Chapter 134: Konohamaru has the makings of a Great Hokage

Once the price was settled, everything else proceeded remarkably smoothly.

No one worried that Orochimaru would pull any tricks. If anything went wrong in this deal, it would be tantamount to Orochimaru making enemies of the entire shinobi world.

Once each party got what they wanted, the Five Kage Summit concluded.

A little while later, only Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the meeting room.

During the earlier negotiations, Orochimaru had been the picture of a professional technician: calm, collected, and mostly taciturn. But now, with the others gone, he dropped his cold expression and gave Hiruzen a cheerful smile. "Sensei, there were outsiders present just now, so I had to keep a tough tone during the talks. Please don't take it personally. Let me hand over the Tier-4 Eternal Chakra Elixir to you now."

To the public, Orochimaru had claimed that the Tier-4 elixir was not yet developed. The truth, of course, was quite different—he had created an even more potent version ages ago.

Hiruzen soon received thirty vials of the Tier-4 Eternal Chakra Elixir from Orochimaru. But neither he nor the Konoha leadership were fully satisfied.

Fixing his cloudy old eyes on Orochimaru, Hiruzen asked, "Orochimaru, having an elixir one tier ahead of the others is excellent for Konoha. But is there any way you could help us get two tiers ahead?"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru immediately put on a "pained" expression, speaking with difficulty. "Sensei, I've always informed the village truthfully about my research progress. I only just finished developing the Tier-4 Eternal Chakra Elixir. Developing the Tier-5 elixir will be extremely difficult!"

Rather than disappointment, Hiruzen looked a bit excited. After all, Orochimaru was saying it could be done—just that it was very hard. And that was workable. As long as it could be done, Konoha could support Orochimaru in every necessary way.

So Hiruzen said, "Orochimaru, tell me what help you need from Konoha. We'll see to it."

Orochimaru gave a deep sigh. "Sensei, naturally I'd like to give Konoha an even more powerful Eternal Chakra Elixir. But to develop such an improved version, I need a bigger research budget. If I could get at least another two hundred million ryō, I could produce a small batch of a Tier-5 elixir and supply it to Konoha."

It seemed Orochimaru had picked up Senshi's knack for negotiation: any problem could be solved, but there would always be a sizable "difficulty" along the way.

Hearing Orochimaru's request, Hiruzen began weighing the pros and cons. An additional two hundred million for a two tier lead in the Eternal Chakra Elixir—was it worth it?

He didn't take long to decide that it was indeed worthwhile. Besides, once the money was invested, Orochimaru would speed up developing the "perfect" elixir. And that perfect elixir would be for Konoha's exclusive use—no one else could buy it, no matter how much money they had.

Thinking this, Hiruzen handed over two checks for one hundred million ryō each to Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, you must hurry and develop the Tier-5 and the perfect version. Especially the latter—its strategic value to Konoha is immense!"

Orochimaru wore a sincere look. "Don't worry, Sensei—I'll pour all my effort into the research and try to finish both versions as soon as I can."

Relieved by those words, Hiruzen left the conference room in a buoyant mood. There was still something else he needed to do afterward, but there was no rush.

As Orochimaru watched the old man depart, his heart brimmed with joy. He had made a huge profit—1.2 billion ryō in one swoop! And it wasn't a one-off, either: from then on, every time he released a new round of the elixir, the Five Great Shinobi Villages and the Five Great Nations would obediently pay up another 1.2 billion. He was in high spirits indeed.

Meanwhile, at the inn where Senshi was staying, Senshi was also in a great mood. He had been monitoring Orochimaru with his Mantra the whole time, and once he realized Orochimaru had made a bundle, he felt as if he'd earned it himself.

Senshi planned to have Orochimaru split off half of that money when they met, then discuss further details. By now, he also knew Orochimaru had been using Senshi's own chakra as a main ingredient for the Eternal Chakra Elixir. If that was the case, then next time Orochimaru needed to buy more chakra, Senshi could easily quote him six hundred million. He had a monopoly, after all.

Orochimaru had no clue how ruthless Senshi's pricing would be. He merely thought he should manufacture more chakra storage devices and buy more from Senshi next time. After pocketing 1.2 billion, he still owed product deliveries to nine other customers besides Konoha. And his existing stock of Senshi's chakra would be insufficient for all that production. Orochimaru was now feeling somewhat troubled.

…

After the first round of the Chunin Exam finals, the shinobi who advanced to the second round spent the seven-day break training intensely. Over on the Amegakure side, Musen and his two teammates, plus the brother-and-sister duo, were preparing for the second round as well.

Early that morning, they followed Naruto and Sasuke to the Uchiha clan's training grounds. While they were practicing hard, a swirling red-black portal appeared some distance away. In the next instant, Senshi and Karin emerged.

Seeing the five of them practicing, Senshi beckoned Musen and his two teammates over. Naruto, Sasuke, and the Raimon siblings were in the midst of sparring; they, too, wanted to come see what was up, but Senshi waved them off. "You guys keep sparring. I need to talk with these three."

Naruto and Sasuke, hearing that, continued their match, while the three from Amegakure approached Senshi with curiosity.

Senshi spoke, "Some amount of sparring is necessary, but the core of your training should be completing missions. By taking on missions, you'll test and improve all aspects of your skills, and your strength will grow faster."

All three nodded intently, fully agreeing. Compared to the monotony of sparring, they preferred sharpening themselves across the varied tasks that missions offered.

Before they could ask more, Senshi had more news: "To help you finish more tasks in less time, and thus get more experience, I've decided to enhance your capacity for missions."

Musen and his friends cheered; Musen even jumped for joy. Now they could get more done in the same amount of time.

Not wasting a moment, Senshi once again used Wood Release, Storm Release, and Ice Release on the three of them.

Reapplying the same kekkei genkai would further strengthen it—like the difference between Yamato's Wood Release and Hashirama's world-shattering Wood Release. It was partly down to the inherent strength of the power itself.

With a soft tap on each of their foreheads, Senshi bolstered all three kekkei genkai yet again. If that continued, Musen might actually be able to open with "Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands" in the not-too-distant future.

Having his kekkei genkai upgraded, Musen was so excited he started jumping around. Lanyu and Lanwu were also delighted but subconsciously shuffled away, lest someone think they were part of his silly antics.

After Musen hopped around for a bit, he dashed off toward Naruto and Sasuke, who were fiercely clashing. Charging right between them, he slung an arm around each and said, "Don't waste valuable mission time on sparring—come on, let's rush off to the black market for some tasks!"

Sasuke was annoyed by Musen's lack of boundaries but didn't refuse. Naruto, equally mischievous, readily shouted, "Exactly! Let's hit the black market, stack up some missions, and blow off some steam."

After Naruto and Sasuke agreed, Musen turned to the Raimon siblings. "Yukika, Hayate—c'mon, let's go take some missions together!"

At his invitation, the group of seven little hotshots decided to look for Kakashi so he could help them pick out missions. Watching them go, Senshi turned to Karin. "Karin, you go have fun with them too."

Karin's eyes lit up. She'd been expecting to follow Senshi on some other job, but this was way better—she was free to tag along and play! She said excitedly, "Awesome! Senshi, you're the best!"

Seeing her so thrilled, Senshi couldn't help but smile. Then the eight of them went off to torment Kakashi, leaving him to wonder if the wheels of fate had begun turning the moment he signed with his eight ninken. Dealing with eight overenthusiastic brats would be impossible for almost any other ninja.

After Karin and the others headed off to farm black market missions, Senshi vanished on the spot. The next instant, he appeared in a forest behind Konoha. Another person stood there—none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. He was holding a crystal ball, surreptitiously watching Senshi with the Telescope Technique.

Seeing Senshi suddenly arrive, Hiruzen was not surprised. He only gave a soft sigh. "It seems Konoha's intelligence was accurate: Lord Senshi truly is an exceptional sensor-type ninja."

Senshi smiled faintly. "Lord Hokage, you must have something you wish to discuss with me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be using the Telescope Technique to watch me so closely."

Hiruzen paused in surprise, then nodded, his expression growing more guarded. Not only did Senshi know he was being monitored, but he was also aware that it had been going on for quite some time. Such a keen sense was truly astonishing.

Without further ado, Hiruzen explained his reason for being there. "Lord Senshi, Konoha is prepared to pay a price to have Uzumaki Musen—this descendant of the Uzumaki Clan—join the village."

Senshi hadn't expected that. But letting Musen go to Konoha was out of the question. Musen was practically the "life of the party" in his mercenary group—sending him away would deprive Amegakure of a great deal of fun.

Senshi shook his head. "Musen is my clansman. Almost all remaining Uzumaki are now settled in Amegakure, and I'm not about to separate him from his kin."

Hiruzen's heart sank at that. Senshi's explanation was perfectly logical; having Musen leave his relatives, friends, and clan would be unreasonable. Hiruzen felt a pang of regret. The Uzumaki Clan and Wood Release both had deep ties to Konoha, and Musen—an Uzumaki with Wood Release—would be a perfect fit.

Unfortunately, Konoha had moved too late, and now Musen and the other Uzumaki were already settled in Amegakure; it was next to impossible for them to switch allegiance.

Just as Hiruzen was lamenting, though, a surprising twist occurred. Senshi's lips curved into a faint smile as he said, "Lord Hokage, while I can't let Musen join Konoha, I can give Konoha its own Wood Release user—and cultivate that user's Wood Release to a level on par with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!"

Hiruzen: (O_O)???

Even if it was Senshi saying it, Hiruzen wondered if the man had lost his mind—or if he himself were hearing nonsense. How could Senshi claim he could train a Wood Release user to Hashirama's level?

Seeing Hiruzen's bewildered look, Senshi realized the old man didn't comprehend his capabilities. So without further explanation, he simply clapped his hands together: "Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"

Rumble…!

All around, the ground cracked and buckled as if giant dragons were turning underground. Enormous quantities of earth rolled back, and trees sprouted and grew at a mad pace. Thankfully, this was in the mountains behind Konoha; anywhere else, villagers might have believed the First Hokage himself had risen from the grave.

After conjuring this forest, Senshi clapped his hands again and cast yet more techniques:

"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

Rumble…!

The colossal wooden statue that Musen had so often tried (and failed) to bring forth rose up toward the sky.

"Wood Release: Wood Golem!"

"Wood Release: Top Transformed Buddha!"

Senshi unleashed them one after another, having a grand old time. Hiruzen, meanwhile, was practically crawling out of his skin.

Hiruzen: (ΩДΩ)!!!

He finally understood why Senshi said he could train someone to have Wood Release as great as the First Hokage—because not only was Senshi's Lightning Release second to none, his Wood Release also surpassed that of Lord Hashirama.

After a brief shock, Hiruzen broke into elation. Orochimaru's Eternal Chakra Elixir was Konoha's first trump card; a Wood Release user trained by Senshi would be the second. He never imagined that, in his old age, he might steer Konoha toward such new heights.

That in mind, Hiruzen spoke hurriedly: "Lord Senshi, please put away your Wood Release!"

He didn't want ninjas from other villages noticing anything. The Wood Release ninja Senshi was going to train would not instantly achieve Hashirama-like prowess, so Konoha needed to keep the entire process under wraps. If the other villages never learned how Konoha got its Wood Release user, then even if Senshi had the power to replicate the process for them, they wouldn't know how to find him or how to proceed.

After watching that grand display, Senshi withdrew his Wood Release, and Hiruzen wasted no time in asking, "Lord Senshi, which Konoha ninja could become this Wood Release user?"

Senshi smiled. "I have a very unique method for training Wood Release ninja. While it guarantees a one hundred percent success rate, it also requires massive resources."

Hiruzen: (O_O)???

He sensed an uncanny resemblance to Orochimaru's negotiation tactics. "So it can be done, but it's quite difficult?" And from how Senshi spoke, it sounded like almost anyone could master powerful Wood Release under him.

While Hiruzen was puzzled over this, Senshi continued with a hearty laugh. "My training proceeds in stages."

Hiruzen: (O_O)???

In stages, each requiring funds, no doubt. Orochimaru had thought he learned from Senshi's style, but evidently, it worked both ways: Senshi had picked up Orochimaru's "phased development" trick as well, and he wouldn't make it a one-and-done deal.

Frowning, Hiruzen asked, "How exactly does it go in stages?"

Rubbing his hands together, Senshi said, "Every ninja has different potential; nobody can predict how many stages they'll need to cross the threshold of 'God of Shinobi.' But I guarantee, in the honor of the strongest mercenary in the black market and the Headmaster of Amegakure's Ninja Academy, that at each stage, I'll develop Konoha's Wood Release user to their highest level possible."

Hiruzen felt both thrilled and anxious. Wasn't this basically a bottomless pit? On top of already investing money into Orochimaru's Eternal Chakra Elixir, Konoha would have to invest in developing a Wood Release user too. That was quite a burden. He started wondering if he should just grit his teeth and pay a lump sum to finish it all at once.

Just as Hiruzen was weighing his thoughts, Senshi dropped another revelation: "Lord Hokage, Konohamaru Sarutobi has true Hokage potential! I think he'd be an ideal candidate to become a Wood Release user on par with the First Hokage."

The dullness in Hiruzen's aged eyes vanished, and he practically lit up like a beacon. There was no better news than this. With Uzumaki Musen as proof of Senshi's safe and highly effective Wood Release, and given that Konohamaru was his cherished grandson—this was perfect.

If it were someone else, Hiruzen would have had to measure the pros and cons. But Konohamaru was family; he had nothing to hesitate about.

He said at once, "Lord Senshi, Konoha will pay one hundred million ryō per training stage, hiring you as Konohamaru's private teacher to guide him, step by step, into a Wood Release user like the First Hokage. Is that acceptable?"

Senshi was delighted. He had found himself another lucrative, long-term arrangement. Each time he imparted Wood Release to Konohamaru, he could collect another commission from Hiruzen. But in addition to raking in money, he had another condition Hiruzen would have to meet.

Senshi quickly added with a smile, "Lord Hokage, that quote is fine. However, I have one more request."

Once Hiruzen made his offer, Senshi explained cheerfully, "Lord Hokage, as I understand it, Konoha invested heavily in bringing back Wood Release but never succeeded. It shows just how precious a Hashirama-level Wood Release really is. There's no way I'd just hand over something that priceless for mere money. To be frank, I only share Wood Release with my friends."

Hiruzen frowned. "What are you implying, exactly?"

Senshi chuckled. "I mean just what I said. Konoha must be my friend, and then I'll pass down Wood Release without holding anything back."

Hiruzen's brows furrowed deeper. "How exactly does Konoha become your friend?"

This was precisely what Senshi had been waiting for. Without missing a beat, he laid out a rather outrageous demand: "As friends, it wouldn't be too big a deal for Konoha to let members of my mercenary group take on a bit of your missions, would it?"

"No!" Hiruzen refused instantly, in no uncertain terms. This was no minor favor—it was huge. He wasn't about to agree to that.

Konoha's finances came from two main sources: the Fire Daimyō's annual appropriation and the mission fees collected through the village's own ninjas.

The village had no say in how much the Daimyō allocated. But as for the mission commissions, Konoha's own shinobi were under village authority, so if the village treasury needed funds, they could just encourage local ninjas to do more missions.

However, if they gave some portion of the village's tasks to Senshi's mercenaries, that would reduce both the village's income and its own ninjas' earnings. Unacceptable!

Senshi knew it wouldn't be easy, given Konoha's particular circumstances—he couldn't just replicate his success in Kumo. Still, he had to find a way. To ultimately open a path for his mercenary group to take missions in Konoha and earn him more employment points, he needed to make inroads.

He intended for his group to do missions everywhere in the shinobi world—through black markets or any other channel. Anywhere a mission could be posted, his group ought to be there.

So he said, "Well then, Lord Hokage, if Konoha doesn't want to make friends with me, I don't see any need to continue discussing this."

Hiruzen's heart lurched. He did want to continue, of course, but these conditions were harsh: paying repeatedly for Wood Release training plus granting mercenaries the right to handle some of Konoha's missions. That was overreaching!

After a short silence, Hiruzen said, "Lord Senshi, don't you think you're showing too little sincerity in this partnership?"

Senshi spread his hands. "Lord Hokage, this is my greatest sincerity. If Konoha can't even meet these two conditions, I have to conclude you don't earnestly want to be friends."

Hiruzen: (O_O)???

He was speechless: Senshi was naming exorbitant terms, yet he was acting like Konoha was being insincere. Unbelievable!

Just as Hiruzen was about to shelve the matter until Senshi might change his mind, Senshi pressed on: "Lord Hokage, Konohamaru is a very talented boy. Do you really want to see that talent go to waste?"

Whether Konohamaru was gifted or not was secondary. More important was the fact that he was Hiruzen's beloved grandson. Faced with Senshi's confidence, Hiruzen could only grit his teeth. Konoha desperately wanted a powerful Wood Release user, and he couldn't abandon the idea of making Konohamaru that user.

At last, Hiruzen said, "All right, I can accept, but your mercenaries must not cause severe damage to Konoha's interests. Otherwise, we'll have to revisit the agreement."

Senshi laughed. "Of course, Lord Hokage. Our cooperation will definitely be a win-win."

He sounded reassuring, but in truth, even Senshi wasn't entirely sure how it would go. The mercenaries he recruited were all highly capable wildcards—any one of them might cause some major stir in Konoha. Even so, he'd just make the promise for now and worry about problems if they arose.

Naturally, Hiruzen was ignorant of Senshi's deeper thoughts. Otherwise, he might have insisted on completely different terms.

Shortly thereafter, Hiruzen took out a check for one hundred million ryō and handed it to Senshi. "We will pay one hundred million per stage and allow your mercenary group to carry out missions in Konoha. In return, we hire you to cultivate Konohamaru step by step into a Wood Release ninja rivaling Lord Hashirama."

"Deal!"

[Mission Accepted!]

[Client: Hiruzen Sarutobi]

[Goal: Gradually raise Konohamaru to Wood Release mastery on par with Hashirama Senju!]

[Reward: 100 million ryō]

[Mission Rank: S]

[Bonus: 100,000 Employment Points!]

A system notification rang in Senshi's mind, and a satisfied grin lit his face. Accepting the check from Hiruzen, he said cheerily, "Old man, just as you wish. Konoha will be my good friend, and I'll make sure to teach Konohamaru well."

Having concluded two major deals, Senshi saw no reason to keep calling Hiruzen "Lord Hokage" so formally. By this point, he'd received a total of four hundred million from Hiruzen, with more still to come, so it made perfect sense to be on friendlier terms.

With that settled, the two of them went to find Konohamaru. At about six years old—four years younger than Naruto—Konohamaru was in the Sarutobi clan's training ground practicing shuriken throwing.

He sensed their arrival and, mischievous as always, hollered and charged straight at the Third Hokage, attempting a sneak attack. Sarutobi casually grabbed him by the back of his collar, foiling the plan instantly.

Setting Konohamaru down gently, Hiruzen said, "Konohamaru, from now on, Senshi here will be your tutor. He'll help you train so you can become a splendid ninja like the First Hokage!"

Konohamaru: (ΩДΩ)!!!

Hearing that from his grandfather, Konohamaru was shocked. Staring at Senshi, he suddenly remembered something. His eyes went wide. "You're Karin-boss's teacher, right? That move Karin-boss used in the Forest of Death—can you teach me that?"

Senshi: (O_O)???

Wait a second—shouldn't Naruto be the "boss"? Why did it become Karin-boss? And besides, the jutsu Karin used was actually an Uchiha dojutsu, inherently tied to that clan's "dark ways." Konohamaru, a squeaky-clean Sarutobi, definitely couldn't learn Susanoo.

But that didn't stop Senshi from smiling and saying, "Karin's move doesn't suit you. You'll have your own mecha, so to speak."

Konohamaru, of course, had no idea what that meant. Still, he was fired up. He would be taught by Karin-boss's teacher, which surely meant he'd grow as strong as Karin-boss!

As Konohamaru bristled with excitement, Hiruzen lovingly ruffled his hair.

"Konohamaru, Sensei here says you have the makings of a Hokage. You must follow him and train hard!"

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— You can Read the Fanfic until Completion! This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!