Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a sharp pain in his chest; he wondered if Haruto Saito was giving him a heart attack.
This lavishly decorated room, this steaming hotpot—this was supposed to be confinement?
"Oh! Lord Hokage, you're here. Have you eaten?" Haruto Saito appeared to react belatedly. Only when Sarutobi was already glaring at him did Haruto turn his head, acting enthusiastically. He even conjured a chair from thin air and placed it beside the table. "Come, come, Lord Hokage. If you haven't eaten, join me. Don't be shy!"
Sarutobi's eyelid twitched again.
Haruto seemed to be in a good mood, as unruly as ever, showing no sense of being imprisoned.
But Sarutobi could feel his resentment.
Haruto hadn't called him "teacher"—he had addressed him as "Lord Hokage."
Anyone familiar with Haruto knew that he always addressed people stronger than himself as "lord," even if they were enemies. It was his habit. So when he called Sarutobi "Lord Hokage," it wasn't out of respect.
Sarutobi didn't respond, instead walking slowly to the table.
"Lord Hokage, could you not look at me like that? It gives me a lot of pressure!" Haruto laughed. "Sit down, eat with me, it's really good! Oh, right..." He suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled out a set of bowls and chopsticks from his storage space, placing them on the table.
Sarutobi had an urge to flip the table.
But he held back.
He would never do something so undignified in front of Haruto. In truth, Sarutobi had always been kind to young ninja, especially those of lower status. The lower their rank, the more approachable he seemed, making him appear quite benevolent.
Of course, Haruto was an exception.
Too infuriating.
"Hmph!" Sarutobi snorted coldly but actually sat down, staring at Haruto.
Haruto suddenly lost his appetite.
Being stared at like this made him uneasy.
He forced himself to continue eating.
"You've developed a space-time ninjutsu?" Sarutobi started.
"Oh, yeah!" Haruto replied. "I was researching the Flying Thunder God Technique when I accidentally developed it. It allows me to store and retrieve objects."
"How large is the space?" Sarutobi asked, glancing around the cell. The furniture here was certainly not provided by the guards—no one would do that for Haruto. He must have brought it out himself.
"Very large... I'm not sure of its limit. I haven't tried to fill it completely."
"Is the treasure also in your dimension?"
"Of course... The moment I found it, I stored it away."
"Hmph!" Sarutobi snorted again, feeling a bit ridiculous.
He recalled sending White Fang and a team to retrieve the treasure. Kirigakure had sent people as well. Both sides had found an empty vault and ended up fighting in the Poison Forest...
How foolish. They had all been played by Haruto.
"You haven't reported your mission to me yet," Sarutobi said.
"Here." Haruto casually pulled out several scrolls from his storage space and handed them to Sarutobi.
They were all pre-prepared mission reports.
Sarutobi opened them one by one.
Haruto continued eating his hotpot.
It took Sarutobi over half an hour to finish reading all the reports. By then, Haruto was nearly done with his meal.
"Lord Hokage, when do you plan to let me out?" Haruto asked.
"You still want to go out?" Sarutobi shot back, leaving Haruto momentarily speechless.
Was this a life sentence?
Even without thinking too hard, Haruto knew Sarutobi wouldn't imprison him forever.
This was just intimidation.
"You have made significant contributions," Sarutobi admitted.
"Lord Hokage, you're putting it too mildly," Haruto smirked.
Calling this "a significant contribution"? What more did they want?
"However, merit is merit, and mistakes are mistakes... During the time you cut off contact with Konoha, we expended significant manpower, resources, and funds trying to locate you and prevent Kirigakure from finding you. Some ninja even lost their lives in the Land of Whirlpools because of it. This is your responsibility..."
"So?" Haruto prompted.
"As Hokage, I must balance rewards and punishments fairly. You have done great service, and I will reward you. But you also made mistakes, and you must be penalized!" Sarutobi looked at Haruto. "After a high-level discussion, we have decided on a fair and reasonable punishment—you will be fined."
"Uh..." Haruto was stunned. A fine? Like punishing petty criminals?
"How much?" he asked.
"Two hundred and sixty million ryo!" Sarutobi declared. "Once you pay, you will be released immediately and reinstated as a free man."
Haruto's expression froze.
He instantly realized he was being extorted.
Two hundred and sixty million ryo? Ridiculous!
Even sixty million would be excessive! No other Konoha ninja had ever been fined like this. Never! Because no ninja had ever been this wealthy.
If it were just tens of millions, Haruto might have accepted it.
With his net worth exceeding a billion, tens of millions wasn't much.
But two hundred and sixty million? That was pure extortion! They knew he had money, so they were taking advantage. It infuriated him, making him strongly resistant.
"Do you agree?" Sarutobi pressed.
This sum was already of great importance to Konoha. With it, they could bolster their war efforts, reduce ninja casualties, and even hire black market mercenaries to handle problems. It would significantly strengthen Konoha's position in the war.
"Lord Hokage..." Haruto finally spoke after some thought. "Since you speak of balance, shouldn't you first tell me what rewards I am receiving?"
"Once you're free, you will be promoted to Captain of the Anbu Assassination Unit—First Squad Leader," Sarutobi announced.
"Hmm? And?" Haruto pressed.
"You will also be designated as a candidate for Anbu Commander."
"Oh." Haruto's tone was indifferent.
Another empty promise.
"Additionally, Konoha will fund the construction of a new estate for you, near my residence."
How much would that cost?
"And I will grant you the honorary title of Konoha's Jonin Advisory Consultant. You will be allowed to advise on the training of reconnaissance and assassination ninjas. Furthermore, you will have the right to participate in expanded high-level meetings and hold voting power equal to a corps commander in Jonin meetings."
It sounded impressive, but Haruto, who understood Konoha's system, knew it was meaningless. If he were given real authority, that would be something, but this "honorary" title was just a formality. He would have no real influence.
"And?" Haruto asked again.
"Well..." Sarutobi hesitated. The council hadn't settled on anything else, mainly due to Haruto's age and lack of seniority. If he were older, he could have been granted a real position instead of these "symbolic" rewards.
"What do you want?" Sarutobi asked.
*********************************************************************************************************
"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.