Konoha: I, Uchiha, am brimming with positive energy

Chapter 60 Sudden Wealth

"Intelligence was leaked"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was cold; he even put down his pipe. Then, in a serious voice, he asked Sakumo Hatake, "Sakumo, are you sure?"

"I can confirm it, Hokage-sama."

Sakumo Hatake decisively stated, "The Sand Village's Sunagakure members don't lie. Besides, the first group from Sunagakure arrived in the Land of Rivers almost simultaneously with us. Only if they had prior intelligence could this explanation make sense!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a somewhat grim expression, "This is Konoha's most confidential mission recently. Sakumo, I will have the Anbu investigate thoroughly. After your team has received treatment, come to the Hokage Building again to report. Hand over this Sand Ninja's head to the interrogation team."

It seems like a major investigation is about to begin, but Danzo, the instigator, is not worried at all. No matter how much they investigate, they can't find him.

Danzo felt it was a pity that Sakumo Hatake had completed the mission.

Although he failed to perfectly assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Rivers, the evil Uchiha brat ultimately splashed dirty water on the Sand Village, which could be considered a way of making amends for Hatake Sakumo.

How awful!

Danzo harbored resentment in his heart, but he felt he could still make a fuss about this mission. After all, Hatake Sakumo had also revealed his identity, and the Daimyo's government might not be willing to accept this situation.

"Sakumo, you should go back and rest. I'll have the Anbu investigate the intelligence leak. You'll come with me to Daimyo Prefecture in a couple of days."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then continued, "Your team has completed this S-rank mission."

This sentence effectively sealed the fate of the mission to assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Rivers, causing Danzo to feel a sudden urgency; however, he couldn't say anything now, as without a suitable excuse, he might arouse Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicion.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

After finishing his sentence, Hatake Sakumo nodded and left the Hokage's office.

After Sakumo Hatake left, Danzo suddenly spoke up, "Hiruzen, are you sure you want to count Sakumo Hatake as having completed this mission?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and said, "Danzo, what do you mean by that?"

"You already know Konoha's White Fang's prestige in the village without me having to tell you. When Yan went to the Daimyo's residence to discuss the mission last time, he mentioned that the Daimyo was immediately satisfied when he heard that Konoha's White Fang was leading the mission."

If you succeed in completing the mission this time, the daimyo's trust in him will deepen even further, to the point where no one can shake it.

Danzo's words quieted the room. He knew what his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi cared about, so he immediately pointed out his weakness.

To select a Hokage, one must first gain the trust of the village's ninjas, and then be selected through a vote. Finally, the village's high-ranking officials and the Land of Fire jointly choose the candidate.

Sakumo Hatake's reputation in the village is now even greater than that of the Sannin. He is trusted by the village's ninjas, and the daimyo also has great faith in him. He is definitely the next Hokage.

If you were to pick out all the ninjas in Konoha, would there be anyone who could compare to Konoha's White Fang?

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment. He lit his pipe again, took a drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke. After a while, he spoke, "This matter concerns Konoha's future funding, so the mission must be completed."

With the mission completed, the Daimyo Prefecture will allocate several hundred million taels more to Konoha next year, which is no small sum; with border skirmishes intensifying, the village needs this money to prepare for war.

However, Danzo's words also make sense, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought to himself.

Sakumo Hatake was not the most suitable candidate for Hokage in his mind. Even when Sakumo Hatake was still in school, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Sakumo Hatake had his own principles and his personal ideas were very firm.

New Hokage often lacks experience and needs the help of the older generation. If it were Sakumo Hatake, he might not listen to their advice and would instead insist on changing Konoha according to his own ideas.

That's not good!

"You can decide for yourself; after all, you are the Hokage."

Danzo snorted coldly and walked out of the Hokage's office after saying those words. In the past, when he heard Hiruzen use those words to retort to him, he always felt angry. But today, when he used those words to retort to Hiruzen, he felt unusually relieved.

After leaving the Hokage's office, Danzo thought to himself, "If we're talking about who cares most about the Hokage position, it's Hiruzen. Even I can't compare!"

------------

"Go back, Kakashi. This time, you've gained enough to cover yourself in chakra metal; it's more than enough to forge a suit of armor!"

"That's too extravagant, Captain. You must remember the three prohibitions of ninjas. However, I'd like to have a ninja outfit like yours made so I can use it to train my swordsmanship while carrying weight."

Although Kakashi was wearing a mask, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Money has magic power; the more you have, the greater the magic. Kakashi, having received so much money for the second time, couldn't help but think about buying himself some nice things.

The daimyo of the River Country has so much wealth that even if the two of them only took money, their gains would still amount to three or four hundred million taels.

There are many things that cannot be taken away. The Daimyo Prefecture has a lot of income. In addition to the national tax revenue, there are also a large box full of contracts for shops, land deeds, and various fixed properties. Almost the entire River Country is the private property of the Daimyo Prefecture.

There wasn't much cash. Even in the Daimyo Prefecture, most of the money was deposited in banks. Since Uchiha Yang couldn't withdraw it, he gave up.

"After we go back this time, Gates won't have to worry about food anymore. Part of it will go to Gates's food expenses, another part will be invested in the pharmaceutical factory and ninja games, and the rest will be used to hire bounty hunters to steal star stones from the Star Ninja Village."

Uchiha Yoichi had already planned how to use the money he received. He would use all the money from the pharmaceutical company to pre-purchase medicinal materials and sign a 30-year contract with them, under which the pharmaceutical company would be the only supplier of medicinal materials in the future.

If you break the contract, you either have to pay money or you have to pay with your life.

The situation in the River Country has gotten a bit out of hand. This bounty hunter from the underground gold exchange killed his employer. If this isn't handled properly, the underground gold exchange will basically have to close down.

The underground money exchange might just pay up and have its employees find him; but fortunately, Uchiha Yoichi was cautious and always made sure to avoid revealing his identity when he went to the underground money exchange.

For a long time to come, Uchiha Yoichi didn't plan to go to the underground money exchange, especially since he wasn't short of money lately.

After discussing it with Kakashi, the two of them headed back to Konoha Village. It wasn't very safe outside at the moment, so the sooner they got back, the better.

Upon returning to Konoha, before he even reached home, Uchiha Yoichi was summoned by the Second Elder.

After everyone was seated, Elder Xianci's daughter-in-law served two cups of tea and then left.

Kenji Uchiha picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then said, "Yoichi, you've really caused quite a stir this time. Even the Daimyo knows your name now."

(End of this chapter)