Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 190 Female Star's Reclaim of the Kingdom? Sasuke's Exam
On their way back to Konoha, Naruto and his two companions escorting the prisoners happened to run into Shikamaru and his two companions who were helping Genji catch crickets all over the mountains.

"Sasuke? Naruto?" Ino rushed over as soon as she saw the three of them. She had really had enough these past few days. They had been searching in the forests around Konoha for almost a whole week to find a cricket that met the Daimyo's requirements. And that wasn't all. While they were feeding mosquitoes in the forest, their instructor was engrossed in reading bad books every day.

"Oh, it's Ino. Where are Shikamaru and Choji?" Naruto's face lit up with a bright smile as soon as he saw Ino.

"Look, over there," Ino said, pointing to two figures, one fat and one thin, that were faintly visible in the bushes.

“I heard you passed the Hokage’s test, so you don’t have to complete the D-rank mission,” Ino said. “I’m so envious. You can all leave the village to do missions, but we still have to help a kid catch crickets, not to mention our teacher is a middle-aged pervert who only knows how to read bad books.”

"Ahem, next time you cricket at me, could you perhaps turn your back a little?" As the group was talking, a figure suddenly jumped down from the tree branch above. The newcomer, with a deadpan expression, said, "Also, as ninjas of Konoha, I think we should show a little more respect to our Daimyo."

"Brother Kakashi!" Naruto greeted Kakashi warmly upon seeing him, then pushed Zabuza, whom he had been watching over the entire way back, forward with a boastful expression. "Look, we've captured an elite Jonin from the Hidden Mist Village rebels!"

"Really?" Kakashi looked closely and saw that it was an old acquaintance who dared to ambush him on the battlefield in the Land of Water. He immediately laughed, "So it was him."

Then, Kakashi turned to look at the Executioner's Blade that Naruto was carrying on his back. "Naruto, if you want to keep this sword as your trophy, you'd better ask your teacher or Karin to inscribe a sealing jutsu on it later. Otherwise, Kirigakure has ways to summon this sword."

Originally, this sword had become Kakashi's trophy during the battle in the Land of Water. However, less than three days after that battle, the sword, which he had stored in the Kamui dimension, was retrieved by Kirigakure using a special summoning jutsu.

It was at this moment that Kakashi learned that each of the seven swords of Kirigakure had its own summoning contract. This was why the seven swords of Kirigakure had been passed down for so many years, and why, even though some swordsmen had died while carrying their swords, the lineage of the seven swords of Kirigakure had never been broken.

“However, if we do that, the sword’s special abilities will likely be greatly affected by the sealing technique,” ​​Kakashi cautioned.

"Is it really that troublesome?" Naruto looked down at the Executioner's Blade with a regretful expression. Ever since Sasuke received the Purple Lightning Blade as a graduation gift, Naruto, wanting his best friend to have it too, had started thinking about getting a ninja sword to show off. After capturing Zabuza, the imposing Executioner's Blade naturally caught his eye. However, after hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto immediately lost interest.

“Or you could ask a craftsman to melt it down and reforge it into a new sword,” Kakashi said.

When Kakashi first obtained the Executioner's Blade, he considered melting it down and using the special metal to reforge White Fang. However, due to a momentary oversight, the blade was taken back by Kirigakure, and the idea was abandoned.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore!" Naruto quickly put the troublesome matter out of his mind and turned to Ino, saying, "Ino, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen when we're done. To celebrate my first successful mission, I'll treat everyone to ramen!"

"If you want ramen, just say so. Don't make up these excuses." At this moment, Shikamaru also came to Naruto's side and said lazily.

"Hehe, you caught me." Naruto scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. "By the way, where are Kiba and the others?"

"Their class's mission is to help the Minister of Construction's wife find her lost pet dog. They're searching all over Konoha," Shikamaru said.

“Alright, let’s go back and turn in the mission first,” Naruto nodded. “If you see them later, remember to tell them that I’ll treat them to ramen tonight. See you later.”

"See you later." Shikamaru waved goodbye to Naruto and the others before getting back to his work of helping Genji find crickets in the bushes.

……

After Sasuke and his two companions escorted Zabuza back to Konoha, Touko Uchiha and Mei Terumi's negotiations officially began. After some back-and-forth, the two finally finalized the details of the exchange, in which Kitagiri would exchange a Byakugan for Zabuza.

When Ao's Byakugan was returned to the Hyuga clan's shrine, more than a month had passed. During that month, Sasuke and his two companions had completed two more C-rank bandit-suppression missions outside the village.

Until Uchiha Touko encountered an interesting mission in the mission request.

[Escort movie star Fujikaze Yukie to the Land of Snow to complete filming. Client: Asama Santayu]

Upon seeing the mission, Uchiha Touko casually tossed the report onto the table and then called out loudly, "Inahikasa, have Sasuke come to me."

"Yes!" Uchiha Inahi, who was outside the door, accepted the order and left.

Before long, Sasuke arrived at the Hokage's office.

Upon arriving at the Hokage's office, Sasuke saw that Uchiha Touko was still looking at documents, so he didn't disturb him directly. Instead, he went to the cabinet where Uchiha Touko kept tea, opened it, and then asked, "Sensei, what would you like to drink today?"

"It's Snowdrop Tea. The tea is in the fourth box from the left on the second shelf," Uchiha Tobi said without looking up.

"Yes." Sasuke nodded, took the tea leaves from the cabinet, and went to the tea table where Uchiha Touko usually brewed tea. He lit the charcoal fire and started boiling water.

Before long, the aroma of tea filled the office, and Uchiha Touko rose and came to the tea table with a document in his hand.

Sasuke respectfully presented a cup of hot tea to Uchiha Touko.

Uchiha Touko picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded: "Not bad, your skills have improved a lot since then."

"Compared to you, Master, I'm still far behind," Sasuke said, bowing his head. "I wonder what brings you here, Master?" Sasuke asked.

"I have a mission for your Team 7," Uchiha Touko said calmly, handing the mission information to Sasuke.

Sasuke took it and examined it carefully. Then, he looked up at Uchiha Touko with some confusion: "Escorting a female celebrity to the Land of Snow to film a movie? Is this kind of mission worth you asking me to come all the way here, Master?"

“Of course it’s worth it, because this mission is also a test for you,” Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh.

"An exam?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.

“Yes, an exam.” Uchiha Touko nodded. “Of course, it’s not about ninja skills, but about the chess skills you’ve learned from me over the years.”

After saying that, Uchiha Touko took out a document containing information about the coup in the Land of Snow several years ago and handed it to Sasuke.

"Fujifuyuki, real name Fuuka Koyuki, is the only daughter of the previous Daimyo of the Land of Snow who died in a bloody palace coup. In other words, this most popular star in the ninja world is actually an exiled princess," Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh.

Sasuke's expression turned serious after hearing Uchiha Touko's words: "Then, teacher, what is the passing standard for this exam?"

Uchiha Touko smiled and took out a draft contract from the sealed scroll at his waist, placing it in front of Sasuke. This was a draft contract for the Land of Snow to join the Konoha Pact.

Sasuke picked up the contract and examined it carefully, while Uchiha Touko calmly said, "This is the most basic requirement to pass. You just need to get the Daimyo of the Land of Snow to sign this contract. However, if you want to get a higher score from me, it depends on how much benefit you can get on top of this."

"I won't impose any restrictions on your test. You can use any resources or connections you have. If you want, you can even go to the Land of Water to ask your father for help. However, I won't provide you with any assistance. You will have to bear all the costs in this process yourself," Uchiha Touko said. "However, if you successfully pass my test, then all the benefits beyond the passing grade will be yours. The village and I will only receive the most basic portion."

After finishing speaking, Uchiha Touko smiled and looked at Sasuke, "So, are you confident you can pass this test?"

After hearing the conditions set forth by Uchiha Touko, Sasuke's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. "Sensei, I want to give it a try. You won't restrict me from accessing any resources I can, right?"

“That’s right,” Uchiha Touko said.

"Neji's current Anbu organization hasn't been abolished yet, has it?" Sasuke asked.

"Not yet," Uchiha Touko said.

"Then, teacher, don't assign any missions to Class 8 and Class 10 for the next few days. I'll have Neji, in the name of the Anbu, recruit those two classes to assist Class 7 in carrying out this mission."

"These two classes? Okay." Uchiha Touko nodded with a smile. "It seems you're after Kakashi and Shisui's power. But let me warn you, as the captain of the security force, Kakashi can't leave Konoha for too long. So if you plan to recruit them for assistance, you can only bring your Shisui brother on this mission at most. However, if you want to hire your Shisui brother as a henchman, you'll have to pay his fee yourself after the mission. Can you afford that price?"

"Do I really need to pay this fee?" Sasuke said with a smile. "This manager named Asama Santayu has made a lot of money in the ninja world over the years thanks to this princess. If a Kage-level expert were willing to help them restore their country, they would probably be willing to pay money."

“It’s easy for them to pay for getting Shisui to take action.” Sasuke rubbed his temples. “However, given your stance over the years that Konoha will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, if we were to storm into the Snow Country’s palace, kill the current daimyo, and install this little princess as the new ruler, it would probably affect your plans for the ninja world over the years.”

Uchiha Touko smiled at Sasuke and nodded, signaling him to continue.

"Therefore, we cannot directly use this as our mission objective. We can only inadvertently get caught up in the royal conflict of the Land of Snow during our current mission, and in self-defense, accidentally kill the current daimyo of the Land of Snow who attacked our protected target," Sasuke analyzed.

"So, there are only two difficulties in this mission. First, how to gain the complete trust of this exiled princess, help her muster her courage, and then guide her to actively use us to complete her plan to restore her kingdom," Sasuke said. "Second, how to get the daimyo of the Land of Snow to take action against us. Ideally, we ninjas who accepted the escort mission would be unaware of Kazahana Koyuki's identity, and we would be used by the princess of the Land of Snow who intends to restore her kingdom, and unexpectedly get involved in the royal struggle of the Land of Snow."

"Then... ninjas clashed, and the daimyo died suddenly." After a moment of silence, Sasuke slowly uttered these eight words.

"Excellent!" Uchiha Touko clapped lightly, looking at Sasuke in front of him and nodding in satisfaction. "You've already become quite adept at analyzing the game situation."

“However, the game won’t always go as you expect,” Uchiha Touko said with a smile. “A qualified Go player should be able to steer the game in the direction you anticipate amidst the ever-changing situation. Don’t disappoint me, Sasuke.”

"Teacher, just you wait and see." Sasuke nodded, stood up confidently, said goodbye to Uchiha Touko, and left Uchiha Touko's office.

Soon, Sasuke summoned Neji and Naruto, took the mission information he had obtained from Uchiha Touko, and found the crew of "The Great Adventure of the Wind Princess" who were currently staying at a luxury hotel in Konoha. He then explained his purpose to the person who had commissioned the mission, Asama Santayu.

"You're the ninjas who took on this mission?" Asama Santayu looked at the three people in front of him with some suspicion. "Where's your Jonin leader?"

“Mr. Asama, our Team 7 is in a rather special situation. Our nominal leader is our Fifth Hokage,” Neji said calmly. “The three of us are all Hokage’s personal disciples. Don’t let our recent graduation fool you; we’ve already reached the level of Jonin. Furthermore, Team 7 has a record of defeating and capturing elite Jonin from the Water Country’s rebel army on our own. You can easily find out about this by doing a little research in the village. Therefore, our strength is absolutely sufficient to complete this escort mission.”

"Yeah, don't underestimate us, uncle!" Naruto shouted from the side.

"Is that so?" Asama Santayu glanced at the three boys in front of him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)