Chapter 171: Claim the bounty

On this routine seventh day, when Feng Zheng returned home after training, he found an envelope taped to his door.

Feng Zheng thought.

“This is something new.”

He tore it off and began to read. He thought.

“Uh, this is a notice for me to report to the Mission Office in the Hokage Office tomorrow morning at 8:15 AM. Is it a bounty from the Land of Hot Water’s Daimyo?”

The next morning, Feng Zheng resumed his training. He finished his morning exercises an hour early and headed to the Hokage Building.

Upon arrival, he saw Hodaka and Mieko.

He walked towards them. Hodaka asked.

“Hey, Feng Zheng, how have you been lately?”

Feng Zheng replied.

“Well, I’ve started training again. How about you two?”

Mieko rolled her eyes at Feng Zheng and said.

“Already back to training? Feng Zheng, you need to cultivate a hobby!”

Feng Zheng chuckled and said.

“Cultivation *is* my hobby!”

Mieko scoffed at his answer.

Feng Zheng looked at her, thinking to himself.

“I’m not like you. You only have a little over a year left to live.”

Hodaka said.

“Stop bickering, let’s go in.”

The three entered. Feng Zheng thought to himself.

“When the Ninja Academy starts, Naruto and Sasuke should both be seven years old. So the Uchiha massacre will happen within the next twelve months.”

“My Crossing shouldn’t affect the politics of this event. The only thing that might be affected is Hiruzen teaching Mieko. However, this shouldn’t have much impact.”

They arrived at the Hokage’s office and knocked on the door. Hatake Takao opened the door, looked at them, and said.

“Bandit Extermination Squad?”

These four simple words immediately annoyed the three of them. Everyone’s face darkened. He said.

“Come in.”

The three walked into the office with dark expressions. Hiruzen stopped his paperwork and looked at them. He thought to himself.

“Why do they look like they’re here to give me money, instead of here to get money?”

Takao opened a drawer and took out three packages. He handed one to each of them.

Hiruzen said.

“You all did an excellent job in the Land of Hot Water. Commander De Ping, the joint mission Commander, and their Daimyo both gave your work high praise.”

He looked at the packages in their hands and continued.

“This is the bounty the Daimyo sent for you. Feng Zheng, yours has four and a half million ryo. Mieko and Hodaka, your packages contain two and a half million ryo each.”

Feng Zheng looked at his package, thinking to himself.

“Rank A Missions are really profitable!”

Hiruzen’s gaze did not miss Feng Zheng’s expression as he looked at his package. He thought to himself.

“This kid is too greedy! I must make sure he doesn’t develop any bad habits.”

He asked.

“What do you three plan to do with this money?”

Mieko replied.

“Nothing. My mother will take it all and deposit it in the bank. I’ll withdraw it when I’m older.”

Hodaka said.

“Me too. But I’ll ask my father to buy me more tools to enhance my strength.”

Hiruzen looked at Feng Zheng and asked.

“What about you, Feng Zheng?”

Feng Zheng thought for a moment and said.

“I might buy a new house… The house the Academy assigned me is too small and a bit old.”

Hiruzen was surprised. He never expected Feng Zheng to consider housing.

Most orphans live in designated houses for a long time. They usually only move out after getting married.

Hodaka and Mieko were also surprised.

Hodaka said.

“That’s great, good luck!”

Mieko added.

“Yes, good luck, Feng Zheng. Remember to invite us when the house is ready.”

Feng Zheng nodded.

Hiruzen said.

“Alright. Takao, arrange for a suitable contractor to meet with Feng Zheng.”

Feng Zheng nodded his thanks. They left the office. Takao followed behind Feng Zheng. He said.

“Feng Zheng, come with me.”

After saying goodbye, Mieko and Hodaka went home. Feng Zheng followed behind Takao.

He led Feng Zheng to a large shop, very close to the Hokage Building.

Feng Zheng observed the shop. Many workers were busy here, all looking very occupied!

He entered and said.

“Old Man Eiji.”

An old man looked towards the door. He was about 60 years old at the time, with completely white hair, but his back was still straight.

Seeing Takao, he walked towards him. Takao also walked towards him. Feng Zheng followed closely behind.

Eiji said.

“Takao. What brings you here? Does Hokage-sama need my help?”

Takao shook his head and said.

“This young man is preparing to buy a house, and Hokage-sama has high hopes for him, so he asked me to recommend this young man to you.”

Eiji took a closer look at Feng Zheng. He suddenly realized and said.

“Feng Zheng-kun! I remember seeing you during the Chunin Exams. No wonder Hokage-sama values your talent.”

Feng Zheng thought to himself.

“Wow, I didn’t expect to be recognized. Have I become a minor celebrity? Hahaha.”

The old man continued.

“Actually, I lost some money betting, but seeing a promising young man like you, it’s worth it! Hahahahaha!”

He started to laugh loudly. Feng Zheng looked at him expressionlessly.

Takao looked at Feng Zheng and said.

“Feng Zheng, Old Man Eiji here is one of Konoha’s best architects. He has built many houses, and usually has a few for sale. He will give you the best price. Follow him to choose the house you like.”

Feng Zheng nodded. Takao left. Eiji watched his retreating figure.

Although Takao had only said a few simple words, which outsiders might consider casual, there was a lot of hidden information within them. Even Feng Zheng hadn’t noticed.

When he said that the Hokage had high hopes for Feng Zheng, it meant that Feng Zheng was a person with a bright future. Eiji should not play tricks on him or take advantage of his youth.

When Takao told Feng Zheng that he would get the best price, this was actually a message to Eiji to give Feng Zheng the best possible price, earning only minimal profit.

Eiji obviously understood this information; it wasn’t his first time dealing with Takao.

While he was impressed by Feng Zheng’s dominant strength in the Chunin Exams, he was even more impressed that he could get Takao to speak for him like this.

Normally, Eiji would entrust the house viewing to one of his employees. But because Feng Zheng was brought by Takao, he decided to personally attend to him.

He looked at Feng Zheng, and with a smile on his face, asked.

“Feng Zheng-kun, have you decided what type of house you want?”

Feng Zheng thought for a moment and said.

“Not yet. My only requirement is that it must be large and spacious.”

Eiji glanced at Feng Zheng, thinking to himself.

“This is almost as good as saying nothing.”

Feng Zheng looked at him and asked.

“Can you show me a few houses first?”

He said.

“Of course. Can you tell me what your budget is?”

Feng Zheng said.

“I’ll have to see the houses first.”

Hearing this reply, Eiji was speechless. He sighed, thinking to himself.

“This is going to be a long day!”

He didn’t know how right he was.

He nodded and said.

“Alright, follow me.”

They started to walk out. All the prime locations in Konoha were already sold and occupied. So there were no places for sale near the Hokage Building.

They walked a few blocks. After a while, they arrived at a place where five houses had just been built.

Eiji said.

“In this area, I’ve just built these five houses. See if you like any of them.”

Feng Zheng observed the houses. From the outside, each house looked very good. All had a building area of over 110 square meters. The first floor of all houses featured a spacious living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Upstairs were multiple master bedrooms.

Feng Zheng thought to himself.

“Not bad. These houses are good. At least much better than my current house. However, none of them have a basement. I could try to build a basement using Camp Technique, but I can’t guarantee it wouldn’t damage the house’s foundation.”

“Also, the houses are too close to each other. Although they are separated by fences, I wish the distance between the houses could be greater.”

Eiji stayed outside, watching Feng Zheng. He just kept moving from one house to another. He smiled and thought to himself.

“This kid is so enthusiastic about everything. But this isn’t within his budget. Unless, of course, Hokage-sama pays for him.”

A few minutes later, Feng Zheng walked out of the house. He looked like he was deep in thought. Eiji asked.

“Feng Zheng-kun, do you like these houses?”

Feng Zheng looked at him with a smile. He replied.

“Yes, the houses are well-built. However, do you have any houses that aren’t close to other houses? Also, it would be even better if there was a basement.”

Eiji didn’t expect such a response. He thought to himself.

“These are some of my best houses. But he doesn’t seem satisfied at all!”