Yes, the Hokage

Chapter 84 is, Wind Shadow

The Third Kazekage's expression at this moment was just like that of a wife in a certain movie, helpless and reluctant but also somewhat relieved (because he had no choice). Even though he knew that Feng Lan must have great ambitions, he could only keep comforting himself that it was for the sake of the village (the government).

Feng Lan and Tobirama exchanged a glance, knowing the time was right, and then said with a smile, "Third Kazekage, I don't have many conditions, just four."

"First, Sunagakure has publicly announced the termination of the investigation into your disappearance, and has issued a unified statement to the outside world—the Third Kazekage was killed by the rogue ninja Sasori during the Third Shinobi World War, and his body was stolen by him. The investigation is still ongoing. This statement was personally read by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."

This would not only embarrass Sunagakure, but also greatly weaken Chiyo and Ebizo's status within the village. It should be noted that after the death of the Third Kazekage, these two had been the backbone of the village. Chiyo was even responsible for sealing Shukaku inside Gaara. However, during Shippuden, these two old men simply gave up.

Feng Lan's move was to accelerate Chiyo and Ebizo's decline, leaving Sunagakure with no more skilled fighters, except for the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

"Secondly, if Konoha and Kumogakure go to war soon, Sunagakure will have to openly side with Konoha and send troops to support them... You can rest assured that I will absolutely not let these troops actually be deployed to the battlefield, but they must exist."

Aside from Hashirama, even Tsunade in the room knew how ruthless this move was. It was essentially binding Sunagakure and Konoha together. In the future, when war breaks out again, whoever wants to attack Konoha will have to be wary of Sunagakure's move.

"Thirdly, I need a brief file on the puppet forces of Sunagakure that doesn't involve core secrets. Sasori wasn't recruited by Konoha after becoming a rogue ninja, so he'll most likely become Konoha's enemy. I need to be prepared in advance."

"Fourth, I need to get your iron sand."

"Iron Sand?" The Third Kazekage narrowed his eyes. "Without the Magnet Release bloodline limit, you can't use Iron Sand even if you have it."

"That's my business." Feng Lan smiled, without explaining in detail. He wouldn't tell the Third Kazekage that the ninja tools he commissioned the Takumi Ninja Village to make had a similar effect.

Before the other party could haggle, he continued, "If you can agree to these conditions, I can also offer you a discount. Not only will you be able to return to Sunagakure to meet the Fourth Kazekage, but I can also do the following."

"First, Konoha will not interfere in Sunagakure's internal affairs; second, as long as Sunagakure takes sides in future conflicts between Konoha and Kumogakure, Konoha will sign a five-year preferential trade agreement with Sunagakure, selling food and various supplies to Sunagakure at prices slightly lower than they are now; third, Konoha will not accept any requests from ninjas of the Land of Wind in the future, as those things will all belong to Sunagakure, as the saying goes, 'Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders.'"

When the Third Kazekage first heard Feng Lan's four demands, he was somewhat inclined to refuse, because they were quite harsh, especially the second one, which would make the entire ninja world think that Sunagakure was Konoha's little brother.

But after hearing the preferential terms offered by Feng Lan, he thought about it for a moment and felt that the requirements were acceptable.

This is also the most common diplomatic tactic of giving a sweet treat after a beating. The Third Kazekage had no reason not to know this, but the current situation of Sunagakure was so dire that the sweet treat offered by the other party seemed like a lifeline.

The most important of these benefits is the third one. You should know that Rasa later joined forces with Orochimaru to attack Konoha because all of his country's requests had been stolen. As the leader of the village, the Third Kazekage could not have been unaware of the danger. In fact, the country's requests had already been lost during his time, otherwise the Third Kazekage would not have started World War II.

As for Feng Lan, the most important thing for him was not the second point. To be honest, he didn't care whether Sunagakure was a subordinate of Konoha or not, and he didn't even care about Konoha.

His real demand, however, was the first point: to weaken the positions of Chiyo and Ebizo!

The fact that Sunagakure rented Shukaku shows that Sunagakure has interests involved with Konoha, and these interests are clearly on the side of the Third Hokage, which Fenglan has no way to get involved in.

As for those who have a vested interest in the Third Hokage, they are undoubtedly the old guys in the Sunagakure high command. Regardless of whether Chiyo and Ebizo are directly related to the Third Hokage, weakening them can help Rasa rise to power quickly.

Therefore, Fenglan's core goal is to enable the young Rasa to completely control Sunagakure, thereby cooperating with Minato and himself, completely abandoning the Third Hokage's side, in order to gain more power and profit from it.

If Rasa wanted to rent Shukaku to Konoha and make a large kickback for himself, his story to Minato would be completely different.

Compared to this, Konoha's status in the ninja world, information on puppets, and even the iron sand tools all pale in comparison.

He concealed this ambition very well, so much so that even Tobirama didn't notice it and even nodded in satisfaction. You know, even when he or his elder brother were in power, they didn't make Sunagakure directly become Konoha's subordinate.

The Third Kazekage was caught in a violent struggle, looking down at his cracked, impure hands, remaining silent for a long time.

He didn't want to agree. Agreeing to Fenglan's conditions meant that Sunagakure would have to publicly admit that their village's Kage was killed by a rogue ninja, that they would have to side with Konoha and become a laughingstock in the ninja world, and that they would have to hand over the sand iron to someone else... These were all extremely shameful and humiliating things.

But what if they don't agree?

Sunagakure will continue to expend enormous human and material resources searching for a dead man who will never be found; its defense will remain weak; the village will continue to be impoverished; and requests will continue to flow to Konoha... Sunagakure will be drained dry little by little in silence until it becomes a ruin whose name no one remembers.

To live in humiliation, or to die with pride?

He closed his eyes, recalling the endless desert of the Land of Wind, where the sandstorms would bury everything… pride, humiliation, the sighs of the living, the resentment of the dead. In the end, only the survivors were victorious, only the surviving villages were real; everything else was nothing but a mirage.

Becoming a subordinate of Konoha is shameful, but if the internal strife continues, it could cost you your life.

“I can agree to your conditions,” he said slowly, his voice hoarse, “but Sunagakure has one additional request.”

"Please speak," Feng Lan nodded.

"You need to draft a formal document, sign it yourself, and have the Fourth Hokage affix his seal." The Third Kazekage looked directly at Feng Lan. "The document must state that the specific terms of the aforementioned trade agreement will be implemented within one month of Sunagakure siding with Konoha; during this period, Konoha may not delay, modify, or withdraw its commitment for any reason. If Konoha breaches the agreement, Sunagakure has the right to unilaterally withdraw from the alliance and publicly disclose what Feng Lan himself has done."

The thing he did clearly refers to the Impure World Reincarnation. As long as Rasa met the Impure World Third Hokage, he would naturally know that someone had used the Impure World Reincarnation. He didn't need to know exactly who used it, but this was obviously a handle against him.

So many people from Sunagakure have sacrificed themselves; they can't just get an empty promise. The information about the Edo Tensei is the key to ensuring Konoha keeps its word.

Feng Lan pondered for a few seconds, then nodded: "Okay, I'll draft the document tonight and show it to you tomorrow. If there are no problems, after it's signed, Lady Tsunade will be the witness, and then it will be sent back to Konoha by a ninja hawk for Minato to stamp."

“There’s one more thing,” the Third Kazekage added. “I need Rasa to come to me in person, not me in Sunagakure, but him in Amegakure. I need to personally hand this over to him and confirm that he is willing to take on this responsibility.”

“He’s the Fourth Kazekage now, he won’t leave the village easily.” Feng Lan’s eyes narrowed even more.

“I have my own way of getting him out,” the Third Kazekage said calmly. “As long as you get Orochimaru to lift all the restrictions on me.”

“Other restrictions can be lifted, but you cannot move, and Shisui must be present to monitor the entire process.” Fenglan put forward his conditions. Although the Third Kazekage could be resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique even if he escaped, an uncontrollable Impure World Kage could cause enormous destruction in just a few minutes.

For example, a single Iron Sand Technique destroyed Amegakure, causing Nagato and others to become complete enemies of Konoha.

“Alright, as long as I regain control of my chakra, that will be enough. I will use the special summoning technique between Kazekage to contact him, and I believe I will receive a response soon. So…” The Third Kazekage extended his reanimated hand, “Shall we make a deal?”

Feng Lan wasn't afraid at all that the strongest Kazekage might suddenly turn on him, and shook hands with him with a smile: "Yes, Kazekage."

Chapter 85 Inuzuka Tetsu

"Hoo...cough cough!"

After leaving the room where the three shadows were temporarily staying, Feng Lan swayed, coughed a few times, and even spilled a few drops of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Lord Fenglan!"

Shisui, who was standing outside the door as a guard, immediately helped him up with concern.

"It's nothing," Feng Lan waved her hand. "I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

The fierce battle and the ensuing intrigue had exhausted his physical and mental strength to the extreme. Now, Feng Lan felt that everything in front of him was doubled, as if he had overused his Mangekyou Sharingan.

"You little rascal, you can really go all out sometimes." Tsunade, though maintaining a certain distance due to her hemophobia, was unusually gentle. "Go back and have Rin and Kabuto take a look at you..."

"Lord Fenglan! The Root organization..." Just then, Tiehuo ran over to report, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Shisui and Tsunade glaring at him fiercely, and he was speechless.

"What's going on with the Root organization?" Feng Lan raised an eyebrow. A bunch of guys who have already become rogue ninjas still want to cause trouble?

"This, this..." Tie Huo was under immense pressure and could barely speak.

"You two, don't scare him." Feng Lan scolded, making Shisui and Tsunade turn their heads away, before turning back to Tie Huo and asking, "Go on."

“There’s someone from the Root organization who claims to be from the Inuzuka clan and says he wants to see you.”

"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!"