"Today is a good day…"
At the Shimura residence, Renya was still lounging at Danzō's house, basking in the sun. Senju Tobirama and the others had secretly gone out traveling, and it would probably take a few weeks before they returned.
During this time, he didn't have to listen to their endless arguments or act as their cook.
Strangely enough, the frequency of arguments between Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna had decreased compared to before.
Sometimes, the two could even calmly discuss things for a while.
Although it was only for a short time, it was already quite shocking.
Not long ago, he even saw the two discussing what to eat for dinner, without any of that tense, on-the-verge-of-conflict atmosphere.
Renya had been completely stunned at the time.
Unfortunately, before he could observe more, they took advantage of his absence from the village and went off traveling together.
Perhaps Hashirama-san and Madara-sama wanted to use this opportunity to ease their relationship.
After arguing for so many years, it was time for a change.
Of course, this was just his speculation—whether it would succeed was another matter.
Ever since killing Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, life had returned to normal.
Every day, he either directed his good friend to cook or told his good friend to go buy groceries.
Danzō felt somewhat helpless about Renya's lazy and indulgent personality, but he didn't choose to drive him away.
As long as this guy didn't leave on his own, he wouldn't say anything to make him go.
"Renya, what do you want to eat tonight?"
Shimura Danzō asked.
It was getting late, and he needed to prepare the ingredients.
Renya yawned. "When you get older, you should treat yourself better."
Shimura Danzō: "…"
This guy eats like this every day—wasn't he already treating himself well enough?
This was going a bit too far!
The cost of a single meal was equivalent to the reward of an A-rank mission.
All one could say was: being rich meant doing whatever you wanted.
Since Renya was living at Danzō's house, there was no way he would eat and drink for free—he had already given tens of millions of ryō as living expenses.
Otherwise, his good friend would have been eaten into poverty long ago.
"By the way, Hiruzen asked me to tell you that the Hokage Building needs repairs, and he wants you to transfer 200 million to his account."
Danzō relayed Hiruzen's request to his good friend.
Ever since Konoha was founded, the Hokage Building hadn't really undergone much renovation.
The last renovation was when he had just become Hokage, and Renya paid to refurbish the building, making it look more grand for appearances.
Since then, the Hokage Building had never been repaired again.
Money should be spent where it mattered, not on appearances like the Hokage Building.
At least, that was how Danzō saw it…
"Two hundred million? That guy Hiruzen isn't misusing public funds and then finding an excuse to make me pay to balance the accounts, right?"
Renya instantly became wide awake.
Even though they were all good friends, something like that absolutely couldn't be allowed!
If Sarutobi Hiruzen really had no money, he could give some to help in an emergency—but it absolutely couldn't be done this way!
This was a matter of principle!
As Hokage, he couldn't knowingly break the law…
"Call Uchiha Kagami. Let's go investigate personally."
Kagami was the Uchiha clan leader and also the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, making him the most suitable person to investigate whether Hiruzen had embezzled funds.
The key was that they were all friends—even if something really did happen, it wouldn't become too ugly.
...
Hokage Building.
Renya fell silent as he looked at the building—magnificent on the outside, but worn down inside.
It seemed he had misunderstood Hiruzen earlier.
The building didn't just contain the Hokage's office, but also various departments.
After walking around, the environment inside truly couldn't be called good.
A building from forty years ago—even with frequent cleaning—couldn't hide its dilapidated condition.
In the past, Renya had always gone straight to the Hokage's office and never really understood the conditions of the other departments.
"Renya, should we still arrest Hiruzen?"
Uchiha Kagami looked at the rundown surroundings and asked cautiously.
Renya: "…"
Arrest him for what?!
When he first got the news, he really thought Hiruzen had embezzled a huge amount.
After all, being in that position, making money would be easy, wouldn't it?
Even if Hiruzen possessed the Will of Fire, no one could guarantee that such will wouldn't fade one day.
"Forget it, let's go sit in the office. It's been a long time since I chatted with Hiruzen."
Renya shook his head with some regret.
Shimura Danzō: "…"
Why did it feel like his good friend was a bit disappointed that they didn't catch Hiruzen red-handed?
This guy really loved watching the drama unfold!
Uchiha Kagami nodded.
It had indeed been a long time since they caught up with friends.
Ever since the war ended, everyone had their own lives, and the time they spent together had become less and less.
...
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was miserably handling documents. Ever since he had been tricked by Danzō into becoming the Hokage he had always dreamed of, he hadn't had a single day of rest.
Even when he felt unwell, he would still stick to his post after taking medicine.
When Danzō was Hokage, he had served as the Hokage's assistant to help out.
Now that he had become Hokage himself, he could only painfully handle all the administrative work alone.
It wasn't that he didn't want help—it was that there weren't many people he could trust who were willing to work tirelessly like beasts of burden.
He had once called Koharu Utatane and the others to help, but they ran away after just one afternoon of work.
No matter how he tried to persuade them afterward, not a single one was willing to come back.
Thus, the matter of a Hokage assistant was dropped, and the office remained occupied by only him.
"Bang."
The office door was suddenly pushed open.
There was only one person who would enter the Hokage's office without knocking.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even raise his head and continued reviewing the documents in his hands.
"Renya, are you here to deliver the money?"
The Hokage Building really did need proper repairs. If the village hadn't just started constructing a commercial street, he wouldn't have asked Danzō to request money from Renya.
When it came to matters concerning the village, Renya was usually quite generous.
After all, he didn't lack money.
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his head and saw Uchiha Kagami, asking in surprise:
"Kagami, why are you here too? And why are you holding handcuffs?"
It wasn't strange for Danzō and Renya to come, but why was Kagami here—more importantly, why the hell was he holding handcuffs used to escort prisoners?!
Could it be… the Uchiha were planning a coup?!
Uchiha Kagami quickly hid the handcuffs behind his back and revealed an awkward smile.
Earlier, when Renya explained the situation, he had really thought Hiruzen had broken the law and embezzled funds, so he brought the handcuffs along.
If they caught him red-handed, he would arrest him.
But now it seemed… they wouldn't be needed after all…
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "…"
He finally understood.
So these people didn't trust his character at all—they thought he was asking for money to embezzle it!
These guys—did they really think he was that kind of person?
Although he often put meals on the public tab for reimbursement when eating out, embezzlement was something he absolutely couldn't do!
"Hahaha, it's all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding."
Uchiha Kagami laughed awkwardly, nearly getting dragged into trouble by Renya and Danzō.