Chapter 70: A Root Member from a Parallel World
That day, after his lessons concluded, Sakumo Hatake shuffled out of the classroom, his shoulders slumped in defeat as he trailed Stelle back toward the Hokage Building.
The Anbu headquarters was situated in the building directly behind the Hokage Tower. He had already applied for a mission directly from the Hokage and was scheduled to depart the village that very night. As long as he didn't have to go to school, he was happy to do anything. Any mission, no matter how dangerous, was a welcome escape from the drudgery of textbooks and lectures.
True to his word, Sakumo left as soon as he could. To avoid studying, he threw himself into a long-term assignment, one that would keep him away from Konoha for a full month.
Watching him work so hard just to play truant, Stelle felt a rare, fleeting twinge of guilt.
Therefore, when Sakumo returned a month later to submit his mission report, she decided to augment his reward. Instead of the standard one-million-ryo payment, she presented him with the chakra-conducting blade she had claimed from the samurai who'd attempted to assassinate her.
For a swordsman, it was a priceless treasure, easily capable of fetching tens of millions on the open market. But since Stelle had no use for it, the blade had simply been collecting dust.
"Take this," she said, offering it to him. "Next time you accept a mission to the Land of Artisans, you can have them use this material to forge a proper short sword for yourself."
The Hatake clan was originally a samurai family that had migrated from the Land of Iron during Konoha's founding. Generations later, most of the clan consisted of ordinary civilians, with Sakumo being the only remaining ninja of exceptional talent. His clansmen weren't gifted in business either, so the family's prestige and protection rested entirely on his shoulders.
Because of this, Sakumo was still using a worn, ancestral sword passed down through his family. He took one look at the magnificent longsword before him, instantly grasping its immense value, and immediately tried to refuse.
"Hokage-sama, your subordinate has performed no great feat. I cannot possibly accept such a precious item…"
"Consider it your mission reward," Stelle stated plainly, pushing the sword toward him.
Sakumo still didn't dare to take it, leaving the blade resting on the desk between them.
Stelle, however, was insistent. Besides, she had already prepared a mountain of homework for him to take home and complete at his leisure.
"This was my personal spoil of war, not an expense from the village treasury. I can't use it anyway, so it's perfect for you. More," she added, her tone shifting, "I have a very important matter to entrust to you."
Hearing that the Hokage had a task for him, Sakumo's expression immediately turned serious. "Please give your orders, Hokage-sama!"
Stelle handed him a large sealing scroll, practically bulging with its contents. "Remember to find time to finish these exam papers."
Sakumo, whose personality was already a bit rigid and not particularly suited for social niceties, felt his composure shatter.
"Then… can I skip the homework? I can take on more missions instead."
"No, you have to do them. I've already prepared everything. Just keep the scroll with you and work on it slowly when you have time. There's no rush."
With a complete lack of sympathy, Stelle heartlessly stuffed the scroll into Sakumo's hands.
'I've given you the compensation gift,' she thought, 'so the homework is non-negotiable.'
Seeing an entire sealing scroll filled with nothing but homework, Sakumo's eyes widened in horror. A spectacular amount of emotional energy erupted from him, flooding Stelle's system.
'So, even if I go on a mission to the ends of the earth, I still have to take my homework with me?' he despaired. 'This is terrifying!'
"By the way, Sakumo, you don't mind if I ask some personal questions, right?" Stelle leaned forward, her eyes practically glowing with curiosity. "Do you have a girlfriend? Which family is she from? When are you planning on getting married? I'll be sure to give you a huge wedding gift."
'Hurry up and get married! Have a kid!' she silently urged. 'I need to see what Kakashi looks like under that mask!'
Sakumo's handsome face flushed a brilliant red at the barrage of questions. He stammered, "Hokage-sama… I'm not an adult yet…"
Stelle blinked. 'The world of Naruto is so damn weird. They're sent to kill and burn at a young age, but they don't legally become adults until they're eighteen. Even our Anbu Commander isn't considered a grown-up yet.'
She sighed internally. 'But then again, the Second Great Ninja War hasn't even happened. Where would Kakashi come from? It seems I'll have to wait a while longer to see his unmasked face.'
Just outside the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, who had been passing by, were crouched down with their rears in the air, peering through the crack in the door and straining to listen.
"Oh, dear," Hiruzen whispered. "There Stelle goes again. The moment she sees that the Anbu member looks good without his mask, she starts flirting."
"It's that old weakness of hers for a pretty face," Danzo grumbled. "They say back then, the only reason she insisted on becoming the Second Hokage's disciple was because he was handsome. Pestered him for three whole months."
"I've wanted that blade for a long time," Hiruzen muttered, his voice thick with envy. "She wouldn't sell it even when I offered money. But just because Sakumo is good-looking, she gives it away for free. She's completely blinded by looks. Biwako clearly said I was the most handsome."
"Forgetting her old friends for a handsome face," Danzo added sourly. "Why didn't she give it to me?"
Their 'whispering' was about as subtle as shouting directly into someone's ear. With Stelle's sensory abilities, how could she possibly not hear them?
A large cross-shaped vein pulsed on her forehead. In a flash, she shot out of her chair, yanked the door open, and delivered a heavy punch to each of them.
"I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"
Two shooting stars streaked across the sky, flashed once at the horizon, and vanished.
After the various messes with the other Great Nations were handled, the borders finally welcomed a long-awaited peace. The ninja armies stationed there began their gradual withdrawal back to the village.
Next came the post-war distribution of rewards for meritorious service and pensions for the fallen. But having received hefty reparations from the four nations, Konoha was now exceptionally wealthy. The village's finances were in even better shape than before the war, so there was no shortage of funds. Stelle waved her hand and authorized various payments, even setting aside a large sum to renovate the orphanage.
The ninja, who received such generous rewards, became even more convinced of their new Fourth Hokage's leadership, allowing Stelle to harvest another beautiful wave of emotional energy.
Danzo, who was in charge of the treasury, watched her spend money like water. He wanted to advise her to be more frugal but felt he lacked the standing to persuade her. He could only stamp the financial seal with a series of loud thuds, his heart bleeding with every mark.
One truly doesn't know the cost of living until they're running the household. Ever since he had volunteered to manage the finances, Danzo finally understood just how much money it took to run all of Konoha. Every day, the moment he opened his eyes, he was faced with a list of massive expenditures. Even doing nothing cost money.
Konoha was like a gold-devouring beast; no matter how much money they had, it never felt like enough.
He was on edge all day, terrified that he'd wake up one morning and, when funds were needed, he, the Hokage's Advisor, wouldn't be able to provide. He would be despised by his colleagues as incompetent.
He was Danzo Shimura, disciple of the great Tobirama-sensei. How could he ever allow himself to be looked down upon as incompetent?
"Halve the allocations for all departments next month!" he declared at a meeting. "And suspend all those trivial side projects. We can't afford to waste money."
"Kagami, what is the meaning of this?" Danzo slammed his hand on the table, glaring at the Uchiha. "I called this meeting, and you sent a Shadow Clone to deal with it? Does the Military Police Force not require funding next month?"
The Shadow Clone of Kagami offered an apologetic smile. "My apologies. I just apprehended two spies who were targeting Lady Stelle and need to interrogate them personally. I'll buy you a drink tonight to make up for it."
Danzo slammed a document onto the table and launched into a lecture about the hardships of earning money and the critical need to save on expenses.
"And especially the Nine-Tails! Why is such a large portion of the budget allocated to its food and drink? It's a Tailed Beast, isn't it?"
"It has to eat chicken every single day, and now it's gotten so arrogant it demands cake! If I didn't know we had sealed a Tailed Beast, I'd think we opened a fox farm on the back mountain!"
Stelle rolled her eyes at him. "If you don't want to pay, that's fine. I'll just move the Tailed Beast and seal it inside the Shimura clan compound. You can all guard it day and night and feed it whatever you want. Even leftovers are fine with me."
This was no joke. Sealing a Tailed Beast in the Shimura clan's home would be like hanging a sword of Damocles over their heads. Aside from the Fourth Hokage—who was a freak of nature from childhood and had only grown into a bigger one—who in the village could possibly suppress the Nine-Tails?
Danzo immediately dropped his complaints about the Nine-Tails' expenses and pivoted back to shutting down other projects.
"That won't do," Stelle cut him off. "We can suffer, but Konoha cannot. If there's not enough money, just go collect some from those nobles and the Daimyo. They live on the soil of the Land of Fire and are protected by our village. What's wrong with them paying a few more taxes?"
Without a second thought, Stelle prepared to fleece the nobles again.
"But they've already paid this month's tribute," Hiruzen interjected, feeling a sliver of sympathy for the aristocrats who had become Konoha's personal piggy bank, to be shaken down whenever the need arose. "If we continue to squeeze them, it might cause a backlash."
"It's not like they haven't tried to cause a backlash before," Stelle said dismissively. "Just suppress it. At worst, it'll just make Kagami a bit busier catching the assassins they send after me."
As a Hokage Advisor and a Mangekyo Sharingan wielder, Uchiha Kagami was the perfect man for the job. Stelle had already handed over all matters of torture, criminal trials, and spy investigations to him.
"I think…" Hiruzen began.
Stelle shot him a look. "Hiruzen, I am the Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
"If you're bored, go read more books," she said, pulling out two volumes. "I specially found these for you. They'll be beneficial."
She stuffed a book titled Building Bridges and Roads: The Path to Wealth into Hiruzen's hands.
Then, she gave Danzo a copy of Postpartum Care for Sows.
The corners of their mouths twitched as they read the titles. Silently, they tucked the books away.
Just then, a knock came from the door. After receiving Stelle's permission, an Uchiha ninja entered.
"Hokage-sama, my lords. An Anbu member just returned to Konoha after completing a mission. However, he did not report to Anbu headquarters. Instead, he was found lingering suspiciously in the forest behind the Hokage Rock."
"After being discovered by my patrol squad," the Uchiha continued, "he insisted that he was Lord Danzo's direct subordinate and demanded to see him. I have brought him here; he is just outside the door."
Danzo's Anbu?
The others in the room whipped their heads around to stare at Danzo Shimura. The Anbu was the Hokage's direct black ops force. Since when did Danzo have his own private unit? Was he planning a coup?
Danzo himself was completely bewildered.
He slammed his fist on the desk and roared, "Slander! This is pure slander! Bring that spy who's trying to drive a wedge between Konoha's leadership in here! I want to see what else he has to say for himself!"
"Let them in," Stelle said, her expression unreadable.
Soon, a young girl of about twelve walked into the office. She wore a standard Anbu uniform, her animal mask already removed to reveal a clear, cute face.
Seeing the figures seated at the conference table, she stepped forward quickly and knelt on one knee, saluting them with movements that were precise and standardized—a textbook Anbu salute.
After completing the salute, she turned to look at Danzo Shimura, and a hint of confusion finally broke through her otherwise expressionless face.
"Lord Danzo, why can I not find the Root base? Has its location been moved? I did not receive any notification."
'What the hell,' the room seemed to think in unison, 'is Root?'
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