In the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi studied the mission report, forgetting even to smoke his pipe.
"Rōran... the Dragon Vein... Mukade, the rogue ninja from Sunagakure... a Puppet Army..."
He rubbed his temples and looked at the three boys standing before him, along with a white-haired man whose expression was so bland he might have just returned from a picnic.
"Orochimaru, you and your students certainly caused quite a stir."
"The mission was completed, wasn't it?" Orochimaru's voice held little inflection.
"Completed, yes. You even exceeded the requirements." The Third sighed and stamped the mission evaluation with a bright red "A," followed by the Hokage's personal seal.
"But next time something involves... well, an ancient kingdom's energy core, you'd best inform the village beforehand. Something like the Dragon Vein could be disastrous if mishandled."
"Understood."
Orochimaru's reply gave no indication whether he had actually taken the advice to heart.
Uchiha Makoto stood with his teammates, his eyes lowered and his expression composed.
Inform the village?
If I did that, would I still get the chance to quietly pack up the entire Dragon Vein for myself?
Dream on!
On the surface, though, he still put on the same air of "humbly accepting instruction" as Orochimaru.
Their reward arrived shortly afterward.
The money went straight into Orochimaru's hands: a total of one million ryo for an A-Rank Mission.
On the way back, Orochimaru divided the money right there at the Training Ground.
"Makoto, three hundred thousand ryo." Orochimaru counted out several thick stacks of bills and handed them over. "Your intelligence, reconnaissance, and final... 'assistance' were crucial this time."
"Kakashi, one hundred thousand ryo."
"Yuichi, fifty thousand ryo."
The split was straightforward, and very pragmatic.
Harada Yuichi felt a little disappointed. Who wouldn't want more money?
But he also knew his contribution