Having just seen off the Uchiha sisters, Yasuka was about to close up shop when he spotted the Third Hokage walking over, carrying a gift box.
Under the twilight sky, the Third Hokage stood in the light, yet one could faintly see a cloudy, hidden eye lurking in the shadows right behind his back—belonging to an unknown observer.
“Third Hokage.”
Yasuka offered a polite greeting.
The Third Hokage smiled, nodded, and handed the gift box to Yasuka.
“A small token of my appreciation.
I hope the Divine Doctor can live happily here in Konoha.”
“Oh?
But I’m not particularly happy at all.”
Yasuka didn’t give the Third Hokage an ounce of face.
The Hokage’s smile stiffened, but he knew Yasuka was merely furious over the way Naruko had been treated.
He couldn’t help but inwardly lament: if only Minato were still alive, Yasuka would have probably settled down in Konoha long ago.
With this divine doctor established here, who knows how many shinobi forced into retirement by injuries and illnesses could be returned to active duty.
Even…
given the divine doctor’s immense political weight, the village wouldn’t have been forced to hand over Hyuga Hizashi as a compromise back then.
For years, Kumogakure had desperately wanted Yasuka to settle in their village, going so far as to offer all kinds of unfathomable, lavish privileges.
Yet Yasuka, whom Kumogakure had courted like a desperate simp to no avail, had ultimately chosen Konoha.
This filled the Third Hokage’s heart with a secret surge of smug satisfaction.
“I have already issued an order warning those villagers.
They won’t dare speak out of turn again.”
The Third Hokage gave a sheepish smile, explaining that he had already handled the matter.
But Yasuka still shook his head and demanded that Naruko’s status as the child of a hero be restored.
“That is out of the question!”
Before the Third Hokage could even reply, Danzo, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, leapt out.
His cloudy, sinister lone eye stared fixedly at Yasuka.
If it weren’t out of deference to Yasuka’s status and background, he would have taken action long ago.
In Danzo’s view, the moment Yasuka entered the village, he had immediately adopted the Jinchuriki and ingratiated himself with the Uchiha—he clearly harbored ulterior motives!
Only a coward like Hizuren would hesitate out of fear of consequences.
If it were up to him, he would have dealt with Yasuka already.
“Oh?
And this gentleman is…?”
Even though Yasuka had never watched Naruto, he easily recognized the old man’s identity: the premier “Hokage of Pots,” Danzo.
“This is the Hokage Assistant.
The reason we came this time is actually to…
have our physical conditions checked.”
As the Third Hokage spoke, he squeezed his eyes and gave a frantic look, silently imploring Yasuka absolutely not to reveal the real truth.
Hearing the Third Hokage’s explanation, Danzo suddenly crossed his arms and turned his face away in one smooth, practiced motion.
A textbook tsundere aura washed over him, instantly making him look far less cold and sinister.
“Sarutobi, I’ve already told you, my body is perfectly healthy.
I don’t need this!”
“Danzo, stop throwing a tantrum!
You need to take proper care of your body!”
The Third Hokage turned around and scolded him in a tone that carried an air of familiar dismissiveness.
But how could Danzo ever back down?
He immediately began sniping right back at the Hokage.
Yet this time, the Third Hokage was unprecedentedly unyielding.
Even when Danzo turned to leave, the Hokage reached out and grabbed him firmly.
No matter what Danzo said, he refused to let go.
The Third Hokage simply wouldn’t loosen his grip, even spouting some highly misleading words.
Things like: *You are my vital right hand, I cannot lose you, so you must cherish your health,* and so on.
The two men bickered and dragged at each other right in front of Yasuka, to the point where anyone passing by would have mistaken them for a bickering little couple throwing a lovers’ tiff.
Yasuka’s gaze darted back and forth between the two of them.
A nameless wave of pure disgust surged in his chest, and he instinctively wanted to back away to put some distance between himself and them.
Before transmigrating, he had heard that Konoha’s “friendship” was a terrifying thing, but nobody mentioned they were *this* uninhibited about it.
Combined, these two were over a hundred years old; weren’t they worried about ruining their adult diapers?
“Divine Doctor, is it inconvenient?”
Having finally persuaded a highly reluctant Danzo, the Third Hokage looked toward Yasuka with a trace of anxiety.
Lately, he constantly felt like his strength was failing him; if this kept up, his old bones would completely rust away.
The sole reason he had brought Danzo along today was purely to shut his mouth, while simultaneously using him as a smoke screen to hide his true intentions.
“Uh…
I’ll whip up some herbal medicine for you guys.
It’ll do both of you some good.”
Yasuka didn’t have any better solution for this.
The Horse Talisman could only cure illnesses; it couldn’t alter someone’s sexual orientation.
Leading the two into the clinic, Yasuka first gave the Third Hokage a basic check-up.
Confirming it was merely a case of severe kidney deficiency coupled with overindulgence, he penned a prescription for some herbs.
“Whew…
thank you, Divine Doctor.
I will be careful.”
The Third Hokage looked deeply embarrassed.
Fortunately, only Yasuka knew the truth.
If anyone else found out that he had embezzled public funds to invite Yasuka to reside in Konoha just to treat his erectile dysfunction, his life as the Hokage would surely be over, right?
Before leaving, the Third Hokage mentioned that Danzo had been in a terrible temper lately, hoping Yasuka could be a bit accommodating.
Secondly, regarding the matter of the hero’s daughter, it required long-term planning.
But he promised he would give Yasuka a satisfactory answer.
“No problem…”
Right now, Yasuka wished for nothing more than for the Third Hokage and Danzo to hurry up and leave.
If they stayed any longer, he feared his clinic would become contaminated.
Compared to the cooperative Third Hokage, Danzo was far more belligerent, making a grand show of being completely uncooperative.
Yasuka didn’t care either; he casually threw together a basic heat-clearing tea, and ushered him and the Hokage right out the door.
“By the way, Third Hokage, your schedule is packed with official duties.
For your daily tonic, you can just have an Anbu come by to pick it up.
There’s no need to come in person.”
Yasuka gave this reminder right before the Hokage stepped out.
The Third Hokage hesitated for a moment, and realizing that coming here every single time was indeed a hassle, he agreed to the arrangement.
Watching the two figures finally depart, Yasuka’s pounding heart finally settled.
*Damn it,* he thought, *if I knew Konoha was into this kind of thing, I might as well have gone to Kumogakure to live out my retirement.*
But looking down at Naruko beside him, Yasuka ultimately just sighed, gave her little blonde head a rub, and asked what she wanted to eat.
“Braised pork belly!!!”
The next morning, Itachi, who had managed a rare good night’s sleep, was rudely awoken by Satsuki, who was loudly clamoring for her sister to go back for a follow-up appointment.
Looking at her precious little padded jacket who had defended her just yesterday, only to turn into a scheming little brat today, Itachi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
At the same time, she felt a massive headache coming on.
She was scheduled to meet with the Third Hokage today.
After a moment’s thought, Itachi promised she would have someone else take Satsuki to the clinic instead.
“So…
someone else…?
Well, I guess that can’t be helped.
After all…
the clinic just opened, so I should go along to show them the way!”
Satsuki clearly desperately wanted to go see Yasuka and Naruko, but she absolutely refused to admit it, using showing the way as her excuse.
Seeing her act this way, Itachi couldn’t resist gently tapping Satsuki on the forehead, and then got out of bed under her sister’s frantic urging.
Watching the two sisters acting so close and inseparable, Mikoto and Fugaku both shared a tender look.
However, Fugaku’s warmth was quickly replaced by a heavy shadow of sorrow.
His daughter…
in the end, would she choose her clan, or…
the village?