Chapter 602: If You Get It, Applause
"Hokage-sama, please spare them. They were all forced by Orochimaru. Right now, we should unite and deal with Orochimaru first."
Naruto spoke up to plead for them.
"Naruto, I remember you once said that your dream is to become Hokage, right? Then how do you think they should be dealt with in a situation like this?"
"If you want to spare them, what kind of leniency are we talking about? And to what extent?"
Kushina did not answer Naruto directly. Instead, she threw the question back at him.
The moment the question became this specific, Naruto immediately got a headache.
He really had never thought about it.
How much leniency?
Let them off completely?
That somehow didn't seem quite right either.
He would get punished by Iruka-sensei just for skipping classes at the Academy. These people had done something like this, so surely they couldn't just walk away without any punishment at all, right?
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Naruto's mind.
"Hokage-sama, I don't think they should be punished at all. In fact, I think they should be rewarded."
"First, after they were discovered, they didn't choose to run away or resist. That proves they were struggling internally, that they had their reasons, and that they knew they had done wrong."
"If Hokage-sama chooses to forgive them, then the next time someone faces a situation like this, they won't desperately resist either. They'll choose to obediently admit their mistake."
"Second, if you even choose to reward people who betrayed you, then wouldn't those who are loyal to you become even more devoted?"
Naruto's words displayed his astonishing wisdom.
At this moment, Kushina in the Engraved Tsukuyomi world and Kushina in the real world had exactly the same thought—This child was beyond saving.
What did he mean by, "The next time someone betrays you, they won't desperately resist"?
No, wait. Why would there need to be a next time someone betrayed her?
Wasn't this like abolishing the death penalty as a deterrent for serious criminals, then reducing their sentences and praying that the criminals would choose to spare some of their victims?
It seemed illogical at first glance, and after thinking about it carefully, it really was illogical.
Wouldn't doing this amount to encouraging people to betray her?
Originally, everyone might not want to betray you or commit a crime. But once they saw that there was no punishment, wouldn't they think, "Well, if I get the chance, why not give it a try?"
And the second part—"People who betray you receive rewards, so those who are loyal to you become even more devoted"—was even more ridiculous.
It was practically missing only the words, "If you understand, applause."
Wouldn't the loyal people see this and have their entire mindset explode, then betray her too?
Liu Bang had also once rewarded Yong Chi in order to pacify his own faction, but Yong Chi had genuinely rendered meritorious service. The reward was for his military achievements and expressed that his past offenses would be forgiven.
It wasn't a reward for "betrayal."
What had these people actually done to deserve not only forgiveness, but rewards as well?
As for atoning for their crimes through meritorious service, at best—Kakashi just brought out a video recording.
"Naruto, you've gone too far!"
Faced with Naruto speaking so confidently, Rock Lee showed an angry expression and clenched his fists.
"Yeah, Naruto. We may have bullied you in the past, but you can't use this opportunity to settle a personal grudge, can you?"
Neji also glared angrily at Naruto.
"Huh? I didn't! Wasn't I pleading for you?"
Naruto was dumbfounded. He felt completely innocent.
"Naruto, are you actually pretending to be stupid, or are you really stupid? Didn't what you just say mean that you were deliberately being sarcastic, trying to get Hokage-sama to punish us severely as a warning to everyone else?"
Kakashi sighed.
"I…"
"So that's what you meant, Naruto. Fine, we'll do exactly as you suggested."
Kushina slammed her palm onto the table.
Of course, she knew that wasn't what Naruto meant. But his words had irritated her so badly that she had to irritate him a little in return.
"I…"
Naruto's face flushed red.
He really wanted to say that he was sincere and hadn't been sarcastic at all.
But Kakashi had given him two choices: "pretending to be stupid" or "actually being stupid."
He couldn't possibly admit that he was actually stupid, could he?
"However, we need people right now, so I can give you one chance. As long as you expose Orochimaru's scheme and reveal his entire plan, I can let bygones be bygones."
"But remember, this is your last chance. Next time, you won't be given any chance at all!"
Kushina gave them their mission.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to hurry off and atone through meritorious service, Naruto suddenly stepped forward again.
Everyone immediately tensed up.
Please, Naruto, stop talking!
"Um, actually, I have some information…"
Naruto hesitated, unsure whether he should say it.
Mom Kushina's condition for sparing everyone was that they expose Orochimaru's scheme. The information he knew should be very important and could help everyone.
But Naruto was also afraid that once Mom Kushina learned about it, she might do something brutal.
"What? Naruto, you have information? That's right! These past few days, you've sent countless Shadow Clones throughout the entire village, and even outside the village there are plenty of them. No one could possibly know more than you! Naruto, hurry up and tell us!"
Neji realized it and urged Naruto on.
With his Shadow Clones, Naruto had practically become a T0 intelligence-gathering ninja—Jiraiya himself would have had to take notes.
"Actually… I saw Orochimaru, Pervy Sage, and the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire coming out of the Fire Temple together…"
Naruto revealed the crucial information he had discovered.
The reason Naruto had hesitated was that once he revealed this, wouldn't Jiraiya also become a suspect?
As for the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Naruto had not recognized him at first. He had only seen a black-and-white photograph of the entire Daimyo family in an obituary in the newspaper, and he hadn't remembered it at all.
It was mainly because Orochimaru and Jiraiya had addressed the other party as "Heir Apparent" and "Young Lord" that Naruto recognized him.
As for what "Heir Apparent" and "Young Lord" meant, Naruto had to look them up in a dictionary before he understood.
"…"
Kushina's face immediately darkened when she heard this.
"Hokage-sama, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has come to see you. He says he would like to discuss the allocation of funds…"
Shizune, the Hokage's secretary, knocked lightly on the door from outside and spoke in a quiet voice.
"Perfect timing. Have the Daimyo come in."
Kushina smiled, feeling relieved.
"Hokage… why are there so many people standing here?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire entered the Hokage's office with his son, Enshi Kyū, who would later become the heir to the Daimyo's position during the Boruto era.
Seeing so many people standing around, he was immediately taken aback.
"Daimyo-sama, did you know? The heir apparent is plotting a rebellion."
Kushina waved her hand.
An ANBU wearing a mask suddenly appeared and restrained Enshi Kyū from behind.
Both the Daimyo and Enshi Kyū looked terrified.
"Come now. Tell me, what exactly were you plotting with Jiraiya and Orochimaru at the Fire Temple?"
Kushina turned her gaze toward the Daimyo.
"Hokage, I don't understand what you're talking about. I truly don't know anything."
The Daimyo swallowed nervously.
He had already decided that he would deny everything to the bitter end.
He had sent his son to negotiate precisely to guard against such a possibility. It was always better to be cautious, and now it seemed he had indeed made the right choice.
That didn't mean his son was unimportant to him.
It simply meant that his own life was more important.
(End of this chapter)