"Alright then. Since he wants to learn swordsmanship, let him learn. When he grows up, I'll give him my Kusanagi Sword."
"Enough of this. Let's rest for a bit. I reckon I won't be able to stay long before that guy Minato sends someone to come get me."
Gekko Chizan knew very well what his return meant, so he seized every bit of time he could to rest.
Pakura and the other two burst into laughter at his words. The current Konoha Village was thriving, and Hokage Minato Namikaze and the two great men under his command deserved much of the credit.
"Seriously, I haven't even finished talking and they're already here?"
The arrival of the ANBU didn't surprise anyone, after all, Gekko Chizan had just finished speaking.
"Chizan-sama, the Hokage-sama requests your presence."
"Got it. Honestly, this Minato—he can't stay away from me for even a moment."
As he said this, Gekko Chizan deliberately glanced at Kushina, his eyes full of teasing.
This made Kushina glare angrily as she complained in annoyance.
"That's right, he can't live without you. Hurry up and go see him—Pakura is mine now!"
Well damn, a full-on female hooligan. Gekko Chizan felt completely stunned.
Ignoring Kushina, he directly grabbed the ANBU who had come to notify him.
"Chizan-sama, don't—!"
Clearly, this ANBU knew Gekko Chizan's methods and tried to warn him.
But just how fast was Gekko Chizan? The moment the words left his mouth, the Flying Thunder God had already been activated.
"Huh?"
"So many people here, huh? What, is this supposed to be some kind of welcome ceremony for me?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Gekko Chizan's Flying Thunder God arrival instantly drew countless gazes.
Including those of his four disciples, the three advisors, as well as Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shikaku, and Morino Ibiki.
As for the ANBU beside him, the guy was completely done for.
Last time he'd been dragged along by Flying Thunder God, it was through a window. Even now, he still had psychological trauma from it.
"Alright, you can leave."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Minato Namikaze first instructed the ANBU to withdraw. The moment the mission was complete, the ANBU hurried away—he didn't want to stay here a second longer. It was pure torture.
After the ANBU pushed the door open and left, Gekko Chizan scanned his surroundings and sighed helplessly.
"Why are there so many people today?"
"There isn't even a place to sit."
Well now—asking to sit the moment he opens his mouth?
Unfortunately, the only sofa in the office had already been claimed by the four advisors.
Everyone else, including him, was standing.
How could that possibly work? How could Gekko Chizan stand??
And when Minato Namikaze heard his words, he immediately sensed trouble and was just about to speak.
"Don't—!"
"Crystal Release: Luxurious Grand Chair Technique!"
Gekko Chizan didn't give Minato Namikaze any chance to stop him. With a casual wave of his hand, chakra surged forth, and in the blink of an eye, a grand chair was completed.
Although the crystal was transparent, under the room's lighting, everyone could see it clearly.
And honestly, the chair looked exquisitely beautiful, with a unique charm of its own.
"Chizan, make one for me too. I've been standing forever—I'm tired."
"Haha, sure, no problem. Shikaku, Ibiki, how about you two?"
"Yes!"
Uchiha Fugaku spoke up immediately the moment he saw the chair. He'd been standing for quite a while too.
As for Shikaku, of course he wanted to sit. Only Morino Ibiki showed a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.
This expression didn't escape Gekko Chizan's notice, making him sigh slightly. Ah, these days, there are still honest people around.
Gekko Chizan waved his hand again, and three more crystal chairs appeared. He didn't care whether Morino Ibiki wanted it or not—he made one for him anyway.
"No, Chizan, that's going too far!"
"Why are you making so many chairs in my office?"
"...Forget it, don't say anything. They actually look pretty good."
"How about you make one for me too? This chair of mine is a bit uncomfortable."
Minato Namikaze originally wanted to scold Gekko Chizan, but the moment he saw the crystal grand chairs, the blood in his veins was stirred again.
They looked awesome. Just from looking at them, they felt grand and high-class. He needed one.
"Alright, let's get down to business. Why did you call me here?"
"If it's about the mission, didn't those four already explain everything clearly?"
The matter with Kumogakure wasn't complicated at all. It could be explained in a short while—there was no need for him to come personally.
Minato Namikaze suddenly smiled.
"Chizan, I already understand everything about Kumogakure. So, how much money are you planning to hand over to the village?"
"Kakashi and the others said you made quite a haul on this trip."
Hearing this, Gekko Chizan turned his gaze toward Kakashi. The latter instantly felt every hair on his body stand on end. Facing his own teacher's demonic stare, cold sweat poured down his back.
"Stop staring at him. Hurry up. Although this mission was retaliation against Kumogakure, I really never expected you to pull something like this."
"Tsk tsk, over a billion ryō. I reckon Kumogakure won't recover for a few years."
Gekko Chizan withdrew his gaze and crossed his legs, his entire aura becoming extremely complicated.
How to describe it? It felt like a street hooligan walking straight into a government compound.
Seeing Gekko Chizan like this, the four kids immediately exchanged glances, all seeing the same look in each other's eyes.
The general meaning was: Look, the teacher is about to perform again.
"Minato, let me ask you something. What was the core objective of this mission?"
"Retaliate against Kumogakure."
"And why retaliate against Kumogakure?"
"They caused trouble in the village."
Minato Namikaze was completely confused by Gekko Chizan. Wasn't this something everyone knew?
"Exactly. They caused trouble and targeted me. So am I a victim?"
"Yes, that's why we had you lead the team to Kumogakure."
"Right. Since this was retaliation stemming from my personal grievance, shouldn't the money gained from that retaliation be used to comfort my wounded heart?"
Minato Namikaze's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
"My daughter was abducted. That requires compensation for emotional damages."
"My home was invaded by enemies. That requires repair costs."
"I led the team on the mission. I should get the mission rewards too, right?"
"Putting it all together, I went on the mission without taking a single cent from the village—and now you're actually asking me for money?"
"Minato, do you think that's appropriate?"
When the final word fell, the room plunged into complete silence.
The four kids' eyes were filled with admiration. They truly admired how their teacher could spout such nonsense with such righteous confidence.
He clearly didn't want to give up any money, yet he managed to come up with such a long list of reasons.
And the key point was that all of them sounded incredibly reasonable.
After all, when Kumogakure caused trouble in Konoha Village, wasn't the Gekko family the one that suffered the most?
"Hahahahaha!"
"Minato, what did I tell you? Trying to get money out of him—absolutely impossible!"