Yes, the Hokage

"She has been undergoing seal reinforcement by the Anbu Sealing Team, and your wife has been by her side during this time. It shouldn't be difficult to roughly estimate when Kushina will give birth. That time will definitely be the time when I am least able to focus on anything. Even if I learn that Takumi Village has been attacked and Orochimaru has been kidnapped, I will not have time to deal with it for the time being. The time I have gained... is enough to settle your beloved disciple properly."

"And there's another advantage to doing this. I've already publicly stated at the Five Kage Summit that I'll lift the Impure World Reincarnation of the First and Second Hokage in three months. But if Orochimaru is in your hands, I can't do that. Instantly, Konoha will become the target of everyone's attacks, greatly weakening Minato and my influence. Then you can send those two to the other side and regain control of Konoha..."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu might not know, but Furan doesn't believe the Third Hokage wouldn't know what happened at the Five Kage Summit. He didn't tell the two of them because he was afraid they would guess his plan and then oppose it or leak the information, ultimately leading to complete failure.

"By doing this, I can save my beloved disciple and regain control of Konoha. Compared to the gains I will make, what is a moment of forbearance?"

Feng Lan still wore that smiling expression, but in the Third Generation's eyes it had become terrifying: "What a brilliant plan, a clever plan, a vicious plan!"

“You’re right.” The Third Generation tapped his cigarette ash and filled his bag again. “He dares to walk in so brazenly and expose my plans. He must not be afraid of me turning against him.”

“Because I never intended to turn against you. A chess player should act like a chess player. It’s too crude to resort to fighting and killing at the drop of a hat.” Feng Lan raised her finger. “On one condition, I will return Orochimaru to you… Of course, that is, three months after those two lords return to the Pure Land.”

The third person stopped what he was doing with the tobacco: "You don't mean I have to deal with my old friend myself, do you?"

Clearly, he knew about Mitokado Haru's plight and what Utatane Koharu was going through. This old man had no intention of retiring completely; he was indeed pretending to be Sima Yi.

"Dealing with them is my business." However, Feng Lan denied it outright. "If I don't personally ensure that you older generation can leave with dignity, I don't think you will be willing to hand over the reins."

"A dignified exit..." The Third Hokage repacked the tobacco, lit his pipe, and took a puff. "Danzo's end wasn't so good."

“He brought it on himself.” Feng Lan was utterly ruthless towards Danzo. “By the way, Third Hokage, if you still can’t let go of your obsession with Orochimaru, your fate… may not be any better than his.”

The Third Hokage lowered his eyes. How could he not know that Orochimaru was now a complete traitor? Even Jiraiya and Tsunade had almost severed all ties with him, but the old man still couldn't bring himself to let his beloved disciple die.

In fact, without Orochimaru, Feng Lan's plan would never have gone so smoothly. The three Hokage had already become wary of him on the night of the snake hunt and could have blocked him in many ways. But it was precisely because of Orochimaru as a hostage that he had to retreat again and again, giving Feng Lan ample opportunity to develop.

Now, the other party is no longer the weak advisor who needs to carefully bargain with Orochimaru. Having seen through his scheme, he chooses to trade directly, and the implication is clear: if the trade is not conducted, Orochimaru will die.

Even someone as rational as the Third Hokage knew that giving up Orochimaru was the best solution, but humans are not pure machines and will eventually have to make choices that cannot be made purely based on reason.

Just as Minato was Fenglan's Achilles' heel, Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's Achilles' heel. Knowing that rescuing him was playing with fire and getting burned, he still couldn't help but do it.

“State your demands,” he said, delivering another epic rant. “As long as I don’t have to deal with those old friends myself, we can talk.”

"Of course not." Feng Lan returned to her smiling demeanor after her persuasive stance. "Humans aren't plants or trees, how can they be without feelings? Even I couldn't bring myself to do something like asking you to personally talk to an old friend. After all, I'm not some kind of demon."

The third generation's cheek twitched slightly, signaling him to continue.

"I need you to withdraw all guards near the village entrance and close the village's protective barrier at 2:00 AM tonight... It won't take long, three minutes will suffice." A cold glint flashed in Feng Lan's eyes. "I will use my sensory abilities to monitor the surrounding area for anyone, so don't even think about holding back. If you break the agreement, I will kill Orochimaru immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage's eyes flashed even colder: "What exactly do you want to do?!"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Feng Lan said, shrugging. "But please rest assured, do I look like the kind of person who would betray Konoha?"

The Third Hokage looked at Feng Lan intently for a long time: "If it weren't for Minato, you would never have minded selling Konoha for greater benefits."

"You have a good eye for people, but Minato is still here, so you don't have to worry about what I'm going to do to Konoha." Feng Lan smiled. "In the next three minutes, I will arrange for members of the Yamanaka clan to monitor the entire Konoha to ensure that no outsiders can take the opportunity to sneak in."

“No outsiders have infiltrated, so you mean you want to send people out.” The Third Hokage regained his calm expression. “You want to go to Takigakure to look for clues? Actually, there’s no need for that. I can tell you about the connection between those two and Takigakure.”

By saying this, he was already making a huge concession. He was unwilling to personally take action against his old friend, nor did he want to abandon his beloved disciple. However, the Third Hokage was also unwilling to let Konoha's defenses fail, which is why he made this suggestion.

"No, no, no, that would violate your rule of not harming your old friends." Feng Lan waved his hand. "I only have this condition. If you are willing to cooperate, I will not only return Orochimaru, but also allow you to appear at the crucial moment when Minato has the advantage, save Koharu Utatane who should have been dealt with, and give her a dignified exit, without affecting your relationship."

"Of course, if we fail, it won't be your fault, how about that?"

The third generation fell into a long silence once again. Now that he knew that Feng Lan had attacked his old friend, he naturally wanted to stop him, or at least he could not cooperate. But the other party's conditions were something he could not refuse!

If it were just Orochimaru, the Third Hokage might still have considered refusing, after all, he and Koharu Utatane were comrades-in-arms who had shared life and death. But with the conditions that Fenglan proposed later, he was really tempted.

This is a "win-win" strategy in a sense, an outright scheme, a devil's temptation that makes you jump into a trap even though you know it's ahead.

This silence lasted for more than ten minutes. Bag after bag of tobacco was added, and the room was filled with smoke.

After a long pause, the third generation finally spoke slowly: "Feng Lan, you are a real bastard."

“No problem, no problem. Your three disciples have all said the same thing to me,” Feng Lan said with a smile. “Then… shall we make a deal?”

The smoke obscured the Third Generation's figure, preventing any view of his expression. Only a very low, almost inaudible reply came from within:

"Ah."

Chapter 143 Fugaku: I really want to improve!

After making a deal with the Third Hokage, Feng Lan used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the restroom in the Hokage Building, where he summoned a clone to dispel the illusion. Then, as he returned to his office, he deliberately coughed twice.

Inside the room, Minato, who had been struggling with Koharu Uta, was relieved to hear this voice. After exchanging a few polite words, he let Koharu leave.

[Has that guy... already completed his plan?] Koharu Utatane had obviously heard the commotion as well, and her heart sank.

This was something Fenglan deliberately let her hear. Afterwards, Mitomon En and Utatane Koharu would probably be on high alert in the village. Unfortunately, what they didn't expect was that the real scheme was happening outside the village.

As Koharu left with a heavy heart, she unfortunately saw Kaede and Inuzuka Tetsu swaggering away. This made her even more worried. She immediately summoned the Anbu to inquire about the surveillance footage. The answer she received was that Kaede had not left the office at all. She immediately realized that the other party had used Flying Thunder God Technique and Shadow Clone Technique to escape and had made some arrangements that she was unaware of.

She didn't say much about it. The Flying Thunder God Technique was too insidious. Even she herself couldn't monitor it, because anyone who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique must be a sensory ninja. You couldn't even send an ANBU with strong sensory abilities to track him.

While she hurriedly arranged for people to secretly follow Feng Lan again, she also quickly convened a meeting with the Third Hokage and Mitomon Yan. As expected, the result was that, due to the Third Hokage's deliberate concealment, she gained nothing.

Meanwhile, Inuzuka Tesshin, who had been pulled out by Fenglan, was also in a state of great anxiety. These past few days had been too stimulating for him, and if things continued like this, he was afraid he would have a heart attack.

"Don't be so nervous." Feng Lan smiled. "You are now Minato's subordinate. As long as you don't do anything to betray him, no one in Konoha can do anything to you."

"I still owe it all to Lord Fenglan's guidance," Inuzuka Tetsu replied timidly.

"NONONO, you've misunderstood something. You're Minato's subordinate, not mine." Feng Lan waved her finger. "It's Minato's business to promote you, and your loyalty should only be directed towards him."

"Isn't it the same for Lord Minato and for you?" Inuzuka Tetsu smiled ingratiatingly.

"Are they really the same?" Feng Lan looked at him meaningfully. "Others might not be able to tell, but if you still can't tell, then there's no point in me coming all this way today."

Inuzuka Tetsuya fell silent. Minato's subordinates and Kaede's subordinates sounded the same, but were they really the same?

I'm afraid... that's not the case.

Currently, the people in the Fourth Hokage's faction are more like subordinates of Feng Lan than Minato's subordinates. Who does the Uchiha truly respect? Who in the Aburame clan truly offers their loyalty? It seems that only a small number of people in the Hyuga branch family and that Shizune-san are truly loyal to Minato.

When Lord Fenglan brings up this matter now, does it mean that he, who has already reached the pinnacle of his position, also intends to go even further?

"Gurgle—!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya swallowed hard, just like Tom the cat. He had once been ambitious and had fantasies when he was young and impetuous, but now he realized that compared to Lord Fenglan, his thoughts were really too childish.

Seeing his expression, Feng Lan knew that the kid had misunderstood. He didn't say anything more and led Inuzuka Tetsu to the Aburame clan's encampment.

"Lord Fenglan!"

Upon seeing his arrival, Yu Nu Zhiwei hurriedly came to greet him.

"It's been a while. How have you been lately?" Feng Lan waved with a smile.

"Thanks to you, everything is going well." Aburame Zhi smiled with emotion. He didn't actually have that much ambition. He was already satisfied as long as he could protect his people and prevent them from being conscripted by people like Danzo. Besides, the treatment he received by following Feng Lan was indeed quite good.

"Let me introduce you." Feng Lan pulled Inuzuka Tetsu over. "I saw you at the victory celebration the other day. Inuzuka Tetsu is the captain of the Fourth Hokage's guard."

After both sides had exchanged greetings, he continued, "The Aburame Torune you assigned to me before will now join the Fourth Hokage's guard squad... As you know, Minato's strength is such that he doesn't need any guards, but there are still many benefits to being a member of this squad."

Aburame Shiki's eyes lit up immediately. It seemed like Tokine was going to be promoted. Before, he had been following Lord Fenglan and although the treatment was very good, he was just getting paid without any official position.

The Hokage Guard is a coveted position that many people are eyeing, as it allows one to legitimately accompany the Hokage to many occasions!

"Yes, thank you, Lord Fenglan!"

"It's nothing," Feng Lan smiled. "Just have Qu Gen come and report for duty tomorrow."

"Yes!"

Next, Fenglan followed the same method, bringing Inuzuka Tetsu to the Yamanaka clan and accepting Yamanaka Fu, whom Inoichi had mentioned before. Hearing that the clan's geniuses could join the Hokage's Guard, Inoichi was quite excited.

However, after discussing the guard team, Feng Lan sent Inuzuka Tetsutai away and whispered, "At midnight tonight, send all the elites of the Yamanaka clan to every corner of the village to use their sensory abilities to monitor for any enemy intrusions. They will then withdraw at 3:15 a.m.

Yamanaka Inoichi's gaze suddenly sharpened. Could something big be about to happen in Konoha?

"Don't be so nervous, I'm just rehearsing." Feng Lan smiled. "As you know, Kushina is about to give birth, and in order to prepare for that night in advance, I need to take control of the entire village first."

"I see." Yamanaka Inoichi breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know anything about the Nine-Tails' Night, the matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki giving birth was still very important, especially since Kushina was the Fourth Hokage's wife. It was only natural that Fenglan would be so nervous.

"Please rest assured, sir, I will go and gather the clansmen to set up a control point right now."

"No rush, no rush, let's talk about it after nightfall."

"Uh, okay."

……

After leaving the Yamanaka clan, Fenglan went to the Hyuga branch family. This time, he didn't ask for anyone directly. Instead, he designated Hizashi's son, Neji, as one of the members of the Hokage's guard. Then, while Hizashi was in a good mood, he made his own request.

"At midnight tonight, send the elite troops from the branch family to every corner of the village to monitor for any enemy invasion with their white eyes. They will then withdraw at 3:40 a.m.

In response to Hizashi's surprise, he also explained it as a rehearsal in advance. The fewer people who knew about this secret operation, the better. Besides, it could indeed be regarded as a pre-emptive deployment for the Nine-Tailed Night.

The final stop, naturally, was the Uchiha clan.

"Lord Fenglan!"

In the office of the security force building, Fenglan met Fugaku, who had been in high spirits recently. To his surprise, Itachi and Kabuto were also there.

Seeing Feng Lan's gaze, Itachi blushed slightly: "Kabuto wanted to learn some combat-type ninjutsu, so I brought him along to train with me."

"You two get along well, that's good." Feng Lan patted the two children's heads with a smile, which saved him from having to go to one less place. "So, how about it, are you interested in joining the Hokage Guard?"

"The Hokage's Guard?" Upon hearing this, Itachi's expression was one of joy, while Kabuto's was one of confusion; he had no idea what this meant.

Fugaku's expression changed: "Lord Fenglan, did Itachi do something wrong?"

Joining the guard team might be a prestigious position, but what the Uchiha clan needs isn't that prestige. What they really want is to cling tightly to Feng Lan's coattails. Unlike the Hyuga branch family and the Aburame clan, the Uchiha are truly deeply bound to Feng Lan and don't care about Minato at all.

"No, no, no, it's because I'm thinking about the children's future." Feng Lan knew he had misunderstood, and waved his hand with a smile. "Besides, tonight I'm asking you to lead the Uchiha elites to patrol the entire village, as a rehearsal for Kushina's childbirth."

"That way, after Naruto is safely born, I can come and adopt Sasuke as my godson, right?"

Hearing this, Fugaku finally felt relieved. If Fenglan was willing to take Sasuke as his adopted son, then it would be fine to let Itachi go. However, he still wanted to fight for the position of Fenglan's secretary and didn't want it to fall into someone else's hands.

"Now that Itachi is gone, how about we arrange another assistant for you to organize the documents?" Fugaku immediately came up with an idea. "This time, we'll arrange a more meticulous girl for you, so she can also take care of your daily life."

Seeing the dignified Uchiha clan leader winking at him like a brothel madam, Feng Lan couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that Fugaku had really been bullied by the F4 before, and now that he had finally managed to cling to Feng Lan, he was desperately trying to climb up the ranks. He was so eager to improve himself.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble Chief Fugaku."

He didn't care about it. Having a pretty girl to work with was pleasing to the eye, and even if she just stood by as a decorative vase, it wouldn't hurt. At least it would strengthen his connection with the Uchiha clan.

But speaking of which, it seems like all the Uchiha girls are landmine girls, right? Is that really okay? What if one day they suddenly awaken a Sharingan and backstab you?

Shaking her head to banish these strange thoughts, Fenglan nodded at Inuzuka Tetsuya, who understood and led Itachi and Kabuto out.

"Clan Chief Fugaku, I have a task for you." After confirming with her senses that no one was eavesdropping, Feng Lan spoke.

"Lord Fenglan, please speak." Fugaku dared not be joking anymore, and his expression became serious.

"My previous request to you was to patrol the entire village from midnight tonight until 4 a.m., but at 2 a.m., an elite Uchiha squad must arrive at the village gate. At that time, there will be no guards or ANBU surveillance, and even the village's protective barrier will be temporarily closed..."

Fugaku was taken aback by these words, but he did not interrupt and continued to listen attentively. No matter what Fenglan was going to do, the Uchiha had no option to object and could only follow, even if the other party was really going to rebel.

Fortunately, Feng Lan had no such intention: "I want that team to take the opportunity to leave the village and head straight for Takigakure!"

"Takigakure..." Fugaku's status has risen recently, so he has heard of it. "Sir, is there a problem with the diplomacy between our village and Takigakure? Should we send some young men to investigate the clues?"

“Looking for clues is too un-Uchiha-like,” Feng Lan chuckled. “I sent you guys to do something more exciting.”

"Could it be murder?" Fugaku's eyes lit up.

“No, no, no, killing people is too Uchiha-like.” Feng Lan gave a bitter smile. “I want you to infiltrate Takigakure and take away a child named Fu. She is a Jinchuriki who has just been implanted with the Seven-Tails. She can show her skills in battles along the way, but try not to kill anyone.”

"The area around Takigakure is covered by waterfalls, so we should try to select people who are good swimmers to go there."

"It's about stealing a Jinchuriki?" Fugaku became excited. As everyone knows, the Uchiha are absolutely fearless in the face of challenges, and the fact that Fenglan was willing to entrust him with such an important task shows that he has great faith in the Uchiha.

"Please rest assured, sir!" He bowed deeply. "The Uchiha clan... will absolutely not disappoint you!"

Chapter 144 The Largest Water Sect

It was already dusk when they left the Uchiha clan's residence.

Feng Lan walked to the foot of a large tree, put her hands behind her back, and looked up at the setting sun: "Do you know why I brought you to these places today?"

After a moment's thought, Inuzuka Tetsuya cautiously asked, "Sir, are you... helping me build up my team?"

Look at the members of the Hokage's Guard: the eldest son of the Uchiha clan, the eldest son of the Hyuga branch family, geniuses from the Aburame and Yamanaka clans, Tsunade's disciple... How fortunate it is to be the captain of this group!

Admittedly, these children are all young, but children in the Naruto world are very precocious and don't need Inuzuka Tetsu's care at all. Feng Lan's arrangement is simply to let him get to know these people, or even to let him play the role of an older brother.

"You wish," Feng Lan laughed and scolded. "Help you? I'm keeping the Water Gate's core members in place."

"It was I who overstepped my bounds," Inuzuka Tetsu hurriedly lowered his head.