Chapter 239: Uchiha Akira, Are You Making Up Friends?

"What? Did Akira really make it from Konoha to the capital of the Land of Iron in just five days!?"

Upon returning to Konoha, Fugaku quickly learned about the day Uchiha Akira had set out from the village.

After confirming the details, Fugaku's face showed a stunned expression.

Although Akira had previously mentioned that it only took him five days, Fugaku had thought he might have been exaggerating.

But now that it was confirmed, Fugaku was deeply shocked.

To cover such a distance in just five days was astonishing.

For an ordinary shinobi, the journey would have taken at least ten days to half a month.

Sure, Akira was strong and his Body Flicker Technique was top-notch, which naturally made him faster than most.

However, long-distance running is about endurance.

Who could possibly maintain a sprinter's pace for a marathon? It was supposed to be impossible.

But Akira's speed, considering the distance and the time spent, was like someone sprinting a marathon.

Anyone who heard about it would find it incredible.

"Only five days to run from Konoha to the capital of the Land of Iron?"

It wasn't just Fugaku who was shocked; even the people of Konoha were deeply moved by Akira's feat.

They had only known that Akira had rushed out of the village to save the Hokage.

But they hadn't realized that it took him merely five days to get there!

This news spread quickly, shaking the entire shinobi world.

There were even whispers that if the Third Raikage had Akira's endurance back then, even tens of thousands of shinobi wouldn't have been able to besiege and kill him.

This feat of crossing thousands of miles to save the Hokage had become a celebrated story in the shinobi world, much like Zhao Zilong rescuing Liu Shan in ancient tales.

After all, everyone knew that Hokage Uchiha Fugaku, before he left, had appointed Akira as the acting Hokage.

What did that mean? It meant that if Fugaku had died, Akira would likely have dropped the "acting" part of his title.

Fugaku's death would not have been Akira's fault, and he would have been the obvious choice to become Hokage.

But instead of waiting for that opportunity, he chose to cross thousands of miles to save him, arriving just in time.

In contrast to Konoha's gratitude, the Land of Earth was in turmoil.

The Third Tsuchikage had been killed by the Akatsuki, a shock that rippled throughout the shinobi world.

The Akatsuki had managed to attack four Kage simultaneously, severely injuring three and killing one.

In the aftermath, Iwagakure was left in chaos. Without the Third Tsuchikage, who could take over as the Fourth?

There was much unrest. Aside from the late Tsuchikage, Iwagakure had few notable strong shinobi remaining.

Meanwhile, the Hidden Cloud Village was feeling quite proud.

Looking at the Five Kage, only their Raikage had not been attacked. What did that mean?

It meant that their Raikage was the strongest.

Even the Akatsuki didn't dare make a move against him. What could be more worthy of pride?

So, while Iwagakure's atmosphere had grown heavy, the Hidden Cloud Village was filled with growing arrogance.

Were it not for Konoha's formidable power and the presence of Uchiha Akira, the Hidden Cloud might have declared themselves the strongest village already.

Their current attitude somewhat resembled the arrogance of a major city back in Akira's previous life.

If it weren't for the capital city, there wouldn't have been any city that could compete.

As for the situation in the Hidden Cloud, Akira paid it no mind. With Fugaku back, he could finally step down as the acting Hokage.

Originally, Akira planned to take Hinata on a trip, to relax and have some fun.

But then he was summoned again to the Hokage's office.

With no choice, Akira made his way there.

It was worth noting that the nearby council office was still operational.

"Lord Hokage, you called for me?" Akira asked seriously, giving the Hokage due respect.

"Akira, I wanted to talk to you about your time as acting Hokage," Fugaku said casually.

"Lord Hokage, you shouldn't be talking to me about that. If anything went wrong, go speak to those guys in the council next door. They handled everything. I just kept an eye on things," Akira responded immediately, trying to shift the blame.

"You…" Fugaku's face showed a mix of amusement and exasperation.

He added, "I wanted to talk about the council, actually."

"There's nothing much to discuss. If it works for you, keep it. If it's unnecessary, disband it," Akira said, clearly indifferent.

Indeed, whether the council stayed or not was entirely Fugaku's decision. Why ask him?

"I actually find it useful. It serves as an advisory body without any personal agendas and ensures the Hokage's authority is supreme," Fugaku said, praising the council system.

"Is that so? If you're here to praise me, can't you do it with something more tangible than words?" Akira's eyes lit up at the mention of praise.

"You really are all about practicality," Fugaku said, shaking his head in disbelief.

For the Hokage to commend someone should be a great honor, yet Akira was angling for a reward?

"Alright, what do you want? Just say it. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll grant whatever you ask," Fugaku said, nodding.

Part of him felt indebted to Akira for saving him, and part of him wanted to reward his good governance during his time as acting Hokage.

With the council in place, Fugaku no longer had to worry about underhanded moves by his advisors, and his workload was significantly reduced.

Could there be a better outcome? Rewarding Akira seemed only fair.

"Is that so? Lord Hokage, you're really generous today!" Akira said, smiling widely and giving Fugaku a thumbs up.

With an expectant look, he said, "You know me, Lord Hokage. I want a monetary reward—nothing too big, just a billion or eight hundred million.

"Of course, if you think that's too little, I wouldn't mind more."

Fugaku's face darkened at that. All Akira wanted was money?

It made Fugaku want to scold him, but on reflection, this was exactly in line with Akira's character.

Fugaku felt a mix of emotions—amusement, exasperation, and even a strange admiration. In the end, all his feelings culminated in one word: "Get out."

"Lord Hokage, you're the leader of Konoha! You should keep your word. Just now, you said you'd grant any request, and now you're taking it back?" Akira protested.

"A billion or eight hundred million? Do you think Konoha's a bank? With so many people needing funds, where would that money come from?" Fugaku shot back.

"If it's money you want, I can give you a hundred million, but that's it. Take it or leave it.

"Besides, why do you need so much money? You're not even married yet.

"By my guess, you have at least two hundred million saved up, don't you?

"I know you get twenty million a month from the Land of Water! And Kazekage mentioned you sold him ten thousand explosive tags," Fugaku said, clearly puzzled.

Why was Akira always so greedy for money?

"Speaking of explosive tags, Lord Hokage, we might go to war with the Akatsuki soon. Shouldn't we stock up on supplies?

"I have a friend with a batch of explosive tags. Do you want them? I can get them at a twenty percent discount," Akira said, changing the subject.

"Are you making up friends now?" Fugaku gave him a sideways look, as if he'd seen through him completely.

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POWER STONE!!!

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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at patreon.com/Emik01.