Naruto Card King

Haruto Saito maintained his stance, his hand pressed firmly against the table as he locked eyes with Mifune. The reception room was deathly silent.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked visibly shocked, his head turned toward Haruto, eyes widened unnaturally. His hand rested on the long wooden table in front of him, which had already developed visible cracks due to his unintentional grip strength.

Three hundred million!

Three hundred million ryo!

Haruto truly dared to ask for it!

This wasn't just a case of making an outrageous demand; calling it extortion by a tailed beast would be more appropriate!

Mifune's eyes remained fixed on the decree in Haruto's hand, his breathing growing rapid, and his gaze reddening from the surge of emotions.

Suddenly, Haruto flicked his wrist, causing the hanging scroll to roll up instantly. With a swift motion, he tossed the scroll onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk. "Lord Hokage, please hold onto this for now. I might not be able to beat this guy."

Having said that, Haruto resumed his seated position, blinking innocently at Mifune.

Who knew if Mifune, overwhelmed by the situation, would act impulsively? Entrusting the scroll to Sarutobi Hiruzen for safekeeping provided a sense of security. No matter how heated Mifune became, he wouldn't be able to overpower Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Decree… decree… three hundred million… three hundred million…" Mifune murmured repeatedly, his face flushing with an unusual red hue. He appeared both exhilarated and troubled.

Sarutobi Hiruzen grabbed the scroll, pressing it against the desk while scrutinizing Mifune.

Even he was feeling excited internally!

"Three hundred million…" Mifune's eyes flickered as he seemed to be calculating gains and losses, or rather, assessing whether the Land of Iron could produce such a large sum at once.

The Land of Iron differed from the Land of Fire. In the Land of Fire, the military and government were separate entities: the military was under the jurisdiction of Konohagakure, while the government was run by the Daimyo's office. Since shinobi were a rare commodity, the mundane affairs of the Land of Fire—public safety, commerce, taxation—were all managed by the Daimyo's administration.

However, the Land of Iron followed a unique system. Due to the historical legacy of Bushido, the leader of the samurai did not just command the warriors but also governed the entire nation. It was a military-governmental union, where the people pledged their loyalty not to the Daimyo but directly to the Shogun. Even the Daimyo was subject to the Shogun's authority. As the Shogun, Mifune had the power to mobilize the nation's financial resources to their maximum extent.

But three hundred million was an astronomical amount!

Allocating one hundred million would be a burden, but it would merely mean a reduction in reserve funds without significantly impacting the nation.

However, if three hundred million were to be spent, it would shake the very foundations of the Land of Iron! The country would need to cut financial expenditures drastically, endure austerity measures, and tighten military and administrative budgets before recovering.

The reception room remained silent for a long time.

Haruto didn't say anything further. He had laid out the stakes, and Mifune would have to weigh the pros and cons himself.

If it were any other negotiator, they would have outright rejected such blatant extortion. But Mifune was different—he was the descendant of the last Black Warrior, Mokugui Maru. He possessed an intense desire to restore the Black Warrior Nation!

The decree was invaluable to him. Its significance boiled down to one key aspect: legitimacy!

"Lord Black Warrior, Lord Hokage," Mifune finally spoke, his emotions now settled. "Three hundred million ryo for the Black Armor and the decree—I can accept this price. However, I have one condition."

"Speak!" Sarutobi Hiruzen responded immediately, his fingers subconsciously tightening their grip on his robe beneath the table.

As long as the demand wasn't excessive, he would agree!

"If we hand over three hundred million, the Land of Iron will face a severe financial crisis," Mifune continued. "It will take us at least six months to a year to recover. During this period, we must reduce expenditures and scale back military operations to stabilize our finances. This puts us in a vulnerable position. Therefore, I request that the Land of Iron and Konohagakure form an alliance. If the Land of Iron faces foreign invasion, Konohagakure must dispatch forces to assist us!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, contemplating the request, then turned to Haruto. "What do you think?"

"It's a reasonable condition," Haruto nodded.

"Agreed!" Sarutobi Hiruzen declared, turning back to Mifune. "We accept."

He was entirely putting on an act—inside, he was ecstatic!

Just moments ago, he had been worried that the high price would offend the Land of Iron. But precisely because the price was exorbitant, the Land of Iron would be forced into financial difficulties! Lacking the funds to defend itself in case of sudden conflict, the Land of Iron would have no choice but to seek an alliance with Konohagakure for security.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Haruto. A sudden suspicion arose in his mind—had Haruto anticipated this outcome all along when he insisted on such an absurdly high price?!

Inside the Hokage's office, the sound of wooden clogs tapping against the floor was crisp. Koharu Utatane paced back and forth in front of the desk, arms crossed, her face dark with frustration.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had deliberately excluded her from the afternoon negotiations, which infuriated her, though she had no way to intervene.

She could only wait here for news!

Creak.

The office door suddenly opened. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Haruto entered one after the other. Sarutobi's expression was grim, though he showed no surprise at seeing Koharu in the office.

"Lord Hokage! How did it go?" Koharu immediately stepped forward, addressing Sarutobi with a tone laced with discontent, indicating a sense of distance between them.

After speaking, she shot a cold glance at Haruto. Ever since Sarutobi had decided to take Haruto as his personal student, she had opposed the idea. Now, yet again, Haruto had caused more trouble. Though they had barely interacted, she already disliked him.

"It's settled," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied in his usual authoritative manner.

"Settled?" Koharu was momentarily stunned. Sarutobi had already walked past her, so she quickly turned to follow. "One hundred and fifty million? The Land of Iron agreed?"

"They agreed, but not for one hundred and fifty million," Sarutobi said as he reached his desk.

"Oh, then how much—" Koharu relaxed slightly. It was reasonable that the final amount would be lower.

"Three hundred million," Sarutobi stated flatly, taking his seat.

"Three—" Koharu's eyes widened in shock.

She was completely stunned, frozen in place like a statue.

"All thanks to Haruto! Excellent work!" Sarutobi turned to Haruto, nodding approvingly. "I did not misjudge you!"

Haruto subtly curled the corner of his mouth. Sarutobi had clearly manipulated the situation, yet now he was making it seem as if he had foreseen everything from the start!

"Lord Hokage, I've completed the task you entrusted me with. Now, isn't it time for you to fulfill your promise?" Haruto asked with a smile.