What a dilemma!
Haru's desire for strength was beyond question. Those golden-reward tasks were all blocked by one problem or another, making them impossible to complete for now.
But these tasks that rewarded ten draw chances only required him to sacrifice his dignity.
Haru fell into deep thought. That was ten draw chances, the equivalent of nearly a full year of saving. Who knew what kind of good stuff he might pull from that?
Someone always got absurdly lucky, so why couldn't that lucky bastard be him?
Outside the door, Tomita heard that the desk-slapping from inside the room had stopped. He crept in on tiptoe and found Haru sitting there with his eyes shut, clutching his head in thought.
"Haru-sama, the luggage has already been packed."
"Ah, Tomita. So it's all ready?"
"Um, well..."
"Are the widows in the clan doing all right?"
Haru coughed once or twice and asked in a low voice, his sense of shame already on the verge of exploding.
"Widows?"
"Please don't worry, Haru-sama. When a warrior of the Uchiha clan falls, the clan naturally takes care of his wife. The clan may not be wealthy, but at the very least, we can still afford to put meat on the table for all three meals."
Although Tomita had no idea why Haru had suddenly asked such a question, he still answered honestly.
"That's good. That's good!"
"We absolutely can't let Konoha's heroes bleed and then cry as well!"
Haru wanted to slap himself.
How could he say something like that?
The clansmen had sacrificed themselves for Konoha, and here he was thinking about their wives. That was utterly disgraceful.
Haru decided that, for now, it would be better to put aside those ten-draw tasks.
In order to break the damned awkwardness, Haru changed the subject and decided to search the room with Tomita for any important materials Tobirama might have left behind.
After turning the place upside down, Haru successfully found the Scroll of Seals.
There was also a large stack of correspondence between Tobirama and the Fire Daimyo. Inside, the amount of funding Tobirama had negotiated with the Fire Daimyo was clearly recorded.
It was a full 31 billion ryo, but what had been reported to Konoha's treasury was only 30 billion.
That bastard Tobirama really had been pocketing money on the side!
The only question was whether that extra 1 billion ryo had gone to the Senju clan, or whether the old bastard had simply swallowed it himself and used it for experiments.
Research did not come cheap, especially high-end research. In later years, Orochimaru had gone so far as to run his own hidden village just to earn money for his experiments.
"Haru-sama, this 1 billion..."
Tomita's eyes had already gone red.
If they swallowed this huge sum, the clan's debts would be wiped out completely!
And there would still be some left over!
This was the advantage of having a Hokage come from the clan!
"Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know."
Haru revealed a smile. This money should stay with the Uchiha. Who knew how much Tobirama had embezzled over the years he had served as Hokage just to fund his experiments?
"Understood!"
After explaining everything properly to Tomita, Haru decided that tomorrow he would set out for the capital of the Land of Fire and demand money from the Daimyo.
The next day, Haru set off alone, traveling light and without a single bodyguard. He intended to go quickly and return quickly.
If Haru ran into an enemy he could not handle with his own strength, those guards would only be dead weight. He had no desire to imitate Tobirama by bringing a whole pack of shadow guards along, only to die himself in the end.
After a long journey, Haru arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire.
The prolonged great war had dealt a heavy blow to the capital. Along the way, Haru saw large numbers of refugees struggling to survive, as well as bandits and rogue ninja robbing travelers on the road. He casually dealt with all of them.
At present, the Land of Fire was still basically an agricultural nation. Technology showed faint signs of development, though just how far it had progressed was anybody's guess. One thing was certain: it was a complete mess.
Farming was still done with human labor and livestock. Travel meant horse-drawn carts and ox carts. In many ways it was no different from an ancient feudal society. Its productive forces were probably somewhere around the Ming or Qing era, perhaps even worse.
And yet some pieces of technology were strangely ahead of their time. Konoha already had electric lights, with a few scattered utility poles standing around the village and looking utterly out of place.
By the era Naruto would live in, refrigerators, televisions, electric lights, and all sorts of modern appliances had appeared. Yet that age was only a few decades away from the present. It was an absurd rate of technological progress.
After reaching the capital, Haru did not see many refugees anymore. Presumably the officials were too kindhearted to bear the sight of refugees everywhere, so they had solved the problem one way or another.
But Haru had no time to worry about that now. The world was simply like this. When poor, one could only take care of oneself. Only when strong could one help the whole world. Haru was not yet capable of helping the whole world.
He arrived at the imperial palace and presented his calling card. The moment they saw the Hokage robe he wore, they knew he was the new Third Hokage.
No one even questioned his identity. After all, impersonating Konoha's Hokage in the capital of the Land of Fire to deceive the Daimyo was a crime serious enough to ensure you would never see the sun rise again.
And so Haru was led straight into the palace. There he met a plump attendant, who arranged for him to wait in a side hall and informed him that the Daimyo would arrive shortly.
Luxury.
Pure luxury!
Haru considered himself someone who had seen a fair bit of the world, yet even he was stunned by the grandeur of the palace.
The imperial compound covered nearly half the area of Konoha Village. The courtyards and halls enclosed by high railings and walls were so sprawling that Haru had nearly gotten lost on the way in. He only managed to find this side hall because someone had guided him.
The decorations in the side hall were so lavish that any random timber beam could probably be ripped out and sold for more than a hundred thousand ryo. There were also all kinds of jewels Haru could not even identify.
As expected of the grotesque hybrid created by feudal society mixed with a supernatural world. It had rotted and decayed to this degree, yet still sat securely atop the system.
Kishimoto, you heartless man!
A rebellion made up of refugees would be utterly helpless in front of ninja. Any elite jonin leading a squad could butcher them all.
What? I'm one of the beneficiaries too?
Then never mind!
...
Haru's thoughts drifted all over the place. After waiting for a while, he saw a strangely dressed middle-aged man approaching him, surrounded by a crowd of guards.
"Truly, a hero comes from youth. The Uchiha clan has finally produced a Hokage as well!"
"This is truly something worth celebrating!"
The Daimyo wore a warm smile and began flattering Haru.
Haru skillfully exchanged pleasantries with him, neither humble nor arrogant.
There was still a nominal relationship of ruler and subject between him and the Daimyo. After Konoha selected a Hokage, the appointment still required the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to formally recognize it before the entire process was complete.
Of course, the Fire Daimyo understood his own position well enough and had no intention of interfering in Konoha's Hokage selection. Whoever Konoha chose, he would simply nod and approve it.
After all, they were all just bodyguards he raised for his own use. As long as they were useful, that was enough.
"Hokage, since you have come from afar, you absolutely must attend tonight's banquet."
"I will host a reception to welcome you."
(End of Chapter)
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