Yes, the Hokage!

But as the saying goes, everything is relative. With the fact that Sunagakure so decisively abandoned Pakura right in front of him, he suddenly felt how precious Minato and Fuyuki's previous actions were. It was even understandable that Fuyuki had designed Rin to be the bait, since he had done everything he could to save Rin's life.

Of course, it's just understanding, not acceptance. But compared to the Hyuga main clan who abandoned their clansmen without hesitation, the Third Hokage who tried to hand over Hiroshi to appease the situation, and the Sunagakure high-ranking officials whose subordinates were willingly made rogue ninjas, Obito still felt that he was a ninja under Konoha... or more accurately, under Minato-sensei and Fuyuki. It's really great.

Finally, Luo Sha took a deep breath: "Consultant Fenglan, are you satisfied with this result?"

"Satisfied, very satisfied." Feng Lan said with a smile, "The higher-ups in your village are really decisive. They sacrificed the pawn to save the king without hesitation, which is truly admirable."

"Hmph, hypocrite." Granny Chiyo sneered, "Don't tell me you Konoha haven't done this kind of thing before."

"This may have happened frequently during the Third Hokage's reign, but after the Fourth Hokage took office, it was no longer allowed." Feng Lan's words were soft, yet they struck the three Sand Village members like a heavy hammer.

Because what he said was true, the kind of thing that Kumogakure did to Hyuga had actually been done to every village, and with great success, which is why it became a path dependency and continued to be used.

Using this tactic of the villain accusing the enemy first, Kumogakure stole sealing techniques and Magnet Release from Sunagakure; Lava Release from Iwagakure; and the Eight-Tails' Iron Armor Seal from Uzushiogakure. They had even succeeded once before in Konoha, stealing the Konoha-ryu sword technique and improving it to form Kumogakure.

Therefore, during the Five Kage Summit in the original work, Onoki publicly accused Kumogakure of plundering the secret techniques of various villages, because at that time, no one in the entire ninja world could counter Kumogakure's rogue tactics.

However, in this timeline, the bullying style of the Hidden Cloud Village directly backfired on the Hidden Leaf Village under the Fourth Hokage. Not to mention taking away the Hyuga branch family, Fenglan's countermeasure was to directly take away your Eight-Tails Jinchuriki!

Rasa and Chiyo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If Sunagakure had such strong national power and such fearless leaders, then even with scarce resources, they wouldn't have fallen to such a state where they had to be subservient to others.

Even if Pakula tried to restrain himself, he couldn't help but think, "If I were a Konoha ninja, would Minato and Furan abandon me in this situation?"

The answer seems obvious...

"Sunagakure has made enormous sacrifices for the alliance." After a moment of silence, Rasa could only say this, "Fourth Hokage, Advisor Fenglan, please keep your promise, otherwise..."

"Don't worry, don't worry." Before the other party could even utter the words of fighting to the death, Feng Lan had already reassured them with a smile, "After all, allowing Sunagakure to continue is beneficial to both of us, isn't it?"

Rasa stared at him for a while before reaching out to Minato: "Then, thank you for your trouble."

"Please rest assured, Lord Kazekage." Minato, being an honest man after all, shook hands firmly with the other party. "Konoha will do its utmost."

After receiving a reply, Luo Sha got up and left quickly, without glancing at Pakula again, perhaps afraid that the sound of her crying would soften his heart.

As Granny Chiyo left, she gave Pakura a few deep looks. This woman possessed a great deal of information about the village, and if she were to be subdued by Feng Lan, it would be extremely detrimental to Sunagakure. They had to find a way to eliminate her...

If Konoha only had one Danzo, then the entire Sand Village's elders would be Danzo; otherwise, Pakura wouldn't have been betrayed and killed in the original story.

After the two from Sunagakure left, the house fell eerily quiet again. Pakura held back her tears, but still dared not raise her head, because she didn't know how to face herself.

What am I now? An envoy of Sunagakure? Everyone knows in their hearts that I am not; I have become a discarded pawn.

A Konoha ninja? Of course not. Although she had never clashed with Konoha in the Third Shinobi World War, she was, after all, a hero of Sunagakure. Rasa had taken her to various events to promote her and portray her as an role model for the young people of Sunagakure. Of course... she was also a thorn in the side of other villages.

The world is so vast, yet there is nowhere for her to hide. After much thought, only one word best describes her current identity: a rogue ninja.

The moment Sunagakure turns against Konoha, his reputation as a rogue ninja will be confirmed. At that point, both sides will be eager to get rid of him immediately. So the most rational idea is... to run away now.

But putting aside the fact that Pakula doesn't have the absolute composure of Fenglan, even if she were truly determined, how could she possibly escape right under the nose of Golden Flash?

So Pakula had no idea what to do. She just kept her head down instinctively. She could feel the eyes of the three people in the room on her, which made her even more nervous. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

The feeling of being at the mercy of others is undoubtedly terrible, so even a battle-hardened elite ninja's body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

"you……"

After a long pause, Minato spoke, but he was stopped by Feng Lan with a wave of his hand after only uttering one word: "You and Obito go to the Kamui Dimension for a while. I have something to say to her. Come out in half an hour."

He knew that Minato must have taken pity on him and couldn't bear to see such a loyal and excellent ninja fall into such a state, so he prepared to recruit him into his ranks.

But Pakura isn't ready yet. No matter how desperate and numb she is, she still leans towards Sunagakure. She has been baptized by the "Will of Wind" since childhood. Even if she is abandoned as a pawn, she will not easily side with Konoha.

Moreover, her current state is extremely dangerous; she's a ticking time bomb because she has nothing left to lose, so she's capable of anything.

Feng Lan was prepared to use this person depending on the situation. Even if she eventually became his subordinate, she would first have to sever the last trace of affection the person had for Sunagakure.

"Alright, alright." Minato shrugged helplessly and walked towards Obito. "Let's go, I'll go check on Kakashi and the others."

Obito glanced at the two and couldn't help but smile. The advisor was so rude to the Kage, yet the Kage obediently followed his orders. This situation was probably only found in Konoha among the Five Great Nations... no, in the entire ninja world.

"Pfft!"

Once inside the Kamui dimension, with no one else around, Minato finally couldn't help but plop down on the floor: "I'm exhausted."

"Minato-sensei/Master!"

The little ninjas inside the space were startled and quickly gathered around, including Obito, who had just entered, who looked over with concern.

"It's nothing, it's just that I spent half the day playing mind games with those guys, and I feel really tired."

At this moment, the layout inside Kamui Space was even a bit cozy. In one corner, there was a kotatsu, cushions, hot tea, snacks, and even comics. The few little ninjas who came with them seemed to be on vacation.

Seeing Minato's exhausted appearance, Rin quickly helped him lie down on the cushion: "Minato-sensei, did you just clash with the Kage? You look so tired, were those guys very strong?"

Don't ask!

Obito, who had witnessed Minato being instilled with the DDF concept by Fenglan along the way, cried out in his heart, but it was too late.

Sure enough, Minato immediately perked up: "Let me tell you, I was incredibly brave today, I didn't fall behind at all, and when faced with the Raikage and Tsuchikage's questions, I used what Feng Lan had said..."

Then, everyone was immersed in Minato's endless "Maple Mist Says".

Kakashi looked at Obito with a puzzled expression, as if asking Minato-sensei when he had become like this.

Obito gave him a helpless look, indicating that they hadn't served as guards for long. He had witnessed how Minato-sensei gradually became like this, and sometimes he felt a genuine fear of Lord Fenglan.

This subtle brainwashing ability is truly terrifying. Even Obito, who was just watching, felt his sanity level dropping rapidly.

While it's unlikely that tentacles will actually grow, it would be a piece of cake for him to use a little trick to subdue Kakashi.

Chapter 117 It's this chaotic world that ruined you!

Compared to the cozy atmosphere inside the Kamui Space, the outside room, although not cold, had a rather frigid atmosphere.

However, this atmosphere had no effect on Feng Lan. He sat down at the low table and poured himself a cup of tea: "Come sit over here."

Pakula moved over almost instinctively. Although she hadn't spent much time with Feng Lan in Amegakure, she had undoubtedly been infected with some of the Minato-era symptoms. Now that she didn't know what to do, listening to Feng Lan was always the right thing to do.

"Actually, I should apologize to you." Feng Lan put away his usual fake smile and poured tea for Pakula while saying calmly, "If I hadn't asked, Sunagakure wouldn't have given up on you. You could say that I'm the culprit who caused you to fall into this situation."

"Do not……"

Pakula finally spoke, his voice completely devoid of the hearty and unrestrained tone he had when inviting her for drinks earlier in the day; instead, it was indescribably hoarse: "Lord Fenglan is only acting in the best interests of his own village. Anyone would have done the same."

"You're quite understanding," Feng Lan chuckled. "Judging from this, you probably don't hate the Wind Shadow and the village that abandoned you."

"I……"

Pakura hesitated. Rationally, she knew that sacrificing herself to save the village was the best option, but humans are not purely rational monsters, and neither are ninjas!

Putting aside those lofty reasons, what about on an emotional level?

If Granny Chiyo had prepared her mentally the night before and offered kind words of advice, Rasa wouldn't have been so indifferent, and Pakura might not have been so upset. But thanks to Maple's manipulation, everything happened too fast!

Without any psychological preparation, she went from being a hero of Sunagakure to a rogue ninja. What was most devastating was that she was not directly ordered to "die," but was forced into a dilemma where she would die no matter what she chose. In the end, she "voluntarily" bowed her head while unable to breathe.

It's easy to say "I don't hate," but how can one possibly let go of it in their heart?

“The Sand Village higher-ups are unwilling to get their hands dirty, yet they've made you bear all the consequences of your choices. It's normal to feel resentful.” Feng Lan pushed the cup towards him. “Compared to empty obedience, mechanical answers, or becoming a tool out of despair, feeling hatred at least proves you're still alive, doesn't it?”

"Lord Fenglan..."

After a long silence, Pakula finally spoke again: "Please tell me... who should I hate?!"

Yes, she harbored hatred, but couldn't find a specific target to hate, because everyone's choices seemed to be correct, yet it was precisely these correct choices that led her to her doom.

Her anger had no outlet, so it could only devour her internally.

“I once heard a really crappy saying: ‘It’s not me who ruined you, it’s this chaotic world that ruined you.’” Feng Lan shrugged. “Although it still sounds pretty crappy now, it seems quite accurate when applied to you.”

Pakula fell silent again. Was it this chaotic world that had ruined him...? It seemed to make some sense, but something still felt off.

"This is just sophistry. If you can't accept it, then hate me. In reality, I'm the one who caused you to become like this." Feng Lan continued to sip his tea unhurriedly. Logically speaking, with his methods, he could easily manipulate this little girl who had nowhere to go and felt extremely empty inside. However, he unusually did not show his smiling tiger demeanor.

Pakula instinctively followed the other person's lead and thought, should she hate Feng Lan... How strange, she found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it.

“I think, rather than asking me who I should hate, you want to ask me what I should do.” After a moment, Feng Lan interrupted her thoughts, “Although it is strange to ask an enemy about hatred at this time, I… please forgive my boasting, but I am indeed the person who can give you the best advice at this time.”

"Then, Lord Fenglan, what should I do now?" Pakula asked anxiously, as if grasping at the last straw.

"Well, let's put ourselves in your shoes now. If I were in your situation, what would I do?" Feng Lan smiled.

Pakula didn't answer, but his body leaned forward slightly, clearly absorbed in the moment.

"I must state first that I am a very cold-blooded and ruthless person. I never care about friendship, bonds, or villages. Since Sunagakure has betrayed me, I will not show them any mercy. Konoha... is obviously an excellent choice. Not only is it powerful, but its leader, Minato Namikaze, is also a soft-hearted and easily manipulated guy."

"So if it were me, I would definitely cut ties with Sunagakure without hesitation, desperately cling to Minato's coattails to demonstrate my value, and climb to a higher position. It's not so that I can turn around and trample on Sunagakure after I've reached a high position, but simply so that I can live a better life. Once I'm in a high position, anyone who wants to sacrifice me will have to think twice."

Taking the opportunity, Fenglan began to instill her dark philosophy in Pakula: "Don't be a pawn that can be sacrificed at any time, nor a knife that is wiped clean or discarded after being stained with blood, which is entirely up to people. Be a chess player, and be the one who wields the knife."

He looked at Pakula's blank expression and shrugged: "Of course, having been instilled with the idea of ​​sacrificing for the village since childhood, you probably can't accept my bold and crazy ideas. I don't expect to actually recruit you with this rhetoric. I'm just telling you what kind of person I am."

“If I can’t be like you, then I have to choose another way of life.” Feng Lan shrugged. “I’m going to see Terumi Mei now. Do you want to come with me?”

Pakula was slightly taken aback. Although it had only been a few hours, his argument with Mei Terumi in the tavern seemed like it had happened centuries ago. Back then, he was still clashing with Mei Terumi of Kirigakure over the affairs of Sunagakure. Now, thinking about it, it felt like a lifetime ago.

"Yes."

She instinctively chose to obey. Perhaps it was just like that... Obeying Lord Fenglan was a good choice. Just follow his orders and erase her own consciousness. After all, Lord Fenglan had never made a mistake.

The two set off immediately. Feng Lan's Flying Thunder God Technique had been taught by Tobirama, so even when he teleported back with three people before, he was not seriously injured like before, and he could still use his sensory abilities.

【Um……】

After walking around the Land of Iron for a while, Fenglan quickly confirmed Mei Terumi's location: [Interesting. She didn't return to the inn, and there's no other chakra nearby. Has she been waiting for me to come to her?]

After all, the Five Kage Summit is tomorrow. In theory, everyone should go home after the meeting. Kirigakure is also implementing the closed policy of the Blood Mist Village, so it will indeed be difficult to see Feng Lan again.

He quickly walked to the door of the room and knocked gently: "Miss Terumi Mei, I am the one who holds the Flying Thunder God Mark."

"Mr. Fenglan!" The door was suddenly pulled open, and Mei Terumi rushed out. It was clear that she was in a real hurry. "You've finally arrived. In a little while, I'll have to return to the Mizukage's side!"

"Sorry, I had to take care of a few things." Feng Lan shrugged. "Let's get right to the point."

Mei Terumi did not immediately agree, but deliberately glanced at Pakura.

"Don't worry, she won't come in." Feng Lan smiled, then took out two items and put them in Pakula's hand. "Now, follow your heart."

Before the other party could ask any more questions, he went into Mei Terumi's room and slammed the door shut.

Pakula was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked down. The thing in his left hand was a pass. With this, he could leave the Land of Iron without any hindrance and even travel through the Land of Fire without leaving any trace.

The other thing was a scroll filled with a large amount of money, enough for her to live a life of luxury without doing anything.

Clearly, Fenglan gave her two choices: either stay here to protect her and truly become her subordinate, or take the money and run away to find a secluded place to live out her life in anonymity.