Konoha Village.
Mei Terumī and her group had already been escorted into the Hokage Office.
At this moment, Nara Shikaku, seated at the main position, stood up.
"Welcome. Hokage-sama has already briefed me on your situation. Until he arrives, I'll be your host."
Shikaku smiled as he spoke.
Anyone could tell that beneath that calm smile was absolute confidence—confidence granted by Uchiha Ran. Ever since his rise, Konoha's presence alone had intimidated nearly eighty percent of the smaller powers in the ninja world.
Very few fools still dared provoke them.
Sunagakure had chosen to lie low and focus on development. Iwagakure had even signed a peace treaty. Kumogakure remained quiet, but everyone knew it wouldn't dare act rashly—their strategic weapon, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, was still in Konoha's hands.
Mei Terumī thought briefly, then nodded. "Then we'll trouble you."
She and Genji took their seats, their gazes calmly sweeping across the office.
Before long, Uchiha Ran finished washing up, changed clothes, and headed toward the Hokage Building.
Kakashi followed behind him, while Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui guarded from the shadows. It was, without exaggeration, the strongest security lineup in Konoha.
The doors opened.
Uchiha Ran entered first, dressed in the sacred Hokage robe. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Honored guests have come to Konoha. I'm truly pleased."
He walked to the desk. Shikaku immediately gathered the documents, stood up, yielded the main seat, and moved respectfully behind him.
Uchiha Ran sat down slowly and looked around.
"May I ask which of you is Mei Terumī?"
His gaze swept the room and finally stopped on a woman dressed in blue, her figure slender and graceful.
Mei Terumī smiled faintly, her eyes carrying a hazy charm. "That would be me. I've long heard that Konoha's Fifth Hokage is a young hero—someone who quelled internal chaos and external threats alone, making Konoha's name resound throughout the ninja world. Seeing you today, the rumors were not exaggerated."
She stepped forward lightly.
Uchiha Ran looked at her openly, his eyes free of lust—only the calm appreciation of something beautiful.
Mei Terumī narrowed her eyes slightly. She hadn't expected him to be so unaffected.
"Hmm? Hokage-sama, where exactly are you looking?" she teased, her lips curling.
Uchiha Ran snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "Nothing important. I was just thinking about… something interesting."
He waved a hand casually.
"Lady Mei Terumī, let's get straight to the point. State your request. Based on the difficulty of the mission, Konoha will determine the appropriate compensation."
Mei Terumī's expression grew serious.
"Under Yagura Karatachi's brutal rule, the people of the Hidden Mist are living in misery. We hope Konoha can intervene and deal with Yagura Karatachi."
She paused briefly.
"In return, we can agree to all the conditions discussed last time—including the Three-Tails, Isobu."
Uchiha Ran chuckled softly.
"If you were still in your previous position, with influence and connections inside Kirigakure, we might have accepted."
"But now?" His eyes sharpened. "You're nothing more than a group of fugitives—no power, no funds."
"How can I be sure you'll honor your promises once the job is done?"
"And more importantly," he continued calmly, "you've already been branded rogue ninja. What authority do you have to represent the Hidden Mist Village?"
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
Mei Terumī fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Then what does Hokage-sama suggest?"
"I'm simply reminding you," Uchiha Ran replied lightly, "that your situation is far worse than before. Five hundred million is no longer sufficient."
He laughed softly.
Mei Terumī exhaled slowly. "Then name your price."
She had no choice. Without Konoha's intervention, they could never defeat Yagura Karatachi—and their families were still trapped in the Hidden Mist.
"1.5 billion," Uchiha Ran said calmly. "A fixed price. No negotiations."
He lifted his teacup and took a sip.
"1.5 billion?!" Ao slammed the table. "Why don't you just rob us?! Do you have any idea how much money that is?!"
Uchiha Ran's gaze shifted to Ao.
He recognized him immediately—the Hidden Mist ninja who had once stolen a Hyūga Byakugan during the Third Great Ninja War. The same Ao who would later expose Danzō Shimura at the Five Kage Summit.
Interesting.
Uchiha Ran stood up and whispered a few words to Kakashi.
Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly. He glanced at Ao with a subtle smile.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I'll make sure it's handled."
Kakashi vanished instantly.
Uchiha Ran looked back at Ao, the smile on his face neither warm nor cold. A good show was about to begin.
At this moment, the elderly man leaning on a cane—eyes closed the entire time—finally spoke.
"1.5 billion… is acceptable."
Ao stared at him in disbelief.
"Lord Genji, have you gone senile? That amount equals nearly five years of the Hidden Mist's income! And we don't even have that much money!"
He clenched his teeth, fury burning in his eyes.
"All of it was embezzled by Yagura Karatachi!"
Genji remained calm.
"Hokage-sama," he said slowly, "you must have something else in mind that can offset such a sum. Am I correct?"
His cloudy eyes turned toward Uchiha Ran.
"For example… the Three-Tails we discussed before. That alone should be worth at least three hundred million."
------
Guys there are already upto 40 advance chapters on my patreon (Upto Chapter 178) for now and there will be more soon. So you can go check it out.
👉 patreon.com/TheLazy_sage