第24章 那您刚才说的‘特殊情况

"You said it!" Sarutobi Sasuke laughed as well. "That kid was shouting about how, when he gets the chance, he's going to find Hozuki Reigetsu himself to settle the score, and he even told us not to interfere..."

As they were talking, a knock suddenly sounded at the office door.

Hearing the noise, Tobirama's lips curled up. "That should be Hibari. I just had Hiruzen go call him." Without waiting for the other two to respond, he called out, "Come in."

The door swung open in response.

Hibari darted in first, head held high and chest out, full of energy. How could anyone tell he had been a wounded man?

"Hashi... ah, Lord Hokage! Grandpa Sarutobi! You finally made it back!" He grinned the moment he spotted Hashirama and Sarutobi Sasuke.

Sarutobi Sasuke looked him up and down. Seeing him jumping around, the stone in his heart finally dropped, and he laughed. "Weren't we worried about you, kid? We rushed to finish things up and came straight back. Looks like you've recovered well?"

"You can put your heart at ease, I'm doing great!" Hibari slapped his chest with a loud thud.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen followed him in and closed the door behind him.

After a few brief pleasantries, Hashirama waved his hand to get to the point. "Alright, as long as Hibari is fine. Tobirama, let's talk business."

Tobirama nodded, turned his gaze to Hiruzen and Hibari, and said sternly, "Hiruzen, Hibari, you completed this mission exceptionally well.

It was originally just an A-rank support mission, but unexpected situations kept arising during the process. Not only did the tailed beast cause trouble, but experts from Kirigakure intervened as well... After a comprehensive assessment, this mission fully meets S-rank standards. Therefore, the compensation and records will be handled according to S-rank specifications."

Hiruzen remained calm upon hearing this. He had seniority and the strength to back it up; this wasn't his first S-rank mission.

Hibari was a different story. This was the very first mission of his ninja career, and he'd hit an S-rank right out of the gate! Although he had anticipated it, hearing the confirmation with his own ears still made his heart leap with excitement.

"S-rank... is it a record to get one on my first mission?" he asked, his eyes shining.

"Hahaha, that it is!" Hashirama laughed heartily. "Since the village was founded, no one has ever had their first mission be an S-rank and completed it successfully. You, kid, are one of a kind!"

On the other side, Tobirama had already turned to open a filing cabinet. As he took things out, he said, "The corresponding merit points have been entered into your ninja files. This is the cash reward for the mission. Hiruzen, come and take it."

Hiruzen smiled, walked up, and took a banknote from Tobirama's hand. This currency was used throughout Konoha Village and could be exchanged for gold and silver at the bank at any time.

Hibari curiously stood on his tiptoes, stretched his neck to look, and exclaimed, "One million five hundred thousand ryo?!"

The mission reward system in Konoha had been set in stone since the village's founding. This was a matter concerning the vital interests of every ninja, so it couldn't be taken lightly. The entire system clearly divided mission difficulty into five grades: S, A, B, C, and D, with clear distinctions between them.

Hibari knew there was pay for missions, of course, but he had never actually asked about the specific amounts. Seeing Second Master Tobirama hand Sarutobi Hiruzen a banknote, his eyes went wide.

Hiruzen, however, was quite calm; after all, for someone who had performed S-rank missions, this wasn't much of a scene. He took the note and smiled. "Thank you, Teacher."

"You risked your life for it; it's yours." Second Master Tobirama patted his disciple on the shoulder, his tone filled with satisfaction.

"Second Master, Uncle Hiruzen!" Hibari hurried over. "Are S-rank mission rewards always this generous?"

Hiruzen smiled at the question and pulled a table from somewhere, handing it over. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Hibari took it curiously and lowered his head to read.

"D-rank mission: no combat risk, reward between five thousand and fifty thousand ryo... C-rank: possible injury, thirty thousand to one hundred thousand ryo... B-rank: requires combat, eighty thousand to two hundred thousand ryo... A-rank: concerns village or national movements, one hundred fifty thousand to one million ryo..." he read softly.

His eyes grew brighter as he read, and his voice rose half an octave by the last line: "S-rank mission: involves national secrets, reward over one million ryo?!"

By the time he finished reading, Hibari had no interest in the fine print; his mind was spinning with that string of numbers.

"Good heavens, being a ninja pays this well?" He smacked his lips. "If I'd known this, I would've gone out on missions two years ago. Why would I have been bickering with Sister Tsunade over three hundred ryo?"

After pondering for a while, another question occurred to him. "Second Master, with rewards this high, can the village's finances handle it?"

Seeing Hibari start to think about these things, Second Master Tobirama felt quite gratified. He smiled and explained, "First of all, the vast majority of missions have clients, and the commission is paid by them.

The village doesn't just avoid paying; it even takes a cut as fiscal revenue. So, the more missions there are, the more the village earns."

He paused here and continued, "Secondly, the value behind each mission differs. Take your S-rank mission for example. On the surface, it looks like the village paid out a high reward,

but the benefits brought by the mission's completion are even greater—reaching a tacit alliance with Takigakure is one layer, and as for Seven-Tails Chomei..." Second Master Tobirama gave Hibari a meaningful look. "How much do you think that's worth? And how much did Takigakure pay?"

Hibari understood now and asked tentatively, "Seven-Tails... that has to be worth at least tens of millions of ryo, right?"

Second Master Tobirama smiled without answering, only saying, "In short, the little reward you received is just a fraction of the overall profit. If the village wants to grow big and strong, how could it engage in losing business?"

"Then what about the 'special circumstances' you mentioned earlier..." Hibari recalled that point.

Second Master Tobirama's expression turned serious. "Usually, missions have rewards. But once the Hokage declares the village is in a state of war, all ninjas must unconditionally obey deployment.

At that time, fixed monthly stipends are issued based only on ninja rank and the war situation. No matter how important the mission is, there will be no additional rewards."

After saying this, his tone softened, and he added, "Of course, there are also long-term employment missions, which are also paid by monthly stipend..."

"I get that!" Hibari interjected. "Uncle Yunya and Senior Qingmu are on monthly stipends. By the way, they still owe me a lot of milk..."

"Hahaha, that's exactly the logic." Second Master Tobirama laughed with rare heartiness.

He reached out and ruffled Hibari's hair, his tone much gentler. "Hibari, this village may not look big, but it is tied to the lives of countless people and concerns the stability of the entire nation. Therefore, it must be supported by a complete and meticulous system to function.

Right now, our system isn't perfect yet, or rather, the times are always changing, and we must always strive toward a more perfect direction.

This isn't something a few people can accomplish alone..." Second Master Tobirama looked at the boy with a profound gaze. "In the future, perhaps you will need to think more about these things, too. After all, you are a part of this village."

Hibari nodded earnestly. He was worthy of being the Second Hokage who would single-handedly build the Konoha system. The village had prospered for so many years, and who knew how much of that was due to Second Master Tobirama's efforts.

"Second Master, I'll remember that!" Hibari grinned.

"Remembering is enough." Second Master Tobirama patted his shoulder. "There's nothing left for you here. Your mission now is to rest well and get your body fully recovered. Go on."

Hibari had always been a sensible person, so he naturally wouldn't pester the big shots for more missions. He nodded and said, "Then I'll head out."

But just as he reached the door, his footsteps suddenly faltered. He felt like something wasn't quite right. That righteous speech of Second Master Tobirama's sounded like he'd been lured into a trap; it felt like he'd forgotten something very important, the kind that resulted in a massive loss.

He slapped his forehead hard, turned around, and shouted indignantly, "Good grief, I almost let you guys fool me! I was involved in this S-rank mission too; if I didn't have merit, I at least had hard work! You have to pay me my share of the reward!

Second Master, you were in such a hurry to kick me out—were you trying to make me work for free? Doesn't your conscience hurt? What kind of grandfather does that!"

Seeing him jumping with anxiety, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and the Sarutobi father and son burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright, we were just teasing you." Second Master Tobirama waved his hand merrily. "You really did risk your life on this mission. Given that effort, the village won't treat you unfairly."

As he spoke, he turned and pulled another banknote from the cabinet and handed it over. "Take it, this is your share."

Hibari took it and looked—it was exactly the same as Sarutobi Hiruzen's, a full one million five hundred thousand ryo!

"Whoa, first time seeing this much money in my life!" He muttered, clutching the banknote happily. "I'm rich now... being a ninja really has a future. This wasn't a loss at all!"

With the reward in hand, Hibari planned to leave. The big shots would surely discuss the aftermath of the mission and village affairs next. Although he was curious, he knew his status made it inappropriate to stay, so he tactfully prepared to take his leave.

Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Hashirama. "By the way, Lord Hokage, that rogue ninja from Takigakure..."

Senju Hashirama's expression darkened slightly. "That person seems to have hidden a trump card to save his life..."

Before he could finish, Hibari grinned. "That's perfect, no need to trouble you to take action. When I get the chance, I want to settle the score with him myself."

Hashirama was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Good, then I'll leave that matter for you to resolve."

With this final matter settled, Hibari didn't delay any further. He waved to everyone and left the office.

After he had gone far away, Senju Hashirama suddenly rubbed his chin, a look of awkwardness appearing on his face. He coughed twice and looked at Tobirama. "Um... Tobirama, did you forget something?"

Second Master Tobirama paused, then chuckled. "You're right, I almost missed a contributor."

Hashirama's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly chimed in, "Exactly, exactly, you can't be careless about these things..."

Second Master Tobirama nodded and took another banknote from the cabinet. Hashirama rubbed his hands in excitement, ready to take it, but saw Tobirama turn his body and walk straight to Sarutobi Sasuke.

"Sarutobi, thank you for your hard work this time." Second Master Tobirama handed the banknote over. "Keep your reward safe."

Sarutobi Sasuke took it with some embarrassment and shook his head with a sigh. "I am truly ashamed... I almost let that child Hibari get into an accident."

"Missions inevitably have risks; no one can guarantee anything." Second Master Tobirama patted his shoulder. "Fortunately, your luck wasn't bad, he's fine, so don't blame yourself too much."

Before Sarutobi Sasuke could speak again, Second Master Tobirama clapped his hands. "Alright, everything that needed to be done is done. Let's talk about the next matter."

As soon as these words were spoken, Hashirama's face instantly fell. "What about me? Tobirama! I put in the effort too! I traveled thousands of miles to send the Seven-Tails to Takigakure; my contribution should count as the greatest, right? Why isn't there a share for me?"

When Second Master Tobirama heard this, his temper flared. "Every time you get money in your hands, you turn around and send it to the gambling den! Instead of wasting it like that, it's better to leave it for the village to do some real work!"