Asuma was initially annoyed that his father had woken him up in the middle of the night, but after hearing the details of what had happened, all sleepiness vanished.
"You mean Danzo took his men to the Golden Egg Shop to cause trouble... and then was killed by the shop owner?!" Asuma asked in disbelief.
"Judging by the evidence at the scene, that seems to be the case." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, smoking silently, deep in thought about how to navigate this crisis.
The fact that Haruto had eliminated all of Danzo's Root operatives without alarming anyone proved that his strength had reached a terrifying level.
Even I can't say for sure that I'd be able to defeat him…
Now, his greatest concern was whether Haruto would direct his anger toward the village because of Danzo's actions.
If possible, it would be ideal to recruit him into Konoha.
The village was currently in a delicate transitional period. The older generation of powerhouses was dwindling, and the new generation of ninjas had yet to mature.
A powerful figure like Haruto in Konoha's ranks would be an invaluable asset.
Not to mention, based on the intelligence from Itachi, the Akatsuki Organization was teeming with formidable individuals and harbored dangerous ambitions.
And if the rumors were true… that the mastermind behind them was none other than Uchiha Madara…
Even if it sounded impossible, the mere mention of Madara's name was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
A tense silence filled the room.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the next morning arrived.
Without wasting a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Asuma headed straight to Haruto's shop.
When they arrived, everything looked as normal as ever.
If they hadn't seen the massacre from the night before with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that such a large-scale battle had taken place here.
The two of them pushed open the door and walked into the shop. Behind the counter, Haruto was already sitting there, waiting for customers.
"Welcome!" Haruto greeted them with a bright, professional smile.
"Oh? Hokage-sama and Asuma-sensei!" Haruto chuckled. "Are you two here to smash some eggs?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly.
There wasn't a single trace of killing intent on Haruto's face.
Not a single sign that this was the same man who had wiped out Danzo and his entire squad just hours ago.
But Sarutobi knew the truth.
In all of Konoha, no one else could have done it.
"Asuma was right…" Sarutobi thought to himself. "This shopkeeper is a hidden master."
"Hokage-sama?" Haruto said with a smile. "So, are you here to smash some eggs?"
"Ah… eggs?" Sarutobi was momentarily caught off guard.
He, the Third Hokage, had personally come here, and the first thing he was asked was if he wanted to smash eggs?!
This guy…
"Haha!" Sarutobi laughed. "Alright, I'll take one."
"Got it!" Haruto grinned but made no move.
"Huh?" Sarutobi gave him a confused look.
Why wasn't he preparing the egg?
Haruto rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
"One golden egg costs 1,998 taels. How many would you like?"
Sarutobi finally understood.
This brat wasn't asking how many eggs he wanted… he was demanding payment upfront.
"..."
Sarutobi felt insulted.
Him. The Third Hokage.
A legendary figure in the shinobi world… and this shopkeeper was acting like he was worried he wouldn't pay for an egg?!
But—he had no money on him.
Being Hokage meant that most shops in Konoha never dared to charge him. He was so used to this that he hadn't even thought about bringing money.
This is awkward…
Sarutobi groaned internally and turned to stare at Asuma.
Asuma: (╬ಠ益ಠ) MMP!
Not only had his father taken all his cigarettes, but now he was making him pay too?!
But… what choice did he have?
With a deep sigh, Asuma pulled out his increasingly thin wallet, counted out 2,000 taels, and handed it to Haruto.
"No need for change."
Haruto took the money, counted every last tael, and thought smugly,
"Heh, yesterday you didn't want to buy eggs, and now you still have to pay me, huh?"
Once the transaction was complete, Haruto snapped his fingers, and a golden egg appeared.
Sarutobi took the hammer Haruto handed him.
"Bang!"
With a heart full of resentment, Sarutobi smashed the egg into pieces, imagining Danzo's head in its place.
As the golden shell shattered, three glowing balls of light emerged.
Haruto glanced at them and immediately smiled.
"As expected of Hokage-sama. Your luck is truly extraordinary!"
The rewards:
Blue Essence x100
World Speaker x3
Pupil Technique: Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils!
"How is it?" Asuma asked impatiently.
"Very good, very good!" Haruto said with a mysterious smile.
Sarutobi was intrigued. "And what exactly are these?"
Haruto stretched out his hand and pulled the Blue Essence from the light ball.
"This is Blue Essence. It doesn't have much use for now, but once my shop expands, it'll be very valuable."
He emphasized "expand" with a serious tone.
Sarutobi and Asuma exchanged glances.
This man has ambition…
"And this!" Haruto pulled out three speakers.
"The World Speaker!"
Sarutobi looked puzzled.
Haruto grinned. "Remember when Ino used that speaker the other day?"
"Ahh, that little Yamanaka girl?" Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, she nearly gave me a heart attack."
"This is the same thing—but on a global scale." Haruto smirked.
"This will allow your voice to be heard by the entire ninja world."
Sarutobi's eyes widened.
"It's perfect for someone of your status!" Haruto added, subtly flattering him.
Sarutobi stroked his beard, a pleased smile forming on his face.
He had to admit… this was pretty useful.
"This last one…" Haruto spoke more seriously, taking the scroll from the light ball.
He held it with both hands and said,
"This… is truly amazing."
End of the Chapter.
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