"Sarutobi, I need this corpse for some research," Danzo said, his voice calm and unwavering. "Of course, only after we've extracted all the information from it."
What did Danzo want to do with a corpse?
The Third Hokage didn't think much of it and agreed right away.
Once all the secrets from Fuguki Suikazan's body were uncovered, the corpse wouldn't serve much other purpose anyway. Since Danzo had asked for it, it was only natural to let him have it.
Danzo didn't press for anything else and left without further discussion.
Puffing on his pipe, the Third Hokage took a deep drag and mused to himself, "It seems putting Tsunade in charge of the Logistics Division was the right call."
After Tsunade took control of the division, she had seized the upper hand over Danzo and the Council. They didn't dare to provoke her or cause any trouble with the Hokage, afraid that Tsunade might withhold resources from them.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado managed to make do, but without the lucrative perks of the Logistics Division, they were left scrambling to find benefits for their clans elsewhere.
But for Danzo, it was different. Without access to the Logistics Division, his Root operations were crippled—he had to rely on the division for every supply: weapons, equipment, even medical supplies.
And now that Tsunade was in charge, Danzo would have to be crazy to make an enemy of her.
At first, the Third Hokage had been hesitant to hand over the division to Tsunade, but now, it was clear that the decision had been spot-on.
Ah, my judgment is always sharp, he thought, allowing himself a brief moment of self-congratulation, since no one was around to see him gloat.
As for confronting Mist Village about their actions, that would have to wait until they extracted all the secrets from Fuguki Suikazan's corpse.
In Mist Village, routine patrols usually lasted three to five days. With no survivors left to report back, Mist Village remained completely unaware that Fuguki Suikazan was already dead.
Meanwhile, Takuya (now armed with Samehada) had placed several layers of seals on the sword and wrapped it in bandages. From that day onward, he was officially one of those ninjas who carried around heavy weapons to slice through his enemies.
Several days passed by in relative peace; the ocean was calm, and no enemies showed up. It was obvious that Mist Village hadn't yet realized one of their patrol squads had disappeared.
"Master Gengetsu, the team led by Fuguki Suikazan hasn't returned as scheduled. No word has been received from them either," a Mist Village ninja reported gravely.
Upon realizing that Fuguki's patrol team had failed to return, Mist Village finally began to take the situation seriously.
"Summon Yagura to me," Gengetsu commanded, his expression darkening.
"Yes, sir," the ninja responded, hurrying to carry out the order.
It wasn't long before Yagura arrived to meet with Gengetsu. In Mist Village, Elder Gengetsu's authority was almost equal to that of the Third Mizukage. Many of the village's affairs were handled by him personally, unlike in Konoha, where even minor issues were reported to the Hokage.
Yagura, who was being groomed to become the next Mizukage, entered with respect.
"Master Gengetsu," Yagura greeted, his small figure standing tall despite the weight of the weapon strapped to his back, which was far too large for his stature.
"You've come. How is the Mizukage's health?" Gengetsu inquired, setting down the documents he had been reading and motioning for Yagura to sit.
Yagura took a seat and replied, "After treatment, the Mizukage's condition has improved, but..."
He hesitated, reluctant to finish the sentence, knowing that what he was about to say might reflect poorly on the Mizukage.
"His temper has been getting worse, hasn't it?" Gengetsu finished for him.
Yagura nodded. "He's sacrificed two ANBU members without batting an eye. It's as if he no longer cares about the lives of the village's shinobi."
"Sigh..." Gengetsu let out a heavy sigh.
No one was sure when exactly it had begun, but the Third Mizukage's temper had become increasingly unpredictable. He was prone to sudden outbursts that kept the entire village on edge. Many shinobi had lost their lives for reasons they barely understood.
"Age has caught up with the Mizukage," Gengetsu remarked. Then, without lingering on the subject, he handed a scroll to Yagura.
"Take a look at this," he said.
Yagura opened the scroll and carefully studied its contents. When he had finished, he closed it again and said, "Master Gengetsu, I'll personally take a team to investigate. Please take care of yourself. The village can't do without you."
With that, Yagura gathered a squad and set out from Mist Village, heading toward the area where Fuguki's team had been assigned to patrol.
Back on the ship, Minato nudged Takuya and whispered, "Look at this."
Takuya glanced over to see Nawaki sitting by the side of the deck, staring off in the direction of Konoha with a goofy grin on his face.
Please don't let it be what I think it is, Takuya groaned inwardly. If Nawaki was still obsessing over Hyūga Meiko, the girl he'd only met once, this was going to be a problem.
The whole reason they had taken on this mission was to give Nawaki a chance to cool off. But if he was still pining over Hyūga Meiko, Takuya wasn't sure what to do next.
"Is it what I think? He looks like a lovesick cat," Minato commented dryly.
"Cough, cough!"
Takuya choked on a laugh. Minato, you usually play it straight, but this time, that comparison was spot on.
"Got any solutions?" Takuya asked.
"Nope," Minato replied honestly, shaking his head.
"Are we worrying too much? I mean, it's not even clear if the girl likes him, let alone how the Hyūga clan would react if they ever got together," Takuya said with a sigh.
What he and Tsunade were concerned about was the potential backlash if Nawaki and Hyūga Meiko ended up together—how the entire Hyūga clan might react.
But Minato was focused on a different question: Does Hyūga Meiko even like Nawaki?
That was a question that needed a big, bold question mark at the end.
Nawaki was throwing himself into this without a second thought, but Meiko was a Hyūga. Surely she'd consider the implications before diving into a relationship with him.
The chances of them getting together were slim, to say the least.
"But what if it happens?" Takuya asked.
He had thought of the possibilities, but as the old saying goes, Better safe than sorry. If Nawaki asked him to help set up a date when they got back, what would he do? Turn him down and seem like a bad friend? Or agree and feel like he wasn't really helping?
"At least I don't know any of the Hyūga," Minato said, laughing as if he had dodged a bullet.
Laugh all you want, Takuya thought. Wait until Nawaki drags you into this for advice, then you'll see.
But then again, what good would Minato's advice be? He had never been in a relationship himself. In the end, Nawaki would come back to him anyway.
This is such a headache, Takuya thought, suddenly losing all interest in fishing.
"Wanna place a bet?" Minato teased, grinning mischievously.
Takuya rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Go away. I don't even know you."
"..."
But just as Minato thought Takuya wasn't interested, Takuya turned back and said, "Alright, what's the bet?"
Didn't you just act like you weren't interested? Minato thought, resisting the urge to whack him with his fishing pole.
Just as Minato was about to respond, Takuya raised his hand to stop him.
"Never mind. It looks like something serious is coming up," Takuya said, suddenly alert.
Something serious? Minato followed his gaze, looking out over the sea.
In the distance, two dark shapes were emerging on the horizon, gradually growing larger.
"It's Mist Village's warships," Takuya said quietly.
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Next Bonus 1500
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 310+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters