The moment I saw Rinto, the entire atmosphere in the Hokage's office shifted drastically.
How could it be such a coincidence? We had just been discussing how to deal with this guy, and now he showed up at our doorstep!
These were not foolish people. On the contrary, they were all highly intelligent, the direct disciples of the Second Hokage himself.
For a brief moment, silence filled the room as suspicion flickered in everyone's eyes.
Rinto, oblivious to the tense atmosphere, strode forward with a bright smile and bowed slightly before Senju Tobirama.
"Master Tobirama, I have written a letter to Master Hanzo. Could you please pass it on for me?"
Rinto scratched his head sheepishly before adding, "I'm so sorry to trouble you every time."
Senju Tobirama gazed into Rinto's eyes before casually reaching for the envelope. "Can I see it?"
Oh my god, the Second Hokage is so polite!
Rinto curled his lips and nodded eagerly. "Of course. The envelope isn't sealed; feel free to read it."
Seeing Rinto's cooperative attitude, Senju Tobirama nodded slightly before opening the letter.
In it, Rinto wrote to Hanzo of the Salamander in a pitiful tone, complaining about his isolation and the difficulties he faced in gathering intelligence. He lamented that his resources were dwindling, making it hard for him to function effectively.
And then, without missing a beat, he began asking for support:
First, he asked Hanzo for an assistant.
Then, he asked for financial aid, claiming they hadn't eaten a full meal in days.
More than half of the letter was just complaints, while the remaining portion was dedicated to pleading for money in increasingly creative ways.
In summary, the entire letter boiled down to one thing: poverty!
Without funding, there was nothing he could do.
Senju Tobirama couldn't help but find it amusing. On the battlefield, Hanzo and Sunagakure were fighting tooth and nail, and yet here was Rinto, shamelessly manipulating the situation for personal gain.
If Hanzo ever found out that Rinto had sold off a squad of his own men for a mere 430,000 ryo, he would probably cough up three liters of blood in sheer rage!
Maintaining his composure, Tobirama handed the letter to the nearby Anbu.
"From now on, if you have any letters, just hand them directly to Tugou."
Rinto smiled and nodded. But even after finishing his task, he remained standing in front of Tobirama's desk, not making any move to leave.
"Anything else?" Tobirama asked coldly.
To everyone's surprise, Rinto actually nodded.
"Lord Tobirama, if you're going to the front lines for negotiations, can you take me with you?"
The room fell into stunned silence. Even the ever-composed Senju Tobirama looked momentarily taken aback.
"Shokata Rinto!" A furious voice suddenly rang out.
Rinto turned his head in confusion, only to see Shimura Danzo, his face flushed red with anger, stepping forward.
"Shokata Rinto, tell me the truth! Are you colluding with Hanzo of the Salamander and planting spies in our village?!"
Danzo emphasized the word our, feeling a surge of pride at his moment of righteous accusation.
This was his chance! After enduring so much, he could finally unmask this traitor in front of his teacher!
Rinto blinked, then turned to look at Tobirama.
"Master Tobirama, is your disciple ill?" he asked weakly.
"You bastard! How dare you lie in front of the teacher!" Danzo raged.
"You're still pretending?! Tell me! How did you know about the peace talks, and how did you time your arrival so perfectly?"
It finally dawned on Rinto what they were thinking. He quickly scanned the room.
Aside from Uchiha Kagami and Sarutobi Hiruzen, who seemed lost in thought, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura wore serious expressions.
Seeing this, Rinto's face twisted in disbelief.
Holy crap! These guys are idiots!
No wonder Sarutobi Hiruzen made such terrible decisions when he got older—he was led astray by these people!
Sighing, Rinto rubbed his temples. "Oh, come on. This is obvious! Anyone with a functioning brain could see it!"
He scratched his scalp in frustration before explaining.
"Why did you announce the end of the war but not recall the ninjas from the battlefield?
The local dog that's been following me since I entered Konoha suddenly disappeared—what happened?
The Konoha Guard used to patrol twice a day, but now they do it seven or eight times a day. Do you think everyone is blind?"
As he finished speaking, Rinto pursed his lips, glancing at Danzo with pity before turning the same look on Senju Tobirama.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura felt a chill run down their spines.
This kid had guts!
What was that expression supposed to mean? Was he pitying Danzo's intelligence? Was he pitying Tobirama for having such a disciple?
Even Rinto noticed their horrified expressions and sighed internally.
You guys have put all your skill points into reading people's faces instead of thinking strategically!
Does Konoha even have a future?
Meanwhile, Danzo was sweating profusely.
Damn it, this is the second time this bastard has made me look like an idiot!
Tobirama, however, was unfazed by Rinto's pitying look.
Initially, he had suspected Rinto's timing, given his connection to Hanzo. But within seconds, Tobirama had pieced everything together.
Still, bringing Rinto to the negotiations was out of the question.
The discussion with the Second Raikage involved two major secrets. Besides, it would be highly inappropriate for Konoha to bring along a suspected spy from the Rain Village.
After a moment's thought, Tobirama shook his head.
"No."
Rinto sighed dramatically and threw himself onto the ground like a child.
"Fine. In that case, which dungeon?"
The entire room was taken aback.
Could this guy really have figured out Tobirama's plan?
When no one answered, Rinto reluctantly took out a turtle-shaped coin purse, trembling as he fished out a five-hundred-ryo bill and placed it on the floor.
"Since no one's speaking, I'll set my conditions.
First, no matter where I'm locked up, I demand three meals a day—I hate being hungry!
Second, I want meat with every meal. Meat!"
He shoved the bill forward toward Tobirama.
"Master Tobirama, this is my food money. Now that you've taken it, no cheating! You're all adults—don't bully a child like me!"
Even the ever-stoic Tobirama twitched in irritation.
This little brat!
He closed his eyes briefly and activated the Spiritualization Technique.
In an instant, his soul entered Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.
Sarutobi stiffened in shock before hearing his teacher's calm voice in his mind.
"Stay still, Monkey. Listen carefully. I'll guide you."
Moments later, Sarutobi smirked at Rinto.
"Rinto, you overestimate yourself. Even if Lord Tobirama and the rest of us aren't here, Konoha will be fine."
Rinto turned to run, but Sarutobi grabbed him with a fake smile.
"But since you insist, we'll accommodate you. Choose: the Uchiha Clan's estate or the Anbu dungeon."
Rinto froze in horror.
"This… is this what freedom looks like in the Uchiha household?"
Uchiha Kagami sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Rinto, our bloodline limit isn't the Byakugan. It's the Sharingan."
"Huh?" Rinto blinked in confusion.
"Then why does Ryota from my class always roll his eyes at me?"
Even the composed Uchiha Kagami nearly lost it.
"You! You have such a mean mouth!"
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