Chapter 664: The Hokage vs. the Shinshi?
Chapter 664: The Hokage vs. the Shinshi?
"So it's down to me and Deidara. What a tricky ability."
As Kakashi witnessed Deidara's victory, he instinctively began pondering how to counter the ethereal Divine Light.
But no matter how hard Kakashi thought, he couldn't come up with a good solution.
The Divine Light was an incredibly powerful ability, the kind that was difficult to counter even with prior knowledge.
"Deidara's victory is exciting. I think your final battle will be spectacular," Haruno Rin said with a smile, her fingers crossed.
She had witnessed Deidara and Kakashi's daily efforts, and regardless of who emerged victorious, she would be happy for them.
"Indeed, I can't wait!" Daichi nodded.
After a few months of training, he had grown accustomed to the students' amateurish battles, and watching Kakashi and Might Guy's level of combat was a genuine delight.
"Don't get your hopes up, or it'll be embarrassing if I lose badly," Kakashi sighed softly.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not really looking forward to it," Daichi quickly corrected himself.
"Not even a little? That's quite sad. I guess I'm not in your heart as a senior," Kakashi sighed heavily.
Daichi: ...
What was he supposed to say?
"It's such a beautiful day. I feel like having some ramen. If someone treats me to a bowl, my mood might just improve," Kakashi said, looking up at the sky with a sigh.
"I'll treat you later," Daichi reluctantly offered.
As a non-ninja, Daichi couldn't earn money by completing missions.
His only source of income was the living allowance provided by Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue's allowance was quite generous, but Daichi didn't feel right taking it all, so he only accepted a portion.
That portion was sufficient for his living expenses, and he could even save some for snacks.
For the sake of his senior's happiness, he would skip the snacks.
Kakashi's eyes lit up, and he patted Daichi's shoulder with a smile, "As expected, you're my most adorable junior."
Now it was Daichi's turn to frown, hoping Kakashi would choose a more ordinary ramen shop.
Haruno Rin looked at Daichi with a hint of sympathy, seeing his pure and innocent nature.
Perhaps this was the consequence of their actions; in the future, Daichi would torment Kakashi, and Kakashi would torment the current Daichi, who would then travel back in time to torment the younger Kakashi.
As Yu Sheng Mu Yue finished treating Deidara, Haruno Rin approached him, crouching slightly and extending her hand with a smile, "Congratulations. You're one step closer to your goal."
Deidara was still immersed in the thrill of the recent battle, and when he heard Haruno Rin's voice, he instinctively looked up and met her gaze, momentarily stunned.
He noticed the subtle upward curve of her eyes, the long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and the lively, shimmering eyes like two pools of spring water.
"Deidara, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Haruno Rin asked, shaking his arm in confusion.
"It's warm," Deidara replied subconsciously.
The sunlight filtering through the tree branches shone on Haruno Rin, dancing on her shoulders, making her seem to glow with a warm light.
Deidara felt a pleasant warmth spread throughout his body, even making him a little hot.
Seeing Haruno Rin's smile gradually turn into a puzzled expression, Deidara realized what he had said and quickly blushed, grabbing her hand and standing up.
"I mean, I'm fine," Deidara corrected himself.
"Don't force yourself. If you're not feeling well, tell me," Haruno Rin said earnestly.
"Yeah," Deidara nodded, quickly walking over to sit next to Kakashi.
"We'll stop here for today. The final match will be tomorrow," Yu Sheng Mu Yue announced.
Under his protection, the disciples hadn't suffered any serious injuries, but they had expended a significant amount of energy and needed time to recover.
Deidara and the others didn't have any pressing matters, so there was no rush to conclude the ranking battle.
Kakashi and Deidara both nodded in agreement.
Deidara wanted to defeat Kakashi when he was at his peak, believing it would be more satisfying.
Kakashi didn't mind having more time to strategize.
The ranking battle was temporarily halted, but no one left the Southern Forest.
Those who were able to train had already begun their cultivation, while the others chatted or sought advice from Yu Sheng Mu Yue on training matters.
It wasn't until noon, when Yu Sheng Mu Yue had to leave for other matters, and the disciples needed to eat lunch, that they disbanded.
"Let's go to this one."
Kakashi randomly chose a seemingly decent ramen shop on the commercial street and led Daichi inside.
Daichi's first action upon entering was to look at the menu posted on the wall.
"Vegetable ramen, 65 taels, and pork bone ramen, 60 taels..." Daichi heaved a sigh of relief, as these prices were still within his budget.
"Perhaps Kakashi-senpai has been here before and knows that the prices are affordable."
Daichi felt a slight warmth in his heart, and a smile crept onto his face.
"I'll have a large bowl of miso pork ramen, special edition!" Kakashi shouted to the shop owner.
Daichi's smile froze as he realized that this was the most expensive dish on the menu, costing 80 taels.
"Oh, and add an egg to that," Kakashi added.
The warmth in Daichi's heart began to crack as he knew that the extra egg would cost an additional 5 taels.
"What about you, Daichi?" Kakashi turned to him and asked.
Daichi glanced at the plain rice, which only cost 15 taels, but eventually, he replied, "I'll have a plate of fried noodles."
It would be odd to eat plain rice in the middle of the day, and although the fried noodles were 25 taels more expensive than the rice, it was still a suitable lunch.
After their meal, Daichi tremblingly took out 125 taels from his small wallet and handed it to the ramen shop owner.
His monthly living allowance was 2,000 taels, and this single meal had cost him 125 taels, which pained him.
Noticing Daichi's conflicted expression, Kakashi's lips curled up in a slight smirk. Teasing Daichi had its consequences.
"Are you free later?" Kakashi asked Daichi.
"Yes, I am," Daichi answered honestly.
To watch the civil war between the older ninjas, he had turned down all invitations from classmates and friends.
"Then come with me to the Shinobi Tool Shop. I need to restock on some equipment," Kakashi continued.
Instinctively, Daichi shielded his small wallet behind him.
"Don't worry about the tools; your money won't be enough for any decent equipment."
Daichi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed.
"Could it be that Kakashi-senpai wants to buy me some tools?"
Daichi eagerly nodded in agreement and accompanied Kakashi to the tool shop.
Twenty minutes later, Daichi, with a face full of exasperation, exited the shop carrying a large bag. It turned out that he was only asked to help carry the items.
After delivering the goods to Kakashi's house, Daichi bid farewell with a straight face, "Kakashi-senpai, I'm heading back."
"Here, take this as a token of appreciation for your help," Kakashi handed over 250 taels to Daichi.
There was no way he would actually take money from a kid without earning potential; he was just teasing Daichi.
Daichi's expression shifted from surprise to a smile.
Kakashi-senpai really did have a soft spot for him!
...
After leaving the Southern Forest, Yu Sheng Mu Yue headed to the conference room in the Shadow Lord Building for a high council meeting.
"The Shinshu's attitude is peculiar; they're being very aggressive. Even with the support of the Rain Village, they can barely muster 2,000 ninjas," Enma stated.
Ever since Orochimaru's negotiation mission failed, Enma had gathered extensive intelligence to thoroughly investigate the Shinshu.
His investigations extended beyond the Rain Country, even to small countries like the Bird Country, where Shinshu ninjas were active.
The more Enma investigated, the more he suspected that the Shinshu was employing feint tactics, as he couldn't discern their true strength.
It couldn't all be left to Son Ryouka.
Son Ryouka was undoubtedly capable, having defeated Hanzou with his Fire Jutsu.
But a single powerful warrior couldn't alter the outcome of a battle unless that warrior was Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Sasuke.
If Konoha went to war with the Shinshu, the best outcome for Son Ryouka would be to escape alone with his strength.
Konoha wasn't afraid of Son Ryouka's potential retaliation.
This was the depth of the great ninja village; Konoha possessed countless secret techniques.
If Son Ryouka dared to take revenge, Enma could assemble an elite team to surround and eliminate him.
"Perhaps they're gambling, betting that we won't risk a major conflict at this time," Mizuhoto Monen analyzed.
Mizuhoto Monen had to admit that the Shinshu's gamble paid off. Although he wasn't sure about Enma's thoughts, Mizuhoto Monen genuinely didn't want another war.
To safely resolve the Shinshu issue, they would need to assemble a ninja force of at least 1,500 ninjas.
During this sensitive period, such a large-scale operation would be difficult to conceal from the other four great ninja villages.
"Could it be that Iwagakure still has ambitions and is secretly supporting the Shinshu?" Chojirou Kamizuru suggested.
She recalled Iwagakure's cooperation with the Shinshu and wondered if the Shinshu was being backed by Iwagakure to irritate Konoha.
"That's unlikely. If the Shinshu and Iwagakure were on the same side, there's no reason the Shinshu wouldn't have joined the final battle in the Grass Country."
Yu Sheng Mu Yue spoke up, seeing Chojirou Kamizuru's conspiracy theories, and defended himself.
It didn't matter if he spoke up or not; he was just passing the time.
"Yu Sheng Mu Yue is right, the Shinshu is still a neutral force overall." Enma agreed.
This was also one of the reasons why he wanted Son Ryouka dead.
Enma didn't actually dislike the Shinshu. If Son Ryouka had killed anyone other than Uchiha Danzo, even a Jonin, he would have let it go.
Unfortunately, reality had no 'ifs'. Whether it was for the sake of Konoha's reputation or personal grudges, this matter couldn't be brushed aside lightly.
"Why don't we reveal the truth about Uchiha Sasuke, saying that we've discovered new clues and started a new investigation. When the time is right, we'll deal with this matter," Mizuhoto Monen suggested after some thought.
This way, Konoha could save face and also make it convenient for future actions.
"I think it's fine to stay silent and not respond for now. Through these years of war, no one in the shinobi world is unaware of Konoha's strength," Chojirou Kamizuru said.
Recently, the number of commissions for Konoha had skyrocketed, with requests from various shinobi nations flooding in.
Enma fell silent for a moment before speaking, "This matter is of great importance and must be resolved quickly."
"Change the negotiation conditions to a challenge, and after the battle, regardless of the outcome, Konoha will not pursue the Shinshu for responsibility."
"A challenge to kill Son Ryouka? He's not weak, who should we send?" Mizuhoto Monen asked, slightly frowning.
Son Ryouka's reputation preceded him, and even if the Three Great Ninja were dispatched, the chances of completing the mission were slim.
"Me," Enma said calmly.
With Son Ryouka's record, the Three Great Ninja were not suitable; only he or Yu Sheng Mu Yue could do it.
Mizuhoto Monen and Chojirou Kamizuru were both stunned.
"Enma, don't be impulsive. As the Hokage, you must consider the consequences of your actions. How can you fight outside the village for such a matter?" Mizuhoto Monen hurriedly advised.
He hadn't expected Enma to be so worked up that he was prepared to take action himself.
"I understand your intentions. I also want to avenge Danzo, but revenge cannot be impulsive. Why don't we gather a ninja force to attack the Shinshu?" Chojirou Kamizuru added.
Compared to Enma personally fighting Son Ryouka, Chojirou Kamizuru thought that assembling a ninja force was also an option.
Enma smiled, "Why are you so worried? Is there any ninja in the shinobi world who dares to claim they can defeat me?"
In truth, he wasn't as impulsive as his advisors thought; this was a well-considered plan by Enma.
It didn't require assembling a force for battle, and it would also allow him to perfectly utilize his own strength advantage to personally avenge Uchiha Danzo.
Of course, as a Hokage, such behavior was indeed a bit impulsive.
So, Enma was grateful to Yu Sheng Mu Yue, who had given him the capital to be impulsive.
With Yu Sheng Mu Yue in Konoha, its rise was inevitable and wouldn't be altered by anyone's unexpected departure.
Lastly, it was his confidence in his own strength. He was a ninja professor who had mastered over a thousand secret ninjutsu techniques, and in his life, he had defeated countless geniuses.
"Third Hokage, this doesn't seem appropriate," Yu Sheng Mu Yue also advised.
If Enma really wanted to challenge Son Ryouka, he would only return in a crushing defeat.
Although Enma had his reasons for favoring Yu Sheng Mu Yue, his favor was just that, and Yu Sheng Mu Yue didn't want to trouble Enma.
"You don't need to convince me; my decision is final," Enma shook his head.
He still remembered Uchiha Danzo's final words entrusted to Yu Sheng Mu Yue, and he remembered Uchiha Danzo's expression.
While Uchiha Danzo had indeed done many wrong things, his ultimate goal was to protect Konoha.
He didn't want to let Son Ryouka, who had killed Uchiha Danzo, off the hook, nor did he want to affect Konoha's development plans. Therefore, taking action personally was the best choice.
"Enma, you can't make such a unilateral decision," Mizuhoto Monen said anxiously.
"Yes, if you're not satisfied, we can continue discussing it. There's no need to be so radical. Why don't we send Yu Sheng Mu Yue?" Chojirou Kamizuru added.
"As the Hokage, my authority is limitless! There's no need for further discussion on this matter," Enma said assertively.
He had called this meeting to inform Mizuhoto Monen and the others, not to genuinely consult with them.
After speaking, Enma directly left the conference room and returned to the Hokage's office.
Sitting in the office chair, Enma sighed.
Indeed, he felt a bit estranged by his own impulsiveness, something he hadn't experienced even when he was eighteen.
Perhaps the visible brilliance of Konoha's future had given him the confidence.
Knock, knock.
The wooden door of the Hokage's office echoed, and the advisors, after knocking, entered the office, continuing to advise earnestly, "Enma, you..."
It could also be because Konoha had forever lost an advisor who never knocked before entering the Hokage's office.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
