The Third: Am I the Kind of Person Who Would Go Back on My Word?

Having already fallen for it once, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not dare make any sweeping promises.

But the undisguised look of triumph on Miya's face still made Hiruzen shudder.

"Since you're ready to assign me an S-rank mission, I'll set my reward at three million ryō per exam. No problem, right?"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."

That was close. Hiruzen nearly choked when he heard that.

He had seen people make outrageous demands before, but he had never seen anyone with an appetite as big as Miya's.

"If you won't agree, forget it!"

"Ahem, ahem!"

Hiruzen cleared his throat twice more and said with a smile:

"Miya, I said A-rank, not..."

"Bye-bye!"

When Hiruzen refused, Miya turned around on the spot. That was how brazen he could be with the upper hand.

"Stop."

"S-rank it is. I agree."

Seeing Miya stop again, Hiruzen continued:

"You little brat, could you stop walking off at the drop of a hat? Aren't we discussing this?"

"Discussing?"

Miya tilted his head, then said suspiciously:

"I wasn't planning to discuss it with you."

That hurt. That really hurt. A bitter look appeared on Hiruzen's face. He had a feeling Miya would not let the matter rest today without taking him for everything he could.

As for sending Miya out of the village on a mission before, Hiruzen regretted it, honestly.

If only he could turn back time!

If he had known this would happen, he would have chosen the second plan and targeted the barbecue restaurant's owner instead.

"Miya, the village's finances are a little tight right now. Could you give me a discount on that three-million-ryō reward?"

"One million ryō. What do you say?"

If it only cost one million ryō to get Miya to take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams, Hiruzen thought it would still be worth it.

Miya's face lit up with a smile, and Hiruzen almost thought he was going to agree. But then Miya's smile vanished, leaving Hiruzen stunned.

"No!"

"Also, I said three million ryō per exam, not three million for the whole S-rank mission."

Miya put particular emphasis on "per exam" and "the whole mission."

"But since you've asked me for a discount, I suppose it's not impossible."

"I reckon there'll definitely be three or four rounds in the Chunin Ninja Exams, so let's do this: I'll charge you ten million ryō total for this S-rank mission."

"What do you say?"

Miya looked as though Hiruzen was getting the deal of a lifetime, but all Hiruzen got was a massive headache.

Ten million ryō for one mission would break the record for mission rewards.

For a moment, Hiruzen wanted to drive Miya away. He could not afford this!

But without Miya...

Either way, Hiruzen's head was spinning.

Meanwhile, as though he had guessed what Hiruzen was thinking, Miya added:

"Consider the ten million ryō compensation. Otherwise, you can pay my barbecue restaurant bill for twenty days."

Miya's smug look nearly made Hiruzen choke. His face flushed, and he was so angry he felt like coughing up blood.

Judging by how Miya had eaten before, Hiruzen would rather give him the ten million ryō.

Miya had only eaten one million ryō's worth in three days before, so twenty days would only come to seven million, but was that really how it worked?

One look at Miya made it clear that if Hiruzen agreed to pay his bill for another twenty days, he could eat his way through twenty million ryō.

After doing the math in his head, Hiruzen sighed softly.

Forget it. I'll consider it compensation for him. If I don't give him the ten million ryō today, there's no telling what trouble he'll stir up later.

Once he had thought it through, Hiruzen looked just like a resentful wife shut away in her chamber.

"I agree to the ten million ryō. But..."

"Mm, as long as you agree."

Miya automatically filtered out the condition Hiruzen had yet to state.

"But you must follow my plan to the letter this time."

Hiruzen glared and laid out his requirement to Miya.

"Relax, relax..."

Miya waved a hand dismissively. He did not believe there were any students in this Chunin Ninja Exam he could not handle.

Could a Jinchūriki be taking part this time too?

Right!

"It's settled, then. I'll take part in this Chunin Ninja Exam, and you'll give me an S-rank mission on my record and a twelve-million-ryō reward."

Miya's eyes sparkled, his mind full of money.

Well, that was that! Hiruzen smiled bitterly.

However, Miya's next words sent anger surging through him again, just when he had managed to calm down.

"To stop you from going back on your word again, pay up!"

"Ten million ryō, not a single ryō less."

Seeing Miya hold out his hand for the money, Hiruzen lost control of his emotions. He pointed at Miya and roared:

"Am I the kind of person who would go back on my word?"

Miya answered lightly:

"You are!"

"After all, you've done it before."

With his head tilted to one side, Miya looked thoroughly punchable.

Twenty minutes later, Miya left the Hokage building with a smug look on his face and a constant smile.

From that moment on, he was rich too, a man with ten million to his name.

In both his lives, this was the first time Miya had seen and touched so much money.

As for Hiruzen, his face had looked awful when he handed over the money, but it gradually relaxed now. He shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Sigh..."

"My poor little stash of money. This time, there really isn't a single drop left!"

All the private savings Hiruzen had accumulated over the years had been swindled away by Miya.

Miya: What do you mean, swindled? Watch out, or I'll sue you for defamation. The old Third gave it to me willingly, and there was compensation too.

Hiruzen: ...

Back home, Miya counted his money and hid the ten million ryō and the piece of chakra metal. Then he took one million ryō and went out.

Today, he was going to invite Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara to eat as much as they wanted.

They had not seen each other in a long time, and he missed them dearly.

That night, after the three had eaten and drunk their fill, the barbecue restaurant's owner respectfully saw Miya off. Miya then escorted Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara home in turn without incident.

Of course, at Kurenai Yuhi's front door, Miya could not avoid facing Yūhi Shinku's murderous glare.

Yūhi Shinku: My sweet, caring little girl really is about to be taken away. Sigh...

Miya had just pushed open his front door when Orochimaru's presence in his house gave him a terrible fright.

"Teacher Orochimaru, don't you know you can scare someone to death like that?"

Patting his chest, Miya looked every bit as though he had been frightened.

"Hehe~~"

"A date with your little girlfriend felt pretty good, didn't it?"

"But haven't you forgotten something?"

Miya eyed Orochimaru sideways and replied:

"No, I have a very good memory."

"If there was something, I definitely wouldn't forget it."

Seeing Miya deny it outright, talking nonsense with a perfectly serious face, Orochimaru smiled again and said hoarsely:

"I'm your instructor, you know. You haven't already spent my share, have you..."