Haruto Saito had already planned for this! Or rather, he had been preparing for it all along! When he sold part of his business ownership to Konoha without taking a single coin, letting Konoha owe him instead, it was precisely to prepare for situations like today!
He could have chosen not to act! If Haruto simply walked away and ignored the issue, Konoha would still have to send troops to deal with Kirigakure! But despite knowing this, he couldn't just step aside!
He needed absolute control if he was to establish a shinobi village in Uzushiogakure! If he didn't personally hire Konoha's army, then when Konoha sent their forces, he would have no authority over them. Moreover, with internal adversaries like Danzo and the Hyuga clan, unpredictable variables would arise!
Furthermore, if Konoha deployed their army to stabilize Uzushiogakure, and Haruto successfully built a shinobi village there, the question would remain—would that village belong to Haruto, or would it belong to Konoha? This was a major issue!
Unless Haruto completely avoided relying on Konoha's forces! But that was entirely impossible! So, the best approach was to lay everything out openly!
Haruto was willing to pay! If money could solve the problem, then there wasn't a problem at all!
"You're personally hiring Konoha's army?"
"This..."
"Interesting idea..."
Everyone exchanged glances. Even Danzo had nothing to refute. Haruto's reasoning was impeccable. He might not be handing over actual cash, but a debt was still money! Konoha couldn't default on its debts—losing credibility would be catastrophic!
Danzo even felt like Haruto was being overly generous!
"However, even if you hire Konoha's Fourth Army, it still won't be enough to match Kirigakure's First Army," Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered aloud. "That still doesn't solve the problem!"
"I still have money!" Haruto said immediately. "Teacher, I can make a military pledge here! As long as I live, Uzushiogakure will stand! Unless I die, Kirigakure will never annex Uzushiogakure! But my pledge is conditional—I require the command authority over the Fourth Army in Uzushiogakure..."
"Hmm..." Hiruzen contemplated. Money could indeed solve many problems!
If Haruto could hire Konoha's Fourth Army as an individual, he could also hire forces from other factions in the shinobi world! While the Five Great Villages wouldn't be available, smaller villages and rogue factions could be bought!
Or, Haruto could post a bounty on the black market! Kirigakure's forces would suffer greatly at the hands of mercenary assassins!
Of course, this approach would be extremely costly! In the short term, Haruto would burn through an astronomical amount of money! If Konoha had this kind of money, they could manage things much better. But the reality was, the money belonged to Haruto!
"How long do you plan to hire Konoha's Fourth Army?" Danzo suddenly asked, cutting straight to the key issue.
"One year..." Haruto replied.
"Six months at most! A full year is impossible!" Danzo immediately countered.
This guy was ruthless!
Though Haruto was also calculating, he had done the math. The necessary expenses for Konoha's Fourth Army while on an external mission would be at most twenty million per month! Haruto was offering an extra forty million per month, which would be distributed as a stipend among the shinobi!
Since Konoha's military missions differed from independent contracts, individual shinobi missions paid significantly more. In army-scale operations, each shinobi earned far less. Haruto's offer was actually quite generous!
Konoha's Fourth Army currently consisted of just over 2,000 shinobi, primarily Chunin. In large-scale forces like this, Chunin made up the majority. There weren't many Genin—any adult still a Genin at twenty or thirty would be labeled a "forever Genin!"
However, since Haruto was commissioning this as an individual, he wasn't a Daimyo of the Fire Nation! As such, Konoha was bound to take a cut of the money!
Haruto's request for a one-year contract was rejected outright, while Danzo's six-month proposal was also unreasonable!
Haruto was merely hiring Konoha's Fourth Army, not an entire intelligence network, nor was he responsible for logistical support—that was Konoha's duty. Even if Haruto contributed to these aspects, he shouldn't have to cover the full cost!
After all, even if Konoha's Fourth Army weren't deployed, they would still need to be fed and maintained!
The negotiations dragged on longer than Haruto anticipated! Because for every month the Fourth Army's deployment was shortened, Konoha would save tens of millions in expenses. Danzo fought hard to secure the best deal for Konoha, and Hiruzen didn't interfere much—he silently approved.
Haruto was too rich—who else would they take money from?
Two days later!
Inside the Hokage Tower's second conference room!
This was the fifth high-level meeting in recent days, with all five key Konoha leaders present. White Fang was absent, but Haruto was there.
"Haruto, based on the timeline, Kirigakure's First Army is likely already landing on the eastern shores of Uzushiogakure!" Danzo taunted, looking as if he had Haruto cornered. "Aren't you anxious?"
"Eight months—that's my final offer! I cannot accept seven!" Haruto replied emotionlessly.
Of course, he was anxious! He needed to return to Uzushiogakure as soon as possible!
But he wouldn't back down!
Another round of prolonged negotiations ensued. Danzo played the aggressive role, repeatedly warning that if negotiations failed, Konoha would refuse to lease the Fourth Army to Haruto. Meanwhile, Haruto would still be held responsible for Kirigakure's invasion—essentially threatening to rob him!
Danzo even suggested fining Haruto directly—thirty billion!
Whether Haruto paid or not was one thing, but Konoha could still impose the fine, deducting from what they owed him, or outright seizing his assets!
Haruto simply responded with a cold smile!
If Hiruzen had made the threat, Haruto would have taken it seriously!
But from Danzo? He wasn't fazed!
Hiruzen was the real decision-maker! His goal was to solve problems, not rob Haruto!
"Eight months—it's settled!" Hiruzen ultimately declared!
The agreement was finalized: Konoha's Fourth Army would be deployed to Uzushiogakure for eight months. At the end of this contract, Konoha's financial debts to Haruto would be cleared. During these eight months, Haruto had to ensure that Kirigakure did not occupy Uzushiogakure and that their territorial control did not exceed one-third of the region!
Haruto swore a military oath to that effect!
Simultaneously, Hiruzen granted Haruto the highest level of authorization!
Haruto accepted the new indefinite...