Hiruzen dedicated himself to training Naoto, giving him access to all kinds of ninjutsu to see which path he would eventually specialize in. Naoto lacked any advanced techniques—everything he knew came solely from the basic ninjutsu taught at the Academy. Despite this, he had reached his current level through sheer effort.
Naoto was a civilian-born shinobi, a self-taught genius with no mentor to guide him before now. Hiruzen saw great potential in him and was curious—what would happen if he personally trained a ninja who had no fame in the original course of history?
Since that day, Hiruzen had been busy on the road with his team.
After days of travel, exhaustion weighed on them all. As they neared the village, they straightened their clothes and prepared to be welcomed by the villagers.
Upon entering through the main gates, Hiruzen casually acknowledged the greetings of the surrounding shinobi. However, his sharp eyes soon caught sight of Kagami.
Didn't I send him to negotiate with the daimyo?
Noticing the dangerous glint in Hiruzen's gaze, Kagami quickly stepped forward, leading the Konoha Military Police Force.
With a commanding voice, he announced, "Uchiha Kagami, Captain of the Konoha Police Force, welcomes the Hokage back from his successful mission in the Land of Wind!"
"Congratulations on your safe return, Hokage-sama!" the surrounding shinobi echoed in unison.
Hiruzen maintained his diplomatic smile. "We all serve Konoha. No need for formalities—return to your duties."
Once the crowd dispersed, Hiruzen wasted no time. He dismissed the rest of the mission team and pulled Kagami aside, heading straight for the Hokage's office.
Inside, paperwork had already piled high on Hiruzen's desk, nearly burying it. The sheer amount of documents, along with financial records and stacks of monetary reports, made him sigh. Pushing some aside to clear space, he removed his ceremonial Hokage robes and turned to Kagami.
"Kagami," he said seriously, "report on your meeting with the daimyo."
Kagami's face lit up with excitement. "Hiruzen, you won't believe it! I managed to secure one billion taels from the daimyo's treasury!"
Hiruzen's expression didn't change. "Tell me everything that happened in the capital."
As Kagami recounted the events in full detail—adding a bit of self-praise along the way—Hiruzen's face darkened. I've been played.
When Kagami had received orders from Shinya, he had personally led three squads of elite shinobi to the capital. There, they escorted representatives from the Gold Exchange Office in a show of force, marching directly to the daimyo's palace to demand justice.
The daimyo, once he understood the situation, took immediate action. However, things took an unexpected turn.
Certain nobles, displeased with Konoha's interference, retaliated by sending their own hired shinobi to the palace. In response, the daimyo summoned the entire noble court and publicly punished the nobleman who had placed the bounty on Konoha's shinobi.
The noble's punishment? A 200-million-tael fine.
Then, to further appease Konoha, the daimyo personally contributed an additional 800 million taels—making it a grand total of one billion taels. The money was then sent straight to Konoha in a lavish display, parading through the streets as if it were a victory for the village.
But to Hiruzen, it was clear what had happened.
This wasn't justice—it was a political maneuver.
The daimyo had cleverly defused the situation by offering money while ensuring that Konoha couldn't pursue the matter further. The punishment was just enough to show that he had handled the issue, but not enough to truly shake the noble families' power.
Furthermore, by sending the money in such an extravagant manner, he had effectively closed the case. The message was clear: I've dealt with this. Don't bring it up again.
Hiruzen had hoped to use this incident to pressure the nobles and establish tighter restrictions on them. Instead, Kagami—blinded by the sheer amount of money—had accepted the outcome too easily, allowing the matter to be swept under the rug.
Setting up stricter checkpoints and leveraging bounties to control noble-funded mercenaries would now be significantly harder.
Of course, Hiruzen didn't fully blame Kagami.
It wasn't easy to remain level-headed when faced with an unprecedented one-billion-tael payout—an amount nearly equal to Konoha's entire annual revenue. While the village did receive funding from the daimyo each year, its internal economy only generated about one billion taels on its own. That amount was not enough to cover all of Konoha's expenses, which was why external funding remained crucial.
Still, accepting the daimyo's payout so readily had set a dangerous precedent. If all it took to make a Hokage back down was a bag of money, then what stopped the nobles from testing Konoha's limits again in the future?
Hiruzen inhaled deeply, pushing down his irritation. He glanced at Kagami, who was finally beginning to realize his mistake.
Sensing the shift in Hiruzen's mood, Kagami lowered his head. "Hiruzen… I didn't know your full plan. I mishandled this situation. I accept any punishment."
Hiruzen sighed and waved a hand. "It's fine. What's done is done. Go back to your duties."
"But—"
"It's nothing serious," Hiruzen interrupted, forcing a small smile. "I'll take care of it."
Kagami hesitated but eventually nodded and left.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, his mind already formulating his next move. This wasn't over. If the nobles thought they had settled the matter with a pile of money, they were sorely mistaken.
The next time he visited the capital, he would ensure that Konoha's interests were not so easily to be brushed aside.
Just as he was about to focus on the mountain of paperwork before him, Shikaru entered, carrying another stack of documents.
Hiruzen accepted them absentmindedly and skimmed through the top file. His eyebrows raised slightly.
A proposal for additional Academy instructors…?
Clearly, one issue had barely ended before another one arose.
With a sigh, the Third Hokage reached for his pen.
After reviewing the proposal, Hiruzen signed the agreement and handed it back to Shikaru.
Shikaru was about to leave when Hiruzen suddenly called out, "Shikaru, wait a moment."
Shikaru turned around, "Hokage-sama, is there anything else?"
"Draft a transfer order for the deputy envoy of the Land of Iron," Hiruzen instructed. "I want Danzo recalled here and Torifu to be sent in his place for the time being."
Shikaru hesitated, looking slightly distracted. Seeing this, Hiruzen added, "Don't overthink it. It's just a routine transfer. There are still some matters that Kagami needs to handle at the daimyo's court, and I'll have to follow up on them later."
Realizing his lapse, Shikaru quickly responded, "Oh, right! My apologies, Hokage-sama. I was lost in thought." With that, he turned and left.
Watching him go, Hiruzen let out a sigh. Smart people tend to overthink things.
By the time Shikaru finished drafting the transfer order, night had already fallen.
Rather than delivering it immediately, he decided to consult his father, Nara Shikatsu, the head of the Nara Clan. Before that, he sent word to summon Akimichi Torifu.
Inside the Nara Clan's main hall, Shikaru sat across from his father, casually playing a game of shogi as they waited.
As he moved a piece, he spoke up. "Father, what do you think about Hokage-sama's decision? Do you think he's trying to suppress the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance?"
Shikatsu chuckled, shaking his head. "Suppressing us? No. Our clans were the first to align with the Hokage faction. Why would he do something that weakens his own support?"
"If anything, it's more likely a strategic move. When I traveled with him to Sunagakure, I noticed something—Hokage-sama isn't obsessed with factional struggles. His way of dealing with things is direct and aboveboard."
"But," Shikaru hesitated, "he specifically told me not to overthink it. Doesn't that mean there is something to think about?"
Shikatsu sighed, moving another piece on the board. "You're the Hokage's secretary. Your job isn't to question his decisions but to carry them out. Bringing this matter home was a mistake. If you keep overanalyzing things, you won't last long in your position."
At that moment, a voice came from the doorway.
"What uncle Shikatsu said is right," Torifu said as he entered. "Your job is to support Hiruzen, not to second-guess him. He would never undermine our clans like that."
Torifu settled onto the floor, watching the shogi match for a moment before speaking again. "I told Uncle Shikatsu on the way back—don't get caught up in unnecessary worries. Hiruzen is my teammate, and while I don't always understand his decisions, I trust him."
"Besides, this transfer also makes sense. Danzo is the one best suited for handling political maneuvering, so Hiruzen needs him back. That's all there is to it."
Shikaru still looked unsure. "But aren't we underestimating our own influence? The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance isn't insignificant. What if Hokage-sama is being cautious of us?"
Torifu let out a short laugh. "You think too highly of us. Do you really believe our three clans hold that much power? If Hiruzen isn't wary of Kagami's Uchiha-controlled Police Force, why would he be worried about us?"
"Let's be honest—the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance consists of one Hokage secretary with minimal authority, one passive Hokage advisor, and one clan head who prefers strategy over politics. We're hardly a threat."
Shikatsu chuckled. "Torifu sees things clearly, as always. I suppose I've trained you to overthink things, and now it's backfiring."
Shikaru exhaled, still uneasy. "But what if bringing this document home was a mistake? Will it cause problems for Hokage-sama?"
"Give it to me," Torifu said dismissively. "I'll take care of it. Tomorrow morning, I'll personally bring the documents to Hiruzen, get his signature, and then head to the Land of Iron to carry out the transfer."
Shikatsu smirked, "You're always so relaxed about these things. But honestly, we just returned from the Land of Wind—now you're heading straight to the Land of Iron. Isn't it exhausting?"
Torifu shrugged, "It's just part of the job. If you hold a position, you don't have to be the best at it, but you do have to be competent."
He stood up and stretched. "I'll prepare for my departure. Shikaru, just go to the Hokage's office tomorrow and act as usual. Don't overthink everything."
As Torifu left, Shikatsu turned to his son, his tone more serious. "You're still inexperienced in these matters. One day, you'll take over as clan head and become the strategist for our alliance. You need to stop second-guessing yourself over every little thing."
"Just look at Torifu—he's only a few years older than you, yet he already understands how to handle himself."
Shikaru lowered his head slightly. "I understand, Father. I let my own thoughts run wild this time. From now on, I'll focus on my duties as Hokage-sama's secretary."