Fiscal Deficit? Then Incorporate the Legacy of Sacrificed Ninjas into the Treasury!

Sasuke turned his head to look at Minato.

He saw that Minato's eyes were hollow, his entire being seemingly shrouded in an aura of desolation.

Clearly, Danzo's words had dealt him a devastating blow.

He had always believed himself to be a dutiful and responsible Hokage...

Even at the moment of his death, he had held onto that belief.

He had even hoped that Naruto would be able to live on as the son of a hero.

Yes, at the moment of his death, he had felt like a hero.

A hero of Konoha!

The only ones he had failed were Kushina and the newborn Naruto...

But he had never imagined...

That after his death, the high-ranking officials of Konoha would view him in such a light...

As if he were a sinner of Konoha...

Is he already losing his cool?... Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Too young, too conceited, and too concerned with the opinions of others.

In contrast, look at Kushina.

Her red hair was rising without a breeze, fueled by her rising fury, and her expression was terrifyingly dark!

Inside the meeting room.

"That's enough," Homura Mitokado said. "Danzo, that's enough."

"Indeed," Koharu Utatane added. "Now is not the time to assign blame. Regardless of his merits or faults, the Fourth and his wife have already paid with their lives."

"As the Fourth Hokage of our village, he can only be remembered and celebrated as a hero."

Her words effectively set the tone.

Of course, her intention was simply that she couldn't be bothered to argue with Danzo.

As old classmates, she knew Danzo's personality all too well.

Arguing with him would only lead to an endless cycle of debate.

He possessed a very strong, stubborn streak and was a man who could not be persuaded.

If she had lived in the modern era, she would have undoubtedly called Danzo a contrarian.

But in her heart, Koharu Utatane believed Minato had been a qualified Hokage.

Unfortunately, her words now carried a sense of forced necessity.

And they had been heard by Minato and Kushina...

"Old hag Koharu! What do you mean by that!"

"What did Minato do wrong!"

"What do you mean he can only be celebrated as a hero!"

Ding!

Detected intense emotional fluctuation from Kushina Uzumaki. Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Contract Seal!

Minato was the one who kept his composure.

"Hmph!" Danzo Shimura scoffed. "I said back then that we should have chosen Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage!"

"If he had been Hokage, Konoha wouldn't have suffered such a catastrophe!"

He appeared relentless, but in reality, he was laying the groundwork for the selection of the Fifth Hokage.

"Alright, alright." Homura Mitokado, also knowing Danzo's temperament, tried to smooth things over. "Let's not discuss the past for now. Let's continue discussing the placement of the jinchuriki."

Minato and Kushina's hearts sank.

The tone had already been set.

They knew that the arrangements for Naruto wouldn't be any better.

"Hand the jinchuriki over to Root!" Danzo insisted stubbornly!

"Absolutely not!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stated. "Before Kushina passed, I promised her that I would take good care of their child, so I cannot hand Naruto over to your Root."

Minato and Kushina breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Sasuke, however, chuckled. "Alright, no need to worry. The jinchuriki must remain in the hands of the Hokage; that is the convention. Even if the Third is senile, he wouldn't hand him over to Danzo. As a politician, don't think his promises are all that reliable."

"..." Although they knew Sasuke was deliberately trying to sow discord, they had to admit that the touch of gratitude Minato had just felt was ruthlessly shattered by his words.

Meanwhile.

Danzo blurted out, "Before Master Tobirama passed away, you promised him that you would entrust Konoha to someone worthy! And now? Most of Konoha has been reduced to ruins! And you've become the shortest-lived Hokage among the Five Great Nations!"

"..." This single sentence plunged both generations of Hokage into silence.

"That's enough, Danzo," Homura Mitokado said. "Do not make a mockery of Master Tobirama. And don't even think about the jinchuriki; that is not something you can lay your hands on. Just say what you came here to say."

They were old friends, after all; how could they not be familiar with Danzo's usual tactic of cutting straight to the chase?

It was nothing more than using the jinchuriki as a bargaining chip to negotiate terms.

"That's right. The jinchuriki must remain in the hands of the Hokage. You should be well aware of that. Hiruzen will personally entrust him to the next Hokage, so there is no need to trouble your Root."

Koharu Utatane said it directly, and Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no intention of denying it. This caused Kushina, who had been moved just moments before, to freeze, and Minato's heart sank.

Danzo knew he had pushed far enough. "Our Root is willing to share the burden for Konoha by taking care of the descendants of the ninja clans who sacrificed themselves because of the Nine-Tails."

If he wanted to recruit orphans from the ninja clans into the Root, he should have just said so... Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance, then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his gaze.

The two advisors understood. Homura Mitokado nodded and said, "Very well. Submit the list first, and we will determine the approval."

Inside the Soul Space.

Sasuke looked at Minato with a playful expression. "I wonder if our Lord Hokage feels fortunate about his decision to seal the Nine-Tails inside his own child back then?"

"..." Minato remained silent.

At this moment, Danzo spoke up again: "Because we need to take care of them, the expenses for our Root have increased..."

Hah, he had just claimed to be sharing the burden for Konoha, and now he was reaching out for money.

"Don't go too far, Danzo," said Koharu Utatane, who was in charge of finances. "The Third Great Ninja War ended not long ago, and Konoha hasn't recovered yet. Now, having suffered such a great disaster, we need funds for every aspect of our operations. The treasury is already in a deficit!"

Danzo said with a meaningful tone, "Then we won't draw from the Konoha treasury."

Not draw from the Konoha treasury?... The two advisors exchanged a look.

"That wouldn't be appropriate..." They already understood what Danzo meant.

"This is a last resort. They were all heroes who inherited the Will of Fire and were willing to sacrifice themselves for Konoha. I believe they would understand our good intentions."

"Besides, if we leave it there, are we just going to let it benefit the Bank of the Land of Fire?" After saying this, Danzo looked at Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, this is a power that only the Hokage possesses. Although you are the former Hokage, I believe you can still exercise this authority."

Inside the Soul Space.

Minato couldn't help but frown. "Benefit the Bank of the Land of Fire? What does that mean?"

"You really don't understand?" Sasuke said playfully. "The inheritances of the fallen ninjas!"

!!! Minato's pupils constricted!

He truly could not believe that the high-ranking officials of Konoha would do such a thing!

Judging by their words, it wasn't even the first time!

These people had sacrificed themselves to protect Konoha!

How could they do this!

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled, as if he had made a decision in his heart.

He looked at Koharu Utatane beside him. "Koharu, you are in charge of the audit. Give me the list of fallen ninjas who have no heirs so I can review and sign off on it."

"Very well."

"Danzo, you can apply with Koharu when the time comes."

"Fine!" Danzo nodded, then added, "But the inheritances of these ninja clans that are about to join the Root must all be turned over to our Root."

"Agreed."

Inside the Soul Space.

No heirs... Minato's eyes flickered; it didn't seem entirely unacceptable.

But Sasuke laughed. "Don't lie to yourself!"

"As someone who was the Hokage just yesterday, I believe you are very clear about Konoha's current financial situation."

"I believe you are capable of calculating how much funding is needed for Konoha's reconstruction and other issues, and how large a sum is required to effectively fill the deficit in the treasury."

"But as our former Fourth Hokage, you wouldn't be so naive as to think there is truly such a massive amount of inheritance left with no heirs, would you?"

Minato took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Did he not understand? He understood!

Just as Sasuke said, he was very clear about Konoha's current financial state.

The reconstruction of the village, the distribution of pensions, the payment of salaries for various departments, and the subsequent costs to maintain the normal operation of the village—one only needed to do a simple calculation to get a rough estimate.

Comparing the two, the shortfall was an astronomical figure!

Was there really such a massive amount of inheritance without heirs?

Just as Sasuke said, he was merely lying to himself, unwilling to think about it too deeply!