Feeling somewhat offended, Koharu Utatane said with displeasure, "Are you saying, as a member of Konoha, you're unwilling to serve the village?"
Great. Now it's escalated to the point of being about the village's interests.
Unfortunately for her, that didn't intimidate Orochimaru in the slightest.
With an unchanged smile on his face, he replied lightly, "Of course, I'm willing to serve the village. But I currently have other tasks to handle, so I can't get involved in this matter. Since we're all working for the good of the village, I'm sure you elders wouldn't mind taking a trip yourselves, right?"
"After all, negotiating with someone like Hanzo requires people of equal standing."
"Orochimaru, what are you implying?" Koharu felt more offended, realizing Orochimaru was suggesting she didn't have the courage to negotiate with Hanzo.
"Exactly what I said." Orochimaru gave her a smile and stood up, heading for the exit.
"Old man, don't even think about dumping this on me. Go ask Jiraiya. I need to prepare for my mission in the Land of Lightning."
"Mm." The Third Hokage nodded, not pressing Orochimaru any further. Since he wasn't willing to go, they would focus on his mission in the Land of Lightning instead. The situation with the Hidden Rain Village and the Land of Iron didn't need his involvement.
"Hiruzen, why do you always side with him?" Koharu's frustration grew, not just with Orochimaru but with the Third Hokage too. Tsunade constantly butted heads with her, and now even Orochimaru was showing signs of defiance. Koharu's face turned pale with anger.
Revolting—every single one of them!
"Orochimaru still has his own tasks to attend to." Hiruzen chose not to engage with that topic and quickly changed the subject. "Homura, who do you think the village should send to negotiate with Hanzo?"
Take it easy, Hiruzen thought. Getting angry won't solve anything.
With a calming glance toward Koharu, Homura Mitokado habitually adjusted his glasses and replied, "Hiruzen, do you think it might be wise to send Takuya Yagami? After all, he was the one who accompanied Tsunade during the last negotiations, and it was thanks to him that Hanzo was forced to back down. I believe he's the most suitable candidate, considering Hanzo fears his strength."
"Takuya?"
The Third Hokage had just dismissed Orochimaru's involvement, but now Homura was suggesting sending Takuya.
Thinking about it carefully, it did make sense. Takuya really was the best person for the job. Last time, even Tsunade's presence wasn't enough, but Hanzo had been cowed by Takuya's power, which made the negotiations easier. Given that this matter also involved Hanzo, sending Takuya seemed like the perfect solution.
"I think Takuya Yagami would represent Konoha well in negotiations with Hanzo," Danzo suddenly spoke up in agreement.
"I agree!" Koharu, not wanting to be left behind, also voiced her approval.
Whether it was about cooling down his public profile or not promoting him too much, those were matters to deal with later. For now, the most important thing was to handle Hanzo. Konoha couldn't allow him to attack the Land of Iron unchecked.
"Then inform Takuya Yagami," the Third Hokage concluded, agreeing with the others.
Meanwhile, Takuya's team was in the middle of helping some villagers cut grass. Compared to digging and playing in the mud or collecting trash, this task felt much easier.
Leaning against a tree, watching his three team members work hard in the distance, Takuya considered taking on more of these types of tasks in the future. As long as it didn't involve getting filthy or doing something he wasn't good at, this wasn't so bad.
Uchiha Ryoji and Hyuga Suzune were working with impressive speed. Their efficiency even startled Aida Sui.
When they were digging and picking up trash, they hadn't worked nearly this hard. But now, it was like they were competing, as if cutting fewer stalks of grass would somehow disgrace their respective clans.
In broad daylight? What's gotten into them?
Noticing someone quickly approaching, Takuya turned his head and saw a familiar face—it was one of the ANBU members he had intimidated before.
"Takuya-sama, the Hokage has summoned you to the Hokage's office immediately."
"Got it."
With a casual wave, Takuya slowly jumped down from the tree and walked over to his team, who were still hard at work.
As for the Hokage's summons… well, if they sent ANBU to find him, it was probably something troublesome.
"Captain," his team members said, stopping their work as he approached.
Takuya tossed the mission scroll to Hyuga Suzune. "The Hokage has some business with me. When you're done, go to the mission office and turn in the task. Don't try to slack off, and remember to keep my share of the reward."
With that, he left without further explanation.
"Why didn't he give it to me?" Aida Sui wondered aloud, puzzled about what the Hokage could want with Takuya.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryoji was annoyed that Takuya had given the scroll to Hyuga Suzune instead of him.
To Ryoji, Takuyashould've handed the scroll to him—why give it to that stuck-up Hyuga girl?
Staring at the scroll in Suzune's hands, Ryoji felt irritated.
"Hmph!" Suzune snorted, unimpressed by Ryoji's envious gaze, and turned back to her work. She wasn't about to let him show her up.
"Damn it, as a proud Uchiha, I refuse to lose to you!" Ryoji grumbled, gripping his scythe tightly and cutting even faster.
"You stay here and watch over them," Takuya told the ANBU member, who had been about to follow him.
The ANBU operative hesitated but was immediately stopped by Takuya, whose Sharingan was spinning, pinning him with a stern gaze.
"If anything happens to them while I'm gone, I'll hold you responsible," Takuya said calmly, the threat clear in his tone.
The ANBU member felt a chill run down his spine, his heart sinking. He worried Takuya might actually do something to him.
"I—I'll keep an eye on them," the ANBU member stammered nervously.
Satisfied, Takuya gave him a look that said, You better, and then disappeared from sight.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the ANBU operative felt relieved as he turned back to the field, keeping a close eye on the three young shinobi. He didn't want to risk Takuya coming after him.
Takuya made his way back to the village, heading straight for the Hokage's office.
Upon reaching the building, an ANBU agent quickly approached him.
"The Hokage is in the meeting room," the agent informed him.
With a nod, Takuya proceeded to the meeting room.
He's here.
The Third Hokage put down his pipe and addressed Takuya. "It's unfortunate, but we have a rather special mission that requires your attention."
Of course, Takuya thought. I knew this wouldn't be anything good.
"Is this mission related to the war?" Takuya asked. Konoha wasn't so desperate that they'd need to send him to the front lines, right?
"It is related to the war, but not directly to Konoha," Homura Mitokado interjected, taking over the explanation.
"Following its defeat, the Hidden Rain Village is in chaos. Its economy has collapsed, and the entire country is in disarray. To solve this, Hanzo, the leader of the Rain Village, has chosen to wage war."
No way. Hanzo really is that bold? He's actually gone to attack the Land of Iron?
The Land of Iron was a neutral country. Aside from the distant and isolationist Hidden Mist Village, and the struggling Hidden Sand Village, the remaining major villages—Konoha, Iwa, and Kumo—would never allow the Rain Village to attack the Land of Iron.
"So, if that's the case, what does the Rain Village attacking the Land of Iron have to do with Konoha?" Takuya asked, genuinely puzzled.
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