"Yes, third Hokage-sama."
Shinichi turned and walked toward the door, and just as he reached it, the third Hokage's voice sounded again behind him.
"Oh, right, Shinichi. Regarding those Kirigakure prisoners, when do you plan to begin teaching them?"
Shinichi stopped and thought for a moment before replying: "Let's set it for three days from now."
"Very well. I'll make the arrangements."
After Shinichi left, the third Hokage turned his gaze once more toward the room piled high with gold. He just stood there silently for quite some time before finally turning to the finance personnel, who still looked somewhat lost.
"Go call more people. Bring as many as possible. We'll count and store all of this gold together."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The finance personnel bowed as though they had been granted amnesty and hurried out of the hall.
The third Hokage remained standing exactly where he was, showing no intention of leaving. Until the counting was completed and every gold bar had been safely transferred into the village treasury, he would not take a single step out of that room.
That very afternoon, news quietly began leaking out from Konoha's finance department, and it quickly spread throughout the entire Hokage Building, then seemed to grow wings as it flew beyond the building and rapidly circulated through every street and alley of the village.
During the dozen or so days that Shinichi Higashino had been away conducting research, he had reportedly discovered all sorts of treasures and gold along the way.
Then, just before returning to the village, he uncovered a massive treasure trove that had been buried for who knew how many years, and it was said that the gold alone filled an entire room.
At first, many people were skeptical.
The story was simply too absurd, and how could someone go out on a research trip and just happen to find buried treasure?
Why had no one else ever encountered such good fortune?
Yet others believed it completely, after all, that was Shinichi Higashino!
Even the heavens had helped him during the battle of Rinkai City, so finding a little gold was nothing by comparison.
Others began calculating on their fingers how much money it might be and how long it could support the village.
As villagers continued to discuss the matter, uncertain whether to believe it or not, an official announcement was posted on notice boards throughout Konoha's major streets early the next morning, completely confirming the rumor.
...
That night, in Konoha's prison, the cell was small, with four beds lined up side by side against the wall.
Mei Terumi lay on her side on the bunk nearest the window, her face turned toward the outside as she stared blankly at the moon.
Although the moon above Konoha and the moon above the Village Hidden in the Mist were the same one, it somehow always seemed different.
Clear nights like this were rare in the Village Hidden in the Mist, because once night fell, sea mist would creep in from every direction, wrapping the moonlight in a hazy veil, as though viewed through a layer of drenched gauze.
Konoha's moon, however, shone with crystal clarity.
Konoha had separated the Kirigakure prisoners by gender, and the cell she was in housed four people.
The other three inmates were all seniors from the village with more experience than her.
At that moment, they were gathered around another bed, discussing in hushed voices the news the prison authorities had announced that afternoon.
In three days, someone would come to speak to this group of prisoners, and that person was none other than Shinichi Higashino.
The Konoha ninjas who had delivered the notice had also left behind several extremely blunt warnings, essentially saying that the only reason they were still alive was because of Captain Shinichi's mercy, so they should learn to be grateful.
When the time came, they had better show some respect and not mistake kindness for weakness.
Fragments of the inmates' low conversations drifted over intermittently.
Some speculated that this might be some new interrogation tactic, others thought it was merely a formality, but a few still asked what could possibly be important enough for the enemy to make such a public spectacle when they were already prisoners.
Mei Terumi did not join the discussion, but the matter was turning over in her mind just as persistently.
What exactly did that boy who had pulled her out from beneath the ruins want to say to them?
Was he going to persuade them to accept reality and cooperate obediently with Konoha? Or perhaps select suitable candidates from among them for recruitment, sending them back to the village as spies?
Or was this simply their final judgment, to be followed by execution?
For a time, all sorts of chaotic thoughts spun endlessly through the girl's mind.
"Who cares what he's going to say? I'll just go and listen. I'd like to see what exactly Shinichi Higashino is planning. Even if I die, I'll never betray my village!"
At that moment, a senior ninja with short hair decisively threw out a single sentence, bringing the fruitless discussion to an end, then she rolled over onto her bed and said no more.
The cell gradually fell silent, leaving only the occasional chirping of insects outside the window.
Mei Terumi continued staring at the full moon outside as countless thoughts churned through her mind, and she remained awake for a very long time.
Among the Kirigakure prisoners, there were many like Mei Terumi; some were indifferent, some tossed and turned anxiously throughout the night, and others remained silent.
Just like that, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, on the open-air exercise yard of Konoha prison, nearly a thousand Kirigakure prisoners sat silently on neatly arranged stools under Konoha's supervision.
It was the height of August summer. Ordinarily, the sun would have been blazing overhead, but the weather was unusually cool that day.
A few thin clouds obscured the sun, and occasional breezes swept across the yard.
From time to time, the prisoners' eyes drifted toward the simple temporary platform erected at the front.
The stage itself stood empty, while several expressionless Konoha ninjas stood on either side below it, but everyone knew who would soon be standing there: Shinichi Higashino.
The man responsible for turning them into prisoners and the same man who had later ordered them to be rescued from beneath the rubble.
A moment later, a tall, slender figure emerged from the passageway.
The instant he appeared, nearly a thousand Kirigakure prisoners simultaneously turned their eyes toward him.
It had to be said that Shinichi Higashino was an exceptionally charismatic person, and no matter how much you hated or disliked him, you had to acknowledge that.
Some people seemed born to be the center of attention, and simply by standing there, every spotlight naturally converged on them, making it impossible to look away and even causing people to unconsciously develop favorable feelings toward them.
Shinichi Higashino was undoubtedly one of those people.
Under the gazes of nearly a thousand prisoners, each wearing a different expression, Shinichi walked onto the platform.
After stopping in place and slowly sweeping his gaze across the faces below, he finally spoke.
"Everyone from Village Hidden in the Mist, I imagine you're all quite familiar with me by now. Still, I should introduce myself. My name is Shinichi Higashino, and I am a ninja from Konoha."
The crowd remained silent, and no one responded.