"This place is... where the Senju Clan used to live?" Mo Chen looked thoughtful.
It couldn't be the Senju Clan Compound. When Konoha was first established, the entire Senju Clan had moved here.
Back then, they were one of the two largest clans in the entire Shinobi World, with a thriving population.
Besides, both the First Hokage and the Second Hokage had come from the Senju Clan. Their compound couldn't have been so "shabby."
So this was very likely Hashirama or Tobirama's private residence, which Tsunade had then sold.
"Did the Third Hokage transfer this house to me because I awakened Wood Release?"
Mo Chen still didn't know that he was descended from the Senju, too.
Whether this was part of the world's original setup or a change brought about when he used the system to fabricate the future, there was no way to know.
"Too bad it's secondhand. I'll renovate it when I get the chance. Now that I've mastered Wood Release and Earth Release, that shouldn't be hard!"
Mo Chen didn't dwell on it and continued looking around the house.
To the left of the entrance hall was a spacious living room, furnished with comfortable sofas and a coffee table.
A huge floor-to-ceiling window took up the nearby wall. Through it, he could see the garden outside.
Like the front yard, the garden was in need of repair. There were no flowers or anything like that, just weeds all over.
So when the Third Hokage said the furniture was new, he really had only arranged for the furniture.
And he'd even said the place was ready to move into—yeah, right!
Upstairs, on the second floor, was a row of guest rooms and a huge conference room. There wasn't much to see.
The third floor had a master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms.
The master bedroom was at the end of the hallway. Its interior was cozy, and the light blue walls gave it a peaceful feel.
A large bed stood in the center of the room. A desk sat in one corner, with a desk lamp, paper, and pens on top.
There was also a scroll on the desk, positioned where it was impossible to miss.
Mo Chen unrolled it. A large character meaning "money" was written on it, sealed beneath a long string of tadpole-shaped symbols.
Mo Chen's eyes lit up. Was this a little pocket money prepared for him?
Unless something was especially confidential, there was usually a basic method for undoing its seal. They'd taught it at the Ninja Academy.
Mo Chen eagerly undid the seal, and dozens of bundles of bills appeared on the scroll.
He counted them carefully. There were five million ryo in total!
There was one bundle of ten-thousand-ryo bills, two bundles of five-thousand-ryo bills, five bundles of two-thousand-ryo bills, ten bundles of one-thousand-ryo bills, and twenty bundles of five-hundred-ryo bills. Each bundle contained a hundred bills.
That meant there was a million ryo in each denomination!
Five million ryo! Mo Chen's face turned into a ￥n￥.
"Hmph. Don't think you can corrupt my principles with money. I won't be bought... At worst, after you die, I'll take good care of your daughter-in-law and help improve your granddaughter's bloodline!"
Mo Chen wiped away the 'tears' at the corner of his mouth and continued looking around.
There was also a bookshelf beside the desk, packed with books and scrolls.
Mo Chen took a quick look. There were books on the Shinobi World's history and culture, the history of the shinobi, and all kinds of travelogues and biographies.
There was even Jiraiya's The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi and the complete set of Icha Icha Paradise.
The scrolls contained detailed explanations of basic ninjutsu, tactics and strategy, formations and barriers, Summoning Beast traits, analyses of classic missions...
They covered all sorts of subjects—anything related to a shinobi's abilities was included.
Of course, it was all basic knowledge. There were no practical skills.
But anyone who mastered this material could become an excellent staff officer, even without much talent or strength.
"That's quite a grand gesture!" Mo Chen couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.
With all this material, the five million ryo from earlier hardly seemed like anything.
Of course, if Mo Chen had to choose between the two, he'd definitely take the five million ryo.
The materials were valuable, and would expand his abilities, but he could make as much money as he wanted.
And wasn't building up his abilities just a way to get power and money? Why bother when he could have them right away?
Mo Chen admitted he was a worldly man who cared most about what he could get in the present.
Still, the bookshelf had given him a glimpse into the Third Hokage's intentions.
The Third Hokage wanted to raise him into the next generation's leader, perhaps even a future pillar of Konoha!
You couldn't tell from the original story that the Third Hokage had this much resolve.
But when you thought about it, he was, after all, known as the "Shinobi Hero."
Even in his old age, a battered ship still had a few nails left.
Mo Chen had performed perfectly in every respect, at least by the Third Hokage's standards.
With almost no one else around him capable of shouldering such a responsibility, it made sense for the Third Hokage to go all in on Mo Chen.
Mo Chen wasn't one to plan far ahead. He let himself reflect for a moment, then set the matter aside.
He'd always taken things one step at a time. If the Third Hokage was betting the future on him, then he'd protect Konoha. That didn't conflict with his original goal.
Aside from these things, the bedroom had an empty wardrobe, a bathroom, and a balcony.
From the balcony, he could see Konoha's back mountain. The air was fresh, and the scenery was lovely.
Whoosh!
Just then, a figure approached at high speed using the Body Flicker Technique.
Mo Chen tensed slightly, then soon relaxed.
In the next moment, Yamato appeared on the balcony and took off his mask.
"I went to the hospital to look for you, but they said you'd been discharged. I went to the place you used to live, but you weren't there. The Third Hokage mentioned he was giving you this house, so I figured I'd find you here."
Yamato looked impressed, and there was a trace of pride in his voice.
This was his student!
He'd only been training for a few days, yet his talent and strength already amazed Yamato.
Now the Third Hokage was treating him so well, too. Yamato could hardly be prouder.
Jiraiya often said of the Fourth Hokage, "When it comes to a shinobi's talent, everyone else pales in comparison."
Now Yamato wanted to run up to Jiraiya and steal the line, using it to praise his own student, Mo Chen.
"Teacher Yamato!" Mo Chen welcomed him inside with a smile. "I was just exhausted, not injured. I didn't feel comfortable staying in the hospital, so I left. I came to take a look at this house, too."
"But it's way too big for me to live in alone. Why would the Third Hokage give me a house like this?"
Yamato patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "You can accept it without feeling guilty. There are some things I can't tell you yet, but you'll understand someday."
Yamato didn't say more about it. He soon changed the subject and asked for details about the ambush.
Mo Chen had learned all his abilities from Yamato, so there was no need to hide anything. He told him everything, down to the smallest detail.
"I thought we'd done a good job keeping your Wood Release awakening a secret. But now I see that man really is who he is. Nothing in Konoha escapes his notice. I should've prepared in advance."
"You survived this time because he underestimated your strength. If he comes after you again, things will probably be even more troublesome. You need to prepare," Yamato said, looking worried.
He knew all too well how crooked Konoha's leadership could be. Even though the Third Hokage had made his support for Mo Chen clear and sternly warned Danzo,
Danzo might hold back in public, but given the chance, he'd definitely target Mo Chen again. He'd just be more discreet about it.
Before you continue