Asking for money and troublesome matters

"Money?"

"What money?"

"I don't have any money!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been smiling, his wrinkled face warm as he looked at Shihōin Naraku standing before him. But the moment he heard that Naraku had come asking for money, his expression changed, and he repeatedly insisted he had none.

Naraku stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi suspiciously, not believing a word he said.

"The Medical Department handed over quite a lot of funds to the village last year. You've spent it all already?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked utterly helpless, but he kept puffing on his pipe.

"You really have picked up Tsunade's bad habits, child. All you ever do is ask for money. How can you not believe me..."

"Think about it. So many departments and organizations in the village need money, and everything needs developing. How could we possibly not be short of funds?"

"I know you well. You've done a fine job in the Medical Emergency Response Unit and contributed a great deal to the village's development. It's not just me-everyone is grateful to you."

Naraku watched Hiruzen Sarutobi ramble on, speechless. He had been talking for ages without getting to the point.

"Money! Money! I..."

"I'm getting to that." Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled. "Look, you've done quite well in the Medical Emergency Response Unit. You could find ways to earn money yourselves in the Anbu, too."

How was that the same?

Naraku was about to argue when something suddenly occurred to him. "Wait a minute. Even setting aside the Medical Department's funds, what about the supplies I led a team to seize last time? And all that gold dust!"

It simply hadn't occurred to Naraku before, or he would have brought it up long ago. The gold dust he had seized last time was more than enough to fund the Anbu's development.

In fact, the Anbu's compensation wasn't that bad, and under normal circumstances, they weren't particularly short of money. But their compensation hadn't improved in so long, and the aging base needed upgrades. That was why Naraku had come to Hiruzen Sarutobi for money.

With Naraku making his case so firmly, the Third Hokage could only approve some funding for him, painful though it was.

In the past, Root under Danzo had been so powerful that it had essentially suppressed the Anbu.

Apart from the Anbu guards who answered directly to the Hokage, the other Anbu members had all been influenced by Danzo. Naturally, it could be said that the Anbu's funds had been under Danzo's control back then, too.

Besides getting money from the Third Hokage, Danzo could also use his connections to extract funds from Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

Just think: Orochimaru had once been a member of Root, as had Kakashi Hatake, Tenzo (Yamato), Kabuto Yakushi, and later Sai, among others...

Cultivating talent had always required vast amounts of money.

It was through his power and money that Danzo had managed to cultivate so many prodigies!

But now, Root had been forcibly disbanded, and Danzo himself had been dismissed. Of course he would no longer help pay for the Anbu.

So what Naraku needed to do now was the same as Danzo: as a superior with authority and money in hand, his subordinates would naturally gather around him.

At the height of Danzo's power, he had even gone so far as to order his subordinates to assassinate the Third Hokage. Though it had failed because of Kakashi, it still revealed the problem.

Standing in his office, watching Naraku's departing figure through the glass, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew that Naraku's authority within the Anbu would only grow from this point onward.

It was only because Kakashi Hatake didn't care. Otherwise, the two would soon turn against each other and come to blows over it.

That reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi of himself and Danzo. They had once been very close friends and comrades, but ever since he became Hokage and Danzo became Advisor to the Hokage and took control of Root, their relationship had never been good again.

"Sigh..."

Shihōin Naraku felt the gaze behind him. He knew the Third Hokage was watching him.

The old man wasn't worried I'd challenge his authority over this, was he?

After thinking it over, he knew that probably wasn't the reason.

The Third Hokage had no need to worry about that. Though he looked like an old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi's power could be said to extend over every corner of Konohagakure.

After decades of his tenure as Hokage, everyone throughout Konoha had grown accustomed to Hiruzen Sarutobi occupying that position. They had even forgotten that the day would come when the Third Hokage reached the end of his life.

That habit was not to be underestimated. It meant that everyone acknowledged Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Not even the authority of the first two Hokage had reached the extraordinary extent of the Third Hokage's.

For the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, it was because Konohagakure had only just been founded, and trust had yet to develop among the major ninja clans that joined Konoha. On top of that, Madara Uchiha had held him in check.

By the Second Hokage's time, although Konoha was developing well and the major ninja clans had integrated into the village, the Uchiha Clan remained a very serious problem. The Konoha Military Police Force itself had been established to keep the Uchiha Clan in check.

And if Hiruzen Sarutobi had initially needed to share power with his comrades to support his position and prestige following the Second Hokage's dying instructions, the current Third Hokage had long since fully established his own authority.

Of course, there was still a way to destroy the Third Hokage's position: simply kill him outright!

After returning to the Anbu with funds in hand, Naraku began directing his reforms.

Maintenance and renovations for the base, upgrades to the Anbu's dedicated training grounds, improvements to logistics, and better compensation for Anbu members.

Just as the Third Hokage had thought, if anyone other than Kakashi had been Anbu Commander, they would have turned against Naraku long ago, because this was a blatant power grab!

Once this series of plans was completed, practically no one else would have a say in the Anbu.

To put it another way, the Anbu would have a leader even more powerful than Danzo.

"Hey, Naraku. Let's go together."

Kakashi Hatake was leaning against the wall outside the Anbu base, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a newly released book in the Icha Icha Paradise series, reading with relish.

Having just issued his orders and received word of a Jonin Commander meeting, Naraku stepped out of the Anbu base, only for Kakashi to call out to him.

The two left side by side. Naraku was still thinking about his plans, so he remained silent, while Kakashi seemed completely absorbed in his book and likewise said nothing.

"You're making too many big moves, Naraku..."

Naraku came back to his senses and looked at Kakashi, whose eyes were still on Icha Icha Paradise.

"Is there a problem?"

"A big one!"

Kakashi Hatake closed the book helplessly and tucked Icha Icha Paradise into his pocket.

In truth, he was extremely reluctant to get involved in such matters. After his father Hatake Sakumo's suicide, Kakashi had come to loathe struggles for power and personal gain.

"Even with Root disbanded, that man's influence in the Anbu is far from insignificant... If you keep this up, you're bound to clash with him."

Naraku waved a hand and gave Kakashi a serious look. "These things I'm doing were your responsibility in the first place. Especially when it comes to Danzo."

The Third Hokage had put Kakashi Hatake in charge of the Anbu not merely to use him as a fighter, but also in the hope that he could curb Danzo's rapidly expanding power within the Anbu and Root.

Had Kakashi actually managed that, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not have taken forceful action to remove Danzo from his position and disband Root.

"Well... you know what I'm like..."

Kakashi Hatake scratched his head and explained helplessly.

"Yes, I do." Naraku spread his hands and turned to look at Kakashi. "Why else would I have come to the Anbu?"

"What a drag!"

Kakashi couldn't help taking a page from the Nara Clan's book and letting out a long sigh.

Maybe I should just leave the Anbu. Kakashi Hatake felt it would be better to simply make Naraku the Anbu Commander. That would spare him the trouble, too.

After all, Kakashi himself had never liked life in the Anbu...