Looking at his disciples who were much taller than him, Hiruzen was filled with joy.
The current Kizaru, not only a genius of Konoha but also a super-strong pillar in the village.
With his own strength, he defeated the Kumogakure led by the Third Raikage and the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, captured the Raikage, and subdued the Two-Tails.
With such achievements, it could be said that he had already surpassed himself.
"As for the handling of the Third Raikage, what are your thoughts?"
Looking seriously at Kizaru, Hiruzen no longer treated him merely as his disciple but as a younger generation in the village!
Instead, he regarded Kizaru as a member of the village's leadership core, treating him as an equal.
"Killing him would be a waste. Let's use him to negotiate for resources!" Without hesitation, Kizaru said.
This kid, at the age of just ten, already possessed the mindset of a Hokage!
Satisfied with Kizaru's answer, Hiruzen said, "Kizaru, you are in charge of negotiating with the Kumogakure."
"Ehh, give me a break sensei!" Kizaru frowned. "Please deal with such troublesome matters yourselves!"
Kizaru had no interest in such laborious negotiation work!
Smiling at Kizaru, Hiruzen said, "Then let others handle it! Take a few days to rest."
"Thanks a lot, sensei!" Kizaru, very content with the arrangement, smiled again.
"You little rascal!" Shaking his head with a smile, Hiruzen continued, "Kizaru, be prepared! If there's any change in Amegakure, we'll need your support on the front lines."
"You're being excessive!" Scratching his head, Kizaru complained.
"Hard work deserves reward! With you around, there will be fewer sacrifices on the front lines," Hiruzen reassured.
"So, can you give me their salaries?" Looking at Hiruzen, Kizaru semi-jokingly said.
"It's worth considering!" Pretending to be serious, Hiruzen jokingly replied.
After saying that, Hiruzen couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The big victory against the Kumogakure, combined with Kizaru's return, put Hiruzen in a fantastic mood.
"Hey, hey, hey, sensei! I'm serious about it!" Watching Hiruzen laugh, Kizaru also said with a smile.
"Hahaha!" Laughing heartily, Hiruzen encouraged Kizaru, "The village remembers your contributions. After the big battle, the rewards won't be few."
"I'll look forward to it!"
After saying that, Kizaru, who was ready to go home and rest, turned and walked to the window.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back now! For mission reports and such, wait for Nagayasu to come back and ask him."
"Go ahead, rest well!"
Saying this with a smile, Hiruzen picked up his pipe, in a cheerful mood, smoked and watched Kizaru leave.
"Oh, by the way, sensei! Remember to prepare 150 million in cash. I hired a highly skilled bounty ninja at the border."
I hired him to assist the village's ninja, patrol and guard the border, and also for this escort mission."
"This money is for the mission reward, please get them ready and give it to me."
Standing on the eaves downstairs, Kizaru leaned his head against the window and added a bit more to the report.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Hiruzen, who was smoking, was startled by the reported 150 million expense and choked on the smoke, coughing.
"Isn't that too much! Kizaru!"
"That guy's strength is like a monster. You don't want the village to be resented for owing money to him, right?" Watching his coughing sensei, Kizaru said with a mischievous smile.
"I got it!"
Being able to be called a monster by Kizaru, such a powerful individual, Hiruzen naturally didn't want to offend him. Moreover, Kizaru, who proposed the hiring, had just accomplished a great feat by capturing the Third Raikage.
Given the circumstances, Hiruzen could only reluctantly agree.
And in his heart, he made a decision that this money must be accounted for in the Kumogakure's compensation.
"Worthy of being my teacher, really generous!"
Praising Hiruzen, Kizaru, who made a little profit, smiled and jumped off the eaves, leaving the Hokage Building.
Passing through the bustling commercial street, greeting enthusiastic villagers along the way, Kizaru, with a leisurely stroll, arrived at the gate of the Shimura family residence.
"Matatabi, from now on, this will be your home." Hands in pockets, Kizaru looked at the front gate and said to Matatabi on his shoulder.
"Tch! It's really small!" Looking at the front gate, Matatabi complained disdainfully.
"That's because you're too big!" Speaking, Kizaru raised his hand and patted Matatabi's head.
In the disdainful growl of Matatabi, Kizaru approached, knocked on the door, and it slowly opened. Standing behind the door was Shintaro.
Approaching to ruffle Shintaro's hair, Kizaru smiled and asked, "Where are the other little brats?"
"Yoshihiko, Shinobu, Yuki, and Minato have all been taken to the front lines by the clan leader."
Compared to three years ago, having grown quite a bit, Shintaro, who was now following the three elders to learn about managing the school and commerce, looked excited but politely looked at Kizaru.
"How scary! Uncle!" Withdrawing his right hand, Kizaru said with emotion.
"Big brother Kizaru, the clan leader is doing it for everyone to grow up sooner. It can help you ascend to the position of Hokage!" With age, Shintaro understood more, and he looked at Kizaru with a gaze full of admiration.
Although he didn't have the talent to become a ninja himself, Shintaro, who admired and liked Kizaru very much, had completely transferred his ideal of a ninja to his big brother Kizaru.
Let Big Brother Kizaru ascend to the position of Hokage, surpass the First Hokage, and become the strongest ninja in the ninja world!
This is Shintaro's current ideal!
Facing Shintaro's somewhat fanatical gaze and hearing his approval of the clan's actions, Kizaru once again deeply realized that the world he was in was a messed-up world.
If Minato's ideal was to create a world with peace!
Then Kizaru's expectation for this world was to turn into a beautiful world where one could work nine to five, work eight hours a day, and only work four days a week.
Unfortunately, this was just an unattainable expectation!
"It's really messed up!"
Sighing in his heart, Kizaru patted Shintaro's head, and under his gaze, he walked towards his residence.
"Don't you like what that kid said?"
Following Kizaru into a elegantly decorated courtyard, Matatabi jumped down from his shoulder.
"No, I just don't like this messed-up world." Returning to his own residence, Kizaru became more relaxed. He casually sat on the corridor outside the house, leaned against a wooden pillar, and smiled as he replied.
"Messed up?" Matatabi felt that it wasn't a good term, looking at Kizaru with curiosity.
"The opposite of good, it means making people uncomfortable." Kizaru explained.
Nodding in agreement, thinking about the many years he had been sealed, Matatabi echoed, "Indeed, it is a messed-up world!"