"Hiring me won't come cheap!"
Tobirama rubbed his fingers together, his face serious as he earnestly demanded payment from Haru.
Watching Tobirama's mercenary behavior, Haru sneered inwardly.
He absolutely could not let Tobirama take the initiative. If Haru named a price first, whether or not it met Tobirama's expectations, this black-hearted old fox would definitely shake his head and say:
Not enough.
You need to pay more.
Haru had to stay in control.
"Tobirama-sama, I think you've gotten the situation confused. You're my prisoner, a tool brought back through Reanimation Jutsu."
"And you still want to negotiate terms with me?"
"Do you really think that just because I've been calling you Tobirama-sama, you're actually somebody important now?"
Haru wore a look of contempt, firmly rejecting Tobirama's attempt to jack up the price on the spot.
"Damn evil brat from the Uchiha clan!"
Tobirama was so choked by Haru's arrogant words that he almost stopped breathing. He had originally wanted to negotiate some conditions with Haru.
He had not expected Haru to be this rude, showing not even the slightest respect to an old comrade who had devoted his entire life to Konoha.
And now he even wanted to trick him and force him into unpaid labor.
How outrageous!
"Hmph!"
"So what if that's true? Yes, you brought me back with Reanimation Jutsu, but even if you have my body, what can you really do with it?"
"My soul and my intellect are not your property. Research requires a brain!"
"And do people like the Uchiha even have brains?"
"You're all just reckless butchers who know nothing except cutting people down!"
Tobirama was not frightened by Haru's threats at all. He let out a mocking laugh, ridiculing the Uchiha as nothing more than headstrong brutes who only knew how to fight.
Tobirama had his own trump card.
If Haru wanted to make use of his abilities for research, he could not possibly treat Tobirama like a mere puppet. He would have to make use of Tobirama's brilliant mind.
And that was exactly the part Reanimation Jutsu could not control.
You want me to work for free?
Dream on.
A smug smile appeared on Tobirama's face. As long as he held the core technology, Haru would have no choice but to compromise.
"Tobirama-sama, if you're going to play it like this, then there are some things I'll have no choice but to do."
Haru put on a helpless expression, as if Tobirama had pushed him too far.
"Tsunade is a very cute child."
Haru suddenly changed the subject to Tsunade.
"You bastard?!"
"What are you trying to do!"
A sense of danger instantly rose in Tobirama's heart. He had been so focused on the fact that he possessed core expertise that he had forgotten Haru was still a ruthless Uchiha.
And Haru had most likely already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, which meant he was probably a mentally unstable lunatic.
Tobirama did not dare imagine what the price of provoking a madman might be.
"Tsunade hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet, but sooner or later she will."
"And the ninja world isn't exactly peaceful right now."
"Konoha's war with Kirigakure and Iwagakure isn't over yet, and the village has always been short on combat ninja. Tobirama-sama, if the intensity of the war were to rise again, then sending adorable little Tsunade to the battlefield would make perfect sense, wouldn't it?"
"War kills people. Even you, the almighty Second Hokage, died on the battlefield. So if the Hokage's granddaughter were to die in service to Konoha too, that would be perfectly reasonable, wouldn't it?"
A few simple sentences from Haru made Tobirama grit his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
"You bastard!"
"I have never in my life seen anyone so shameless!"
"What kind of ability is it to target a child!"
Tobirama wanted nothing more than to tear Haru into pieces. This bastard actually dared use Tsunade to threaten him.
That was the bloodline his elder brother had passed down. The reason Tsunade had been kept in the Ninja Academy all this time was specifically to prevent her from graduating and taking missions.
If the war spiraled out of control again, a little ancestor like Tsunade, who had no idea how terrifying the battlefield truly was, would definitely scream and insist on going there to make a name for herself. Even if she were assigned to logistics or some relatively safe duty, no one could guarantee that accidents would not happen.
If Tsunade died, Tobirama felt he would have no face left to meet his elder brother after death.
And now Haru actually dared use Tsunade to threaten him.
"Tobirama-sama, don't go throwing that blame onto me. I never said I wanted to do anything to Tsunade. War kills people. Plenty of Uchiha have already died for the war."
"When I was Tsunade's age, I nearly died on missions myself."
"So why should Tsunade be any exception? Who can predict what will happen in war?"
Haru wore a smug smile as he looked at Tobirama's helpless rage and added even more fuel to the fire.
As for Tsunade, Haru naturally had no intention of doing anything to her.
She would become the number one medical ninja in the future, and later she would single-handedly establish Konoha's entire medical system. For a talent like that, Haru could not possibly protect her enough.
Even if Tsunade belonged to the Senju clan, that was no reason to waste such talent.
If she were sent out on missions for no good reason and ended up like her dead little brother, blown to pieces by those supposedly harmless explosive tags, that would be an absolute loss.
"You really are an evil brat from the Uchiha clan!!"
"..."
Looking at Haru's shameless face, Tobirama could not help cursing again, but after a few lines he stopped himself.
Haru had him completely cornered now. Tobirama could tolerate being reanimated and treated as a tool, since he himself had used that exact method before. In that sense, it was only karma coming full circle. Defiling the souls of the dead had consequences in the end.
And now those consequences had arrived.
But once Tsunade's safety was involved, Tobirama could no longer sit still. At this point, he had no choice but to lower his head to Haru.
"Fine..."
"I agree."
"I'll help you with your research."
"But you must guarantee me one thing. You are absolutely forbidden from using any dirty tricks on Tsunade. No matter what happens to her in the future, I'll count it as your fault."
"If that day ever comes, even if my soul is already in the Pure Land, I will find a way to return to this world and settle everything with you."
Tobirama tried to sound fierce as he threatened Haru.
"Of course. As Hokage, protecting the bloodline of the First Hokage is one of my duties."
In an instant, Haru changed his tone completely, and the speed of his shift made Tobirama call him shameless all over again.
When Haru heard Tobirama still complaining, his expression suddenly changed.
"Tobirama, I think you don't respect me."
"I already promised I'd keep protecting Tsunade, and yet even now you still refuse to call me Hokage-sama."
"That makes things very difficult for me."
Tobirama's face twitched when he heard that. Calling Haru a shameless bastard really had not been an exaggeration.
But the strong dictated the terms. Haru held the initiative, so Tobirama could only endure it for now. Once he found a chance to escape in the future, he would definitely settle the score.
Tobirama's throat moved, and with obvious reluctance he forced out four words.
"Hokage-sama..."
(End of Chapter)
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