With everything settled, Reiji and the others left the teacher's office.
In the hallway, Reiji pulled Jiraiya along and stopped Hiruzen Sarutobi and the little Tsunade, who were about to leave.
"Sarutobi-sama, it's thanks to you that I managed to clear my name!" Reiji said with a grin.
Hiruzen gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I barely said a word. Would've made no difference if I hadn't come."
"That's not true."
"If you hadn't shown up, there's no way I could've made that much," Reiji whispered, leaning close.
"Just you standing there in the office, even without saying anything, was enough to bring justice."
As he spoke, Reiji pulled out a thick wad of bills—part of the compensation paid by Kagami Uchiha, totaling 200,000 ryō.
He tore off half and stuffed it into Hiruzen's hand.
"For your trouble. Thanks for coming all this way."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed sharply. This guy! Is he seriously bribing Old man Hiruzen right in the open?!
Hiruzen immediately pushed Reiji's hand away.
"This is my duty. I can't take money for it."
Reiji's expression turned stern, and he shoved the money back.
"I know you're just doing your job. But if good people never get rewarded, who's going to keep standing up for justice?
That's why—you have to take it!"
Hiruzen was momentarily stunned.
Good people need to be rewarded so that justice can be upheld?
Damn... this twisted logic almost made sense.
Taking advantage of Hiruzen's hesitation, Reiji quickly stuffed the bundle into his chest—100,000 ryō, cleanly delivered.
With that done, he turned to Tsunade, who stood nearby with a strange look on her face.
"Tsunade, this 100,000 ryō is for you."
He didn't dare force it on her—she was Konoha's princess, after all.
Messing with a princess might sound exciting, but this girl didn't even have anything worth messing with yet!
Tsunade paused, then her eyes lit up as she calmly accepted the money.
It wasn't much, but it was the first time she'd ever earned money on her own.
Justice should be rewarded—only then would more people choose to uphold it, and only then would the village's spirit grow stronger.
It was a simple truth.
Reiji genuinely liked Konoha and was happy to do a little something to help its atmosphere. Besides, it wasn't his money—no pain there.
Seeing the two of them accept the money, Reiji let out a relieved breath. He threw an arm around Jiraiya's shoulder and laughed.
"Jiraiya, let's split the remaining 800,000 ryō between us!"
Jiraiya quickly shook his head, waving his hands frantically.
"No, no, no! That's your reward—you earned it yourself! I can't take it!"
Reiji's face dropped instantly.
"What do you mean you can't take it? Did you get your beating for free, idiot?!"
He leaned in close and whispered into Jiraiya's ear.
"Besides, I already couldn't stand that guy. This was the perfect chance to milk him dry. Think about it—doesn't that make you my accomplice?"
"Huh? Wh-what?!"
Jiraiya looked horrified, then shook his head stubbornly.
"Reiji, I know you want me to take it, but I just can't."
Watching him squirm, Reiji's forehead twitched with irritation. Two veins popped.
"You damn Jiraiya, stop being such a baby! You're acting like some girl—might as well wear a dress to class!
Tsunade, lend this little girl a dress!"
"Hah?!"
Jiraiya fumed, steam practically coming out of his nose. He grabbed Reiji by the collar.
"You bastard! I got jumped by seven guys last night and didn't even flinch, and you think you can talk down to me?!"
Before he could finish, Reiji slammed a fist into his unswollen left eye.
"Wow, real impressive. Got beat down by seven people and you're bragging about it? If it were me, I'd take at least one of them down with me!"
"Damn you, Reiji! That's exactly what I did—ow! You cheap-shotted me, you bastard! I'll kill you!"
As the two kids rolled on the floor, choking each other and growling through clenched teeth, Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh while feeling a little touched.
All jokes aside, Reiji had finally started building new bonds in Konoha.
As for Tsunade, her face darkened as she clutched the money.
Damn you, Reiji! Making fun of me again... Just wait—one day I'll make you strut through Konoha in a skirt!
...
The brawl between Reiji and Jiraiya raged on.
Just as they were about to polish the entire hallway floor with their scrapping, the chaos finally ended—Reiji came out slightly ahead.
Jiraiya, sulking and defeated, had no choice but to accept the 800,000 ryō split.
With the matter settled, the two mud-covered brats helped each other up and walked off, completely ignoring the stunned Hiruzen and Tsunade.
Watching their bruised, battered backs as they leaned on each other, Hiruzen didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
"Do they always settle their arguments like that?"
Tsunade nodded silently, her face dark. "Yeah... just not usually this humiliating."
Around the corner, Kagami Uchiha had watched the entire scene unfold.
Reiji Sakuhō—what a monster.
He understood social dynamics, read people with frightening clarity, and handled every detail with precision.
Kagami recalled when he was seven or eight, still depending on the support of his clan, family, and friends, never once thinking to repay any of them.
But Reiji? He made sure that anyone who helped him got something in return. Over time, people would probably fight each other just for the chance to help him.
He also felt a deep envy of the friendship between Reiji and Jiraiya.
Yet, surprisingly, there wasn't a shred of resentment in his heart.
It wasn't all that strange. Kagami might be a member of the Uchiha Clan, but to him, the village always came first.
As Tobirama Senju's direct disciple, Kagami had a profound understanding of the Will of Fire.
And that was exactly why it hurt.
If anyone truly wanted to see the Uchiha Clan fully integrated into the village, it was him.
And just when he was at his most uncertain, Reiji Sakuhō had appeared.
If anyone could understand the Uchiha's struggles and offer meaningful advice, it would be someone like Reiji, who could see right through people.
With that thought, Kagami silently made up his mind.
He would start with himself—he would be the one to change the relationship between Reiji and the Uchiha Clan.
...
The school bell rang, signaling the end of classes.
Tsunade skipped down the road, pockets stuffed with cash. Her high ponytail bounced behind her with every step, echoing her light, cheerful mood.
"Grandma!"
The moment she stepped inside, Tsunade started chirping like a little sparrow.
The wooden door slid open, and Mito Uzumaki stepped out of the tea room, smiling warmly.
Tsunade ran straight into her arms, clinging tightly. After a long hug, she pulled a thick stack of thousand-ryō bills from her pocket.
"Grandma, look what I got!"
She held the wad of cash high with both hands.
"Money, huh? Did my little Tsuna win a bet today? Someone's lucky~" Mito teased gently.
"Nooo, Grandma! I came straight home after school!" Tsunade pouted, holding on tight.
With Mito, she could finally act like a real little girl—soft, spoiled, and carefree.
"Alright, alright. My sweet Tsuna's the best. Now, tell Grandma what happened."
Satisfied, Tsunade began counting the money and gleefully recounted the day's events.
Before long, her story was done.
Mito gently patted her head and smiled.
"So, my Tsuna's already a grown girl, earning money for the household now."
"Of course!" Tsunade beamed with pride, then launched into a rant about how evil and scheming Reiji was, and how he scared Ryōta Uchiha so badly the poor boy peed his pants.
Watching her granddaughter chatter away happily, Mito couldn't help but smile in relief.
She'd been around long enough to know exactly what it meant when a girl couldn't stop talking about a certain boy.
Besides, hating someone now didn't mean hating them forever.
After all, she'd been a girl once too.
...
Joyful moments never last long. After dinner, Mito and Tsunade headed off to train, still in high spirits.
Later, Mito sat alone in the tea room, her expression thoughtful, eyes flickering with contemplation.
As the wife of Hashirama Senju, she didn't care about noble lineage. She had no bias against Tsunade's future partner not being from a powerful clan.
But... some things, Tobirama still needed to hear.
With that in mind, Mito raised a hand toward the door.
In the next instant, an ANBU with a fox mask appeared silently outside.
"Mito-sama, what are your orders?" came a hoarse female voice.
"Please make a trip to Tobirama and update him on how Tsuna is doing."
The ANBU nodded and vanished without another word.
...
In the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju leaned back in his chair, frowning as he read the scroll in his hands.
As Hokage, there was no way he wouldn't be aware of the day's major incident.
What infuriated him most wasn't Reiji—it was Ryōta Uchiha openly turning on one of the village's own.
To him, that was simply unforgivable.
Even if Reiji wasn't technically one of their own—say he was a spy—outsiders wouldn't know that. As far as they could see, an Uchiha had attacked a fellow villager.
He really wanted to ask those Uchiha elders how they were raising their children.
If this continued, the village his brother had sacrificed so much to build would end up destroyed by these reckless fools.
Thinking of the Uchiha Clan's influence, Tobirama couldn't help but grumble inwardly at Hashirama again.
Back then, to set an example, Hashirama had endured immense pressure and made a sweeping decision as both Clan Head and the First Hokage.
From that point on, apart from those who had already taken on the name, no newborns in the Senju Clan would inherit the clan surname.
This move had shocked every major clan in Konoha but effectively blended the Senju bloodline into the village itself.
You could say that while the Senju Clan name faded, Konoha became home to countless families carrying Senju blood.
Fortunately, most Senju members had accepted this.
Between keeping their name or preserving their bloodline, the Senju had chosen bloodline.
What they didn't know was that decades later, their long-standing rivals—the Uchiha—would make the opposite choice. They clung to their name and pride, only to lose most of their bloodline—wiped out by their own hands.
Trying to calm himself, Tobirama closed the scroll with a soft thud and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
"Tell Kagami he'll be responsible for mentoring that child. What happened today must never be allowed to happen again.
And make sure the Uchiha get a proper reminder—have them hand over the remaining 800,000 ryō to Reiji Sakuhō immediately.
Also, reject the Konoha Police Force's request to add four more patrol squads. Approve only one."
If Reiji were here, he'd definitely be calling Tobirama a stingy old miser.
The tension between Reiji and the Uchiha Clan was already stretched thin. Now that even the Second Hokage had stepped in, it might ensure Reiji's safety in the short term, but over time, this kind of pressure would only turn conflict into lasting hatred.
Having temporarily dealt with the Uchiha situation, Tobirama Senju's thoughts returned to the thorny issue of Reiji.
It had been his decision to admit Reiji into the Ninja Academy, and with that came the certainty that Reiji would make friends—form bonds.
But Tobirama absolutely didn't want his elder brother's granddaughter getting involved with him.
Reiji was simply too dangerous—not someone a straightforward child like Tsuna should be around.
With that thought, a plan began to take shape in his mind.
...
The next evening, Tobirama wrapped up his official duties early and returned home.
Even though it was still fairly early, Tsunade had already finished dinner.
Spotting him return, Tsunade, who had been training in the courtyard, immediately rolled up her scroll and walked briskly over.
"Great-Uncle!"
The corner of Tobirama's mouth twitched ever so slightly. It was clear he was trying to smile, but didn't quite succeed.
Expressionless as ever, he nodded and sat down on the wooden walkway lining the courtyard.
"Tsuna, what have you been learning at the Academy lately?"
"Great-Uncle, I learned the Body Replacement Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the ninja code," Tsunade answered with a straight posture and a proper tone.
"Hmm. Then let me test you—what are some of the ninja codes?"
Tsunade thought for a moment, then began ticking them off on her fingers.
"One, close combat is always foolish.
Two, sometimes the mission matters more than your life—never give up on it.
Three, protect secrets, and if you're going to die, don't forget to destroy your brain first.
..."
Hearing her fluent recitation, Tobirama nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good, Tsuna. You remember them well. Now, let me ask you—can you keep a secret?"
Thinking he was about to teach her some powerful forbidden jutsu, Tsunade's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly.
"All right then. Great-Uncle wants you to stay away from Reiji Sakuhō."
Tsunade froze, then instinctively asked, "Why, Great-Uncle?"
She might be young, but she was no fool. Quite the opposite—Tsunade was sharp.
If someone could get the Hokage himself to issue a personal warning, then there had to be something big going on.
Her curiosity immediately surged.
Seeing her reaction, Tobirama didn't hide anything.
This was a decision he'd thought through carefully—clear and straightforward. He decided to simply tell her the truth.
Tsunade was Hashirama's granddaughter—his own blood. Tobirama had no reason to keep secrets from family.
More importantly, despite her age, she was just as headstrong as her grandfather. If he tried to distance her from Reiji through indirect means, it would only backfire and push her toward rebellion.
So it was better to be upfront, especially since she and Reiji hadn't grown that close yet.
With that, Tobirama began to calmly explain everything—Reiji's origins, background, and hidden identity.
...
When Tsunade heard that Reiji was actually an undercover agent sent from Amegakure, her cute, childlike face first filled with shock, then furrowed into a deep frown.
"Great-Uncle, why haven't you captured him? Why keep someone like that here?"
Tobirama sighed quietly at her question and replied,
"Reiji Sakuhō is more useful to us alive. Keeping him helps maintain peace along our western border."
"Why? Isn't he just a spy from Ame?" Tsunade asked angrily.
"Through Reiji Sakuhō, we can subtly influence Hanzō of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure. If we manage that, we can hold back both Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
That would reduce pressure on our borders—and fewer of our comrades would die in battle."
At that, Tsunade ground her baby teeth furiously.
Hmph! When I grow up, I'm gonna punch that damn Hanzō of the Salamander into the ground, and kick Reiji Sakuhō out of our village!
Resolving herself internally, Tsunade looked up at Tobirama with a serious face.
"Great-Uncle, can we really be sure Reiji Sakuhō will follow orders?"
Tobirama exhaled silently in his heart—there was no way to be fully certain. No one knew whether Reiji's so-called bonds were genuine or not.
Still, he kept a composed expression and nodded calmly.
"We can—but Tsuna, you need to understand. He's not like you. He was raised and trained from childhood to be an undercover agent.
And undercover agents... have no feelings. That's why I want you to stay away from someone so dangerous. Don't make Grandma Mito worry, okay?"
Tsunade nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, Great-Uncle. I won't speak to Reiji Sakuhō again. And... I'll keep an eye on him for the village."