"Sa…Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto?!"
"What do you want to do?!"
Seeing Sarutobi Hakuto suddenly appear right in front of her,
Tenjin Koharu jumped in shock.
She had been shouting and scolding just moments ago,
but now her tone faltered.
However, looking into Sarutobi Hakuto's piercing gaze,
Koharu felt a chill crawl over her entire body.
Beside her, Mito Monen hurriedly tugged at her sleeve,
trying to signal a warning silently.
But Koharu was too shaken to care—
she stammered out a few feeble rebukes,
then, seeing Sarutobi Hakuto show no immediate reaction, she finally relaxed slightly.
Her eyes quickly darted to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.
"Hiruzen! Danzo?!"
"Are you two really not going to say anything?!"
"Look at your wonderful grandson!"
"He doesn't care about us at all—"
Before Koharu could finish her words,
Sarutobi Hakuto slapped her across the face,
cutting off her sentence mid-air.
"Crack!"
The force was so immense that Koharu's head spun three full rotations,
yet her body didn't move an inch.
A series of sickening bone-cracking sounds rang out as her head whirled,
her eyes locked rigidly onto Mito Monen.
This terrifying scene
froze Mito Monen in place, completely stunned.
"Chattering endlessly, what a nuisance!"
"I thought you called me here for something important!"
"Really, I give you face and call you 'advisor,'
don't give you face, and I'll send you six feet under!"
"You really think you're something special?"
Hearing Sarutobi Hakuto,
Monen's earlier bravado evaporated instantly.
He collapsed to the ground, smiling nervously:
"Y-Yes, Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto, you're right!"
"It's all Tenjin Koharu's fault! She's just jealous of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans!"
"Serves her right! And yet, you even had to step in, Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto!"
"Truly sorry… truly sorry~"
With Monen groveling,
Sarutobi Hakuto couldn't be bothered with this "old lamp" any longer.
As for Hiruzen and Danzo,
they naturally kept their distance, uninterested.
Even when Sarutobi Hakuto struck,
the two unconsciously glanced out the window,
ignoring everything happening in the office.
Seeing this, Monen instantly realized the situation.
Faced with Koharu's gruesome demise,
Monen shelved all his petty schemes.
As for the "advisor" title—
he'd resign the moment he survived leaving the Hokage building.
After all,
once dead, nothing matters—
Advisor?
Only the living can hold that title.
After Sarutobi Hakuto's slap finished its work on Koharu,
a chime echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Killed a Konoha advisor in front of the Hokage.]
[Fusion +5%]
Sarutobi Hakuto frowned.
This old lamp only gave him 5%—
less than the two little brats, Sasuke and Naruto.
But soon,
Sarutobi Hakuto's gaze fell on Monen, still begging for mercy.
One advisor was 5%,
so the two combined would give 10%—
just enough to approach 50% fusion.
Sarutobi Hakuto had a feeling that reaching 50% fusion would greatly enhance his abilities.
Seeing this, he naturally couldn't let Monen off.
One "gift," two "gifts"—
might as well let them keep each other company on the way.
While Sarutobi Hakuto plotted in his mind,
Monen's legs were already trembling.
He clearly saw the flash of killing intent in Sarutobi Hakuto's eyes.
Good grief—
Koharu had already been slapped to death,
and Sarutobi Hakuto still wasn't letting him go.
Desperate to survive,
Monen turned pleadingly to Hiruzen and Danzo,
hoping their long-standing relationship would save him.
But both ignored him completely.
Especially Danzo,
whose expression was full of admiration.
As if to say:
"This is my great-grandson, indeed—
decisive in his killings, just like me!"
Seeing this, Monen felt utterly hopeless.
He blurted out:
"H-Hiruzen! Danzo!!! I'll give you everything my Mito clan owns!"
"I want nothing! Even the advisor title, I don't want it!"
"Please… let Sarutobi Hakuto spare my life!!"
Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a glance,
obviously tempted.
After all, even as advisors for many years,
though far from the Sarutobi clan,
they were still superior to most small clans,
with substantial assets accumulated over time.
As they weighed the pros and cons,
Sarutobi Hakuto chuckled lightly:
"Foolish!"
"Even if I kill you, all that stuff will still be ours!"