Yes, the Hokage

"Go away!"

He immediately shoved Inuzuka Tetsuya, who was trying to stop him, to the ground and pushed open the door.

Inside the house, Minato and Shikaku were actually waiting for Mitokado Homura to arrive, their two cold and mocking gazes falling on him at the same time.

After getting carried away, Mitokado Homura realized that he had gone a bit too far, but since the door was already open, he could only force a smile and walk in: "Fourth Hokage, I've come to see you..."

Minato interrupted him rudely: "Didn't Tetsuya tell you I was in a meeting?"

"He... he did say it."

Mitokado Homura quickly composed himself and, with a thick skin, walked into the office, once again employing his signature long and complex sentences: "Fourth Hokage, I know that it is inappropriate to disturb you at this time, but considering the complexity and volatility of the current situation inside and outside the village, and the potential impacts of the administrative restructuring and personnel appointments that you and Mr. Shikaku are discussing that have not yet been fully assessed, I believe that, based on my years of experience handling similar matters, I may be able to provide you with some necessary reminders and supplementary perspectives, so as to avoid unnecessary obstacles and delays in the subsequent implementation process due to a lack of precision in certain procedural details, after all..."

Unfortunately, the situation was different this time. Shikaku smiled and said, "Lord Mitokado Homura, do you mean you want to listen in, and that you believe your experience is more valuable than our current discussion?"

"Hmph, quite clever." Feng Lan next door nodded in agreement. "Knowing that his experience wasn't enough to handle long and complex sentences, he specifically brought Shikaku over to use him as a counterbalance to the opponent when planning the whole process... Not bad, as the Hokage, this kind of personnel management is only natural."

Having understood what the other party was saying, Minato naturally had the ability to retaliate: "No need, Lord Mitokado Homura. We are discussing some reform issues. If we need the opinions of the older generation, we will come to you. Thank you."

"Ah..." Mitokado Homura was clearly extremely embarrassed at this moment. It was absolutely impossible for him to leave like this, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not find a reason to stay, because Minato had clearly refused.

Fenglan is right about this. Minato was the Fourth Hokage, and he had the authority to decide who was in the office and who was out.

"This is a private conversation, Lord Mitokado Homura?" Seeing that he still didn't move, Minato raised his voice.

"Um, do you need me to close the door?" Mitokado Yan could only try to make conversation.

“Yes, and I need you to go out and close the door from the outside.” Minato pointed out what this guy might do directly, to prevent him from continuing to shamelessly stay here.

"Can I ask for the reason?" But Mitokado Homura clearly didn't want to leave; the two of them were talking about something that might involve replacing him!

Shikaku stood up at the opportune moment, using a feigned retreat as a strategic advance: "Otherwise, I'll come another day..."

"Lord Mitokado Homura!" Minato's face darkened. "Please leave immediately!"

"You..." Mitokado Homura was also under immense pressure, but being directly kicked out like this would leave him humiliated. "I wonder what the deeper meaning is behind your word 'departure'?"

"go out!"

Minato was truly angry this time. Under Fenglan's protection, he hadn't thought much of the F3 before, but now that they were gone, he truly realized how outrageous these old geezers were. They didn't take him, the Fourth Hokage, seriously at all!

"Yes, Hokage."

Mitomon's old face twitched; he knew that if he didn't leave soon, he would be punished.

Only after the door slammed shut did Minato slump back into his chair and sigh deeply: "Mr. Shikaku, I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

"That's quite a powerful statement, Fourth Hokage." Shikaku smiled. "Next, as long as we follow the plan, I'll just hang around in front of him a few times in half an hour to put some pressure on him."

“Yes, that’s the right thing to do.” Minato took a deep breath. “I was originally thinking of saving him some face, but now…”

A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Continue the plan!"

Half an hour later, Nara Shikaku walked out of the Hokage's office. Guided remotely by Yamanaka Inoichi, he deliberately went to the ANBU members who were hiding nearby and monitoring the Hokage's office, with obvious joy on his face.

As Nara Shikaku left, Minato began his "dog training": "Inuzuka Tetsu!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya, who was being summoned so sternly by Minato for the first time, scrambled in, stammering, "Fourth... Fourth Hokage..."

"I've already clearly stated my requirements, so why is it that Lord Mitokado Homura is still able to barge into my office?!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya was so frightened that he immediately knelt down: "M-Master... Lord Mitokado Homura is an advisor to the Elders' Council, I... I couldn't stop him."

"From now on, he cannot enter the Hokage Building without my approval!"

"But... he has a pass..."

“That was an order signed by the Third Hokage,” Minato said calmly. “And I am the Fourth Hokage. Times have changed…”

He was ultimately kinder than Fenglan, and once again asked Inuzuka Tetsuya, "And you, have you thought about which era you want to live in?"

"I, I..." Inuzuka Tetsuya stood up tremblingly, clenching his fists and swallowing hard.

The differences between the Third Generation faction and the Fourth Generation faction regarding him flashed through his mind, and he had already made a choice... No, rather than making a choice, it would be more accurate to say that this thought had been lingering in his mind for a long time, but today he finally put it into practice.

"Understood, Fourth Hokage!"

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Tetsu.” Minato’s smile softened again. “I’ll reiterate: as the captain of the Hokage’s guard, you have a lot of authority. In theory, only you can come to see me at any time. Feng Lan has given you this authority, and I hope you will treat him well.”

"I... I won't let you down!" Inuzuka Tetsu's body was still trembling, but his tone became firm.

"Then, you should be able to distinguish which are uninvited guests who need to be stopped and which are distinguished guests who don't need to be stopped, right?"

"Yes, Hokage!"

While Minato was training the dogs, Fenglan deliberately led Yamanaka Inoichi away from the reception room to downstairs. After he finished training them, he came back up. Upon seeing the two of them, Inuzuka Tetsu hurriedly put on a fawning smile: "Lord Fenglan! Lord Yamanaka Inoichi!"

"Hmm, is Minato here?" Feng Lan nodded calmly.

"The Fourth Hokage is inside." Inuzuka Tetsu even opened the office door for the two of them, and then closed it behind them from the outside, trying to appease them.

"Not bad." After confirming that Inuzuka Tetsu couldn't hear the sounds inside, Feng Lan clapped his hands with a smile. "Your dog training skills are top-notch, Minato."

"Ugh, I'm exhausted..."

Minato slumped into his chair: "How do you manage to have so much energy while scheming against people every day?"

"Which eye of yours saw me full of energy? I didn't sleep well last night and I'm still sleepy." Feng Lan yawned widely and lay down on the sofa without any hesitation. "But... once you get the hang of it, you'll find that fighting with others is incredibly fun..."

"I don't like this kind of fun."

Minato muttered something under his breath, almost instinctively wanting to ask what to do next, but he quickly snapped back to reality, patting his cheek: "Minato, Minato, you can't stop thinking the moment you see Feng Lan. You devised the plan; now it's your turn to instruct your subordinates."

“Well then,” he took a deep breath and sat up straight again, “we’ll just stay here… and wait for the fish to bite.”

……

On the other side, Homura Mitokado, upon learning of the Anbu's report, immediately became restless. Although there are no telephones in the world of Naruto, walkie-talkies did appear when Kakashi trained Team 7.

He immediately pulled out his walkie-talkie and ordered Inuzuka Tetsuya, "Tell the Fourth Hokage that I'm going to the Hokage's office."

"No, I'm afraid that won't work." Although Inuzuka Tetsuya was trembling all over, he firmly refused.

"That's good. I thought you said no." At this moment, Mitokado Homura was clearly unaware that the other party dared to disobey him.

"Advisor, I said no." Inuzuka Tetsuya gritted his teeth. "The Fourth Hokage is busy right now."

It took Mitokado Homura a few seconds to realize that this third-generation dog actually dared to refuse, and his tone immediately turned cold: "Then I'll come find you!"

"I...I'm busy too," Inuzuka Tetsuya said nervously. "You can't just come and go from the Hokage's office; you didn't have an appointment..."

"Stop talking nonsense, I'm coming right now!" Mitokado Homura was practically cursing. "You little bastard!"

The three people in the office are all sensory ninjas, the only difference being that Fenglan and Minato cannot communicate directly with their team through their sensory abilities like Haiyi.

“Hmm…” Minato nodded. “According to the plan, we should instruct Tetsuka and Inahi to stop Lord Mitokado Homura.”

"No rush." ​​Instead, Feng Lan waved her hand and said, "Let him in."

"Hey," Minato said, somewhat annoyed, "you said you wouldn't interfere with my plans!"

"Didn't you feel sorry for Inuzuka Tetsuya?" Fenglan yawned again. "Then let's give him another chance. Although I'm not like Danzo who uses people and then throws them away, I certainly won't keep this two-faced guy around. According to my plan, once I've squeezed this kid dry, I should put him on the shelf."

Minato was silent for a moment, then his mind flashed back to the joyful smile of Inuzuka Aoi after hearing about her son's success, and his heart softened again: "What opportunity did you give me?"

"It all depends on whether he can completely stop them," Feng Lan said lazily. "As long as he can harden his heart and keep Mitomon Homura out of the door, then even if he wants to join the Third Hokage's side, he won't be able to. He'll have no choice but to completely submit to our side."

"If that's the case, then he's still worth using, after all... this kid still has some potential."

"What if he can't stop it?"

"That proves that this kid has no ability or value to join us. Soon I will find an excuse to kick him out of his position as the guard captain, and then slowly marginalize him so that he can just be a Chunin."

“Then I’ll do as you say, but I have to say this upfront.” Minato slumped back onto the table, “My plan didn’t include dealing with Lord Mitokado Homura at this time, so you can’t deduct points from my score.”

"Don't worry, don't worry." Feng Lan was already in a semi-drowsy state. "If only he comes in, I'll get rid of him in no time."

Chapter 135 Loyalty! Sincerity!

Outside the office door, Inuzuka Tetsu was breathing heavily, his heart was pounding, and he could barely hear anything.

What had I just done? I rejected Lord Mitokado Homura with the most resolute and irreversible words. That was a high-ranking advisor to the Elder Council; he could crush me like a child.

At that moment, everything that Feng Lan had gained began to appear faintly: a high salary, the pride and arrogance in front of others, the fear of her clan, her mother's joy... The only thing that echoed in her mind was Mitomon Yan's curse: "I'm coming right now, you little bastard!"

Is there any way to salvage the situation? It seems not.

He swallowed hard: [Calm down. Since it's Lord Minato's order, those two Uchiha downstairs should know what's going on. They're proud Uchiha, they can definitely stop the elders...]

However, just as this guy was taking a chance, a series of hurried footsteps came from the stairwell.

"My God..." Inuzuka Tetsu couldn't help but show a look of despair.

"There is no God, Inuzuka Tetsu, the only one standing before you is this old man!" Mitokado Homura strode over in a rage. "Who do you think you are? Do you think you have the right to play both sides? Do you think that with Minato backing you up, I can't touch you!?"

"How...how did you get in?!" Inuzuka Tetsu stood up, trembling.

"Do you think there's anywhere in this village that I can't go?!" Mitokado Homura slapped Inuzuka Tetsuo across the face. "Get out of my way, I need to see the Fourth Hokage!"

His body crashed heavily to the ground, but the excruciating pain miraculously cleared his mind. Inuzuka Tetsu jumped up and blocked the doorway: "You can't go through!"

"How dare you stop me?!" Mitomon En was so angry that he was trembling all over.

"I, I..." Inuzuka Tetsuya's body was also trembling. "I am the Hokage's Guard Captain personally appointed by Lord Fenglan. I have the authority to intercept anyone who breaks in without prior notification, even if it is the Elders' Council!"

"Insolence! I have a pass!"

"That's...that's..." Inuzuka Tsuru gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "That was approved by the Third Hokage, and the one sitting inside now is the Fourth Hokage!"

"You brat..." Mitokado Homura's eyes flashed with a chilling coldness and malice. "You dare to bark at me for such a trivial position? Believe me or not, I'll send you to the Land of Waterfalls tomorrow and never let you come back. Get out of my way!"

He pushed Inuzuka Tsuru aside again and tried to force his way in, but the latter was also going all out and activated his Byakugan.

Mitokado Homura was startled. In his youth, he had been a capable ninja who could fight alone. He immediately jumped back and said, "How dare you lay a hand on me?! Harming an elder is an irreparable crime!"

"me……"

Large drops of cold sweat dripped down Inuzuka Tetsuya's face, and his voice was already trembling with sobs: "Since I have been entrusted by the Fourth Hokage, I must defend this place to the death. Unless you kill me, don't even think about getting through!"

He actually adopted the starting stance of the Soft Fist, his muscles contracted on the iron balls under his feet, his four legs tensed, and he made a "woo-woo" warning sound from his throat.

Mitokado Homura's face twitched violently. Of course, he couldn't actually make a move here. It wasn't that he couldn't beat the other party. This old guy was the second Hokage's bodyguard when he was young, and now his skills were comparable to Danzo before he activated Izanagi. He could easily handle Inuzuka Tetsuo.

This is the Hokage Building, and Inuzuka Tetsu is the captain of the Hokage Guard. If he really makes a move, he won't be hitting Inuzuka's butt, but Minato's face.

He was truly remarkable. After catching his breath, he managed to control his anger, and his expression softened again: "Kid, I don't want to argue with you... but think carefully, who should you choose? My family will always be an advisor to the Elders' Council. I have Koharu, Hiruzen, and countless members of the three major clans behind me... But what about Minato? He was put on the Hokage throne by us. Without us, how long can he last?"

"Who are your true friends? Who can help you rise to the top? You should think carefully before you speak!"

Logically speaking, what he said is correct. In the original work, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane served as advisors all the way into Boruto, which can be described as the Hokage changing while the elders remained constant.

However, at this moment, these words actually woke up Inuzuka Tetsuya. Putting aside whether Mitokado Homura, with whom he had a conflict today, held a grudge, even if he didn't, offending this guy would only result in being secretly retaliated against. But having let people in after Minato had clearly warned him, he would be fired tomorrow!

"Lord Mitokado Homura!"

In his eyes, the elder's terrifying pressure was rapidly disappearing. After he hardened his stance, the elder could only speak to him in a gentle manner. This proved that the elder's previous rage, threats, and various methods were nothing but paper tigers. As long as he stood firmly by the Fourth Hokage's side, no one could harm him!

"I demand that you leave immediately, and from now on you are not to set foot in the office building without the Fourth Hokage's summons!" He didn't care whether his words were effective or not, and started threatening directly, "Starting tomorrow, the barrier here will be completely replaced. If you enter rashly, it will immediately trigger an alarm. If you are mistaken for a spy from another village and get injured, don't blame me!"

This time he was truly going all out, making an irreversible declaration: "There can only be one sun in the sky, and in my heart there is only the Fourth Hokage!"

Mitomon En's old eyes almost bled as he glared at the other man for a while, then he snorted coldly and turned away.

"Boom--!"

After confirming that the other party had left, Inuzuka Tetsu collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily: "Haa, haa..."

After he regained some consciousness, he found that the office door had been opened at some point, and behind the door stood the man he feared most: "Kid, you've got guts, managing to say such cheesy things."

"Feng, Lord Fenglan, I..."

Inuzuka Tetsu had almost walked through the gates of hell. After his life had just flashed before his eyes like a slideshow, he now understood everything. From the moment he delivered the letter, Feng Lan had deliberately chosen him, anticipating that he would be able to play both sides.

The subsequent appointment to a high position, the victory banquet, and the Five Kage Summit's series of actions, including deliberately leaving him in the village, were all aimed at using him to provoke conflict between the Elders and Minato, and then completely eliminating the other side.

And I... in the whole plan, was nothing more than a dispensable bait, the kind of cheap bait that jumps around aimlessly, thinking I'm very clever but actually just a clown.

Now that Lord Fenglan's plan has been completed, can't this traitor like me be thrown away?

However, just as he was thinking this in despair, Feng Lan ordered into the room, "Mr. Haiyi, go out and change the barrier, so that outsiders don't think our guard captain has no influence."

"Yes, Lord Fenglan, the barrier team can proceed now." Due to their excellent perception abilities, most members of the mountain clan hold positions within the barrier team, and Haiyi immediately went out the door.

Inuzuka Tetsuya's previously despairing mind began to race again, seizing upon two key words in Feng Lan's words: outsider and guard captain.

The title of captain of the guard proves that he still holds his position, but as an outsider... does it mean that he can now be considered one of their own?