Yes, the Hokage!

……

"call!"

Stepping out of the izakaya, Feng Lan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He had finally gotten rid of Shikaku, the most troublesome guy. He felt completely relaxed. To put it somewhat inappropriately, his mood was like that of an imperial uncle who had just entrusted A Dou to the prime minister.

He won't be able to go to Amegakure with any peace of mind until this matter is resolved.

"Lord Fenglan." Shishui, acting as a guard, appeared behind him without anyone noticing. "There is something I don't understand."

"Hmm?" Feng Lan stretched. "What is it?"

"You once told Itachi that sometimes it's easier to scheme against smart people than against stupid people, but now it seems to me... winning over Mr. Shikaku is still the most troublesome thing to do."

“You said it yourself, sometimes.” Feng Lan smiled. “Besides, this isn’t scheming, or even trying to win someone over, but recruiting them. Scheming against a smart person can be easy sometimes, but recruiting one is much more complicated. They’ll analyze all the pros and cons to determine if you’re the best option. And Lu Jiu is smart but not very ambitious, which makes him even more troublesome.”

“Someone like Orochimaru, although he is smart, is too ambitious. As long as I throw out enough bait, he will not be able to resist jumping into the pit even if he sees it is a trap.”

"Before seeing the benefits, Shikaku will inevitably analyze what risks he might encounter. Once he feels that the risks outweigh the benefits, he will absolutely not take that step. So I can only push him forward appropriately, but I can't push him too hard, otherwise it will have the opposite effect. It's really troublesome... Fortunately, I finally succeeded."

Hearing this, Shisui couldn't help but worry, "What if, during your time away from Konoha, Mr. Shikaku feels that the risks of assisting the Fourth Hokage outweigh the rewards? What if he..."

"No, smart people know one thing in their hearts: wavering is a big no-no. If you're going to gamble, you have to go all in." Feng Lan gazed at the night sky, a smile playing on her lips. "Lu Jiu, Lu Jiu, you've finally been tempted. As long as I assist Minato this time... how could I not get you on board?"

At this point, Shisui was starting to lose track of his train of thought, but compared to Shikaku's matter, he was more concerned about something else: "Lord Fenglan, you said that recruiting a smart person is a very troublesome thing, right?"

“That’s right.” Feng Lan turned her head to the side.

"What kind of efforts did Lord Minato make when he recruited you?"

After saying this, Zhi Shui hurriedly lowered his head. Undoubtedly, this was an overstepping question that should never have been asked by him, the shadow guard. But for some reason, when he was with Lord Feng Lan... he couldn't help but become more and more presumptuous.

"Oh, you mean that?" Feng Lan chuckled nonchalantly. "He asked me, 'Would you be willing to become the Hokage's advisor?'"

"and then?"

"Then I said yes."

"Um……"

Zhi Shui fell into a long silence. At this moment, Feng Lan had already taken a step forward. He hurriedly followed behind, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "Lord Feng Lan, I, I think you said some things incorrectly."

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Feng Lan asked casually, his thoughts already drifting back to Amegakure.

“You said…you never trust anyone, but I feel that you trust Lord Minato implicitly.” Shisui mustered his courage. “You seem to be…deliberately portraying yourself in a negative light, but in reality…”

Fenglan suddenly stopped walking, and Zhishui immediately shut up, not daring to say anything more.

After a moment, Feng Lan took another step forward. He seemed to mutter something under his breath, but even with the keen hearing of a master like Zhi Shui, he couldn't hear it clearly.

All he could confirm was a long sigh and a vague "fools are lucky".

Chapter 58 The most important thing for the three of you is to live a good life.

Early the next morning, Feng Lan led a large group of people and set off. The technological situation in the Naruto world is somewhat Schrödinger's cat. You might say the technology is low, but they have water, electricity, and gas, and they sell printed books everywhere. Even movie theaters are constantly releasing new movies (although the most popular movie is actually Jiraiya's Icha Icha series). You might say it's high, but most ninjas have to walk to get around. Even Danzo, the 55th Hokage who went to the Five Kage Summit, had to do this. Fortunately, ninjas are much faster than ordinary people, otherwise it would be hard to say whether they could have made it.

However, considering Feng Lan's special identity, Shui Men still prepared a carriage for him to ride in. Feng Lan, who was not good at this, could only shrug helplessly. It was really too much to ask him to research things like gunpowder and airplanes just because he was a transmigrator.

"Fenglan".

When it was time to say goodbye, Minato was extremely reluctant to part: "You must be very careful. It doesn't matter if you can't catch Danzo, but you can't get hurt, you know?"

"When did it become your turn to tell me to be careful?" Feng Lan rolled her eyes. "During the Third World War, you were the most reckless kid."

"I'm reckless because I have the Flying Thunder God Technique." Minato, however, was unusually serious. "Although you've learned it, you haven't fully mastered it yet. Don't think that the Flying Thunder God Technique is omnipotent. If you encounter a strong opponent you can't defeat, you must retreat. I will take care of them for you in the future, no matter who they are!"

"I understand, I understand." Feng Lan was somewhat touched, but she wouldn't show it on her face. She boarded the carriage and waved without turning her head, "Everyone, Feng Lan is off."

The delegation set off in a high-profile manner, with Feng Lan carrying a large banner as if afraid that no one would know that he was going to Amegakure. Such a ostentatious display completely violated the ninja's secretive behavior, but no one in the entire village, from the Third Hokage Minato down to the two gatekeepers at the entrance, felt that there was no problem.

Everyone is used to it; Fenglan always has his reasons for doing anything. If we haven't thought of that, it's not his problem, it's our thinking that's wrong.

After the carriage departed, Konoha F3 and the others returned to the village. They had many things to do, such as preparing for the war. Only Minato stood blankly at the door, watching the departing delegation until the flamboyant banner gradually disappeared into the forest.

He felt a sudden emptiness in his heart. Although he couldn't bring himself to say something like, "Cut down this forest for me, so I can't see Yuanzhi's back," he felt a sense of panic and sorrow welling up inside him. It was as if the confident and omnipotent golden light he usually possessed had suddenly disappeared.

"Fourth Hokage, it's time to go back." At this moment, Shizune walked up and gently reminded him.

"I..." Minato's behavior at this moment was somewhat like that of a helpless child.

Seeing his expression, Jingyin secretly admired Lord Fenglan's foresight. She then took out something and handed it to him with both hands: "Mr. Fenglan said that if you encounter any problems that you cannot solve during his absence, open this scroll."

Minato looked down and saw that the scroll was covered with dense sealing techniques, clearly containing a very important plan. For some reason, he suddenly felt his confidence return.

"Alright." He took the scroll and solemnly placed it in his pocket. "Let's go back too; it's time to start our work for today!"

However, he was met with a rather peculiar gaze from Jingyin.

"W-what's wrong?" Minato blushed, realizing that his behavior just now was indeed embarrassing.

"No." Shizune quickly lowered her head as well. "It's just that I feel... Mr. Fenglan really understands the Fourth Hokage."

The implication is that you've been manipulated to this extent.

Unfortunately, Minato failed to grasp the deeper meaning. He confidently strode into the village, and then…

"Ugh, this is driving me crazy!"

Half an hour later, looking at the pile of documents on the table, Shuimen felt terrible. Before, Fenglan was responsible for 80% of the documents and he was responsible for 20%, and he didn't feel anything. But now that Fenglan was gone, he immediately felt his head buzzing when he started working on them.

He only now realized how terrifying Feng Lan was, who could effortlessly finish all his work in a morning and even help him fill in the gaps in his knowledge.

"How does that kid have such a sharp mind?" He couldn't help but mutter to himself after only half an hour.

And this was clearly within Feng Lan's expectations.

"Lord Fenglan asked me to answer you. There's nothing special about it; it's simply a matter of practice makes perfect."

"Whoa?!"

Minato was startled, then, seeing Shizune standing beside him, he asked curiously, "What did you say?"

“Last night, after Lord Fenglan had been drinking, he came to my place.” Jingyin sighed. “Besides giving me that scroll, he also taught me a lot of things and told me how to use them in different situations.”

"The phrase 'There's nothing special about it, it's just a matter of practice,' was asked to be uttered by him when you made a similar remark."

Minato: "..."

He blushed again, too embarrassed to slack off any longer, and could only hurriedly throw himself into his work.

……

On the other hand, compared to Minato's exhausting work, Fenglan's life was much more comfortable.

His body had recovered, and during the day he would run and move forward with Dai to exercise his physical strength. When he was tired and needed to rest, he would return to the carriage to read Orochimaru's forbidden technique scrolls or Tsunade's medical theories. When he rested at night, the little girl Rin would take care of him by cooking fish and tending the fire.

Speaking of Rin, although she was a victim of Feng Lan's conspiracy, she did not distance herself from him like Kakashi and Obito did. Instead, she was very grateful to Feng Lan for making Obito a ninja again and for arranging for her to become Tsunade's apprentice. This made her seem even closer to him.

It can only be said that this child is too innocent and kind. She only remembers the good things about others and never remembers the bad things. Even someone like Feng Lan can't help but feel a little apologetic when facing her.

Under her influence, Kakashi and Obito's attitudes toward Fenglan also softened considerably.

However, there is one thing that makes Fenglan a bit gossipy: what Rin said before Obito conducted the Hashirama cell experiment must have been nothing short of a confession, right? What is the relationship between these three now?

He paid special attention and found that it was still the same as before: Obito openly loved Rin, Rin blushed in front of Kakashi, and Kakashi was arrogant towards Obito.

Emmm...

That's enough. The most important thing for the three of you is to live your lives well.

After all, in the world of Naruto, love is nothing compared to the friendship in Konoha. It's just that our number one male ninja, Naruto, hasn't been born yet, otherwise his bromance with Sasuke... cough cough, I mean, their friendship would be an even bigger surprise!

Although the group's pace was not slow, it was by no means fast either. This was exactly the effect Feng Lan wanted: to let all the spies know about the matter, to let all the major countries know that they were going to Amegakure, and to completely muddy the waters.

On the evening of the third day, it began to drizzle. The group quickly looked around, preparing to find a place to rest and take shelter from the rain.

"This is all flat plains around us," Tsunade frowned. "Fenglan, do any of the people you brought out know Earth Release?"

"No." Given Feng Lan's personality, he had already figured out the abilities and characteristics of each of his subordinates. "There are some who know Wood Release, though."

He pursed his lips to the side and said, "Obito, build a wooden hut."

"Huh?" Obito was slightly taken aback. "Wood Release can be used like this?"

"Don't worry, it not only exists, but it's also very useful." Feng Lan imitated Dai giving a thumbs up, a glint of light flashing in his teeth. "Work hard, and you'll be a real estate tycoon in Konoha someday."

"Hmm, I'll give it a try."

With a hint of doubt and uncertainty, Obito formed hand seals: "Wood Release Technique!"

Although not as exquisite and sturdy as the house built by Captain Yamato's Four Pillars Technique, Obito still lived up to expectations and built a house that was undoubtedly very practical in the case of the rain getting heavier and heavier.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Rin's eyes sparkled with girlish excitement and admiration. "So Wood Release can be used like that! Obito, you're incredible!"

"No, no..." Obito, who had just been focused on Wood Release, blushed deeply and grinned foolishly. "I, I was just trying it out."

Feng Lan casually remarked, "Don't get too cocky. Your skills still need improvement. Let's build a stable to cover the horses and the cart first."

"Oh!"

Obito, who was being worshipped by Rin, had already gotten carried away and did as she said without a word. Feng Lan watched with satisfaction, thinking, "This technique is so good. I need to practice this technique."

Look at Captain Yamato. In addition to the Four Pillars Technique, he also has the more advanced Linked Pillars Technique, which allows him to create multiple houses with a single clap of his hand. Fenglan is currently making money from Konoha's real estate. If Obito can learn these two abilities, wouldn't he be able to save a lot of costs?

The group quickly entered the wooden hut to take shelter from the rain. The Uchiha ninjas started a fire and roasted the food they carried with them. Soon, the air was filled with the aroma of wood and food, making the people who had been traveling all day feel drowsy.

Although Feng Lan was also resting by the fire with his eyes closed, his senses had already reached out. Although he was not the worst student, he was not a genius ninja either. His current abilities were all due to years of hard training, and he had never neglected his most important senses.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide: "There's a chase ten kilometers away! One person is escaping while five are chasing. Shisui, Obito, and Hizashi, come with me!"

"Yes!"

He made the arrangements very efficiently, and his subordinates immediately obeyed. They were already used to obeying Feng Lan's orders, and the four figures rushed to the scene of the incident.

"Lord Fenglan's perception is truly amazing."

On the way, Hizashi couldn't help but sigh. The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan has a detection range of only one kilometer at most, while Fenglan's perception ability has reached a full ten kilometers without any amplification device. This ability is comparable to that of the Yamanaka clan, who are known for their perception.

Feng Lan smiled calmly and said the same thing again: "Nothing special, just practice makes perfect."

Because the three of them were heading towards that group, they quickly came into the Byakugan's field of vision, and Hizashi immediately provided information: "The people who escaped were wearing Kirigakure headbands, and the five chasing them are from Iwagakure!"

"Aren't you from our village...? Although we've reached the border, we're still within the Land of Fire. How dare you!" Shisui sneered. He had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Third War, and his sneer was full of murderous intent.

Feng Lan remained silent and quickened her pace, but when she saw Wu Yin being chased, she couldn't help but pause slightly in surprise.

"Kisame Hoshigaki?!"