"Goodbye, Uncle Shigeru."
On the deck, Tatsuma waved his hand and then reached out to hook Tsunade's elbow. Shigeru instinctively nodded, but then realized something was off and said, "We're still far from the Land of Fire."
Before he could finish his sentence, Tatsuma and Tsunade had already disappeared. Even though it wasn't the first time Shigeru had seen such techniques, it was the first time he had witnessed a Ninja so closely, leaving him with his mouth agape.
"Boss Shigeru, do you know that person?"
A young fisherman approached Shigeru. Shigeru nodded, then shook his head, saying, "He bought fish from me once, but I feel like I've seen him more than once."
The fishermen didn't understand, but their attention quickly shifted to the boats, and one of them asked, "So, Boss Shigeru, what should we do with these three boats? Should we hide them, or should we just sell them after we transport them back?"
Before Shigeru could respond, another fisherman, worried, asked, "But Ninja-sama said that the previous owner of these boats was a Ninja from the Land of Water. If we use them ourselves, could it be...?"
Upon hearing this, the other fishermen nodded in agreement, their faces also showing concern. Shigeru, however, remained silent, frowning as if deep in thought.
After a while, he spoke up: "Everyone... I've been a fisherman for forty years, since I was ten. I might not be fishing for much longer. I want... I want to make one last push. We won't be fishermen anymore. We'll become fish merchants! Without that Ninja, we wouldn't be alive today. This life was given back to us, and rather than just being submissive, let's take a chance. Why should our Awa be monopolized by other merchants? Why should the port we worked hard to build become someone else's dock? Why should the salvage points we discovered become someone else's fish ponds? We didn't have money or large ships before, but don't we have them now?"
"We'll sell this batch of goods when we return. I don't have any family, so I don't want a single penny. You all take it, use it to settle your families, and then... we'll set sail. Every additional trip is an opportunity to earn more.
Even if one day we're found by the Ninja from the Land of Water, we can still earn enough money for our families. One trip brings six tons of goods. We'll never be able to salvage that much in our entire lives.
Let's take a chance. Let's take a chance!"
Shigeru looked at these young people with a tone almost pleading. The other fishermen remained silent, and after a while, one finally stepped forward and said, "Boss Shigeru, I'll take the risk with you! Without you, my little sister and I would have starved long ago. Without you teaching me, I wouldn't have survived so many times at sea. I'm willing to take the risk with you!"
"I am too!"
With the first person stepping up, others followed suit. Shigeru nodded vigorously, and on his face, which had long shown signs of aging, appeared a spirit and resolve he had never had in his youth.
Land of Fire, Konoha Hidden Village.
The two figures appeared inside the village without passing through the Konoha village gate or triggering any barrier alerts.
Tatsuma took a deep breath and continuously used Flying Thunder God. Even he felt somewhat dizzy, though it was much better compared to Tsunade, who was gritting her teeth and holding onto Tatsuma's shoulder.
"Finally back. From now on, use Flying Thunder God on your own; don't involve me."
After swallowing several times, Tsunade weakly said. She had never felt so nauseous; even when her unreliable grandfather tossed her around as a baby, it wasn't this bad.
"I need to go take a nap."
Tsunade lifted her hand from Tatsuma's shoulder and tried to get her bearings. Tatsuma said, "Then I'll go report to the Third Hokage."
"Mm."
Not wanting to say another word, Tsunade found her direction and started walking unsteadily.
Tatsuma had fully recovered at this point. With his Chakra enhanced, the consumption from Flying Thunder God wasn't significant. Even with Tsunade, it was within his manageable range.
Looking in the direction of the Hokage Building, Tatsuma exerted a slight force with his legs and soared upward, leaving two shallow but noticeable dents in the ground.
"Crack~"
Landing on a rooftop, Tatsuma's face darkened. His excellent stealth techniques were currently thrown into chaos by the surge in power, causing the rooftop tiles he stepped on to crack.
He dared not push for the limits anymore and used the minimal force possible to move. Although slow, he wanted to avoid damaging others' houses.
After taking longer than usual and with less effective stealth, he successfully reached the Hokage Building without damaging any rooftops.
Relieved, Tatsuma climbed up the Hokage Building's outer wall and slipped through an open window. Upon reaching his destination, Tatsuma relaxed.
"Hiss-crack~ Thud!"
The window frame was hit by Tatsuma's foot, and under the immense force, it detached from the hinges and fell to the ground.
In the Hokage's office, silence prevailed. Hiruzen, holding a pipe, watched as Tatsuma, who had bent over in an attempt to steady the window frame but failed, and Mandrill, who emerged from the darkness, seemed unsure whether to tighten his grip on his Kunai.
Tatsuma's ears turned red with embarrassment. Wasn't this the sort of blunder only Jiraiya-sensei would make? How did he end up in such a situation?
"You..."
Hiruzen looked at Tatsuma, dragging out the word "you" for a long time before continuing, "Is this someone impersonating you?"
Despite the question, Hiruzen's mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile. It was unclear whether he was pleased that Tatsuma had returned or amused by the mess Tatsuma had created.
"Sorry, Hokage-sama. Although my injuries have healed, I'm still not fully recovered."
Tatsuma scratched his head and said. Mandrill silently retreated back into the darkness. Hiruzen pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "No lasting effects, I hope?"
"None, thanks to the direct treatment by the Slug Sage."
Tatsuma chose not to disclose everything. Mentioning Uzumaki Mito, the God Tree, or the Sage Mode that had appeared by chance would only add to his troubles at this moment.
Hiruzen assessed Tatsuma, and in his mind, he confirmed that Tatsuma was not just putting on a brave face. Tatsuma's current state was not merely a recovery; some unconscious additional actions indicated that he was now even better than before.
After sitting down, Tatsuma asked, "Hokage-sama, has my absence caused any issues?"
Hiruzen nodded, not hiding anything, and said, "Danzo was furious and even wanted to hold Sakumo accountable, but I stopped him.
By the way, Orochimaru has been holed up in his research lab for the past few days. He wouldn't come when I summoned him, and it was only when I sent someone to inquire that I learned about your situation.
If you have the time, you should meet with Danzo, Sakumo, Orochimaru, and those from the Senju Clan. You should make the rounds."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma's expression turned a bit strange. His incident made Danzo furious??? It was probably just an excuse, as Danzo had always disliked Sakumo Hatake. Even when Tatsuma was serving as Hokage Guard, Danzo would often come to complain about Sakumo Hatake, hinting at wanting to reclaim his roots. It was likely similar this time.
However, this time the situation was rather serious. To mitigate the impact, Hiruzen would likely have to make concessions and might have to allow the Root organization to return under Danzo's command.
After a brief consideration, Tatsuma nodded and said, "I will, Hokage-sama. By the way, on the way back with Sensei, I discovered some activities by the Hidden Mist Village."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, took the scroll Tatsuma handed him, and did not open it but continued to wait for Tatsuma to elaborate.
Tatsuma did not keep him in suspense and said, "The Mist Ninjas sent several small teams, using fishing boats to capture fishermen from the Land of Fire."
At this point, Hiruzen's expression became odd. The Mist Ninjas... were they so idle that they were competing with fishermen for work?
But he did not interrupt and continued to listen as Tatsuma said, "Although I didn't have time for a thorough investigation at the time, from the conversations between the Mist Ninjas and the fishermen, it seems the Mist Ninjas are looking for Land of Fire's currency, and in considerable quantities."
Since it involved economics, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, forming a few speculations in his mind. He interrupted Tatsuma and directed towards Mandrill, "Have Shikato and Shikaku come here."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Mandrill left the Hokage's office, and Tatsuma waited quietly. Soon, a disheartened Shikato and a visibly frustrated Shikaku arrived. As soon as they appeared, the atmosphere grew tense.
The father and son duo were in such low spirits that Tatsuma found it strange. Although they usually looked somewhat dispirited, it had never been to this extent.
However, Tatsuma quickly figured out that with Shikaku's personality, he would never come to the Hokage Building voluntarily. His presence here likely meant he was coerced into it.
Given this, it was understandable that Shikaku's mood was poor, and his appearance of being at the end of his rope was quite normal. In such a state, Shikaku would not be inclined to cooperate with his father.
It was possible that not only would Shikato not get his problem resolved, but he might also have his workload increased, so Shikato's disillusionment was understandable.
Shikato, having sufficient seniority and familiarity with Hiruzen, greeted him with a lackluster demeanor and sat next to Tatsuma, while Shikaku remained standing.
"Tatsuma, explain the situation with the Mist Ninjas in detail."
Hiruzen spoke, and Tatsuma nodded. Shikato and Shikaku had curious expressions. The father and son duo assumed they were summoned because of Tatsuma's situation.
Although Tatsuma's injuries had not been widely known within Konoha, as Hokage aides and the incoming Hokage Guard, they were still aware of it. They thought that Tatsuma, who had returned after suffering injuries that even Tsunade and Orochimaru couldn't handle, might need their assistance due to some arrangements related to his condition.
But it now seemed there was a larger issue.
Tatsuma nodded and recounted the events that occurred during his return journey. Shikato and Shikaku showed similar contemplative expressions. After a while, Shikato looked at his son and said:
"Shikaku, what's your opinion?"
Shikaku relaxed his brow and said, "Defection."
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