"Sarutobi now is not the time to grow soft."
"We've come too far. Even if you want to change things now, it's too late. Don't forget, he has Uchiha blood, and right now, the Uchiha clan is still trying to recruit him," Koharu Utatane reminded the Third Hokage, her tone firm. Sarutobi's soft heart had always been a problem, and both Koharu and Homura Mitokado couldn't let him slip now.
The dirty work was already done. Regret had no place here, and they couldn't afford to turn back now.
"That's right," Homura Mitokado chimed in. "Besides, all of this was Takuya Yagami's own doing. We thought he could become another Kagami Uchiha, but he rejected our offer."
"Enough about that," Sarutobi cut in. "Regardless, the credit he deserves can't be denied. Both he and Orochimaru did a remarkable job. I'll make sure it's recorded in the archives."
The news of the Eight-Tails rampage in the Hidden Cloud Village had already reached Konoha. The Third Hokage wasn't sure what methods Takuya and Orochimaru had used to release the Eight-Tails, but it was clear it wasn't a simple task.
Orochimaru, however, hadn't provided a full report, and Sarutobi wasn't going to force him. Both Takuya and Orochimaru would be credited for their efforts.
"That's fine," Koharu replied. Neither she nor Homura cared if Takuya received credit, as long as it wasn't publicized too much. Their concern was that Sarutobi might try to recruit Takuya again, which would render all their previous efforts meaningless. They couldn't let that happen.
Back in the village, Takuya's life returned to its usual rhythm. He led his three companions on missions, rested, or stayed in the village to train and further improve his abilities.
Meanwhile, news spread like wildfire across the world. First, the Hidden Cloud Village was devastated by the Eight-Tails rampage, losing a significant portion of its strength. The village conducted a massive sweep for spies, and many infiltrators from other villages were wiped out.
But the most shocking news came from the Hidden Sand's attack on the Land of Rivers' daimyō's palace. This brazen move infuriated daimyōs across the nations, and even the Sand Village's own daimyō was outraged.
Though the Hidden Sand tried to frame Konoha by shifting the blame, most people could see through the deception. After all, Konoha had enough resources to sustain the war without needing to target the Land of Rivers' daimyō.
On the battlefield, Konoha steadily advanced, forcing the Sand to retreat. The battlefront was slowly moving from the Land of Rivers to the borders of the Wind Country.
"It's almost the end of the year, and this place is still scorching," someone complained.
"Just hold on for a few more days, and we'll be able to head back and rest," Minato said, looking up at the sky. Back in Konoha, snow had already begun to fall, but here in the Wind Country, the sun blazed during the day, while the nights were bitterly cold.
"When we get back, I'm going to give Takuya a piece of my mind! It's ridiculous! He left us stranded on the battlefield!" Nawaki grumbled, getting more worked up as he spoke.
Minato chuckled. "I think we were sent to the battlefield by Jiraiya-sensei, not Takuya. Besides, do you really think you can take him on?"
Thinking back to Takuya's growth, Minato couldn't help but feel conflicted. No matter how hard he worked, was he really closing the gap between them? Takuya's growth rate was simply monstrous.
People called Minato and Nawaki geniuses, but compared to Takuya, Minato felt like nothing. Still, he had made significant progress with the Flying Thunder God technique. When they returned to the village, he was certain Takuya would be impressed.
"Nawaki, we're running low on sealing scrolls. Bring a couple over," one of their teammates called out.
"On it!"
Nawaki ended his conversation with Minato and ran over with two scrolls. As he approached, he noticed something off — two paper bombs were stuck underneath the corpse his teammate was handling. Because of the angle, his teammate hadn't noticed the danger.
"Watch out!" Nawaki shouted, throwing himself forward without thinking, shoving his teammate out of the way.
"Boom!"
An explosion ripped through the air as the paper bombs detonated. Nawaki was thrown several meters and hit the ground hard, losing consciousness.
The sudden explosion left everyone momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, Minato dropped what he was holding and rushed to Nawaki's side, picking him up and sprinting toward the camp as fast as he could.
Meanwhile, Takuya had finally decided it was time to start taking on more serious missions again. After months of completing routine assignments, his three students were growing restless.
Takuya had promised them that once he returned from the Hidden Cloud Village, he would take them out to experience the world. But two months had passed, and it was time to make good on that promise. Both Aida Sui and Uchiha Ryoji were starting to get impatient, and even Hyuga Suzune was showing signs of frustration.
Did they really think they were ready to leave the village and take on dangerous missions? Clearly, they hadn't experienced the harsh reality of life yet.
After submitting his latest mission report, Takuya spoke to the mission department staff. "Keep an eye out for any missions in the direction of the Land of Rain or the Land of Iron. I need to take my students out to see the world."
"I'll keep that in mind, sir. If something suitable comes up, I'll send word immediately," the staff member replied.
"Thank you," Takuya said, accepting the mission rewards and heading home for a much-needed bath.
"Huh?"
As he opened the door, Takuya found an unexpected guest sprawled across his couch. Long, white hair spread out over the cushions, and a foul odor filled the room. There was a dark stain on the sofa where the person was lying, and Takuya's forehead vein pulsed in anger.
Jiraiya. Of course, it had to be him. What was he doing here? Did he think there were girls hiding in the house? Takuya fumed. Not only had Jiraiya broken in through the window, but he hadn't even bothered to bathe or change his clothes before collapsing on the couch.
That couch was brand new. Kushina had picked it out herself.
At that moment, Takuya really wanted to punch someone.
"Takuya, you're back?" Jiraiya mumbled groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Despite his nap, the weariness was still evident on his face.
Why did Takuya look like he wanted to kill him? Jiraiya scratched his head, still half-asleep and confused.
"Takuya, listen, about Nawaki— OW!"
Before he could finish, Jiraiya found himself flying through the air, crashing into the yard outside with a thud, dazed and bruised.
"If you don't like bathing, at least put on clean clothes before lying down!" Takuya snapped, pulling the sofa cover off, his temper barely in check.
What on earth was that smell? How long had it been since Jiraiya last bathed? Did the battlefield really have that little water?
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Jiraiya finally started to piece things together. He glanced up at Takuya's furious face, then at the now-ruined sofa cover, where several dark stains were visible.
Realization dawned on him, and Jiraiya wished he could crawl into a hole and disappear.
With an awkward laugh, he tried to explain, "Uh, don't be mad, Takuya. I was just too exhausted and fell asleep by accident... I'll wash it, I swear."
"No need. Just be more careful next time."
Takuya didn't dislike Jiraiya, though some of the man's habits irked him. But Jiraiya had crossed a line this time.
*****Bonus chapter for reaching 1000 power stones*******
(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 260+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters