Yes, the Hokage

"Come in." Feng Lan smiled, then walked back inside, where Ge You slumped onto the sofa.

"Lord Fenglan!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya seemed to have grasped at the last straw. He couldn't stand up at all, so he crawled on his hands and feet to Feng Lan, intending to kneel down first.

"Don't rush." ​​Feng Lan lazily stopped him. "You should be able to see that according to my original plan, I was going to put you aside after I finished using you. However, Minato's pity gave you a second chance, and you... you're quite clever, at least you seized the opportunity."

"Yes Yes!"

At this moment, Inuzuka Tetsuya was covered in sweat, and he had even left a trail of water on the ground as he crawled over, but his mind was working even faster. He immediately turned his head and slammed his head against Minato three times.

"Don't do this."

Minato was startled and quickly went over to help him up, saying to Fenglan with a hint of reproach, "He's still a child, don't be so frightened."

“He’s even a bit older than Obito Shisui, what kind of kid is he?” Feng Lan scoffed. “Besides, it wasn’t me who scared him, it was that old man Mitokado Homura who scared him.”

"Yondaime-sama!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Inuzuka Tetsu grabbed Minato's leg and wouldn't let go: "How can we manage Konoha if we're with those insects? I will follow you to the death!"

"Pfft!" Feng Lan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Kid, have you thought this through? If you fail, you'll be remembered as a rebel and forever nailed to the pillar of shame in history."

Inuzuka Tetsuya paused for a moment, then blurted out another classic line: "Never back down! Ninjas are simple; they are born to be loyal!"

"Pfft, hahaha!" Feng Lan was genuinely amused this time. "Alright, alright, from now on you'll be Minato's number one [Dog Boy]."

"But remember..." His smile suddenly turned sharp, "You only joined Minato's ranks because of his mercy, which doesn't mean I truly trust you. Although I don't have your skillful use of the Byakugan, someone will be watching you closely. If I catch you red-handed and finding evidence of your wavering and indecisiveness..."

Before he could utter his harsh words, Inuzuka Tetsu jumped three feet high: "Absolutely not! I, Inuzuka Tetsu, will dedicate my entire life to serving the Fourth Hokage!"

He suddenly stood up straight and shouted those two words with a do-or-die spirit:

"loyalty!"

Chapter 136 The Disheveled Mitokado Yan

"Hiruzen, that brat Minato has already invalidated all the passes you issued back then, aren't you going to do anything about it?!"

Inside the tea room, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu angrily recounted the events of the day, trying to persuade their elder brother to step in and uphold justice.

“I have something very important to do recently.” The Third Generation took a puff of his pipe. “I already told you two to keep a low profile, but you insisted on testing me.”

"If we don't seize the opportunity while they're out negotiating and trying to gain the upper hand, are we supposed to wait for that Feng Lan to come back and wipe us all out!" Mitomon En stomped his feet angrily. He had completely lost face today, so he was naturally even more agitated.

"The result of acting recklessly is that Fenglan didn't even have to make a move, and you couldn't even handle Minato." The Third Hokage said calmly, "For the sake of our past relationship, I'll give you one last reminder: don't act recklessly anymore. I don't want to attract Fenglan's attention right now, so I can't protect you."

“Hiruzen…” Koharu Utatane frowned and said, “What exactly are you plotting? Now that there is no longer any external threat, what could be more important than getting rid of that brat, Fuuran, and letting Minato return to the light of the Will of Fire?”

They were Hiruzen Sarutobi's teammates in his youth. The three of them participated in the Fourth Shinobi World War and led Konoha together. The two were always Hiruzen's closest friends and most trusted subordinates. The Third Hokage never hid anything from these two.

But this time, when faced with Koharu's question, he was unusually silent, puffing on his pipe one after another, and soon the room was filled with smoke, but the voice of the Third Generation was no longer heard.

"Fine." Koharu sighed. "If you don't want to talk about it, we won't force you, but don't forget... Yan and I are on your side!"

As they left the Sarutobi clan's encampment, both of them couldn't help but look up at the sky and sigh. Without the strong support of the Third Hokage, they wouldn't be able to suppress Minato in terms of absolute power.

"What should we do..." Mitokado Homura frowned. "Should we just swallow our anger and do what Hiruzen said?"

"I'll go check things out first." Koharu Utatane frowned. "We can't just let Minato give your spot to that kid Shikaku. Inuzuka Tetsu won't let you in. I want to see if he dares to stop me again. If he really dares to stop me, I'll just make a normal appointment."

"That's the only way," Mitokado Yan sighed. "Thank you for your trouble."

So Koharu went straight to the Hokage's office. She had barely reached the door when she frowned slightly: "Something's wrong. The barrier here has definitely been modified."

Although she wasn't a sensory-type ninja, she specialized in barrier techniques and had been the leader of the barrier team. She could immediately tell something was wrong: [Flame said that Inuzuka Tetsu had boasted to her about changing the barrier, and now the barrier had been changed immediately... Had that guy really been recruited by Minato?]

Koharu, the girl in the dorm, frowned slightly as she looked at the two Uchiha clansmen at the door: [If that's the case, there's a high chance we'll be stopped at the door.]

Having not experienced Mitokado inflammation, she remained relatively calm and cautiously stepped forward, saying, "Gentlemen, I wish to pay my respects to the Fourth Hokage. Please inform him of this."

Unexpectedly, the usually unruly Uchiha lad actually smiled and gestured for him to proceed.

【What's going on?!】 Xiaochun, who was turning over a new room, was immediately surprised and uncertain. To be honest, she had prepared herself to try to find out more indirectly after being rejected, but she didn't expect to be welcomed in directly.

Meanwhile, Mitokado Yan, who was watching from a distance, had his eyes practically popping out of their sockets!

What's going on? We're both advisors to the Elders' Council, so why can Koharu Utatane be with me but I can't? It's like a monk can touch me but I can't.

He became anxious again. Seeing that Tsurugi Koharu had disappeared into the doorway, he quickly followed and walked in with his head held high.

Then, as expected, he was stopped by Inahime and Tetsuka. The smiling expressions on their faces reminded Mitokado Homura of Kaede Ran for no reason.

"Hello, you need to make an appointment to see the Fourth Hokage."

Mitokado Yan's eyes widened: "It's me, the Elder Council Advisor!"

"Hello, Mr. Consultant, do you have an appointment?" Inahime and Tetsuka had already received a signal from Kaede, which is why they specifically sent Koharu Utatane over to stop Mitokado Homura, so no matter how much he talked, it was useless.

"I don't need an appointment, I have a pass!"

"Can we check it out?" Daohuo and Tiehuo's smiles remained unchanged. As the two who followed Fenglan the earliest, they had also learned all of each other's bad habits.

Mitomon En's lips twitched as he pulled out a warrant from his pocket, slapped it onto Tetsuka's hand, and started to walk away.

"I'm very sorry." Inahime and Tetsuka blocked his way again. "Your warrant has expired. We now need a warrant signed by the Fourth Hokage."

"But Xiaochun clearly went there just now!"

"That was a special order from the Fourth Hokage. She can do it, but you can't."

These words immediately made Mitokado Homura's heart skip a beat, and he said angrily, "Then how exactly can I get in?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to go through Captain Inuzuka Tetsuya to request a meeting with the Fourth Hokage." Inahisa took out a walkie-talkie. "Do you need me to contact him for you?"

"Okay...no..."

Ignoring Mitokado Homura's hesitation, he called out directly, "Captain, Lord Mitokado Homura would like to ask you to schedule a meeting with the Fourth Hokage."

The merciless voice of Inuzuka Tetsu came from the other end: "Just say I'm not here!"

Dao Huo put down the walkie-talkie and said with a forced smile, "The captain said he's not here."

Mitomon was truly enraged this time. For a moment, he even couldn't help but want to take action, but the next second, a not-so-clear voice came through the walkie-talkie again.

[That's Minato's!] Mitokado Homura keenly noticed, [Could Inuzuka Tetsu be in his office right now?]

Although Minato's voice was muffled, the general meaning could still be discerned: "Regarding Lord Mitokado Homura, do you feel that his burden is too heavy, and that he has too much work to take on?"

Then Xiaochun's voice came from inside the room: "Of course not, he handled it perfectly, I didn't find any problems at all."

Hearing this, Mitokado Homura breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the next second, Minato's voice rang out again: "I see. I was originally planning to ask you to help him share some of the burden."

"drop--!"

Then, that damned Inuzuka Tetsu turned off the walkie-talkie, so he couldn't hear anything afterward!

Mitokado Homura felt his heart pounding in his chest. What did Minato mean by this? Was he trying to break up the F3 relationship from within? No... impossible. He and Utatane Koharu had been friends for decades; there was no reason for them to be so easily alienated!

Now he was no longer as smug as he had been when he thought he had sown discord between Minato and Furan. Although Mitokado Homura tried hard to trust Utatane Koharu, after all, that was the enormous power and benefits that came with the financial function!

He was in charge of finances, while Xiaochun was in charge of medical care. Both of them held great power and were making a fortune. If he were to give his position to Xiaochun, he didn't dare to imagine how arrogant she would become.

No, that's not what we should be thinking about now. What we should be thinking about is whether Xiaochun can resist the temptation and turn around and sell out her old friend of several decades!

Mitokado Yan became increasingly panicked as she thought about it. Admittedly, Koharu Utatane was unlikely to betray her. After all, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If she fell for this shallow attempt to divide them, the F3 would inevitably be defeated one by one. If it were her, she would never betray her either!

But then again, holding power over both finance and healthcare at the same time... it's actually quite tempting.

What if—and he meant what if—Koharu Utatane couldn't resist the temptation and actually accepted the invitation? Wouldn't she then turn around and team up with Minato against him?

He won't be the only one to suffer; the entire Mitomon clan will be in trouble!

No, no, no...

He kept repeating this to himself, but the more he repeated it, the more panicked he became. At first, Xiaochun's betrayal was just a small opening, but it kept widening until it seemed to drain away his internal organs, leaving him as nothing more than a walking corpse.

"No, we absolutely cannot continue like this!"

Mitomon Yan gritted his teeth. "You can't force your way through the main gate, huh? I'll go through the balcony!"

The Hokage Building isn't actually that tall. There are very few truly tall buildings in the Naruto world, so the balcony of the Hokage's office is actually only on the third floor. For a skilled fighter like Mitokado Homura, it's just a matter of a quick jump.

Although the entire Hokage Building is protected by a barrier, it is still the one from the Second Hokage's time. I already know how to cross it silently. As long as I let him jump onto the balcony, how could I not join the meeting in the office?

We must stop all of this before Koharu Utatane actually does anything. If it's just that Minato wants to divide power, we can veto it through a high-level meeting. But if Koharu Utatane tries to take it, and her vote goes to Minato's side, then we're really finished!

Finding the right angle quickly, Mitokado Yan gritted his teeth, leaped high into the air, and plunged towards the balcony.

"Clap."

It seems he's still got some skills, landing smoothly in the planned spot, but the next second...

"Beep—beep—beep—!"

A piercing alarm sounded, and a large number of guards rushed out from the surroundings. These were all specially dispatched by Minato that morning. There were young men from the Uchiha clan, elites from the Hyuga clan, young people from the Aburame clan, and even members of the Inuzuka clan and two ninja dogs.

"Assassins! Protect the Hokage!"

As they were shouting, they threw dozens of kunai at Mitokado Homura.

Mitomon Yan was immediately shocked. With his skills, he was still able to parry and dodge, but the next second, a wave of dizziness for no reason rushed to his brain.

This is a backlash from the barrier itself!

Minato certainly didn't intend to actually kill the old advisor, so the kunai didn't land directly on him, and instead of explosive tags, it was something like a smoke bomb or a stink bomb.

"Boom—!"

A not-so-violent explosion rang out, and a few seconds later, a dirty, smelly old man appeared before everyone with a wronged look on his face, and even tears in his eyes.

Mitomon's current state can truly be described as pitiful, weak, and helpless.

Chapter 137 Thunder and Rain, Both are Heaven's Grace

Wow, this disheveled look is kind of like a cat and mouse game.

Seeing Mitokado Yan's disheveled appearance while sitting on the sofa, Feng Lan couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

In fact, it was he who caused the other party's behavior. Minato's plan did not include Inuzuka Tetsu in the original plan. He simply invited Utatane Koharu in and used the financial power to sow discord between the two.

It was Fenglan, that freak with sores on his head and pus oozing from his feet, who specifically ordered Inuzuka Tetsu to turn on the walkie-talkie so that Mitomon Homura could hear those two life-threatening words. Then he turned off the walkie-talkie to block out Koharu Utatane's polite refusal, which caused the old man to become more and more frightened and ultimately take the risk of jumping off the balcony.

Minato and Koharu were also stunned. Just as Mitokado Homura was about to be dragged away and kicked around by a group of strong young men, the warm-hearted blond dog shouted, "Don't hurt him, he's Mitokado Homura's advisor."

The guards who had been transferred then bowed and left, but their faces all wore somewhat strained expressions. Someone even burst out laughing, completely breaking down Mitokado Homura's defenses.

"Lord Mitokado Homura..." Minato was, after all, an honest man. Seeing the other party in such a sorry state, he couldn't say anything harsh. "I will let this matter go, but please remember that the protective barrier of the Hokage Building has been changed. Do not enter without an appointment."

"Fourth Hokage!" Mitokado Homura trudged into the office, his eyes brimming with tears, his voice trembling with emotion. "I must use the strongest words to express my vehement opposition to the new regulations restricting the access of senior management! This is simply intolerable. If this terrible measure is implemented permanently, it will rapidly squeeze communication channels, ultimately causing the organization to shrink and management to become paralyzed. Continuity between departments will cease to exist, which will weaken the entire Hidden Leaf Village and even the Land of Fire..."

His long and complex sentences were still obscure and difficult to understand, but his aggrieved expression could no longer put any pressure on Minato. So, just like what Feng Lan had said before, "a sudden burst of inspiration when dealing with those old hands," he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and almost blurted out:

"You mean you want a new pass?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Lan nodded approvingly, while Koharu Utatane's gaze sharpened, and Mitomon Homura could only nod repeatedly, "Yes, that's right. Fourth Hokage, I strongly request a new pass!"

"Don't be nervous, Lord Mitokado Homura. The pass will naturally be issued to every Elder Council advisor..." Minato said with a smile, "when the time is right."

Seeing this, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu wanted to speak, but Mitokado said without room for argument, "Now, we should discuss something more crucial, which is the future of Fenglan's office."

"This matter can wait..."

Koharu Utatane wanted to continue delaying, but Minato didn't give them another chance to use long and complicated sentences: "No, it must be resolved now. I want to see Kaede move back to the office next to mine immediately. Is that okay or not? This matter is as important to me as the pass is to Lord Mitokado Homura. I really want to hear your opinions."

This put Koharu in a difficult position, as her access was temporarily unrestricted. If she continued to delay matters in the office and Minato didn't issue a pass, Mitokado Homura would suspect that she was targeting him.

Did Mitokado Yan have any other choice? She could only tremble as she spoke, "Yes, yes, after careful consideration, Consultant Fenglan's office is indeed the most important."

Minato, however, was no longer buying into this ambiguous argument: "So, how about we move Fenglan's office back?"

“Of course.” Mitokado Homura lowered his head, indicating his obedience.

"Very good." Minato exclaimed with a smile, "Iron!"

Inuzuka Tetsu immediately pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the disheveled Mitokado Homura, he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased and quickly adopted a loyal posture: "Here!"

"Please move Consultant Fenglan's office back to the one next to mine immediately."

"Yes, Hokage!"

He immediately sprang into action, calling over Tiehuo and Daohuo from the upstairs entrance, and headed straight for the building next door.

“Well then…” Minato smiled faintly, signed a new pass, and elegantly handed it over.