Escape from the Cage

Minato truly lives up to his title as the future Fourth Hokage; even at his age, he possesses the mindset of Hokage.

This is to give the Hokage-sama an excuse to make trouble, and then, by relying on the influence of Jiraiya and Tsunade, they can get this done.

Fortunately, Taiichi hadn't been completely unprepared during this time.

Taiichi took out a stack of yellowed account books from his Ninja Tool Pouch. The edges of the papers were slightly curled from repeated reading. He took a deep breath and solemnly laid the documents on the coffee table.

"These are the Orphanage's income and expenditure records for the past five years." Taiichi's fingertip lightly traced the lines of records, then he emphasized one spot. "I've looked into Konoha's financial allocations to the Orphanage over the past few years."

"The village allocates 10 million taels to the Orphanage every year, but in reality—" Taiichi flipped through the account books, pointing to the Orphanage's financial allocation records for the past five years, "Do you see? In the past five years, the Orphanage's actual income has not been that much at all."

"And this number is decreasing every year." Taiichi picked up a recent ledger and pointed to one section, saying, "Look here, this is this year's fiscal allocation, a mere 5 million taels."

Minato bent down to examine the records, carefully checking every discrepancy and examining each voucher.

When he saw the stamp on one of the documents, his pupils contracted sharply. "This stamp from the Hokage's Office is forged!"

He pointed to the fine burrs on the edge of the seal and said to everyone, "Although this seal is very similar in appearance, those familiar with it can still see the differences if they look closely."

Upon hearing this, Taiichi others followed Minato's instructions and indeed discovered the differences by comparing them with the other credentials.

"These are forged documents! How dare these people do this?" Kushina stood to the side, her face filled with disbelief.

"There are still problems with this ledger. Many of the expenses listed are not expenses of the Orphanage at all, but they are all listed under the Orphanage's name." Jiraiya pointed out several suspicious points.

"Yes, these things are easy to investigate; it's just that no one has been willing to investigate them in the past," Taiichi said confidently. "With this information, the Hokage-sama should be able to make up his mind, right?"

Taiichi looked at everyone and asked the question that had been bothering him.

Jiraiya and Minato exchanged a glance, and it was Minato who spoke first, "That's enough. This is no longer just about withholding funds; it involves infringing on the Hokage's authority, and even more seriously, planting people around the Hokage."

"Then let's—" Taiichi looked at Jiraiya with hopeful eyes, but in the end, it was Jiraiya who had to make the decision.

"Let's go!" Jiraiya was also a decisive person. Now that he had decided to help, and everything was in place, he naturally had to act immediately.

"Taiichi, take everything with you. We're heading to the Hokage's Office now." Jiraiya stood up, his usual greasy middle-aged demeanor replaced by a bold and imposing air. "Oh, and you took Tsunade's letter to the old man, right?"

"Yes, I brought it." Taiichi also became excited.

"Okay, okay, let's go together, there's strength in numbers!" Kushina cheered from the side.

Jiraiya then flatly rejected Kushina's suggestion. "No, you and Minato shouldn't go."

"Why?" Kushina exploded upon hearing this. "I still have some influence, and besides, I was the one who persuaded you all to come, and now you're not even taking me with you."

"There are too many people. The old man might feel that we are pressuring him, which might backfire."

"Besides—" Jiraiya's heroic spirits suddenly plummeted, "Let's save the old man some face!"

Minato then pulled back the eager Kushina and shook his head slightly at her.

"Okay, fine, I'll do as you say." Kushina sighed and agreed to Jiraiya's suggestion.

After calming Kushina down, Jiraiya took Taiichi and left the Minato residence, heading quickly towards the Hokage Building.

On the streets of Konoha in morning light, Taiichi followed closely behind Jiraiya, his palms damp with sweat from nervousness. The initial excitement had faded, replaced by a pounding heart in his chest.

After turning the last corner, the Hokage Building was not far ahead. Taiichi unconsciously reached for the ledger in his Ninja Tool Pouch; this was the key to this plan.

His excited state of mind caused his Chakra to surge, and the occasional leaks of his aura drew the attention of passing ninjas.

"Taiichi!" Jiraiya suddenly stopped, his broad hand pressing heavily on Taiichi's shoulder, the warmth of his hand miraculously calming the restlessness in Taiichi's heart.

"In times of great importance, one must remain calm! This is well said. As a ninja, one must stay composed in any situation," Jiraiya earnestly advised.

Taiichi calmed himself down, bowed deeply, and solemnly said, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher!"

This is Taiichi's heartfelt gratitude!

"But it's really something to be happy about that old devil Danzo got the Danzo this time!" Jiraiya, who had been all serious Jiraiya, suddenly changed his demeanor and burst into a maniacal laugh, "Ah~ha~haha!"

A bead of cold sweat slid down Taiichi's forehead, but thanks to Jiraiya's interruption, his mood did indeed return to calm.

The Hokage's Office.

"Bang bang"

Before the people inside could reply, the door was flung open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and looked towards the door. Who was being so rude? Even the two Advisor had to wait for his permission to enter. Could it be Danzo?

A question arose in his mind.

Upon seeing the person who entered the room with their long, spiky white hair, a smile quietly appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"Jiraiya, when did you change your ways? You stop climbing through windows and start using the door instead. Did the Sun Barrier rise in the west today?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi joked.

"Huh, huh." Those words instantly deflated Jiraiya's previously imposing aura. Stroking his white hair, Jiraiya said irritably, "What are you talking about, old man? When have I ever not used the main gate?"

He then pulled Taiichi, who was walking behind him, back, saying, "I'm here this time because of this brat."

Seeing Taiichi appear surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi. After all, he felt somewhat indebted to Taiichi from the last mission, since Taichi was Tsunade's only disciple and could be considered his grand-disciple.

"Oh, Taiichi, is there something you need from me?" Hiruzen Sarutobi flashed his signature benevolent smile. "Tell me, and I'll do my best to help you if I can!"

Look at that, no wonder he's the Hokage, he speaks so tactfully. The other meaning behind those words is—if I can't do it, then I can't solve it either.

"Hokage, do you know Yakushi Nonō?" Taiichi didn't hesitate and immediately mentioned the key figure.

"Nonō? Of course I know her!" Hiruzen Sarutobi answered without hesitation, "The director of the Orphanage, right? Taiichi, didn't you grow up in Orphanage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and gave the answer. He remembered the personnel files of all the departments in Konoha perfectly. This was something he could be proud of; he knew Konoha inside and out.

"Um... Grandpa Hokage," Taiichi's voice trailed off, as if worried someone might be eavesdropping, "Did you know that Sister Nonō is Root ninja?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile froze instantly; he truly had no idea. It was unbelievable that the director of an Orphanage was Root ninja.

On Root surface, Root is an organization that trains people for the Anbu, but in reality, it is used for espionage, assassination, surveillance, framing, and other shady activities. It is indeed no exaggeration to call it the Darkness of Konoha.

The director of Orphanage, while not an important position, is still the head of a functional department. One would think that such a person should be kind and compassionate, as these two roles are completely unrelated.

Now that they're saying it's the same person, even Hiruzen Sarutobi can hardly believe it. Danzo's reach is way too far. It seems that just having the Root report to the Anbu before taking action isn't enough; they need to get their personnel lists too.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but his face turned serious.

"Taiichi, the identities of Root members are all classified. How did you know?"

"Hokage, I also deduced it from subtle clues."

Taiichi began explaining his discovery, and it was important to make this clear: he couldn't let the Hokage think he was prying into secrets, nor could he let him think that Nonō had deliberately leaked the information. Either way, it wouldn't be a good thing for either Taiichi or Nonō.

"Didn't the Root recruit me before? I've learned a bit about them since then—"

Next, Taiichi explained his analysis to Hiruzen Sarutobi, point by point.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, nodded repeatedly, still unaware of the gravity of the situation. What he was thinking was—

What a promising talent! Careful observation and meticulous analysis have revealed his strength far surpasses his peers. Konoha has a bright future ahead of him!

"That's how it is, Hokage!"

After explaining everything, Taiichi made his final request. "Could you let Sister Nonō leave Root? She's an Orphanage director, yet she's constantly going on spy missions. If outsiders find out, they'll think Konoha has no one left!"

"Besides, Sister Nonō is an excellent Medical Ninja. Her medical skills have been praised by Teacher Tsunade. Even if we want her to contribute more to Konoha, we can send her to Konoha Hospital."

Here, Taiichi cleverly shifted the concept, equating Nonō's going to Konoha Hospital with working in Root.

At this moment, although Hiruzen Sarutobi was displeased, he still did not want to interfere with Root's actions. After all, this was not only due to his friendship with Danzo, but also a power struggle within the upper echelons of Konoha. There was no need to cause discord among the upper echelons for the sake of an insignificant person.

"Oh, right, this is a letter from Teacher Tsunade to you." With that, Taiichi took Tsunade's letter out of his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared suspiciously at the letter Taichi had handed Taiichi. Tsunade had been gone from Konoha for some time now, and even he had to put in a lot of effort to contact her. He never expected that this little guy could actually get in touch with Tsunade.

Upon taking it, I saw the words "To be opened by the teacher" written on the envelope, and it was indeed Tsunade's handwriting.

He took out the letter, unfolded it, and read it carefully. At first, it was fine; it was just a routine greeting. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt relieved, thinking that at least his apprentice still cared about his teacher.

But the more he watched, the more unbearable it became. A barrage of criticism nearly made him faint with anger.

Some people retire early when they get old; he's only in his early fifties, still going strong.

What do you mean by being blind and unable to see clearly? Get treatment as soon as possible. He uses his Telescope Technique to see Tenten. Hasn't he thoroughly explored Konoha?

All the Konoha Ninja are dead, yet they want an Orphanage director and a Medical Ninja to be spies. He couldn't argue with that, but he couldn't just ask Danzo for them, especially since he had only just restricted Root's movements.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's increasingly furrowed brow as he read the letter, Jiraiya knew it was time for him to make his appearance.

Taiichi's performance just now was really great. He lifted the teacher up step by step without him even realizing it. What a clever little brat.

"Teacher, Danzo really went too far this time. The Orphanage is one of Konoha's most important institutions, housing not only orphans from outside the village, but also the children of heroes who died for Konoha."

Jiraiya patiently guided Hiruzen Sarutobi, making him think of those poor children.

"What they want is a peaceful and happy childhood, which will strengthen their bond with the village. Isn't it a waste to send such a good director to carry out a mission for the Root at this time?"

"If the other ninjas in Konoha found out that the Orphanage director was Root ninja, they'd be in big trouble. After all, Root doesn't have a very good reputation." Jiraiya emphasized his words to make them seem more credible.

"Besides, it's not like there's no one left in Root, right?" In the end, he gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a way out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed wavering, after all, his two disciples were speaking up for him, and he had to give them that much face. But then he thought of Danzo's increasingly gloomy face, and his wavering resolve hardened again. He decided to wait and see; now was not the right time.

"Taiichi, I'll consider this. Don't worry, I'll talk to Danzo. It's really inappropriate to send an Orphanage director on a spy mission," Hiruzen Sarutobi comforted Taiichi with a smile.

But instead of offering comfort, his words only made Taiichi more determined not to let the matter drag on.

"Hokage, please take a look at these things." With that, Taiichi took out the account books one by one from his Ninja Tool Pouch and placed them on the desk.

Looking at the ledgers on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to realize the seriousness of the situation; it was probably no longer a simple matter of personnel transfers.

Opening one of the account books, Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Taiichi, "What, Taiichi, aren't you going to explain this to me?"

Seeing that the Hokage-sama had given the order, Taiichi no longer hesitated, stepped forward, picked up the problematic account book, and pointed it out to him one by one.

"Hokage, look, this is Kokiin's annual record of the funds he receives from the village. The figures are much lower than the actual amount allocated, and the discrepancy is getting bigger every year."

As a fairly diligent Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew about the village's annual financial allocations. Seeing the decreasing figures year after year, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply. They were becoming increasingly arrogant; half of the allocated funds had been misappropriated.

Then, Taiichi took out a voucher from the ledger. "Hokage, take a close look at the stamp on this voucher. Is there anything wrong with it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the certificate, and with just a quick glance, he discovered a problem: the stamp was fake.

This is really serious.

With a "click".

Hiruzen Sarutobi's armrests were already deformed from his own kneading.

This isn't the seal of any other department in Konoha; it's the seal of the Hokage's Office. All of Konoha's decrees require this seal to be stamped before they can be issued and take effect.

He hurriedly picked up other ledgers and flipped through the vouchers page by page. It would have been better if he hadn't looked at them carefully. Once he examined them closely, he discovered that all the vouchers in these ledgers that involved village funding were fake.

An unnamed rage brewed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart. This was blatant usurpation of the Hokage's power! And the only person capable of doing this was Danzo.

Only he could do these things without anyone noticing.

Only he could avoid the Orphanage director discovering these things and causing trouble.

Thinking about all this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but overthink. If there was something wrong with the people in the Hokage's Office, and the Anbu hadn't noticed, then maybe there was something wrong with the Anbu as well.

Damn it, just how many Danzo done behind the scenes? Is my position as Hokage about to be usurped?