Reborn into Naruto World with Tenseigan

Seeing ‘Kuroto’ agree to the proposal of giving up a percentage of his salary so easily, and without the need for any persuasion, Elder Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. The words he had prepared to continue to persuade were held back, and a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes.

But Elder Hiruzen quickly concealed the doubts in his eyes and continued, “I am afraid that just this little fund might not be enough for the restoration of the Forty-fourth Training Field. Kuroto, you shouldn’t have spent that mission fee you received from us back then, right?”

This time, ‘Kuroto’ did not answer immediately; rather, he began to ponder over it.

Elder Hiruzen might have tried his best to conceal the doubts in his eyes, but ‘Kuroto’ was able to see through it at a glance and realized that the former Hokage was suspicious of him for some reason.

But the problem was that even though ‘Kuroto’ figured out that Elder Hiruzen was suspicious of him, he couldn’t figure out why, and this puzzled him. ‘Where did I reveal the flaw?’ he wondered.

In order to fill in for Kuroto, he had been very careful to ensure that no flaw was revealed. Not only demeanor and behavior but even the words and sentences that Kuroto spoke were carefully taken into account to emulate Hyuga Kuroto’s habits.

He was certain that he did not reveal any flaw in the choice of words or sentences he used nor in his demeanor and behavior. He also recalled the conversation and found that everything was quite satisfactory.

There was no topic discussed involving the village’s secrets which he might not know, nor was there any topic related to Kuroto’s personal life which may involve emotions difficult for him to understand. So, there were no emotional or reasoning problems either. It shouldn’t be possible to blow the disguise in such a simple conversation.

But Elder Hiruzen is obviously suspicious, which makes it difficult for him to understand and accept.

‘Is it because I agreed to the condition of giving away a part of Kuroto-san’s salary? Was that a secret code word or something? But Kuroto-san never talked about it. Does that mean it is related to the simple matter of having to pay a part of the salary? But Kuroto-san shouldn’t have any problem paying a percentage of his salary for the restoration of the Forest of Death. After all, restoration is very important!’

The more ‘Kuroto’ analyzed it, the more confused he became. He felt that there was something he was unable to see, but despite trying time and time again, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

Seeing that ‘Kuroto’ did not agree immediately this time, the suspicions in Elder Hiruzen’s eyes faded a little. He smiled casually and said, “Well, if you don’t want to, there’s no problem. It’s just I was hoping…” The last part was left unsaid.

‘He is definitely trying to test me with this matter!’ thought ‘Kuroto’ as he began to analyze how Kuroto would respond to this situation.

In his mind, Kuroto dared to create an entire organization to transfer the internal conflict and hatred within the village to that organization in order to maintain stability within the village. He has also been fighting against the Akatsuki Organization for the past decade to protect Konoha and the Shinobi World without ever coming into the limelight or trying to earn fame or glory for his deeds. He has been doing everything from the shadows, and that is the mark of a true shinobi—people who protect from the shadows without any regard for fame or glory.

For such a person, wealth is of no concern. The only reason Kuroto charges money from the villages is so that the villages don’t take their aid for granted and can learn from their mistakes. It doesn’t have anything to do with Kuroto being greedy for wealth. He has seen people who are greedy for money, but Kuroto is definitely not one of them.

Therefore, giving away a few hundred thousand Ryō is not a problem in his eyes, nor should it be a problem in Kuroto’s eyes. ‘Yes, Kuroto-san would also make the same choice, wouldn’t he?’ Thinking this, Kuroto nodded to Elder Hiruzen, saying, “It’s alright, I will try to help out to the best of my abilities.”

Elder Hiruzen smiled and said, “That’s great, the advisory board will also try to raise funds as quickly as possible.”

Once this matter was completed, Kuroto excused himself and left the Central Tower. Watching Kuroto leave, the doubts in Elder Hiruzen’s eyes became deeper.

Elder Koharu noted the suspicions in Elder Hiruzen’s eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”

With a frown, Elder Hiruzen said, “I can’t say for certain, but I have a feeling that there is something wrong with Kuroto today.”

Elder Koharu was surprised. She looked at the back of Kuroto and wondered, “Why didn’t I feel such a thing?”

Because of the Kirigakure incident in which Akatsuki controlled the Mizukage with Genjutsu, all major villages now pay great attention to the leaders and high-level officials of their villages. Therefore, Elder Hiruzen’s doubt is quite concerning, but Elder Koharu does not feel anything wrong with Kuroto.

Elder Hiruzen said, “I find it a bit strange that he not only agreed to sacrifice a part of his salary but also agreed to help out by giving up the mission fees he received from us. In my opinion, he shouldn’t do that. The kid loves money too much… even if I don’t see him spend it, he still seems to have an inexplicable love for money.”

Elder Koharu pondered over Hiruzen’s words and agreed, “It’s indeed a bit strange,” adding after a pause, “But the situation is different from what it was a year ago, right? He is Hokage now, so his thoughts should have changed, don’t you think? A sense of responsibility for the sake of the village should have appeared in his heart. He has been doing a lot for the village for the past year.”

Elder Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back with a thoughtful expression. “Well, that is indeed true, but…” He shook his head. “No, today he feels too much like Hokage, which is strange. Or am I the one thinking too much?”

What ‘Kuroto’ didn’t understand was that the reason doubt appeared in Elder Hiruzen’s mind was not because of any other reason, but because he acted too much like a Hokage.

…

Konohagakure Hospital

After finishing the examination of Kimimaro’s body, Tsunade-hime left the ward with a frown on her face.

At this time, Haku and Guren, who had been waiting outside the ward, came forward. They bowed to Tsunade-hime and asked, “Tsunade-sama, how is Kimimaro?”

Asuma, who was responsible for keeping an eye on the two Otogakure Genins, smiled and said, “Haha, don’t worry, Tsunade-sama is the best Iryō-nin in the shinobi world. With her help, your companion’s illness will be cured in no time.”

But contrary to Asuma’s words, Tsunade-hime shook her head. “For the time being, I have injected him with analgesics and have temporarily controlled the condition, but I don’t have any clue about how to completely solve the disease he is suffering from.”

“Is there nothing you can do?” Guren and Haku asked worriedly.

“Tsunade-sama, even you are helpless against his disease?” asked Asuma in surprise.

Tsunade-hime explained, “It’s not a simple disease, but rather something corrosive that’s slowly degrading his body despite his strong healing factor. If I am not wrong, it’s related to his Kekkei Genkai. It’s a Kekkei Genkai disease.”

“A Kekkei Genkai disease?” Asuma frowned. “That is troublesome.”

For a shinobi, a Kekkei Genkai disease is almost the same as cancer. Most of these diseases are incurable, and even for the small number that can be cured, the potency of the Kekkei Genkai within that shinobi’s body will be greatly weakened. This is essentially the same as death for a shinobi.

Tsunade-hime sighed as she questioned Haku and Guren, “The boy seems to be on some medication, right? It’s the first time I have seen such a medicine. Was it developed by your village?”

Haku nodded, “Yes, it was developed by our village.”

After receiving Haku’s affirmation, Tsunade-hime muttered in amazement, “So, that’s indeed the case, huh?” This was a surprise for her; she hadn’t expected Otogakure’s achievements in pharmaceuticals and Iryō ninjutsu to be this advanced. Even in Konoha, they haven’t developed a medication that can suppress or eliminate Kekkei Genkai disease. Curious about the person who developed such medication, she asked, “Can you tell me who developed that medication?”

Haku and Guren shook their heads apologetically. “Sorry, we are not permitted to reveal their identity to anyone.”

“Is that so?” mumbled Tsunade-hime. She knew it was no use prying into the secrets of other villages. Putting that matter aside, she said to the two Otogakure Genins, “Let him stay in Konoha Hospital for a while under my observation, at least until the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam is over. During this time, I will see if I can find a way to cure his disease.”

“Thank you!” both Guren and Haku bowed to Tsunade-hime.

With that, Tsunade-hime did not wait any longer and returned to her office.

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