Ye Zi was waiting, but little did he know, Danzo was also waiting—Danzo in front and Ye Zi behind. Even someone who walks in darkness cannot completely conceal their presence. Although Ye Zi had long been able to avoid Konoha's surveillance, and he had confidence in hiding certain matters, things did not always go as planned.
A pair of dark hands were silently closing in.
Nanako, who had been trying her best to help Ye Zi, was unaware of the knife hanging over her head. The name of the Shimura clan, in the face of power, was ultimately just a decoration.
Time flew by…
The weak grew stronger, and the strong grew stronger still.
Everyone moved forward relentlessly.
The era of the Three Sannins was no longer the mainstream. Ye Zi's generation had become the pillar of the times, and the future belonged to Kakashi's generation.
People's focus, which initially fell on Ye Zi, Minato, and Kushina, was gradually shifting to the new generation.
After careful consideration, Ye Zi's team was disbanded, and so was Minato's team.
It was undeniable that the combination of the Uchiha brothers and Kotoe was extremely formidable. Even Ye Zi could only lose in training. However, in a life-or-death fight, Ye Zi could completely defeat them. Nonetheless, being able to defeat Ye Zi in training was already a testament to the terrifying strength of this combination.
However, Konoha still faced a shortage of personnel. Despite the fact that Ye Zi's team could form a considerable force, it had to be disbanded, and Minato's team faced the same fate.
Each of the disbanded jonin was assigned to lead a new team of genin emerging from the Ninja Academy, except for Kotoe from the Grass Village.
Although Konoha had trained Kotoe, she was still from the Grass Village, so Konoha could not arrange for Kotoe to lead a team of genin. Thus, Kotoe faced two choices: return to the Grass Village or delay her departure and be assigned later.
Without hesitation, Kotoe chose the second option.
The Third Hokage was surprised by Kotoe's decisiveness but did not delve deeper into the matter.
Soon, all the jonin were assigned, and even Ye Zi was not exempt from being sent to lead a team.
Danzo was very dissatisfied with Ye Zi being assigned to lead a group of kids. He even raised objections in a small meeting. However, the Third Hokage, who knew Ye Zi well, showed an unusually firm attitude and rejected Danzo's objections.
The Third Hokage did not want Ye Zi to become Danzo's direct subordinate and merely a mission machine. Thus, he made the decision to have Ye Zi lead a team during this critical time. Since everyone else was being sent to lead teams as if they were being pushed into it, Ye Zi had no reason to refuse. This was the trend of the times and also the reason why Danzo could not keep Ye Zi.
Upon receiving the notice to go to the Hokage's office, Ye Zi frowned slightly. He knew what was coming and would have preferred to decline the arrangement. After all, having two kids in the team would only be a burden.
After a brief preparation, Ye Zi arrived at the Hokage's iconic building.
He could still sense dozens of hidden presences. Ye Zi pushed the door open with an indifferent expression.
In the spacious office, a middle-aged man sat behind a prominent desk. When Ye Zi entered, he looked up slightly and smiled.
Aside from the Third Hokage, three people stood in front of the desk. One was Kotoe, who was known in the public eye. The other two were the newly graduated Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy. Upon seeing Ye Zi, Kotoe smiled warmly, while Kurenai showed a hint of retreat in her ruby-like eyes, and Guy's face was filled with excitement.
Ye Zi gave a cursory glance at the three and then coldly shifted his gaze, walking straight to the desk and silently looking at the Third Hokage. This was his subtle way of expressing discontent.
The Third Hokage, accustomed to Ye Zi's attitude, was not bothered. He looked at Ye Zi, pretending not to notice his displeasure, and said with a smile, "These are the members of your new team. I don't need to introduce Yanyan. These two are Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy. Here are their profiles; you can review them. If you want an explanation for this arrangement, I can provide one."
Ye Zi remained silent, stepping forward to take the documents the Third Hokage had pushed toward him. After reading them carefully, he frowned and glanced coldly at Kurenai and Guy before addressing the Third Hokage with a chilling tone, "Are you joking?"
Kotoe, Guy, and Kurenai were taken aback, not expecting Ye Zi's attitude to be so harsh toward the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage maintained a faint smile and replied earnestly, "This is not a joke."
Ye Zi snorted and dropped the documents, saying, "A fool who only knows taijutsu and a fool who only knows genjutsu. If you don't want them to die young, it's best to assign them to another team. As for Kotoe, I have no objections to her staying with me."
Hearing Ye Zi's unceremonious evaluation, Kurenai's face flushed with anger. She glared fiercely at Ye Zi, but he did not even glance at her. Guy's excitement gradually faded, replaced by disappointment. The assessment of him as a fool who only knows taijutsu was accurate, and he could not refute it. As for Kotoe, hearing that Ye Zi wanted her to stay, her smile deepened.
"I'm afraid not. Kurenai and Guy are the last two available. Due to the shortage of personnel, Kotoe was kept in your team," the Third Hokage said, shaking his head with a hint of regret.
Ye Zi sneered, tapping his finger lightly on the desk, "This arrangement makes no sense. You don't expect me to teach these two severely specialized kids the art of assassination, do you?"
The Third Hokage did not respond directly but took another look at Kurenai and Guy's profiles before turning to Ye Zi and said seriously, "You have strong taijutsu skills. As for genjutsu, although you rarely use it, others may not know, but I am well aware that your genjutsu talent is also very strong. You simply prefer direct methods of combat, which is why you have not focused on genjutsu. Furthermore, do you really believe this arrangement makes no sense? Indeed, Kurenai and Guy are specialized in different areas, but one excels in taijutsu and the other in genjutsu. Isn't that similar to the template of your previous team? As for teaching, if even a comprehensive jonin like you cannot do it, then no one else is more suitable."
Hearing the Third Hokage's explanation, Kurenai and Guy were astonished. The last remark indicated that the Third Hokage held Ye Zi in very high regard.
Ye Zi's reputation in Konoha was loud, and Kurenai and Guy's understanding of him came from that reputation. However, according to the Third Hokage's evaluation, Ye Zi seemed even more formidable than rumored.
"I understand," Ye Zi said, his frown remaining unchanged. He realized that there was no room to refuse at this point.
Seeing Ye Zi's compromise, a smile appeared on the Third Hokage's face.
Although Kurenai and Guy were indeed severely specialized, the Third Hokage had high hopes for them. He was confident that, under Ye Zi's leadership, these two new-generation ninjas would grow faster and become the pillars of Konoha's future.
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