Yes, the Hokage

“No one understands love better than the Uchiha. Protect this love that belongs to you, like you are nurturing a newly sprouted seedling.” Hashirama patted Obito on the shoulder. “If you can protect this seedling well in the next few days and help it grow more leaves, I will teach you a trick.”

"Teach me what?!" Obito immediately perked up; this was the teachings of the God of Shinobi!

"Use chakra to awaken the power of life, and you can instantly heal any wound without hand seals. How about that?" Hashirama laughed heartily.

“Uh…” But Obito was somewhat disappointed. “First Hokage, I don’t really need this.”

Although Hashirama's passive skill is indeed very strong, almost equivalent to Tsunade's ultimate move Creation Rebirth, this Hollowfied dog has hardly been hit since awakening, and now he has his last trump card, Susanoo, so it seems that he doesn't really need the ability to heal.

"That's not how it is." However, Hashirama saw through Obito's thoughts and waved his finger. "I've seen your Mangekyou Sharingan ability too. It is indeed very useful, but it's like dancing on a knife's edge. Can you guarantee that you won't get hurt every time?"

"This..." Obito was at a loss for words. He knew that although he now possessed dual Kamui, making him much stronger than the original Raging Child, he was still not as physically imposing as the Raging Child.

Because the enraged child is in a state of being enveloped in white Zetsu with a circled face, he has protection and buffer even if he is injured. Obito, on the other hand, is in a state like Captain Yamato who has been injected with Wood Release cells, so he is essentially still a fragile ninja.

"Once you learn this technique, even if you're injured, you can use the Mangekyou Sharingan's ability to disappear and quickly recover. After your wounds heal, you can rush out again to fight your enemies. You can say that your margin for error is greatly increased. Moreover, only by learning this can you truly master the control of chakra, learn more advanced Wood Release abilities, and even..."

"Even?" Obito's eyes widened.

"Sage Mode." Hashirama lowered his voice, enunciating each word clearly.

"I, I will learn!" Obito immediately became excited. He had already felt the power of Sage Mode when he was learning from Jiraiya. Now, if he could learn Hashirama's even stronger Sage Mode, it would be worth dying for.

……

On the other side, in the corridor outside the house, two guys with their arms crossed were eavesdropping.

"Tsk." When Tobirama heard that Hashirama even wanted to teach him Sage Mode, he was very unhappy and wished he could grab his older brother's ear and give him a lecture right now.

Feng Lan couldn't help but imagine, "That's Hashirama's Sage Mode! His ultimate move, True Several Thousand Hands, is nothing short of devastating. Could Obito really pull off the Susanoo Buddha combo all by himself?"

Of course, this idea is just wishful thinking. No matter how high Obito's talent is, he can't match Hashirama's chakra. Even someone like Hashirama was panting heavily after unleashing the True Thousand Hands. Expecting Obito, with his small frame, to be able to use Susanoo to create a Buddha-like form is just a joke.

However... those advanced Wood Release ninjutsu, like Wood Dragon, Flower Tree Sea, and Myojinmon, learning just one of them is enough to control a Tailed Beast!

Then, I can try to move forward with my last goal.

Chapter 95 Minato's Exhaustion

The village of Konoha was not shrouded in thick fog in the early morning. At this time, the gatekeepers were not yet Izumo and Kotetsu, but the two of them were quite dutiful. When they saw a figure stumbling and running towards them from afar, they immediately became alert.

"Who goes there?!"

The figure staggered closer, his body covered in wounds, looking as if he had been slowly tortured. Blood was still flowing from his most severely injured abdomen: "Lord Fenglan's messenger, Inuzuka Tetsu."

He showed the secret scroll and the leader of Fenglan in his hand. The two guards were immediately shocked and hurriedly surrounded him: "My God, you are seriously injured. Let us take you to the medical team first."

"The Fourth Hokage..." Inuzuka Tetsuya murmured, his breath already quite weak, "I want to see the Fourth Hokage..."

"Okay." His words made the two gatekeepers think that there was some confidential matter at hand, so they hurriedly sent one of them to carry him straight to the Hokage's office.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office...

"Ugh, this is such a headache!"

Shuimen slumped limply on the desk, with three stacks of documents piled up in front of him. The left one was marked "processed," the right one "pending processing," and the middle one was marked "read and found to be nonsense, but still need to be signed."

During Fenglan's absence, Konoha was actively preparing for war. F3, working in perfect harmony, casually took over all the work through a high-level meeting, leaving Minato with only a bunch of meaningless and tedious paperwork.

Every day, dealing with these things made him feel increasingly heavy-hearted, his eyelids growing heavier, and it seemed as if his soul was about to float out of his mouth.

Feng Lan has been gone from Konoha for... He counted on his fingers, then gave up. It's been too long, so long that he's almost forgotten what he looked like when he first became Hokage.

In the upper left corner of the table, a scroll lay quietly, covered with dense sealing incantations. It was an emergency scroll left to him by Feng Lan, meant to be opened only in critical moments.

He always carried the water gate with him, and when working, he would place it within easy reach to give himself a boost. He had lost count of how many times he had reached for it, especially when he was tormented by a document to the point of questioning his existence.

The first time was three days after Feng Lan left. At that time, he was quite determined. He clenched his fist and told himself, "If Feng Lan can handle something, so can I."

On the fifth day, Lu Jiu shielded him from a surprise interrogation by the elders. After returning, he stared at the scroll for a full ten minutes before finally stuffing it into a drawer, feeling it wasn't the right time yet.

Then on the tenth day, he could no longer remember what the report wanted him to approve. Anyway, if he didn't approve it, the third generation would send over supplementary explanations, and if he did approve it... probably no one would tell him what the result would be.

……

Minato sighed, reached for the scroll, twirled it between his fingers twice, and then put it back. It wasn't the right time yet; he was just preoccupied with the documents. What kind of crucial moment was this?

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, and Minato instantly sat up straight, his face expertly adopting the "I'm Hokage, I'm busy" expression. However, Shizune pushed open the door and entered, carrying a tray with a bowl of miso soup, a dish of natto, a fish, and a serving of rice.

"Fourth Hokage, you haven't had breakfast yet."

Minato glanced at the breakfast, shook his head, and asked from the bottom of his heart, "What day is it today?"

Shizune paused for a moment, then said, "...Thursday, I guess."

"Oh." Minato took the soup bowl, paused for two seconds, "I don't think I ate anything last Thursday either."

Jingyin didn't reply, but simply pushed the breakfast in front of him, and then expertly started cleaning the office.

Before Fenglan left, she was given many instructions, one of which was: "If Shuimen starts asking what day of the week it is, it means he hasn't eaten properly for three days. Don't let him starve to death."

But she still has hospital duties to perform and can't take care of Minato all the time. Right now, our young and handsome Fourth Hokage has already grown a mustache.

Minato took a bite of rice, chewed for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "Has Mr. Shikaku come by today?"

“He came by.” Shizune nodded. “He said that the border patrol report you approved this morning had a revised version sent over from the Third Generation. He looked at it for you. The content is almost the same, only the wording has changed. You can just sign it directly. You don’t need to read it again.”

Minato was silent for a moment: "...Is the Third Hokage testing whether I've been reading the documents carefully?"

Silent did not respond.

Minato didn't press the matter. He pushed away the rice he had only eaten two bites of, rubbed his temples, and suddenly exclaimed, "How did Fenglan manage to do that before?"

"What should be done?"

"He finished all the documents in half a day, still had time to go for a run with Dai, and even had the energy to argue with me when he got home at night." Minato's tone was filled with awe. "Is he even human?"

Shizune pursed her lips: "Because when I'm here, they don't dare send this kind of meaningless garbage over."

Without a doubt, this was another message that Feng Lan had asked her to relay. Minato sighed and subconsciously touched the scroll.

"Mute".

"exist."

"Do you think Feng Lan left this for me because she thought I would definitely open it prematurely?"

Shizune glanced at the scroll: "Your greatest strength is your persistence, and your greatest weakness is also your persistence."

Minato paused for a moment, and the image of Feng Lan's helpless expression with his hands outstretched seemed to appear in his mind. He couldn't help but laugh: "You really know me."

He casually tossed the scroll back onto the corner of the table, patted his cheeks to encourage himself, and said, "Alright, let's get to work!"

But just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, and the Konoha gatekeeper pushed open the door and entered: "Excuse me! Fourth Hokage! We have brought a messenger from Lord Fenglan!"

"Feng Lan?!"

Minato suddenly perked up and stood up abruptly.

When he saw Inuzuka Tetsu behind the gatekeeper, he was taken aback for a moment, then immediately ordered, "Shizune, quickly treat his wounds!"

"Yes!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya tremblingly took out the secret letter scroll: "Fourth Hokage... I have not failed you..."

"Thanks a lot."

Minato first looked at Inuzuka Tetsu with concern for a while, and finding that he was not in any danger, he then eagerly tore open the scroll and took out the secret letter.

Then... there were only four words above: This person is available.

What... what's going on here?!

Minato was Spartan at heart. Although he was manipulated by F3, he had already built up a certain amount of power before Fenglan left. Therefore, Minato still learned some of the situation from the secret letter sent by Ninja Hawk.

He knew that Fenglan had defeated Hanzo, killed Danzo, and was supporting the rise of Akatsuki, a new force in Amegakure. There was a young man in Akatsuki who possessed the legendary Rinnegan, which would surely become a powerful weapon against Kumogakure.

Minato originally thought that Fenglan's letter must have told him more, or even asked him to go to Amegakure for an alliance ceremony. However, it ended with just one short sentence.

"What the hell do you mean? Is it usable? Where am I supposed to use it?!" Minato grimaced, already putting on a mask of pain.

"Um... Fourth Hokage?"

Having received some treatment, Inuzuka Tetsu timidly raised his hand: "Does Lady Fenglan still stand by what she promised me?"

"Hmm?" Minato's eyes lit up. "What did he promise you?"

"It's about... asking me to go to the Inuzuka clan to ask for a ninja dog." Inuzuka Tetsuya knew that Furan had only given a verbal promise, so he wanted to get some real assurance from Minato to back him up.

"Oh, okay, let's go then." Minato waved his hand. "But no rush, tell me what exactly happened in Amegakure?"

"I am just a prisoner of war of the Root Organization. I was fortunate enough to be chosen by Lord Fenglan to deliver a message, so I don't know much." Inuzuka Tetsuya, on the other hand, selectively revealed information, especially the most crucial Edo Tensei Twin Shadows, which he planned to sell for a good price.

"Is that so...?"

Minato didn't get much useful information either, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He pressed on, "How is Fenglan?"

“Lord Fenglan…” Inuzuka Tetsu hesitated for a moment, “He looks very tired, and there is blood at the corner of his mouth.”

Minato suddenly tightened his grip, releasing it only after a few seconds: "I understand."

He wrote out the order and handed it over: "You've worked hard too, go and get some rest."

"Yes, thank you, Fourth Hokage."

Inuzuka Tetsu left the Hokage's office, but as soon as he went downstairs, he was stopped by an Anbu member wearing a mask: "The Third Hokage has something to discuss with you."

"Okay." Inuzuka Tetsu's lips curled up slightly. The information he had been hiding was finally coming in handy.

He pretended to be honest and simple, obediently following behind the other person, passing through several alleys, bypassing the patrol routes of the guard team, and entering the Sarutobi clan's mansion through the back door.

Inside the tea room, the third generation was sitting behind a low table, puffing on his pipe, as if he had been waiting for a while.

"Sandaime-sama."

Inuzuka Tetsu knelt on one knee, his posture very humble.

"Get up." The Third Hokage waved his pipe, his tone as gentle as if he were entertaining a guest. "I heard you just returned from Amegakure. How's the situation with MapleStory?"

Inuzuka Tetsu raised his head, met the Third Hokage's gaze for a moment, and then looked down again. Having been in Root for so many years, he knew very well what to say and when to say it.

"Reporting to the Third Hokage, Lord Fenglan has already formed an alliance with the Akatsuki organization in Amegakure."

"I've already told you about the secret messages these ninja hawks brought back," the Third Hokage said calmly, waving his hand. "Get to the point."

With just a few words, the sense of pressure he exerted on Inuzuka Tetsuya was completely different from that of the Fourth Hokage. The latter thought to himself that his decision to keep the information to himself was indeed the right one; this was the place where he could gain more benefits.

"Lord Fenglan has taken control of the rogue ninja Orochimaru, and..." he lowered his voice, "...he somehow summoned the spirits of the First and Second Hokage."

The Third Hokage's hand froze in mid-air, the ash from his pipe falling silently onto the table. He didn't speak immediately, but Inuzuka Tetsu could sense a sharp glint in his old eyes.

If Inuzuka Tetsuya didn't know this secret technique, there's no reason why the Third Hokage wouldn't know. It wasn't some kind of dead soul; it was an impure world resurrection technique.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that the tobacco had completely burned away without him taking another puff. Inuzuka Tetsu didn't look up either, but simply remained kneeling on one knee, waiting for the Third Hokage's next words.

After a long pause, the Third Hokage slowly spoke: "Have you told Minato about this information?"

“Absolutely not.” Inuzuka Tetsu immediately began to pledge his loyalty. “I believe that the fewer people who should know these most confidential information, the better. It is enough to let only those who have the ability to control it know.”

“Hmm, you’re a smart man.” The Third Hokage glanced at Inuzuka Tetsu. “The fact that Fenglan is willing to use you as a messenger shows that he has already pardoned your crimes in the Root organization.”

Clearly, the Third Hokage had known about the child's existence for a long time, but he turned a blind eye to Danzo. This satisfied the old man and prevented him from targeting the Hyuga clan again, so why not?

"So, do you want to continue working for him, or come and work for me?" He knocked off the ash from his cigarette and continued to refill the tobacco at a leisurely pace.

“I…” Inuzuka Tetsuya tentatively said, “I want to follow Lord Furan, but at the same time… to do things for you.”

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage's lips curled into a strange smile: "Interesting, very interesting..."

He didn't say anything more, but he also wrote down a warrant: "Aren't you going to the Inuzuka clan? Take this."

"My lord..." Inuzuka Tetsuya was still young and, not receiving a clear reply, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

"Go down. I'll have the Anbu contact you when I need you," the Third Hokage waved his hand.

"Yes."

Inuzuka Tetsu accepted the order with both hands and bowed his head in thanks.

He didn't ask what would happen if I were discovered, because he already knew the answer. The Third Hokage didn't say that I should take responsibility if I was exposed, because there was no need to say it.

By the time he stepped out of Sarutobi's residence, it was already broad daylight. Inuzuka Tetsuya stood in the sunlight, tucked the two sealed warrants into his robes, and then strode towards the Inuzuka clan's encampment, his face displaying a wolf-like ferocity.

In the tea room, the third generation was still smoking leisurely. After a while, he chuckled and said, "Heh, that kid Fenglan, he's really good at scheming."

He beckoned to an ANBU member: "Catch up with Yuichi and tell him that the strategy has changed. Once in Amegakure, he must follow Fenglan's orders and never mention the Rinnegan again."