady Mito has already spoken," Koharu Utatane hesitated. "Haruto wants to use the money to build a ninja village in the Land of Whirlpools to bring peace. She supports this! In other words, she does not believe the treasure belongs to Konoha... Without her backing, forcibly taking it would lack legitimacy."
"Why consider so much?" Danzo waved dismissively. "Frankly, Lady Mito does not have much time left. Once she passes, the ownership of the treasure will be none of her concern!"