Yes, the Hokage!

"Ok?"

Although he was exhausted, Feng Lan's gaze sharpened. He should have returned all the children that Danzo had taken from the various families. He thought that those who were still loyal to him were all orphans who had been raised since childhood, but he did not expect that there would be exceptions.

"Leave this to me."

Before he could speak, Tsunade walked over and said, "You've had a long day, you should get some rest."

"You?" Feng Lan was slightly surprised.

"What, am I not good enough?" Tsunade smiled slightly. "I am the future Fifth Hokage. Handling this little matter is a piece of cake for me."

Logically speaking, the Fourth Hokage has only just taken office, so discussing the Fifth Hokage seems to have a hint of rebellion. However, since everyone present is on their side, they can just let it go in one ear and out the other and pretend they didn't hear it.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, teacher." Feng Lan yawned widely without trying to hide it; he was really sleepy too.

He had barely returned to the campfire, and before he could even finish a rice ball, Tsunade rushed over in a flurry: "Fenglan, you have to come and see."

"Hmm?" Feng Lan was slightly surprised. Logically speaking, with Tsunade's abilities, handling such a small matter should have been a piece of cake.

Shisui looked at him with a hint of reproach. He was already exhausted from using his Mangekyou Sharingan, and Fenglan was so tired that he was vomiting blood. Couldn't he let the adult rest?

"Although the child's story seemed flawless, I still sensed that you could..." Tsunade was truly influenced by her surroundings; halfway through her sentence, she actually raised her fingers and rubbed them together.

Fenglan immediately perked up. Was there some benefit to be gained? It seemed that the Inuzuka family's child was no ordinary person.

On the way there, Tsunade briefly introduced the boy named Inuzuka Tetsu. In short, it was because of his discovery that Hanzo attacked the delegation with the poisonous mist of the salamander. On the day that Fenglan took over Danzo's forces, he was away on a mission and missed the ride. When he returned, the Root organization had already imposed martial law and did not allow anyone to enter or leave, so in the end he could only leave with Danzo.

Although his words were reasonable and well-founded, he was essentially just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old child. To a seasoned veteran like Tsunade, his expressions naturally appeared affected and somewhat exaggerated.

"Um……"

Although she was extremely exhausted, Feng Lan's mind remained clear, and she immediately made a judgment.

Soon, he met the boy named Inuzuka Tetsu in a private room. His hair was messy, and he was wearing Root organization uniforms that were tattered from the battle. He did not have the red inverted triangle face markings of the Inuzuka family, and he did not even have any ninja dogs with him. No wonder he was forced to reveal that he had smelled the scent of Feng Lan and the others, which prompted Hanzo to take action, in order to show that he was a member of the Inuzuka family.

Upon seeing Feng Lan enter the room, his eyes lit up, and he abruptly stood up: "Lord Feng Lan, I..."

"You weren't out on a mission on the day I went to pick you up; it's just that your status is different, and you don't dare to come back with me."

This was Tsunade's judgment, and Fenglan naturally trusted her judgment. She was capable of holding the position of Hokage; she just hadn't yet gotten over her obsession. Otherwise, in terms of governance, she would at least completely outclass Minato.

Inuzuka Tetsu's expression changed, and he was about to speak when Feng Lan continued without any politeness: "I think you were probably sent to the Root organization as a hostage by the Inuzuka clan. If it wasn't because your clan reached some kind of agreement with Danzo at that time, or if he had something on you, and that something was definitely not insignificant, that would have made you afraid to go home even under the pressure of being a rogue ninja."

"Now that Danzo is dead, you're finally free, so you want to take advantage of the situation and pretend to be innocent to come back to the village with us. Hmph... Do you know that because of your betrayal, we might have been wiped out by Hanzo there before?"

Feng Lan snorted and spoke in a very serious tone, which was indeed very serious. If he hadn't been familiar with the plot and prepared a gas mask in advance, the ending... well, it wouldn't have been a total annihilation, because even if he hadn't mentioned it, Tsunade would have. It's just that by the time Tsunade brought it up in the village, he was already prepared.

Regardless of the circumstances, based on this one charge alone, Inuzuka Tetsuya is guilty of a serious crime and should be executed on the spot. Furthermore, this charge could be used to control the Inuzuka clan later on.

The Inuzuka clan are known for their carefree and easygoing personalities, but Inuzuka Tetsu is surprisingly mature and calm, befitting someone who has worked in the dark organization Root.

After hearing Feng Lan's explanation, he was flustered and confused, but he quickly regained his composure: "Since you already have the means to control the Inuzuka clan, yet you still haven't killed me, it seems you want to know information about my situation. It's just a pity that, as you know, we all have cursed marks on our tongues, so we can't talk..."

"Who are you trying to fool?" Feng Lan said bluntly. "As long as Danzo dies, the curse marks on you will be removed immediately. You're still trying to fool me with this. You don't seem to have any remorse at all."

In the original story, after Danzo's death, Sai immediately sensed the disappearance of the cursed seal and told Naruto and Sakura. This detail alone was enough for Fenglan to have a firm grip on Inuzuka Tetsuya.

This kid looks honest and straightforward, but he's full of lies. He's the kind of person who's honest but doesn't talk much, but you have to break the saying "honest but not talkative" into "old but doesn't talk much."

Unfortunately, he ran into Feng Lan, a master of cunning, who was also familiar with the plot. His little tricks were no match for her.

“Tell me everything you know.” So Feng Lan didn’t hold back. “Don’t waste Shisui’s chakra. He’s already very tired today.”

Inuzuka Tetsu's expression changed several times, but he didn't have many cards to play to begin with. In addition, Feng Lan had the unreasonable Sharingan hypnosis on his side. There was no use in him not being honest about many things. Shisui hypnotized you, so you have to say it eventually.

In the end, he could only reluctantly compromise: "Okay, that's why I'm being sent to Root."

As he spoke, Inuzuka Tetsu's originally black pupils suddenly turned white, and veins around them bulged out of nowhere, startling everyone: "Byakugan?!"

"Roar~~~"

Feng Lan's voice was drawn out, indicating that he was thinking. It was nothing unusual for his originally black pupils to turn into white eyes. Himawari in Boruto has blue eyes, but she can still use the Byakugan.

He was pondering why the Inuzuka clan members had Byakugan, and he quickly came to a conclusion.

"I see. The Inuzuka clan is a matrilineal clan (the current head of the clan is Inuzuka Tsurugi, and the next generation should be Inuzuka Hana instead of Inuzuka Kiba). It must be that a woman from the Inuzuka clan fell in love with a male member of the Hyuga clan's branch family."

“If the man is from the main family, he can simply ask for your hand in marriage. But it’s different for men from the branch family. He doesn’t want his descendants to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal, so he had your mother give birth to you alone to protect his child.”

“Yes.” Inuzuka Tetsu took a deep breath. “But the fact that my mother was pregnant out of wedlock could not be hidden in the end. After the Inuzuka clan found out about this, they were unwilling to offend the Hyuga clan because of it. So I am not a recognized member of the Inuzuka clan, and I don’t even have a ninja dog.”

[Hmm... The Inuzuka clan's secret techniques all rely on the cooperation of a partner ninja dog. Not providing him with a ninja dog is indeed a sign that they don't acknowledge the child's identity.]

Feng Lan nodded secretly. This time, Inuzuka Tetsuya was probably telling the truth, because as the conversation continued, he unconsciously started breathing heavily, and his emotions became very unstable: "I had a very painful and repressive childhood..."

Ah, I get it, I get it. With your status, it would be strange if those Konoha scoundrels didn't bully you.

“There’s something you didn’t expect, Lord Fenglan.” Inuzuka Tetsuo’s eyes gleamed with undisguised madness. “The Inuzuka clan did indeed hand me over to the Root organization, but it wasn’t Lord Danzo who discovered me; rather, it was I who proactively demonstrated my abilities to him!”

"I secretly learned about smell and animal-mimicry ninjutsu from my mother. Although I'm not as good as those clansmen who actually have ninja dogs, it's enough. More importantly, I have the Byakugan!"

So Danzo had already obtained the Byakugan, and with the protection of three generations of the Hyuga main family and the Caged Bird Seal from the branch family, that's why he didn't attack the Hyuga clan...?

Comparing Inuzuka Tetsuya's performance with his own intelligence, Fenglan nodded slightly: "You still call him Lord Danzo, so you must respect and admire him very much."

“That’s right!” Inuzuka Tetsuya nodded vigorously. “Lord Danzo changed my life. He made me feel useful, not a piece of trash that was discarded!”

Feng Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, then posed a question that left the boy speechless: "Since you are so loyal, why don't you follow Danzo and commit suicide?"

"I……"

“The reasoning is simple.” Feng Lan didn’t give the other party much time to think before delivering the verdict: “You are not loyal to Danzo, but rather using him to climb the social ladder. Your respect for Danzo is essentially a desire for power and authority.”

"I think that when Danzo was alive, he would have taken you with him when he went to the Inuzuka clan."

"How...how did you know?!" With his hidden secret exposed, Inuzuka Tetsuya finally lost his composure.

Feng Lan didn't answer his question, but continued calmly, "Tell me how you felt at that time."

His tone was soft, even slightly breathless, yet it carried an undeniable authority, exerting a strong pressure on Inuzuka Tetsuya.

The latter hesitated for a moment before speaking: "When I arrived at the Inuzuka clan with Lord Danzo, those who used to look down on me and bully me were all trembling with fear. This was an unprecedentedly exhilarating feeling, the feeling of trampling everyone under my feet!"

[Hmm... the kind of tragic backstory and personality typical of male protagonists in classic romance novels.] Feng Lan began to understand why Tsunade thought she could profit from him.

"I don't want to die here!" Veins bulged around Inuzuka Tetsu's Byakugan. After his true nature was exposed, he simply stopped pretending. "I will continue to climb up step by step. I will protect my mother and make everyone envious of her for having a good son. I will make those who once looked down on me kneel at my feet and worship me. I... will become Hokage!"

Chapter 86 Scolding Father in the Funeral Hall

"Become Hokage..."

Feng Lan struggled to control herself and didn't let a sneer show on her face.

Admittedly, Inuzuka Tetsuya is far more mature than his peers like Shisui and Kakashi, and he is a true ambitious man with both cunning and ability. However, compared to his outstanding cunning and ability, his ambition to "become Hokage" seems rather ridiculous.

As mentioned earlier, Fenglan's view on the Hokage was the same as Tsunade's at that time: only a fool would want to become the Hokage.

Even the ideals of the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, are somewhat difficult for him to empathize with: what is there to believe in such a strange village, where the villagers are driven by a domineering will?

If you really just wanted to be Hokage, that would be one thing, but Itachi has clearly pointed out Naruto's reason for wanting to be Hokage: it's not that you can gain everyone's recognition by becoming Hokage, but rather that you can become Hokage by gaining everyone's recognition.

Essentially, Fenglan and Danzo are the same kind of people: extremely driven, never internally conflicted, and needing no recognition from others; they only care about their own interests.

So, in the eyes of people like them, Minato Naruto, the "Little Sun" type, is somewhat childish and funny. They are indeed good people, but so good that it's unrealistic.

Why does Naruto always look exhausted in Boruto? Because, like his father Minato, he is simply not good at, or to put it more bluntly, not even suited to be Hokage.

Given their personalities, becoming a wandering knight like Jiraiya would be most suitable. In Fenglan's opinion, Naruto's reason for becoming Hokage is the same as Hashirama's: purely because he has a big fist.

So when he saw that Inuzuka Tetsu had the protagonist's ideal of trampling everyone under his feet, and that the way to achieve this was to become Hokage, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

"You little rascal..."

Tsunade was about to reprimand him, but Fenglan beat her to it and bluntly told Inuzuka Tetsuya, "You can't be Hokage."

"Why?!" Inuzuka Tetsu couldn't help but take a step forward, but Shisui immediately stepped in front of him to block his way.

"To become Hokage, you need more than just ability and ambition," Feng Lan said calmly. "The Second Hokage was the First Hokage's younger brother, the Third Hokage was the Second Hokage's disciple, and the Fourth Hokage was the Third Hokage's grand-disciple. What about you? What do you have?"

Tsunade frowned slightly. Feng Lan's statement undoubtedly put her, the future Fifth Hokage, in a difficult position, since she was also a disciple of the Third Hokage.

Inuzuka Tetsuya gritted his teeth and said unwillingly, "And what about you? How did you get to where you are today?"

"You should address Lord Fenglan with the formal 'you'!"

Shisui looked over with displeasure. Just as people like Fenglan think Naruto and Minato are childish, Shisui, who likes the personality of Naruto and Minato, would naturally dislike people like Inuzuka Tetsu. The attraction and repulsion in personality are innate. So even the most benevolent and kind people will have mortal enemies, and even the most eccentric people will have friends.

"It's alright."

Fenglan waved his hand to calm Shisui down, then looked at Inuzuka Tetsuya: "Because Minato trusts me, and I am only a Hokage advisor, I will never become Hokage."

“You… I mean, sir.” Inuzuka Tetsuya pondered for half a minute, then his tone suddenly became polite and respectful, “So… do I have the opportunity to gain your trust?”

"Wow, he's quick to learn! I only gave him a hint, and he actually understood."

Feng Lan's lips curled up slightly. Although he was still young and inexperienced, this kid undoubtedly had a promising future. He would never reach the level of Shisui Obito in terms of combat, but in other aspects...

If Minato is fire and I am shadow, then this brat might become the shadow of shadows. As for his ambitions... Fenglan also said that since he dares to use a sharp knife, he is never afraid of cutting his hand.

“I don’t trust anyone, but I can give you a chance.” Feng Lan waved her hand. “Whether you can seize it or not is up to you.”

His methods differed when dealing with such an ambitious person. Shisui could be a confidant, Obito could be a pawn, but Inuzuka Tetsuya... was a rabid dog, a rabid dog that would bite anyone it saw and might also bite its master in return.

Unlike a knife, which, no matter how sharp, can only be held in the hand, a rabid dog, once separated from its owner, possesses considerable autonomy.

What Feng Lan values ​​is this autonomy, but the rabid dog's teeth are not sharp enough yet. What she needs to do is to sharpen them properly, and it would be best to coat them with a layer of poison.

Upon hearing that Fenglan was going to give him a chance, Inuzuka Tetsu immediately put on a show of listening attentively.

"Although we have dispatched ninja hawks, that is ultimately just a speed-oriented method of communication. Now I am going to write a detailed secret letter for you to take back to the village and deliver to Minato. If you can do that, your identity will no longer be that of a member of Root, but my messenger."

Feng Lan slightly raised her hand: "Since you have followed Danzo for many years, you should know the risks of this trip."

Right now, the four great nations are all focused on Feng Lan's delegation. They dare not assassinate them simply because the two legendary Sannin are too famous. If they knew about Tsunade's hemophobia, this journey would not be peaceful.

News of the battle in Amegakure will soon leak out, making each messenger sent by Fenglan a key target. The journey back to Konoha from Amegakure is no less difficult than that of Dark Souls.

While it's unlikely you'll reach the entrance to Konoha only to find the gate can't be opened from this side, you can't avoid encountering various corners, surprise attacks, and high-intensity enemies along the way.

"I do!" Inuzuka Tetsuya nodded in agreement without hesitation.

“Okay.” His reaction was exactly what Feng Lan had expected. “After you complete the mission, you can return to the Inuzuka clan’s base without any qualms. Just say that it was Lord Feng Lan’s idea to ask them to give you a ninja dog.”

Perhaps because Danzo has something on them, the Inuzuka clan has not responded to any of his actions so far. Fenglan sending Inuzuka Tetsuya to his door is undoubtedly a warning to them, telling Inuzuka Tsurugi that things have been exposed. He can even deal with the Hyuga main family, let alone a small Inuzuka clan.

This is also a test for Inuzuka Tetsuya himself. This time, Danzo is not there to back him up, and his promises are only verbal. How much benefit he can gain depends entirely on his own abilities. If he can't even get a ninja dog, it would be too disappointing.