“Oh, isn’t that Captain Shinnosuke? Your injuries healed pretty quickly.”
Yusuke turned his head toward him.
Although the man was wearing a mask, Yusuke recognized him at a glance.
“Looks like Tsunade’s medical skills really are impressive.”
Behind his mask, Sarutobi Shinnosuke silently ground his teeth.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally managed to suppress his anger and fear before speaking again.
“The Hokage wants to see you.”
“Ah… Fine. Let’s go.”
Yusuke raised his chin, signaling for Shinnosuke to lead the way.
“Huh?”
Shinnosuke was surprised.
Why was this guy being so cooperative this time?
“I happen to have something I want to discuss with the Hokage too.”
Seeing through Shinnosuke’s thoughts, Yusuke replied calmly.
“Granny, please keep the Senju clan grounds clean. This was once the territory of the strongest clan in the shinobi world. We can’t let it become too run-down.”
Yusuke smiled and nodded toward the elderly Senju woman before disappearing with Shinnosuke in a burst of Body Flicker.
The two hurried toward the Sarutobi clan grounds.
Along the way, Yusuke said with a faint smile, “It’s about Iwagakure sending troops, right? After the Nine-Tails incident, how many troops can Konoha still mobilize? Three thousand? Four thousand?”
Shinnosuke’s brows furrowed sharply behind his mask.
He had no intention of answering, but Yusuke continued, “And that’s only one country attacking us. We still don’t know what the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water are planning. Heh… If both of them launch attacks at the same time, I wonder what would happen? Sounds exciting…”
At that point, Shinnosuke finally couldn’t hold back.
“Why does it sound like you’re actually happy about this?”
“That’s just your imagination.”
“Ah, if White Fang were still alive, things wouldn’t be nearly this bad, would they?”
Shinnosuke nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
“Heh, but it doesn’t matter. I’m here now, aren’t I?”
By the time Yusuke finished speaking, the two had already arrived at the entrance to Sarutobi Hiruzen’s residence.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Hokage-sama.”
Yusuke entered the hall with his usual brilliant smile.
“No, you arrived at exactly the right time.”
In front of outsiders, Hiruzen immediately switched into his usual kindly old-man persona.
He smiled benevolently and gestured for Yusuke to enter.
“Oh? The three elders are here too? The four of you really are inseparable. No wonder you’re comrades who have jointly governed Konoha for nearly twenty years.”
The three elders frowned.
Technically, there was nothing wrong with what he said, but for some reason, it sounded strangely sarcastic.
“Yusuke, you already know that the Iwagakure army led by Third Tsuchikage Onoki is advancing toward the Land of Fire along the entire front, correct?”
Hiruzen’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked Yusuke.
“Everyone in the village knows. Something that big isn’t exactly easy to hide.”
Yusuke replied casually.
“Although I’ve already recalled Jiraiya, the war against Sunagakure in the east hasn’t ended yet, so Orochimaru and Tsunade can’t withdraw. We also don’t know what Kumogakure and Kirigakure intend to do. After suffering the Nine-Tails disaster, Konoha is currently facing enemies both within and without.”
Hiruzen stared directly into Yusuke’s eyes.
“Therefore…”
“Therefore, you want me to lead an army against Onoki and the Iwagakure forces, right?”
Yusuke directly finished his sentence for him.
“That’s right. This is an extremely difficult mission. Can I entrust it to you, Yusuke?”
Hiruzen asked with an expectant smile.
If this had been someone like Naruto, a hot-blooded idiot who would do anything for the village, he probably would have agreed without hesitation.
Yusuke was different.
Facing Hiruzen’s expectant gaze, Yusuke calmly raised two fingers. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“I have two conditions.”
“You still have conditions?!”
Homura Mitokado looked incredulous.
Koharu Utatane immediately shouted, “As a Konoha shinobi, the village is facing a crisis, and yet you’re trying to take advantage of the situation?!”
“Then why don’t the two elders go to the front line themselves?”
Yusuke asked with a smile.
The two elders, who would somehow live all the way into the Boruto era, immediately fell silent.
“What do you want?”
Hiruzen frowned.
He wasn’t surprised.
In fact, he had already expected that Yusuke wouldn’t work for him without receiving something in return.
“First, let me see the Scroll of Seals.”
The moment they heard this request, Danzo and the other two elders’ expressions changed.
His first condition was already no small matter.
“The Scroll of Seals contains all the precious techniques contributed by the various clans since Konoha’s founding. It is one of the village’s most important treasures, but it isn’t impossible for you to see it. However, only those who have rendered outstanding service to the village are permitted to study it.”
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment before answering, “Very well. As long as you return victorious from this campaign, I can allow you to study the Scroll of Seals for several days.”
Only after returning from the battlefield?
This old fox really wasn’t willing to let anyone gain even the slightest advantage over him…
“Second condition: Hokage.”
A mischievous smile appeared on Yusuke’s face.
“What?!”
This time, even Hiruzen could no longer maintain his composure.
He stared at Yusuke in disbelief and shouted in astonishment.