Chapter 43: Sasuke and Sakura
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed slightly. He understood, of course, that this was because Akiyama Makoto's writing was so good that he had been drawn into Uchiha Madara's perspective. But that wasn't the effect he wanted.
However, his brow quickly smoothed out, because the impossibly powerful Uchiha Madara had still lost to Senju Hashirama and had been won over by his charisma. More importantly, while the Senju Hashirama in Makoto's writing was sincere and straightforward, it didn't portray the side of him that often felt overly kind and altruistic. The Hashirama he wrote was more in line with Hiruzen's own aesthetic, making him nod subconsciously in approval.
As for Madara's later defection from the village, Makoto's handling of it was also very much to Hiruzen's liking. In his version, Madara didn't have a problem with Konoha or Hashirama, but rather didn't believe that peace could be maintained and wanted to find a more permanent solution, which was what set him on his lonely, dark path. In the end, the incredibly powerful Madara lost to Hashirama once again, which served to further highlight the righteousness of Konoha's Will of Fire.
By the time Sarutobi Hiruzen put the book down, it was already noon.
He rubbed his tired eyes and looked at Makoto, who was sitting with his eyes closed, refining his chakra. A smile of appreciation appeared on his face.
"Makoto, your book is very well written. I have no suggestions to offer."
"Later, I will have someone print and sell your book. For now, we'll see how it's received within Konoha. If it's popular, we'll expand its distribution to the entire Land of Fire."
"As for your royalties, we'll use Jiraiya's standard."
Makoto was a little surprised, not expecting Hiruzen to be so generous. Calculating his royalties using Jiraiya's standard was not just a financial benefit; it was a statement of Hiruzen's attitude towards him.
Just as he was about to express his thanks, Hiruzen waved his hand. "It's what you deserve... Besides, as a staff member, completing a book that helps promote the Will of Fire is a meritorious deed in itself."
"Is there anything you want or want to do? You can tell me."
At this point, how could Makoto not understand that Hiruzen was trying to win him over? From the Hokage's perspective, he certainly didn't know that he would be facing a life-and-death crisis in just a few months. Therefore, he still wanted to rely on Makoto to stabilize the hearts and minds of the people during these years when Konoha's strength was in transition.
Makoto wasn't opposed to this. Regardless of whether Hiruzen was a purely good person or a pragmatist, at least when it came to him, the Hokage had done him no wrong. He had even taken the initiative to help him. Makoto naturally wouldn't deliberately disappoint the old man's expectations.
But thinking about what might happen in the future, he pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Lord Hokage, right now, I'm very satisfied with my life, career, and health, so I have no additional requests."
"How about this? Please give me a month to consider. Is that alright?"
Hiruzen nodded. He was old, but he could afford to wait a month.
"In that case, I won't keep you. Someone will contact you regarding the follow-up matters."
"Then I will take my leave, Lord Hokage."
Leaving the Hokage's Office, Makoto instantly felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
Until he resolved the matter of the upcoming attack, he would temporarily suspend his writing and his story-gathering work at the teahouse. He had already thought of an excuse for the public.
The barbecue restaurant had already sent over the first month's profit share, a little over 100,000 Ryō. Adding the 100,000 Ryō from Tenten that would be coming soon and the 50,000 from the Hokage's Office, his monthly income was now stable at 250,000 Ryō. This was no longer a small sum; an average Chūnin's annual income was only about one million Ryō.
Counting the first batch of royalties that would arrive in about a month, his monthly income would likely exceed 400,000 or 500,000 Ryō. At that point, he would have the income of a Special Jōnin. And he would have this income without needing to undertake dangerous ninja missions and without expenses for tools, jutsu, or health. This meant he already possessed a standard of living no less than that of a Jōnin.
Two months ago, he had been a poor orphan on the verge of starvation. Every time he thought about it, it felt somewhat unreal. But having seen so much in his simulations, he wouldn't get carried away by this amount of money.
He had no intention of hiding his newfound wealth. As a soon-to-be-famous author, he couldn't hide his income anyway. He planned to completely renovate his small courtyard, turning it into a storefront with a residence in the back. To achieve this, he needed to expand his property, which required filling out an application at the Konoha office for approval.
Given his current relationship with the Hokage, this was a trivial matter. The only remaining problem was that the cost would likely exceed one million Ryō. Fortunately, building a house didn't need to be done in a day. He could pay in installments during the construction period. With his income stream, he should be able to handle it.
With a plan in mind, he filled out the application that afternoon. What he didn't expect was for the administrator to tell him that the land he intended to use technically still belonged to the Uchiha clan. He needed to find the current representative of the clan and come to an agreement with them before the process could continue.
And the current representative of the Uchiha clan... wasn't that just Uchiha Sasuke?
After a moment's thought, Makoto decided to go and meet Sasuke in person. Besides, he had been regretting not having a chance to interact with the main character group. Now, hadn't the opportunity just presented itself?
He didn't go and find him directly. The Sasuke of this era was not a pleasant person to deal with. He decided to ask Ino to act as a middleman. At least she and Sasuke were classmates. With her there, Sasuke should be easier to talk to.
"You're looking for Uchiha Sasuke?"
Ino, who was in the flower shop wearing an apron and helping her mother and grandmother with the plants, looked at him in surprise, her face turning strangely pale.
"Did... did you hear something?"
Seeing her nervous expression, Makoto was completely baffled. "Is there something I should know?"
Ino waved her hands frantically. "No, you shouldn't know anything... No, no, I mean, I'm not close with Sasuke! Not at all!" she said with a dry laugh, the awkwardness on her face almost tangible.
Her mother and grandmother looked over with great interest, their gazes shifting back and forth between her and Makoto, finally settling into a scrutinizing look that made Ino's cheeks burn.
"I see..."
Makoto was still contemplating whether he should go ask Shikamaru and Chōji for help when Ino, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed his hand and ran out of the shop. They didn't stop until they reached an empty alley, where she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"How about this? I'll take you to someone, and she can take you to Sasuke."
"Her name is Haruno Sakura. She's Sasuke's number one crazy fan."
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