Minato was truly the future Fourth Hokage; even at this age, he had the mindset of a leader.
He intended to give the Hokage a legitimate reason to intervene, which, combined with the influence of Jiraiya and Tsunade, would be enough to get things done.
Fortunately, Taiichi hadn't been idle during this time either.
He pulled a stack of yellowed ledgers from his ninja pouch. The edges of the paper were curled from repeated browsing. He took a deep breath and solemnly laid them out on the coffee table.
"These are the orphanage's income and expenditure records for the past five years." Taiichi's fingertip slid across the rows, stopping heavily at a specific point. "I looked into the village's financial allocation for the orphanage over these years."
"The village allocates 10 million ryo to the orphanage annually. However, in reality..." Taiichi flipped through the ledgers, pointing out the records of received funds. "See? For the past five years, the orphanage's actual income hasn't been anywhere near that amount."
"And the number decreases every year." Taiichi picked up the most recent ledger. "Look here. This year's allocation was a measly 5 million ryo."
Minato leaned in, carefully cross-referencing the discrepancies in the records and examining every receipt.
When he saw the stamp on one of the receipts, his pupils constricted. "This Hokage's Office seal is forged!"
He pointed to the tiny burrs on the edge of the seal. "Although it's a very good fake, anyone familiar with the real seal can spot the difference if they look closely."
Following Minato's guidance, Taiichi and the others compared it with other documents and indeed found the discrepancies.
"Forging official seals... how dare they?" Kushina looked incredulous.
"There are problems with the expenditure logs too. Many expenses listed here have nothing to do with the orphanage but were charged to its account," Jiraiya pointed out several suspicious entries.
"Exactly. These records can't withstand scrutiny. It's just that no one bothered to investigate before," Taiichi stated firmly. "With this, the Hokage should be able to make up his mind, right?"
Taiichi looked at everyone, asking the question in his heart.
Jiraiya and Minato exchanged a glance. Minato answered, "It's enough. This isn't just about embezzling funds anymore. This involves usurping the Hokage's authority and, more seriously, planting moles right next to the Hokage."
"Then let's..." Taiichi looked at Jiraiya with hopeful eyes. The Sannin had to make the final call.
"Let's go!" Jiraiya was decisive. Since he agreed to help and everything was ready, action was immediate.
"Taiichi, bring everything. We're going to the Hokage's office." Jiraiya stood up, shedding his usual goofy demeanor for a commanding presence. "Oh, and you have Tsunade's letter for the Old Man, right?"
"Yes, I have it." Taiichi was excited.
"Great! Let's go together! Strength in numbers!" Kushina chimed in.
But Jiraiya firmly rejected her. "No. You and Minato stay here."
"Why?" Kushina exploded. "I have some influence too! And I was the one who convinced you! Now you're leaving me behind?"
"Too many people might make the Old Man feel like we're forcing him, which could backfire. Besides..." Jiraiya's imposing aura suddenly deflated. "We should save the Old Man some face!"
Minato held back the eager Kushina, shaking his head slightly.
"F-fine. I'll listen to you." Kushina deflated and agreed.
Having placated Kushina, Jiraiya led Taiichi out of Minato's house and briskly towards the Hokage building.
In the morning light of Konoha's streets, Taiichi followed closely behind Jiraiya, his palms sweating. The initial excitement had faded, replaced by a pounding heart.
Turning the last corner, the Hokage building came into view. Taiichi unconsciously touched the ledgers in his pouch—the key to the plan.
His agitation disturbed his chakra, causing fluctuations that made passing ninjas turn their heads.
"Taiichi!" Jiraiya stopped suddenly. His large hand pressed heavily on Taiichi's shoulder. The warmth miraculously calmed Taiichi's turmoil.
"Calmness is essential for great undertakings! That's a good saying. As a ninja, you must maintain your cool in any situation," Jiraiya lectured earnestly.
Taiichi calmed down, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "Thank you for the guidance, Sensei!"
"But making that old ghost Danzo suffer is definitely something to be happy about! Bwahahaha!" Jiraiya suddenly reverted to his pervy sage mode, laughing like a maniac.
A drop of sweat rolled down Taiichi's forehead, but Jiraiya's interruption had indeed restored his calm.
---
Hokage's Office.
Bang!
Before anyone inside could respond, the door was thrown open.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned at the door. Who was so rude? Even the advisors waited for permission. Was it Danzo?
When he saw the intruder's spiky white hair, a smile appeared on Hiruzen's face.
"Jiraiya? When did you change your habits? Using the door instead of the window? Did the sun rise from the west today?" Hiruzen teased.
"Oi, oi." The majestic aura Jiraiya had built up instantly collapsed. Scratching his head, he grumbled, "What are you saying, Old Man? I always use the door."
He pulled Taiichi out from behind him. "I'm here for this kid's business."
Seeing Taiichi surprised Hiruzen. He still felt some guilt towards the boy regarding the last mission. Plus, Taiichi was Tsunade's only disciple, practically his grand-student.
"Oh, little Taiichi? What brings you here?" Hiruzen put on his trademark kindly smile. "Tell me. If I can solve it, I'll do my best to help you!"
Truly a Hokage. His words were carefully chosen. The hidden meaning was: If I can't do it, then I can't solve it.
"Grandpa Hokage, do you know Nono Yakushi?" Taiichi didn't hesitate, naming the key person immediately.
"Nono? Of course!" Hiruzen answered without thinking. "The orphanage director. You grew up there, didn't you?"
Hiruzen smiled confidently. He knew the personnel files of Konoha's departments by heart. It was something he took pride in.
"Then... Grandpa Hokage." Taiichi lowered his voice as if afraid of eavesdroppers. "Did you know Sister Nono is also a Root ninja?"
Hiruzen's smile froze. He genuinely didn't know that. What the hell? An orphanage director is a Root agent?
Root was officially a training branch for ANBU, but in reality, they did the dirty work: espionage, assassination, surveillance, framing. "Darkness of the Shinobi" was an apt title.
An orphanage director, while not a high-ranking post, was the head of a functional department. One would expect a kind, benevolent person in that role. These two identities were poles apart.
Finding out they were the same person shocked Hiruzen. Danzo's reach is too long. Just restricting Root's operations isn't enough; I need their personnel roster.
Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind, but his face turned serious.
"Taiichi, Root personnel identities are classified. How do you know this?"
"Grandpa Hokage, I deduced it from clues."
Taiichi began explaining his discovery. He had to be careful not to make it seem like he was spying on classified info or that Nono leaked it willingly.
"Root tried to recruit me before graduation, so I learned a bit about them..."
Taiichi laid out his analysis step by step.
Hiruzen nodded along, not yet realizing the severity. He was thinking: What a promising seedling. Observant, analytical, strong. Konoha's future is secure!
"That's how it is, Grandpa Hokage!"
Having explained everything, Taiichi made his final request. "Can you let Sister Nono leave Root? It looks bad for Konoha if people find out an orphanage director is doing spy missions! It'll look like we have no one else!"
"Besides, Sister Nono is an excellent medical ninja. Even Tsunade-sensei praised her skills. If you want her to contribute more, she could work at the Konoha Hospital."
Taiichi cleverly swapped concepts, equating working at the hospital with working for Root.
Hiruzen was unhappy, but he hesitated to intervene in Root's personnel matters. It involved his friendship with Danzo and the power balance of the upper echelons. It wasn't worth causing friction over someone insignificant.
"Oh, right. This is a letter from Tsunade-sensei for you." Taiichi took out the letter.
Hiruzen stared suspiciously at the letter. Tsunade had been gone for a while; even he had trouble contacting her. How did this kid manage it?
Taking it, he saw "To Sensei (Personal)" in Tsunade's handwriting.
He opened it. The beginning was standard greetings, which pleased him. At least his student still cared.
But as he read on, he almost had a stroke.
If you're old, retire early. He was only in his 50s! In his prime!
If you're blind, get your eyes treated. He used the Telescope Technique daily! He saw everything in Konoha!
Are all Konoha ninjas dead? Using an orphanage director and medical ninja as a spy?
He couldn't refute that last point. But he couldn't just demand her from Danzo over this, especially after recently restricting Root.
Seeing Hiruzen's deepening frown, Jiraiya knew it was his turn.
Taiichi did a great job setting the stage. The Old Man doesn't even realize he's being boxed in.
"Sensei, Danzo went too far this time. The orphanage is one of Konoha's public faces. It houses not just orphans from outside, but children of heroes who died for the village."
Jiraiya guided Hiruzen's thoughts to the poor children.
"They need a stable, happy childhood to deepen their bond with the village. Using such a good director for Root missions is a waste."
"If other Konoha ninjas find out the orphanage director is Root... there will be an uproar. Root's reputation isn't exactly stellar." Jiraiya emphasized this point.
"Besides, it's not like Root is short on manpower, right?" He gave Hiruzen an out.
Hiruzen wavered. Both his students were pushing for this. He should give them face. But thinking of Danzo's increasingly gloomy face, he steeled himself. Wait a bit longer. Now isn't the time.
"Taiichi, I will consider this. Don't worry, I'll talk to Danzo. Having an orphanage director do spy missions is indeed inappropriate." Hiruzen smiled, trying to placate Taiichi.
But his comfort backfired. Taiichi knew he couldn't let this drag on.
"Grandpa Hokage, please look at these." Taiichi took out the ledgers and placed them on the desk.
Hiruzen looked at the books, realizing the situation was serious. This wasn't just a simple personnel transfer anymore.
Opening a ledger, he asked, "Taiichi, care to explain?"
"Grandpa Hokage, look here. This is the village's annual allocation record for the orphanage. The numbers are much lower than the actual allocation, and the gap widens every year."
As a diligent Hokage, Hiruzen knew the budget. Seeing the shrinking numbers, he frowned. Getting bolder every year. Embezzling half the funds?
Then, Taiichi pulled out a receipt. "Grandpa Hokage, look closely at the seal on this receipt. Is there something wrong?"
Hiruzen took it. With one glance, he saw the problem—the seal was fake.
SNAP.
Hiruzen crushed the armrest of his chair.
This wasn't just any seal; it was the Hokage's seal. Every order in Konoha required this stamp to be valid.
He hurriedly flipped through the other ledgers. Every receipt involving village funds had a fake seal.
A nameless fury rose in Hiruzen's heart. This was blatantly usurping the Hokage's authority. And the only person who could do this without alerting the orphanage director was Danzo.
Only Danzo could pull this off unnoticed.
Hiruzen's thoughts spiraled. If people in the Hokage's office are compromised, and ANBU didn't notice, are there problems in ANBU too?
Damn it. How many moves has Danzo made in the dark? Is he trying to hollow out my position as Hokage?