Chapter 34

The Land of Iron held a complete monopoly over high-quality chakra metal, and the newly discovered ore was even of better quality than what the Land of Iron could offer. Their entire economy was based around weapon manufacturing and related industries. Every other Shinobi village had to agree to the Land of Iron's requests, no matter how steep, because chakra weapons were a boon for every high-level Shinobi. While Genin and Chunin might not see much difference, once a Shinobi reached Jonin level, the need for a chakra weapon became immense. A Jonin with a chakra weapon held a significant advantage over a Jonin without one.

During the escort trip back, Itachi approached Kazuki to inquire about the box he had stolen earlier. Before Itachi could question him further, Kazuki simply stated that he would provide him with a few custom-made weapons personally modified by the Fuinjutsu grandmaster, who had connections with the Nara clan.

Itachi was dumbstruck. Understanding the significance of the promise, he chose not to question Kazuki further, and he mentally made a note to mention the promise of weapons to his father. He had already learned about the presence of a Fuin grandmaster in the Leaf village from his father, Fugaku. With Itachi's intellect, he guessed that Kazuki must have a direct relationship to the Fuin Grandmaster, especially after the items Kazuki had shared with the team during the mission.

Itachi personally believed that Kazuki had been taken as a disciple by the Fuin Grandmaster, so he was given special privilege. Even with Itachi's high intellect, it never crossed his mind that Kazuki himself was the Grandmaster—a six-year-old Fuin Grandmaster. One would have to be crazy to think of such a thing.

"Kazuki, can I have one more weapon custom made in addition, and I don't mind paying for it?" Itachi made a sincere request to his teammate because he knew that after he shared the information with his father, he might not be able to get his hands on one of these without a significant contribution to the Uchiha clan, even though he was the Uchiha clan heir. Kazuki was confused, but after looking at Itachi's awkward but sincere look, he agreed without asking any further questions.

As the team reached the Leaf village, Kazuki saw his master, the Slug Sage, personally waiting to welcome the Senju remnants. Kakashi and Shizune followed her quietly. There were a few other Jonin accompanying the Sannin. Gai quickly concluded the handover process and then proceeded to report to the Hokage building before the other two departed. Gai had specifically asked the trio to meet up at the training site in the evening. Kazuki, however, chose to follow Gai, as he had to hand over the elite Kumo Jonin that he had captured earlier.

As Gai and Kazuki approached the building, it seemed to buzz with increased activity. They entered only after receiving permission. Inside, Hiruzen was engrossed in paperwork, surrounded by a sizable stack of neatly arranged documents.

"Ahem, Hokage-sama, we are here to report on the recent mission," Gai announced, interrupting the Hokage's intense focus. Hiruzen, fatigued and weary, set down his pen and looked up.

"Ah, it's you guys. You surely know how to make an old man work extra hours. After your recent discovery, I've been handling almost ten times more documents than I used to on any regular day. Well, never mind that. You guys did a great job out there. I've personally upgraded your original mission rank to S class, and the return mission for escort has been listed as an A class mission. Now, Gai, why don't you sit down and explain in detail what happened out there?" Hiruzen set aside the documents, eager to hear the specifics.

Gai proceeded to provide an exhaustive mission report, even detailing their daily meals since the day they left. Kazuki, standing next to Gai, couldn't help but sweat at the level of detail. Even Hiruzen questioned if Gai had misunderstood his request but chose not to interrupt, allowing the young man to describe the mission with vivid details.

By the time Gai finished, both Hiruzen and Kazuki were relieved. Gai was content that he fulfilled the Hokage's request.

"Good, good. The mine will help us prosper, and with the new mine, we can break free from the weapon monopoly of the Land of Iron. I estimate a large influx of new people coming into Konoha in the name of business, so we need to be prepared," Hiruzen stated. Gai was confused, but Kazuki understood that the words were directed at him, signalling the need to expedite the plans for designing new defences.

"I heard that you managed to capture two Kumo Shinobi alive. With them, we might find out who helped them infiltrate the Fire Country so deeply. Without aid from the inside, I am sure they wouldn't have been able to set up such a town inside the Fire Country."

Hiruzen, though old, wasn't naive enough to believe Kumo achieved the infiltration without internal assistance.

"Well, old man, honestly, I feel you need to capture that old dog, Danzo, and hand him over to the torture and interrogation team. I am sure he had something to do with this," Kazuki expressed his suspicion. Gai was surprised at the blatant disrespect shown towards a village elder, but he remained silent as the Hokage had yet to respond.

"Kazuki, I understand your disdain for Danzo, and I acknowledge that he may have engaged in questionable actions in his pursuit of power. However, I firmly believe that under no circumstances would Danzo betray the village," Hiruzen stated with clarity. He recognised that he could question Danzo's character, but he couldn't cast doubt on his loyalty to the village. Hiruzen also grappled with a sense of responsibility, wondering if he bore some blame for Danzo's transformation.

"Whatever, keep telling yourself that, old man. However, in the future, don't come crying to me when he stabs you in the back again," Kazuki nonchalantly retorted as Hiruzen tried to defend Danzo. Gai stood by like a bystander, unaware of the underlying tension. Kazuki addressed the Sandaime as if he were a next-door grandfather, displaying a level of disrespect that left an awkward silence in the room.

Hiruzen sighed, recognising the gravity of the situation. "Kazuki, I respect your concerns, but we must approach this matter cautiously. Accusing someone without concrete evidence could lead to unnecessary conflict. While Danzo's methods may be questionable, I believe he remains loyal to the village."

Kazuki huffed in frustration, clearly dissatisfied with the response but choosing not to escalate the confrontation further. Gai, sensing the tension, interjected, attempting to shift the conversation.

"Hokage-sama, is there anything else you need from us regarding the mission, or are there further instructions?" Gai asked, maintaining a respectful tone, trying to divert attention away from the escalating dispute.

Before the Hokage could begin, Kazuki remembered his original purpose for the meeting and pulled out a scroll.

"Oh, I totally forgot. Here, old man, this is a gift. This was a personal exploit of my team, and I don't want it shared among the others, just my team."

With that said, Kazuki spread out the scroll and undid the Fūnyū no Jutsu (Enclosing Technique) to release the captured elite Jonin. Both Hiruzen and Gai were taken aback by the appearance of the unconscious Kumo Shinobi, who had been sealed using half a dozen Fuinjutsu tags. Gai, initially surprised, quickly reached for his bingo book to identify the Kumo Shinobi, but Hiruzen stopped him.

"No need, Gai. He is an elite Jonin from Kumo. I have no idea how you managed to achieve this, but you guys have earned yourselves a significant amount of contributions."

"Sandaime-sama, I had no involvement in capturing this Shinobi. I think you should just hand over the contributions to Kazuki." Gai, always straightforward, didn't want to take advantage of a six-year-old kid and voiced his opinion. However, the Hokage waved his request away, knowing that Kazuki wouldn't have made such a request if he didn't intend to share the contributions with his team.

"Old man, no one knows that I have captured him, so it's better to take extra precautions. It's not every day you can take an elite Jonin alive. I don't want to hear news stating that the prisoners were assassinated under lock and key," Kazuki commented, and Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh as he understood the implication—the kid still blamed Danzo.

"Tora!"

The Hokage signalled, and a white-robed ANBU with a tiger mask appeared next to Hiruzen, taking a knee and awaiting orders.

"He is a high-value prisoner. Make sure there are absolutely no accidents. I want every bit of information that you can extract from him. Inform the Yamanaka clan head that I asked for him to personally read his mind, and you will be personally in charge of this. I do not want even a bit of information to spread about this. Is that understood?"

The Sandaime ordered the ANBU, who, from the corner of his eyes, noticed the bound Kumo Shinobi and recognised the famous elite Jonin. He flinched, but quickly composed himself.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

The white-robed ANBU stood up, approached Kazuki, and received the scroll. Kazuki passed it over, and the ANBU performed the enclosing technique again. The ANBU was surprised by the quality of the sealing scroll but received a nod from the Hokage. He vanished from sight, with the prisoner now secure.

"Old man, that scroll was expensive, so it's going on your tab. Remember to pay me back later," Kazuki remarked, causing Hiruzen's mouth to twitch. However, he couldn't say anything, knowing the kid's penchant for money.

"Oh, and by the way, I might have taken a couple of boxes from the original Kumo convoy, old man, so don't worry about it." Before he could finish, Gai jumped up to reprimand him.

"Kazuki, you cannot do that! Those resources belong to the village. How can you steal those? You should hand over those boxes immediately."

"Ah, come now, Gai-sensei. Look, even the old man is okay with it. Quick, let's leave before he changes his mind."

Hiruzen couldn't help but get a headache while dealing with this little demon. Sometimes, he even felt like giving the kid a good beating to straighten him up. But then he sighed. Gai eagerly looked at the Hokage, expecting him to reprimand his student. However, the Hokage simply waved for them to leave to avoid further headaches.

"It's okay, Gai. Let the kid play with those. It's just a couple of boxes, so it's not a big deal. I will deal with that matter. You guys can leave."

Gai left the Hokage building, followed by Kazuki, still pondering the fact that there were countries ready to wage war for the chakra metal, and their Hokage was giving it to a child for play. Gai couldn't help but doubt himself, thinking that he must be really dumb, just as his rival Kakashi always stated.

As Kazuki reached home, the news of the mission stirred Yoshino into a frenzy. She expressed her concern about Kazuki being just a child and how Shikaku had seemingly forced him into the life of a shinobi. Initially, Yoshino had hoped Kazuki would attend the academy and gradually grow into the role over the years. Caught in the middle, Shikaku shouldered the blame while Kazuki nonchalantly recounted his recent exploits.

"Uncle, do we have any master craftsmen in our clan?" Kazuki inquired, realising he possessed a significant amount of chakra metal ore that could be forged into weapons. Once forged, he could personally modify the weapons to suit his needs.

"No, Kazuki, master craftsmen are quite rare. I do know about two master craftsmen within the village, but with the recent discovery of the mine, I am sure we won't be able to place any commissions soon. Why? Are you in need of a weapon?" Shikaku, seizing a momentary respite from Yoshino's scolding, redirected the conversation.