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"Sakumo-san."
Yoichi and Kakashi made their way to Sakumo's resting place, thanks to Kakashi's keen sense of smell. It's uncertain how he trained it, but his nose is almost as good as those of the Inuzuka clan.
"Yoichi-san, thank you very much for earlier. Without your help, our mission would have failed, and our teammates might have been in danger!"
After saying this, Sakumo bowed deeply to Yoichi, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
Without Yoichi's final strike and the commotion he caused by shouting in the Land of Rivers, the mission would have ended in failure, and the Land of Fire and Konoha might have faced unpredictable consequences for the attempted assassination of a minor country's lord.
Sakumo had given it some thought and realized just how severe the consequences of exposing Konoha ninjas' identities after a failed mission could be.
"It's okay, Sakumo-san. Since I happened to be there, it was natural to lend a hand."
Yoichi said, waving his hand. After a moment, he added, "I only helped because of Kakashi and out of respect for you. The outcomes of Konoha's missions have nothing to do with me!"
Hearing this, a ninja from Sakumo's team, who didn't quite like what was said, interjected, "Hey, how can you say that?"
"Let's rest up for now. We need to recover some chakra before we hit the road again. We can only rest easy once we reach Kikyo Castle."
Sakumo interrupted, understanding Yoichi's lack of fondness for Konoha, especially after incidents of betrayal within the village that also involved his son.
Therefore, Sakumo empathized with Yoichi, who had just saved their squad. Arguing over such minor issues didn't seem right.
"Father, so it was you just now. That kick really hurt."
Kakashi said, holding his chest, still feeling the pain from that kick. His ribs might not be broken, but they were definitely injured.
"Sorry, Kakashi. But as a ninja, one must be prepared to endure injuries or even death. Besides, I gave you plenty of hints earlier."
Sakumo ruffled Kakashi's hair, then asked, "By the way, were you on a mission in the Land of Rivers?"
"We weren't on a mission. Kakashi and I originally wanted to find a summoning beast. We heard there were documents in the Land of Rivers' lord's mansion, so we sneaked in to look."
Before Kakashi could reply, Yoichi spoke first. He wasn't trying to hide anything from Sakumo; after all, Kakashi would likely tell his father later, and Sakumo was trustworthy in terms of confidentiality.
The issue was the presence of others, especially a member of the Sarutobi clan, who were staunch allies of the Senju, Nara, and Akimichi clans, with the Sarutobi acting as witnesses to their alliance.
These people couldn't be trusted, so the excuse Yoichi provided was sufficient for them to deal with Konoha's higher-ups.
Sakumo nodded, then asked, "Is that so? What do you plan to do next, Yoichi-san?"
Yoichi sighed, "We haven't found the summoning beast yet, and I'm not satisfied with just going back. I'm thinking of looking elsewhere; Kakashi, do you want to go back with him, or will you come with me?"
After a moment's hesitation, Kakashi replied, "I'll stick with the captain. Is that okay, Father?"
"It's up to you to decide. We should also be leaving now. Kakashi, Yoichi-san, take care. The Sand ninja might be after you."
Sakumo knew not to believe that excuse, but since the other party clearly had their own plans, he chose not to pry further.
Moreover, their current location wasn't very safe. After applying basic first aid and consuming soldier pills to recover some chakra, Sakumo was ready to lead his team back to Konoha.
"Let's part ways here."
"Take care, Yoichi-san."
After bidding each other farewell, they headed in separate directions.
Once Sakumo and his team were out of sight, Kakashi asked, "Captain, you're not seriously thinking of going back to the lord's mansion in the Land of Rivers, are you?"
"What else? We can't just let these past seven or eight days be for nothing. Effort should yield rewards; that's an unchangeable truth!"
Yoichi finished speaking and then, sighing, patted Kakashi on the shoulder, "It's only because we ran into Sakumo-san that I didn't complete the assignment with my usual dedication. Now, we probably can't even go near the underground exchange. The Sand Village will definitely trace it back there."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, hardly believing Yoichi's bluster, especially since they hadn't completed their assignment. How could they even think of claiming a reward?
"Sneaking back into the lord's mansion now, who would expect that?"
Yoichi said with a smile, confident in his knowledge of the mansion's layout and his familiarity with its interior. Infiltrating using genjutsu would be simple.
"Let's go. After we get what we're owed, we'll head back to Konoha. This trip was supposed to last a month, but with these developments, that's no longer possible."
---
"That's the situation, Lord Hokage."
After Sakumo reported the mission's details, the room fell silent before he continued, "Despite some complications, the mission was a success, thanks to Yoichi-san's intervention. Now, the Land of Rivers is likely in a state of flux."
"A success? Hmm. The presence of an outsider during the mission... I suggest we immediately deploy Anbu to capture Yoichi for interrogation. If necessary, we can even search his brain!"
Danzo spoke coldly, his words causing everyone in the Hokage's office to turn their gaze toward him.
This mission was of great importance, so upon Sakumo's return, the Konoha high command had all gathered in the Hokage's office.
"Moreover, leaving the village without permission should not be overlooked," Danzo added.
"Danzo, let's not sweat the small stuff. We're discussing the mission here!"
Hiruzen interjected, knowing full well that every clan had its dealings outside the village. Not to mention, the Nara clan's deer farm and medicinal herb business often required ninja oversight.
Targeting Yoichi for such a reason would lead to widespread resentment among the clans under the guise of stringent village security measures enforced in the Hokage's name.
"Lord Hokage, the reason I credit the mission's success to Uchiha Yoichi is because our squad hadn't even reached the Land of Rivers' lord's mansion before the mission details were leaked."
Sakumo continued as he produced a storage scroll, "This scroll contains the head of Sunagakure's Sasori. From information extracted from Sasori's brain by Yamanaka Inoichi, we learned that Sunagakure was aware someone would attempt to target the Land of Rivers' lord even before we set out."
"The leak of information made the mission difficult from the start. Yoichi's appearance at the Land of Rivers' lord's mansion was crucial in rectifying the situation!"
(End of Chapter)
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"The information was leaked."
Hiruzen's expression turned cold, even setting aside his pipe, before he asked Sakumo with a heavy voice, "Sakumo, can you confirm this?"
"I can, Hokage-sama."
Sakumo replied decisively, "The head of Sunagakure's Sasori cannot lie. Moreover, Sunagakure's forces arrived in the Land of Rivers almost at the same time as we did. They could only have done so with prior information!"
Hiruzen's expression grew grim as he said, "This was one of Konoha's most classified missions recently. Sakumo, I'll have the Anbu conduct a thorough investigation. Once your squad has received medical treatment, come back to the Hokage Tower for another report. Hand over Sasori's head to the interrogation unit."
It seemed a major investigation was underway, yet Danzo, the instigator, appeared untroubled, confident that the investigation would not trace back to him.
It was regrettable to Danzo that Sakumo had completed the mission.
Although the assassination of the Land of Rivers' lord was not perfectly executed, the fact that the blame was shifted to Sunagakure by Yoichi's cunning move somewhat remedied the situation for Sakumo.
How infuriating!
Danzo seethed internally, yet he saw an opportunity to exploit this situation further, considering that Sakumo had also exposed his identity, and the lord's mansion might not accept this outcome easily.
"Sakumo, go rest for now. I'll have the Anbu look into the information leak. In a few days, accompany me to the lord's mansion."
Hiruzen paused before continuing, "Your squad has completed this S-rank mission."
This statement effectively closed the chapter on the mission to assassinate the Land of Rivers' lord, causing Danzo to feel a rush of urgency; yet, he could not voice his objections without a valid reason, lest he raise Hiruzen's suspicions.
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
After Sakumo responded, he nodded and left the Hokage's office.
Once Sakumo had left, Danzo suddenly spoke up, "Hiruzen, are you sure about crediting this mission as completed by Sakumo?"
Hiruzen frowned, "What do you mean by that, Danzo?"
"You know the prestige of Konoha's White Fang in the village. The lord was immediately satisfied upon learning that the mission was led by Konoha's White Fang.
If you credit this mission as completed by Sakumo, the lord's trust in him will deepen to an unshakeable level."
Danzo's words silenced the room. He knew what Hiruzen cared about and targeted his weak point from the start.
Selecting the Hokage requires the trust of the village's ninjas. After a vote, the Hokage is chosen by Konoha's higher-ups in conjunction with the Land of Fire.
Sakumo's reputation in the village, even surpassing the Sannin, backed by the trust of the ninjas and the lord, positioned him as a prime candidate for the next Hokage.
Who else in Konoha could rival the White Fang?
Hiruzen fell silent, relighting his pipe and taking a deep drag before slowly exhaling the smoke. After a while, he said, "This mission relates to Konoha's future funding, so its completion was necessary."
The completion of the mission meant an increase in funding from the lord's mansion by several hundred million ryō, a significant sum needed for the village amidst increasing border tensions.
However, Danzo's point was also valid, Hiruzen thought.
Sakumo was not his preferred candidate for Hokage. Since Sakumo's school days, Hiruzen knew he had his principles and was very steadfast in his beliefs.
A new Hokage often lacks experience and needs the support of the older generation. If it were Sakumo, he might not heed their advice, choosing instead to follow his own convictions in leading Konoha.
This was not ideal.
"The decision is yours, after all, you are the Hokage."
Danzo snorted and left the Hokage's office. Usually, when Hiruzen used this phrase, it irked Danzo, but today, using it against Hiruzen felt particularly satisfying.
After leaving the office, Danzo thought, "If anyone cares most about the position of Hokage, it's you, Hiruzen, even more than me!"
---
"Let's head back, Kakashi. This haul is enough to cover you in chakra metal, even enough for a full suit of armor!"
"That's too extravagant, Captain. Remember, the three prohibitions of a ninja. But I'd like a ninja suit like yours for weighted training and sword practice."
Kakashi's smile was evident even behind his mask.
Money has its magic; the more there is, the greater its allure. This was Kakashi's second significant financial gain, and he couldn't help thinking about treating himself to some fine purchases.
The wealth in the Land of Rivers' lord's mansion was staggering. Even though they only took the cash, their haul amounted to several hundred million ryō.
Many assets were left behind due to their sheer volume, including shop deeds and various property contracts, essentially making the entire Land of Rivers the private property of the lord's mansion.
Cash was not plentiful, as even the lord's mansion kept most wealth in banks. Yoichi, unable to access these funds, decided to leave them be.
"After this, we won't have to worry about Gate's food expenses. A portion will go to Gates for meals, another into the medicine factory and the ninja games, and the rest will hire bounty hunters to steal star stones from the Star Village."
Yoichi had already planned how to use the money. The funds allocated to the medicine factory would be used to pre-purchase medicinal herbs, securing a thirty-year supply contract exclusively for the Uchiha Medicine Factory.
Breaking the contract would mean either financial compensation or death.
However, the incident in the Land of Rivers had caused quite a stir. As a bounty hunter who turned on his employer, if Yoichi didn't manage this situation well, his operations in the underground exchange could be jeopardized.
The exchange might even spend its own money to find him. Fortunately, Yoichi was cautious, always concealing his identity during his visits.
For a long while, Yoichi planned to stay away from the underground exchange, especially since he wasn't short on money now.
After discussing with Kakashi, they headed back to Konoha, knowing the outside world was not safe and it was best to return sooner.
Upon returning to Konoha, Yoichi was immediately summoned by the Second Elder.
After being seated, the Second Elder's daughter-in-law served them tea before leaving.
Kenji took a slow sip of his tea and then began, "Yoichi, you've caused quite the stir this time, even the lords know your name now."
(End of Chapter)
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