An enviable mansion

As Yuguang finished speaking...

The entire conference room fell silent.

Only the sound of heavy breathing remained. From the Konoha Sannin to the Third Hokage, every face was filled with shock.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke cautiously. "Lord Yuguang, shouldn't we give this a little more thought?"

Yuguang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does the Third Hokage have an objection? I don't see any problem with rewarding this young man."

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly shook his head. "No, no, Lord Yuguang, you've misunderstood."

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with rewarding him. I just think you should find out how much land the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan occupy before deciding. Isn't granting a reward outright like this a little hasty?"

Having said that, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, already regretting opening his mouth.

After all, whether Konoha's future budget increased or decreased depended entirely on the report Yuguang gave when he returned.

Attending this meeting was only one of Yuguang's reasons for coming here. His other task was to inspect Konoha's development.

That made Yuguang a walking money tree. Getting on his good side might bring a substantial budget increase, so he was absolutely not someone to offend.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was an old fox, but so was Yuguang.

Could anyone who rose to the head of the Inner Cabinet possibly be simple?

Moreover, his reasons for accepting this assignment to Konoha were far from simple. Inspection was only part of it; he also wanted a hand in Konoha's internal administration.

Konoha's overall strength was renowned throughout the shinobi world, and the power of its founders, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, was the stuff of legend.

Faced with a village founded by such legends, the Land of Fire understood the importance of its existence, while also hoping to gain some influence over it. That was why it invested so much money: to show Konoha's people how highly the Land of Fire valued them.

Both sides understood this perfectly well.

If they wanted vigorous development, they had to move forward together. Neither could do without the other.

And now, Yuguang had spotted Konoha's most promising young prodigy, Ling Feng.

That was why Yuguang was doing everything he could to get close to Ling Feng. He wanted to use him as an opening through which to extend his influence into Konoha.

Ling Feng gave no outward sign that he understood what these two old foxes were thinking, but inwardly, he knew perfectly well.

Accepting someone's favors left you beholden to them.

Ling Feng understood that principle far better than they did.

But so what?

In the end, strength still had the final say.

So whatever Yuguang offered him today, Ling Feng would accept it.

Becoming a legend was only a matter of time.

And Ling Feng's ultimate goal was to surpass legends!

"Heh, I suspect Lord Third only said that because he has some reservations about my decision."

"I took a look on my way here. There's a great deal of vacant land sitting unused all around the village. What, could the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan possibly occupy more land than that?"

"If you're unhappy about anything, just say so. Bring it up while I'm still here. Don't wait until I've left and then make things difficult for this young man."

Yuguang spoke evenly as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression stern. It sounded more like a reprimand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head slightly, not daring to meet his eyes.

It had to be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old fox, could really swallow his pride. A Hokage in his own right, he held back even a displeased look for the sake of the entire village's welfare. Under ordinary circumstances, his expression would have turned cold long ago.

"No, Lord Yuguang, the decision is yours. Ling Feng made an outstanding contribution this time and deserves a reward. I merely felt that, as a shinobi, he should become accustomed to a life of hardship, which was why I raised the question. It's my fault for being too demanding of him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a slightly subdued voice, giving Yuguang all the respect he could ask for.

Hearing that, Ling Feng couldn't help marveling inwardly. An old fox was still an old fox. He had even managed to find himself a graceful way out of this.

Put that way, Yuguang was the one in the wrong, yet the final sentence shifted the blame back onto Hiruzen himself. There wasn't a single flaw in it.

Yuguang's brows furrowed at those words, then quickly relaxed.

Whatever the case, Hiruzen Sarutobi had compromised in the end.

"Young Ling Feng, are you satisfied with this reward?"

Yuguang turned to Ling Feng as he spoke, smiling warmly.

Ling Feng knew that Yuguang was trying to win him over.

He couldn't be bothered with their power struggles. As long as he grew into the face of Konoha, no one would dare use him as a pawn again.

"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Yuguang. I'm overwhelmed by the honor, but this reward is far too lavish."

With the Sannin and the Third Hokage all watching, Ling Feng had to show at least a little courtesy.

But Yuguang laughed heartily and slapped the table. "Nonsense! You've earned it. Then it's settled. I'll have people begin work as soon as possible. You should look over the plans too, and feel free to make any suggestions."

"I have other business to attend to, so I'll take my leave. I'll invite you for tea when we get the chance!"

With that, Yuguang stood and left.

Kiryū Sanki gave Ling Feng a long look, his eyes filled with hatred, envy, and wariness.

He hated Ling Feng for humiliating him in the street, envied him for receiving such a lavish reward, and feared both his strength and Yuguang's personal protection.

Ling Feng looked back at him. Within seconds, Kiryū Sanki lost his nerve, hastily averted his eyes, and followed Yuguang out of the conference room.

Hmph!

If we meet again, this Kiryū Sanki probably won't even dare lift his head in front of me, will he?

Yuguang was gone.

The oppressive atmosphere in the room vanished with him.

The Sannin raised their heads again, while Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Ling Feng with his brows tightly furrowed.

They were back to a situation where Hiruzen Sarutobi had the final say.

"Ling Feng, a reward of this magnitude is unprecedented."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

What he really meant was that he hoped Ling Feng would voluntarily refuse it. After all, building a mansion cost a great deal of money. If they could save it, they could put it to use elsewhere.

Ling Feng shrugged. "It's not as though I asked for it. He insisted on giving it to me. What could I do?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old fox, loved speaking in riddles. Rather than asking directly, he always had to talk in circles.

Since that was how he wanted to play it, Ling Feng simply decided to play dumb.

Sure enough, Hiruzen Sarutobi froze at Ling Feng's reply.

The Konoha Sannin were stunned too.

Ding! Gained 60 Points!

Heh, this feels great!

"All right, Lord Third, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. I haven't finished today's training yet."

With that, Ling Feng turned and made his escape.

"Well..." Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples, a headache coming on, then looked at the Sannin. "What do you three think?"

Jiraiya was the first to raise his hand. "Sensei, just how much would we have to accomplish to get a mansion as a reward too?"

Tsunade and Orochimaru looked equally expectant.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: ...