Yes, the Hokage

One of the elders couldn't help but slam his hand on the table: "Iron sand is a product unique to our Wind Kingdom, how come it's only 70%?"

"Seventy percent belongs to them." Luo Sha glanced at the other person with the look of someone looking at an idiot. "Whether we can get thirty percent depends on his attitude."

"Who?"

“Him.” Luo Sha casually pointed to the newspaper on the table, which showed Feng Lan’s squinting smile.

"A marriage alliance..." So the topic naturally shifted, and the elders looked at each other. "So, Konoha's partners are no longer just Sunagakure, but also Kirigakure, which has been closed off from the outside world for years."

"We have never been partners of Konoha, we are nothing but dogs," Chiyo said coldly. "The situation in Kirigakure is no better. Everyone knows that it was that Feng Lan who was manipulating the civil war and the rise of the Fifth Mizukage, even though no one says it outright."

"Therefore, we will never miss an opportunity to turn the tables on Kirigakure. Fenglan knows this too, which is why he used a marriage alliance to plant his pawn in Kirigakure..."

She pointed to Mei Terumi in the newspaper: "Konoha is definitely not something we can contend with in the short term, so keep a low profile and do as the Kazekage-sama instructed to exchange iron sand for powerful ninja tools."

“What if Feng Lan refuses to change? Or what if he makes additional demands?” an elder couldn’t help but ask, “like asking for our puppet technology.”

Grandma Chiyo's expression changed slightly. Of course she knew what the answer was, but she remained silent.

In the end, Rasa continued to take the blame: "We will give Konoha whatever it wants. We can't, and we don't have the ability to, turn against them now, so we can only comply... Of course, we can't just comply blindly. While giving them things, we must also get something in return. We must be outwardly gentle but inwardly firm, and develop steadily. This is Sunagakure's future policy. Does anyone have any objections?"

The group looked at each other and nodded. No matter how unwilling they were, they really couldn't afford to offend Konoha now. The three wars had only just ended, and the enemy was in a state of heavy losses, but it seemed that in the blink of an eye, the enemy had already developed into a behemoth that even Kumogakure and Iwagakure were wary of.

"So, this is the last issue left..." Rosa picked up Maki's secret letter again, "Pakula, what should we do?"

"What should we do..." Ebizo gave a bitter smile. "Now that she's involved with Konoha, she's no longer someone we can handle."

"Then let's just ignore it," an elder suggested. "She's just a rogue ninja. Since Feng Lan wants to protect her, we should just leave her alone. Why turn against Konoha for a pawn?"

“That’s not how it works,” another elder countered. “We were the ones who gave her up in the first place. Now that Fenglan has taken her in and is treating her well, if we do nothing, wouldn’t everyone know that Sunagakure’s heroes can be thrown away so easily? If word gets out, the village’s morale will suffer, and other ninjas might become resentful.”

He kept his eyes fixed on Chiyo as he said this, clearly intending to hold her accountable.

The elder beside him agreed: "He's right. If everyone knows that we don't even dare to touch a pawn, who will be willing to risk their lives for the village in the future? Besides, Pakula knows too much."

Chiyo's old face was somewhat gloomy: "According to Maki's secret report, that Fenglan even prepared an antidote in advance. This is obviously the result of Pakura leaking information about the village. In addition, her continued entry and exit from Konoha will definitely be used by someone with ulterior motives to attack Sunagakure... This person must die."

“What if we negotiate directly with Fenglan?” Ebizo said. “He wants Pakura, which we have already given him. He wants iron sand, which we can give him more of. If he wants more, we are not unwilling to compromise. He is a man who puts interests first, isn’t he?”

“We’ve already given enough,” one of the elders said. “If we keep giving, Sunagakure will really become an affiliated village of Konoha.”

"Do you think we aren't now?" Chiyo glared at the man. "Did you even listen to what the Kazekage just said? Konoha has the Yellow Flash, the Mangekyou Sharingan, and even the Rinnegan. Now they have the Sky Ninja's tools and those ninja umbrellas. Their strength is even greater than during the Third Shinobi World War. All we can do is obey for now!"

The elder lowered his head and dared not speak.

"Let's make a deal with Fenglan." Finally, Chiyo slammed her hand on the table and made her decision. "The Samsara Festival is coming soon. Prepare the delegation. I will personally lead a team to Konoha to try to obtain Pakula through diplomacy. If that doesn't work... we'll find another opportunity to strike!"

“This… might not be appropriate in someone else’s village.” Luo Sha frowned. “Especially right now, Feng Lan values ​​Pakula highly. As long as Pakula is still under his protection, we can’t act recklessly.”

“If she had stayed with Feng Lan all the time, she would have had no chance, but…” A smile appeared on Granny Chiyo’s old face, “It is unlikely that she could stay by Feng Lan’s side all the time.”

"What do you mean?"

"Konoha is most open during the Samsara Festival. It's not just Sunagakure that wants to take this opportunity to get in touch and build relationships. Guess who Kirigakure will send?"

Luo Sha understood somewhat: "Feng Lan's fiancée, Terumi Mei?"

“With a fiancée by her side, what is Pakula’s position? A woman who has been abandoned, seeing her benefactor marry someone else… This kind of thing doesn’t need our intervention; time will take care of it.”

Chiyo coldly replied, "Didn't Maki's secret letter also say that Pakura was quite distraught when he left Kirigakure? That was our chance!"

“That’s right.” Ebizo supported his sister’s decision. “Emotions are something that reason can’t control. She will eventually reveal her weakness. As for the village… doesn’t she have a beloved disciple named Maki? Let’s train that child to become the next Sunagakure hero… Hmph, if Pakura really becomes an enemy of the village, her expression when she sees Maki will be quite interesting.”

As Luo Sha listened to the two advisors' casual arrangements, a sudden surge of dissatisfaction and impulse flashed through his mind, but he quickly restrained himself and suppressed it deep within his heart, never to let it out again.

"Perhaps it's because I'm so incompetent... that Sunagakure hasn't produced a talent like Feng Lan." He sighed as he recalled Feng Lan's arrogance and Minato's unwavering trust during the Five Kage Summit.

After the meeting, the elders left one by one, but Rasa stood up and called out to Chiyo and Ebizo: "Gentlemen, there is actually one last message in Maki's secret letter that I have not made public."

"What is it?" Chiyo and Ebizo's expressions both turned serious. Something that could make Rasa so solemn must be very important.

"He saw the grandsons of both of them in the Akatsuki." Rasa took a deep breath. "Although he didn't use the Third Hokage's puppets, his superb puppet manipulation skills, the terrifying poison, and his signature fiery red hair were undoubtedly..."

He looked at the two old men's faces, which had suddenly turned deathly pale and trembled, and slowly uttered the name: "Sasori of the Red Sand!"

Chapter 184 Uchiha Momo's Three Tomoe

In Konoha Village, Kushina has moved into the new house gifted by Feng Lan. It's a large, detached villa, a world apart from her previous apartment. In addition, she's also given two maids, allowing her to enjoy the luxurious life befitting a Hokage's wife.

Before Feng Lan left, he specially arranged for all the guards except Inuzuka Tetsu, plus Kakashi and Rin, to come here. Jiraiya and Tsunade also stayed here. In addition, Mikoto, Shizune, and Uchiha Momo often came to visit. Therefore, Kushina's life became more prosperous after giving birth, unlike before when she could only live with the sealing team under the surveillance of the Anbu.

After all, Jiraiya, the sealing master, is here. If the Nine-Tails makes any unusual moves, he can take care of it with a single talisman.

After dinner, it was another great day for everyone to be together. The men in the team trained with Jiraiya in the villa's garden, while Tsunade, Shizune, Rin, Mikoto, and Uchiha helped Kushina take care of Naruto and Fu, and they all had a women's tea party.

Incidentally, Mikoto brought Sasuke along as well. The three boys of Team 7, whom Feng Lan had chosen in his mind, were now lying neatly asleep on the bed, and the scene looked quite heartwarming.

Kushina, dressed in loose loungewear, tucked Naruto in while remarking, "The world is so quiet when all the kids are sleeping at the same time."

Mikoto, who has already given birth to a weasel, smiled and said, "Once they start crawling, you'll find that quiet is a luxury."

"So, you little brat..." Tsunade casually pulled out a bottle from beside her, but quickly gave in under Shizune's righteous gaze, smacked her lips, put the bottle back, and picked up the tea on the table to take a sip.

"Master, drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health," Lin added, "especially since there are children here."

"I know, I know." Tsunade slumped on the sofa. "That wretched Feng Lan, he's always causing me trouble. I was so happy when I was wandering around alone, but after I came back to the village and took in a few disciples, they all started controlling my drinking."

She complained like that, but an unconscious smile appeared on her face, clearly preferring the stable life in the village to wandering around.

Uchiha Momo sat demurely to the side, dressed like a lady from a respectable family. Even when she was laughing, she covered her mouth and laughed, appearing as proper as could be.

"Isn't it nice being with Jiraiya-sama right now?" Kushina teased Tsunade. "By the way, when are you two getting married? Minato and I could be the best man and maid of honor..."

"What!" Tsunade blushed instantly. "Who wants to marry that lazy, useless, and lecherous guy? I'm..."

She stopped herself mid-sentence. Her appointment as the Fifth Hokage was a secret agreement, and it wouldn't be good to reveal it now, even though she had already let it slip to Jiraiya when she was drunk.

However... well, the way Jiraiya firmly stated that he would support me back then did make me a little tempted.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Jiraiya's unrestrained, lewd laughter echo from the garden outside the window: "Oh, that kid Fenglan, he's pretty good!"

The other children joined in the laughter, creating a lively and bustling scene.

"Lord Fenglan?!" Uchiha Momo immediately turned her head, her big eyes filled with expectant light.

The others also looked on with curiosity, since their gathering was more or less related to Feng Lan. Lin even ran to the bedside and shouted, "Kakashi, what are you laughing at?"

Kakashi leaped onto the balcony and handed over the newspaper: "It seems that Lady Fenglan is engaged."

"Huh?!" Lin could hardly believe her ears. "With whom?"

"Mei Terumi, the Water Shadow Advisor of Kirigakure."

Kakashi shrugged, but Jiraiya's voice rang out behind him: "Gossip time is over, let's continue training!"

"coming!"

Kakashi performed another somersault and landed from the sun, while Rin glanced at the newspaper, exclaimed in surprise, and then quickly ran back to her room to spread the newspaper out on the table.

"No way?" Kushina exclaimed the moment she saw the photo. "Feng Lan is serious!"

Of all the people, only she and Mikoto knew through their husbands that Fenglan was planning to propose to Kirigakure, but to be honest, neither of them took it seriously, thinking it was just an excuse for Fenglan to refuse the blind date.

"Mei Terumi of Kirigakure..." Mikoto murmured to herself, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her.

Everyone else also saw the photos on the table, and the atmosphere quieted down for a moment.

"This angle is wrong." Tsunade frowned. "It doesn't look like an engagement at all, it's more like a diplomatic declaration... This kid Feng Lan really used his life's most important event to strengthen relations between the two countries."

Although she may not seem to agree, Tsunade actually understands, after all, her grandfather Hashirama Senju and grandmother Mito Uzumaki were married, and the two did eventually develop some feelings for each other.

"Lord Fenglan..." As for Lin and Jingyin, who had no idea of ​​Fenglan's purpose for this trip, they were completely stunned.

Lin, being a young girl at heart, focused more on Mei Terumi: "She's so beautiful..."

"She's beautiful, but that smile is clearly not the kind you'd give to someone you love," Shizune couldn't help but complain. "And it's even worse for Lord Fenglan! Isn't that the kind of smile he always uses when he's trying to trick someone?! Who's he trying to scare?!"

"Ugh, what is that damned Fenglan thinking?" Kushina felt her fists harden. "Minato too, isn't he going to do anything about him? Is he just going to let that idiot run wild outside like this...?"

After a few words of discussion, everyone quieted down and their eyes all fell on Uchiha Momo in the corner of the sofa.

Her expression at that moment could be summed up in four words—I was devastated.

If this were an anime, Momo Uchiha's color would be a pale white, her eyes fixed on the photo in the newspaper, and she would have activated her Sharingan at some point.

"Momoko..." Kushina quietly closed the door to the children's bedroom. "Are you alright?"

"It's alright, I'm perfectly fine." Uchiha Momo raised her head with a terrifying expression, and surprisingly uttered a series of long and difficult sentences, "Lord Fenglan's marriage alliance with the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure is a choice that serves the interests of both parties, and it can further expand Konoha's diplomatic and trade channels. This is a wise decision, and I believe it is a decision that Lord Fenglan has carefully considered..."

"Look, it seems you really have been following him quite a bit." Mikoto couldn't help but wipe away her cold sweat. When Fugaku told her that Lord Furan suspected Momoko was following him, she didn't dare to believe it. Now it seems that Lord Furan was right.

"Little girl, are you trying to mentally prepare yourself?" Tsunade put down her teacup and straightened up.

She was the strongest fighter in the house, and if this Uchiha girl really went berserk, she would have to intervene in time to stop her, especially since there were three children in the bedroom.

"I'm stating the facts." Uchiha Momo gently stroked her face with both hands. "Lord Fenglan must have his own judgment and plans. I understand his choice and respect his arrangements, hehe, hehehehe..."

"Hey, you're saying that, but your expression is starting to look weird," Tsunade actually retorted.

"It's alright. Although this young lady is very beautiful, she is from Kirigakure... She probably won't stay in Konoha forever, right? After all, the photos are already like this."

"Um... I guess so." Tsunade thought about it carefully and realized it was true. "Speaking of which, your way of thinking is so similar to Feng Lan's. You didn't actually stalk him, did you?"

"Hehehe, hehehe..." Uchiha Momo continued to laugh, "I was just thinking, since she doesn't live here every day, does that mean Lady Fenglan is usually alone..."

"Uh, Peach..." Kushina was starting to lose her composure.

"Then he still needs someone to take care of him, doesn't he?" Uchiha Momo's expression gradually resembled that of Gasai Yuno. "I used to work as a clerk in the security force, and Lady Fenglan has said that I am very reliable. Since his fiancée doesn't come often, it wouldn't be considered a disturbance if I helped him, would it?"

"Momoko, I think you should calm down." Shizune carefully moved to the other side of the sofa; she wasn't a combat-type ninja.

"I'm very calm. I'm just thinking that Lord Fenglan's marriage... well... it must be for his work, for Konoha, for the peace of the ninja world. How could he really fall for that kind of woman? Right? Right?"

“Peach…” Lin, the youngest, was already feeling immense pressure. “But it’s still a marriage, after all.”

"It's alright. How can something as trivial as marriage stop the love of an Uchiha?" Uchiha Momo's twin tomoe began to slowly rotate. "As long as Lord Fenglan is still in Konoha, those hateful foreign women can't possibly be a match for me. As long as I find an opportunity to pounce on Lord Fenglan... Haa, haa..."

She began to breathe slightly, her once dignified face flushed crimson, and her legs twisted restlessly: "I won't give it to anyone else, I absolutely won't give Lady Fenglan to anyone else!"

"Momoko, calm down." Even Mikoto, who is also an Uchiha, was a little frightened. "I think after the marriage, Miss Terumi Mei will probably live in Konoha for a long time, and Lord Fenglan will definitely not live with his wife in this small apartment. He has so many properties, he will probably move away."

“It’s alright, as long as he doesn’t leave Konoha…” Uchiha Momo’s Sharingan spun faster and faster. “I’ve basically memorized Lord Fenglan’s lifestyle. Even if he moves to a different place, I can just observe him a few more times and figure out his new routine.”

Lin gave Lin a look like an old man on the subway with his phone: "This sounds like a criminal declaration."

"This is the Uchiha... Falling in love with someone is like having the Sharingan, haha, haha... Lord Fenglan... Please wait for me a little longer, Momo will be there soon, very soon... Eeeah—!"

She let out a fierce, high-pitched cry, and the two tomoe slowly stopped in place, then spread out, forming a third thing that looked like a comma.

“Three-tomoe jade…” Mikoto was dumbfounded. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen an Uchiha who can activate the three-tomoe jade just through imagination.”

“This guy…” Tsunade rolled her eyes, “might be even more troublesome than that Uchiha Madara.”

"Hahaha……"

Kushina just smiled awkwardly, silently apologizing: [I'm sorry, Fenglan, it seems I've found you a super dangerous blind date.]

……

After several days of trekking, the group finally returned to Konoha Village.

Both Minato and Obito Shisui exuded a sense of relief, as if they were back home. They took a deep breath and then looked at Feng Lan at the same time: "What should we do next?"

"Obito, go do whatever you want. Minato, go home and take care of the kids. Shisui, send Orochimaru to the police station dungeon to be tortured. Tell Inahime to keep a good watch over him before you go to rest."

"And what about you?" the three asked in unison.

"I'm going to see the Third Hokage," Feng Lan replied calmly. He knew that Orochimaru's every move was being closely monitored, and he had probably received the news as soon as he arrived at the village entrance.

However, Orochimaru is still useful to him right now, and the three-month period hasn't ended yet, so he needs to go and greet the Third Hokage. Firstly, to show that he has no intention of breaking the contract, and secondly, to inform the Third Hokage to prepare, since a rogue ninja like Orochimaru can't be kept in the village.

“Lord Fenglan, you…” Pakula began hesitantly as they walked.

"What, are you a little surprised that I didn't show the same reaction as Minato and the others?" Feng Lan smiled.

"Yes, yes." Pakula answered almost instinctively, then was startled. This didn't sound like something a subordinate would say. Why was he so presumptuous in front of Lord Fenglan?

"The reason is actually quite simple, but don't tell anyone else." Although Feng Lan didn't scan the area with her eyes, she had already activated her perception ability and spoke only after confirming that it was just her and Pakula.

"Absolutely not! I will keep all your secrets safe!" Pakula placed his hand on his chest, solemnly as if making a vow.

"Actually... I'm not from Konoha."

Although Fenglan didn't feel a sense of belonging to Konoha, he would still imitate Minato's actions when he accompanied him back, pretending that he felt a sense of belonging to the village.

However, he deliberately refrained from doing so this time out of consideration for Pakula's feelings.