The Heavens: From Naruto to sign in

Yoruha walked down the street hand-in-hand with Ino and Hinata.

Suddenly—

A figure stepped out in front of them.

It was a female ANBU with long purple hair, a sword strapped to her back.

"You again?" Yoruha came to a halt, frowning as he looked at the familiar face of Yūgao Uzuki.

Why did she keep showing up?

"Yoruha of the Yamanaka clan," she said flatly. "The Hokage wants to see you."

There was a subtle glint in Yūgao's eyes as she studied him.

This kid...

They hadn't seen each other in a few months, and he'd already taken down Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist?

And to think—she'd once considered taking him under her wing to teach him swordsmanship.

Blind. Arrogant. She must've been out of her mind.

"Oh? The Third Hokage's looking for me?" Yoruha turned to the girls. "You two head home first. I'll catch up later."

He waved and followed Yūgao to the Hokage's office.

Inside the Hokage's Office.

Yoruha sensed the strange tension in the room as soon as he stepped in.

Not only were the Third Hokage and Anko present, but also Danzo Shimura and the two village elders.

Anko's expression looked especially sour.

"Yoruha, you're here." Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted him with a stiff smile.

Yoruha's eyes swept across the room calmly. He spoke evenly:

"Lord Hokage, may I ask why I've been summoned?"

"Well… about the mission in the Land of Waves—you performed admirably, and we…"

Before the Third Hokage could finish, Danzo cut in coldly:

"Hiruzen, there's no need to sugarcoat things. These two took it upon themselves to raise the mission rank using an IOU. That's a blatant violation of protocol."

"What's done outside the rules must be punished."

He paused, then continued with absolute finality:

"Mitarashi Anko, Yoruha Yamanaka—we've unanimously decided that the bounty you earned from killing Zabuza will be confiscated as your penalty."

The two elders nodded in agreement.

The Third Hokage frowned slightly but said nothing—just like he'd done for decades.

Yoruha, however, gave a cold, mocking smile.

He turned to Anko.

"Anko, have you turned in the money yet?"

"Not yet," she snapped, clearly furious with the decision.

Yoruha nodded, then turned his gaze to Danzo. His voice was calm but razor-sharp:

"You say we violated the rules. Fine. Then let me ask—where in Konoha's published regulations does it say that an IOU can't be used to raise a mission's rank?"

Danzo was momentarily stunned.

He clearly hadn't expected the question.

"We're in the process of drafting that rule," Danzo said sternly. "You'll see it in a few days."

Yoruha let out a cold laugh.

"So you're saying that at the time Anko and I completed the mission in the Land of Waves, Konoha had no such regulation in place?"

Danzo said nothing.

"In that case, why are we being punished?" Yoruha asked. "Shouldn't you be thanking us for helping identify a loophole in the system?"

Anko almost clapped then and there.

This brat...

He wasn't just good in a fight—he could argue too.

"Tch. Twisting words to make yourself sound smart," Danzo growled. "Your behavior was still improper. This punishment is for the good of the village. There's nothing more to discuss."

Yoruha's eyes narrowed.

"Oh? For the good of the village? And who exactly do you think you are?"

He stared Danzo down.

"You're not the Hokage. You're not an elder. So who gave you the right to pass judgment on me?"

"You think just because you say something, it becomes law? Don't make me laugh."