Chapter 60

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"The information was leaked."

Hiruzen's expression turned cold, even setting aside his pipe, before he asked Sakumo with a heavy voice, "Sakumo, can you confirm this?"

"I can, Hokage-sama."

Sakumo replied decisively, "The head of Sunagakure's Sasori cannot lie. Moreover, Sunagakure's forces arrived in the Land of Rivers almost at the same time as we did. They could only have done so with prior information!"

Hiruzen's expression grew grim as he said, "This was one of Konoha's most classified missions recently. Sakumo, I'll have the Anbu conduct a thorough investigation. Once your squad has received medical treatment, come back to the Hokage Tower for another report. Hand over Sasori's head to the interrogation unit."

It seemed a major investigation was underway, yet Danzo, the instigator, appeared untroubled, confident that the investigation would not trace back to him.

It was regrettable to Danzo that Sakumo had completed the mission.

Although the assassination of the Land of Rivers' lord was not perfectly executed, the fact that the blame was shifted to Sunagakure by Yoichi's cunning move somewhat remedied the situation for Sakumo.

How infuriating!

Danzo seethed internally, yet he saw an opportunity to exploit this situation further, considering that Sakumo had also exposed his identity, and the lord's mansion might not accept this outcome easily.

"Sakumo, go rest for now. I'll have the Anbu look into the information leak. In a few days, accompany me to the lord's mansion."

Hiruzen paused before continuing, "Your squad has completed this S-rank mission."

This statement effectively closed the chapter on the mission to assassinate the Land of Rivers' lord, causing Danzo to feel a rush of urgency; yet, he could not voice his objections without a valid reason, lest he raise Hiruzen's suspicions.

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

After Sakumo responded, he nodded and left the Hokage's office.

Once Sakumo had left, Danzo suddenly spoke up, "Hiruzen, are you sure about crediting this mission as completed by Sakumo?"

Hiruzen frowned, "What do you mean by that, Danzo?"

"You know the prestige of Konoha's White Fang in the village. The lord was immediately satisfied upon learning that the mission was led by Konoha's White Fang.

If you credit this mission as completed by Sakumo, the lord's trust in him will deepen to an unshakeable level."

Danzo's words silenced the room. He knew what Hiruzen cared about and targeted his weak point from the start.

Selecting the Hokage requires the trust of the village's ninjas. After a vote, the Hokage is chosen by Konoha's higher-ups in conjunction with the Land of Fire.

Sakumo's reputation in the village, even surpassing the Sannin, backed by the trust of the ninjas and the lord, positioned him as a prime candidate for the next Hokage.

Who else in Konoha could rival the White Fang?

Hiruzen fell silent, relighting his pipe and taking a deep drag before slowly exhaling the smoke. After a while, he said, "This mission relates to Konoha's future funding, so its completion was necessary."

The completion of the mission meant an increase in funding from the lord's mansion by several hundred million ryō, a significant sum needed for the village amidst increasing border tensions.

However, Danzo's point was also valid, Hiruzen thought.

Sakumo was not his preferred candidate for Hokage. Since Sakumo's school days, Hiruzen knew he had his principles and was very steadfast in his beliefs.

A new Hokage often lacks experience and needs the support of the older generation. If it were Sakumo, he might not heed their advice, choosing instead to follow his own convictions in leading Konoha.

This was not ideal.

"The decision is yours, after all, you are the Hokage."

Danzo snorted and left the Hokage's office. Usually, when Hiruzen used this phrase, it irked Danzo, but today, using it against Hiruzen felt particularly satisfying.

After leaving the office, Danzo thought, "If anyone cares most about the position of Hokage, it's you, Hiruzen, even more than me!"

---

"Let's head back, Kakashi. This haul is enough to cover you in chakra metal, even enough for a full suit of armor!"

"That's too extravagant, Captain. Remember, the three prohibitions of a ninja. But I'd like a ninja suit like yours for weighted training and sword practice."

Kakashi's smile was evident even behind his mask.

Money has its magic; the more there is, the greater its allure. This was Kakashi's second significant financial gain, and he couldn't help thinking about treating himself to some fine purchases.

The wealth in the Land of Rivers' lord's mansion was staggering. Even though they only took the cash, their haul amounted to several hundred million ryō.

Many assets were left behind due to their sheer volume, including shop deeds and various property contracts, essentially making the entire Land of Rivers the private property of the lord's mansion.

Cash was not plentiful, as even the lord's mansion kept most wealth in banks. Yoichi, unable to access these funds, decided to leave them be.

"After this, we won't have to worry about Gate's food expenses. A portion will go to Gates for meals, another into the medicine factory and the ninja games, and the rest will hire bounty hunters to steal star stones from the Star Village."

Yoichi had already planned how to use the money. The funds allocated to the medicine factory would be used to pre-purchase medicinal herbs, securing a thirty-year supply contract exclusively for the Uchiha Medicine Factory.

Breaking the contract would mean either financial compensation or death.

However, the incident in the Land of Rivers had caused quite a stir. As a bounty hunter who turned on his employer, if Yoichi didn't manage this situation well, his operations in the underground exchange could be jeopardized.

The exchange might even spend its own money to find him. Fortunately, Yoichi was cautious, always concealing his identity during his visits.

For a long while, Yoichi planned to stay away from the underground exchange, especially since he wasn't short on money now.

After discussing with Kakashi, they headed back to Konoha, knowing the outside world was not safe and it was best to return sooner.

Upon returning to Konoha, Yoichi was immediately summoned by the Second Elder.

After being seated, the Second Elder's daughter-in-law served them tea before leaving.

Kenji took a slow sip of his tea and then began, "Yoichi, you've caused quite the stir this time, even the lords know your name now."

(End of Chapter)