The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Hiruzen Sarutobi offered a suggestion, hoping that Shinnosuke Sarutobi would understand his good intentions.

The situation within Konoha Village is becoming increasingly unpredictable, and Hiruzen Sarutobi has no idea what the future holds.

Therefore, he brought Sarutobi Shinnosuke with him when he came to the daimyo's residence to report on his duties. He wanted Sarutobi Shinnosuke to become familiar to the daimyo and to build a good relationship with him in case of any eventuality!

Sarutobi Shinnosuke frowned slightly. Although he did not agree with Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions, he still removed his mask due to orders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said nothing more, then headed towards the daimyo's palace.

Upon arriving at the daimyo's palace, Hiruzen Sarutobi submitted his documents according to protocol, then waited patiently at the entrance, displaying humility and showing the daimyo considerable respect.

Shortly after the guards handed over the documents, a figure emerged from the palace and headed towards them.

The man was very young. Judging from the cloth with the character "fire" on it hanging from his waist, he should be one of the twelve guardian ninja of the daimyo!

"Third Hokage, the Daimyo is already waiting in the hall. Please!"

The man smiled, bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and gestured for him to enter.

“Hmm, hm~~~”

At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't pay much attention to the young guardian and nodded slightly. However, his gaze inadvertently fell on a very familiar clan emblem embroidered on the collar of the man's clothes, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone change!

"Uchiha..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened. After confirming that he wasn't mistaken, he shifted his gaze to the newcomer's face and exclaimed in surprise, "You're Uchiha Shisui?! Why are you here?"

Because Uchiha Shisui also shone brightly in the war between Konoha and Kirigakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi had also seen Uchiha Shisui's information and believed that he would not mistake Uchiha Shisui's appearance!

Uchiha Shisui smiled calmly and said, "Third Hokage, you flatter me. I am now the Daimyo's guardian ninja, so naturally I must protect the Daimyo!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils trembled violently, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant!

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, standing to the side, frowned and said indignantly, "Uchiha Shisui, as a village ninja, why did you take on a special post outside the village without reporting it to the authorities? This is against the rules!"

Uchiha Shisui calmly replied, "Shin-nosuke-sama is joking. Although I am a Jonin of the village, I belong to the Konoha Police Department. All my actions are under the jurisdiction of the Konoha Police Department and do not require the village's consent!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke said seriously, "But the Konoha Police Department is only responsible for supervising the security within Konoha Village. They have no authority to let you leave the village to carry out missions!"

Uchiha Shisui calmly replied, "Then you'll have to ask the head of the Konoha Police Department yourself. I'm just following orders."

"you......"

"Alright! Let's leave it at that! Now is not the time to dwell on this!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Sarutobi Hiruzen's stern voice.

Although Shinnosuke Sarutobi was unwilling, he kept his mouth shut.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Shisui Uchiha a deep look and said, "The Uchiha clan has truly given me a great surprise. Please, Guardian Ninja, take me to see the Daimyo!"

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was also very dissatisfied with the Uchiha clan's overstepping their bounds, the incident happened so suddenly that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not clear about what else was involved, so he could not make a hasty decision.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi also knew that continuing to linger here would only make him a laughingstock and would not do him any good!

It would be better to put this matter aside for now and make a decision after he has investigated the cause and effect!

"Third Hokage, this way please!"

Uchiha Shisui's expression remained unchanged. After making a gesture of invitation, he took the lead and walked into the palace.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shinnosuke Sarutobi followed closely behind, and soon they saw the daimyo of the Land of Fire sitting in the main seat in a magnificent hall!

"My lord, the Third Hokage of Konoha has arrived!"

Uchiha Shisui bowed to the daimyo, then stepped aside and stood behind him.

"I've heard of your esteemed name!"

Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shinnosuke Sarutobi bowed to the daimyo.

"Hahaha, Lord Sarutobi, what a rare guest! The last time we met was at the very beginning of this war when you came to ask for military funds! Please sit down, please sit down!"

The daimyo smiled and gestured for Hiruzen Sarutobi to take a seat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled awkwardly upon hearing this and said, "There are too many village affairs during the war, so I cannot come to see you often. Please forgive me!"

"It's alright, you're the Hokage, it's normal to be busy!" The Daimyo waved his hand dismissively, then asked, "But I heard you've resigned from the Hokage position, are you here to report for duty?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "I am getting old and have made many wrong decisions in this war. I am really no longer able to serve as Hokage!"

"I have already announced this at the village meeting, and I have come here today to formally submit my resignation to you, sir!"

"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hereby resign from my position as Hokage!"

Chapter 172 If you don't have money, just tell me!

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a record scroll from his robes, which was then presented to the daimyo by a guard standing nearby.

The daimyo, upon receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's resignation, sighed with some emotion, saying, "Although the appointment and removal of the Hokage requires the permission of the daimyo of the Land of Fire to officially take effect, this is the first time I've received a Hokage's resignation since the founding of Konoha!"

"After all, the previous two Hokage died in office, and only you, Lord Sarutobi, managed to submit your resignation while still alive. How unpredictable life is!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback by these words. He felt that the daimyo was mocking him, but judging from the daimyo's sighing expression, it seemed that he didn't mean anything by it. This left Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat at a loss for how to respond.

"Alright, since you want to step down, I'll accept your resignation." The Daimyo casually tossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's resignation aside and then asked, "Now that Lord Sarutobi is no longer serving as Hokage, do you have a suitable candidate for the Fourth Hokage of Konoha?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped out of his daze, his expression turning solemn. He replied, "My lord, because the ninjas at the front lines are still being withdrawn one after another, the Hokage election will have to wait a few more days before it begins."

"However, there is a strong call in the village for Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage, and he is very likely to be the Fourth Hokage!"

“Minato Namikaze?” The Daimyo pondered for a moment, then said, “I’ve heard of him. I think he’s called the Yellow Flash by people from other countries, right?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "That's right. Minato Namikaze learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, which is the Second Hokage's technique. He is extremely fast, like a flash of light. In addition, he has blond hair, so he is called the Golden Flash!"

"Minato Namikaze made outstanding contributions in this war. Without him, Konoha would not have been able to win this war!"

"In addition, Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya's personal disciple, so in terms of status, ability, and achievements, Minato Namikaze was very suitable to become the Fourth Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with great tact. Although he did not directly say that Minato Namikaze was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, he left a deep impression on the Daimyo and made him subconsciously believe that Minato Namikaze was the Fourth Hokage!

"Hahaha, it sounds like Minato Namikaze is a decent guy," the Daimyo laughed loudly. "I won't interfere in your village's affairs. Just have Minato Namikaze come to me to report as soon as you've made your decision!"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled slightly and said, "It won't take long. I estimate it will be finalized in about half a month."

Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the daimyo exchanged some pleasantries and compliments.

Seeing that the time was right, Hiruzen Sarutobi also planned to bring up the second matter he had come to the daimyo's mansion with: money!

The daimyo seemed completely oblivious and continued, "Lord Sarutobi, there's no need to belittle yourself. After all, Konoha Village faced the Four Great Shinobi Villages one after another this time, and winning this war is already a great stroke of luck. Some decision-making errors are inevitable and can be completely ignored!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, wore a bitter expression and said, "That's not how it works. After all, my miscalculation prolonged the war, resulting in the sacrifice of more village ninjas. It also depleted a lot of the village's resources and left many families without support!"

"To be honest, sir, you don't know, our village's finances are almost depleted. We can't even pay the pensions for the ninjas who died in battle and the subsidies for those who injured the ruthless, let alone reward those who made contributions!"

“I’ve already heard about this from Shisui,” the Daimyo said, his smile fading slightly. “He also said that the village leaders were planning to have the Uchiha clan take the lead in giving up those pensions and subsidies, right?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously glanced at the expressionless Uchiha Shisui standing behind the daimyo, inwardly realizing that something was wrong.

But before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, the daimyo continued, "Lord Sarutobi, if you ask me, you did indeed do something wrong in this matter!"

"We've all shed blood and risked our lives for the Land of Fire and Konoha. If you can't even guarantee the normal lives of their families after they die, who will be willing to shed blood and risk their lives for the country and the village in the future? Don't you think so?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not disagree and quickly nodded, saying, "You are right, sir. I was indeed short-sighted in this matter!"

The daimyo continued, "Furthermore, as a victorious nation, Konoha should not be in such a dire financial situation. After all, as a victorious nation, it would be reasonable for them to demand territories and reparations from the defeated nations!"

"To be honest, you've been far too lenient with those defeated nations!"

“What you say is true, but I had no choice but to make this decision!” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes flickered upon hearing this. Although he still kept a humble attitude, he spoke up to explain, “At that time, we were still at war. If we did not end the war soon, we might face a simultaneous attack from multiple countries. To avoid this situation, I had no choice but to make this decision.”

"Besides my Land of Fire, which is relatively rich in resources, all the other countries are poorer than the last!"

"The lands of lightning and earth are mostly rocky mountains, with mineral resources being the only relatively abundant resource."

"The Land of Wind is another story. Although their territory is vast, it is nothing but sand. Even the village's leader has to personally search for minerals to supplement the village's finances."

"They were already penniless; even if we wanted a large sum of compensation, they couldn't afford it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi is using sophistry. Although what he said was true, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning were indeed very poor compared to the Land of Fire. But they were still major powers in the ninja world, comparable to Konoha. They shouldn't be so poor that they couldn't even afford some compensation!

Small countries like the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Hot Water, and the Land of Grass have very fertile lands, but did they become the five great nations of the ninja world?

Each of the five great nations of the ninja world has its own strengths and cannot be defeated by one or two wars!

However, the daimyo didn't care about any of that; he was thoroughly pleased by Hiruzen Sarutobi's flattery.

The daimyo laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, what you say is quite right. The territories of those guys are poorer than the last, unlike the prosperous land of fire!"

After a pause, the daimyo continued, "Let's not talk about this matter anymore, but the treatment of the ninjas in Konoha Village must still be guaranteed!"

"If you don't have money, just tell me. Why do you have to exploit them?"

"Those ninjas from Konoha have also protected the interests of my Land of Fire. What harm is there in me paying their compensation and disability benefits?"

Although the daimyo's words were meant to be a reprimand, they sounded like heavenly music to Hiruzen Sarutobi's ears!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was overjoyed, knowing that he was now certain that he could make a demand for money from the daimyo!

Chapter 173: Let Tsunade manage the money?

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed on, saying, "My lord, to be honest, besides reporting for duty, I also came here to request funds to alleviate the village's financial problems and to distribute compensation to the ninjas who died in battle!"

Upon hearing this, the daimyo waved his hand and said, "Do you need to tell me this? Shisui made a request on behalf of the Uchiha clan as early as when he mentioned the compensation to me!"

"During this period, I also raised 3 billion ryo to distribute pensions and subsidies to Konoha ninjas and to support the construction of Konoha Village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned upon hearing this, and forgot all about pursuing the Uchiha clan's overstepping of their bounds; his heart was filled with joy!

It went so smoothly, even beyond his wildest imagination!

Moreover, the name given this time is a bit too much!

That's a whopping three billion taels!

The compensation for the ninjas who died in battle and the subsidies for the wounded would be about 1 billion taels, and 2 billion taels would be enough to allow the village to recover its strength in a short time, or even reach a higher level!

This huge surprise left Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat stunned!

But before Hiruzen Sarutobi could fully experience the joy in his heart, the Daimyo continued speaking.

"I've already given this money to Shisui, and he's asked to pass it on to the Uchiha clan. If you need it, just ask the Uchiha clan for it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "!?!?!?!?!"

"Ahem," after a long moment of stunned silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly came to his senses and asked, "Sir, who did you just say you gave that money to?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered if he had misheard because he was too shocked, and had to confirm with the daimyo.

"I handed that money over to the Uchiha clan, is there a problem?"

Daming feigned confusion, but a strange meaning flashed deep in his eyes.

"this......"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Shisui Uchiha behind the Daimyo, and despite having a thousand words in his heart, he couldn't utter a single one.

How should he explain this to the Daimyo? Should he say the Uchiha clan are outcasts? That the Uchiha clan are extreme? Or that the Uchiha clan cannot be trusted?

Some things can be done but not said!

Even if no one from the Uchiha clan were present, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never have said anything defamatory about the Uchiha clan in front of the Daimyo!

If he were to reveal it, not only would the village's internal strife be exposed to outsiders, making him a laughingstock, but it would also be a denial of Hiruzen Sarutobi's abilities!

"Ahem," Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed twice and said tactfully, "My lord, the financial transactions between the Daimyo's prefecture and the village have always been handled by the Konoha Finance Department. Directly handing over funds to the Uchiha clan is not only against the rules, but also unreasonable!"

Upon hearing this, the daimyo shook his head and said, "Where is it against the rules or unreasonable? Before you became Hokage, the funds of my daimyo clan were directly transferred to the Senju clan's account!"

"The Uchiha clan co-founded Konoha with the Senju clan, and their status is no less than that of the Senju clan. Now that the Senju clan has declined, it's only reasonable for the Daimyo's government to give money to the Uchiha clan!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a loss for words upon hearing this.

When the Senju clan was still around, all matters concerning the Daimyo's household were indeed handled through the Senju clan. When he first became Hokage, he also considered having the Sarutobi clan handle matters directly with the Daimyo's household like the Senju clan, but unfortunately, the Daimyo's household did not trust him.

Therefore, he settled for second best and had the Ministry of Finance and Daming Prefecture coordinate the funding issue.

Now that the Daimyo's mansion is bringing up the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan's identity, Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't know how to refute it!

But when did the relationship between the Daimyo's mansion and the Uchiha clan become so good?

Not only did he make Uchiha Shisui a guardian ninja of the daimyo, but he also directly handed over a huge sum of 3 billion to the Uchiha clan!

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could figure it out, the Daimyo continued, "This matter is decided! Not just this time, but from now on, all financial transactions between Konoha and the Daimyo's residence will be handled by the Uchiha clan!"

"It just so happens that Shisui is serving as my bodyguard. With him around, it's easier for us to communicate!"