After finishing his conversation, Sakumo Hatake left decisively, disappearing in an instant with a Shunshin no Jutsu, vanishing before the eyes of the three.
"Oh right, if you run into that Kakashi kid at the village's training grounds, could you help guide him a bit? He's quite headstrong and doesn't get along well with other children."
But Minato and Nawaki clearly didn't pay attention to those words.
They stood staring enviously in the direction Sakumo Hatake had left, thinking:
That Hokage half-sleeve...
It was as if Sakumo Hatake was already seen as the next Hokage in their minds.
Both of them had dreams of becoming Hokage, but their ambitions seemed far off.
Not only was the Third Hokage still in his prime, but Sakumo Hatake and the three Sannin stood as towering obstacles on the path to their dreams, making it seem almost impossible to overcome.
"Snap out of it!!"
Takuya called out to the two.
"Hokage half-sleeve, huh..." Nawaki muttered, clearly envious. "Wait, what was that he said about someone named Kaka-something?"
"..."
Takuya thought it was best not to let Kakashi get too close to Nawaki. Otherwise, Kakashi might end up developing the same foolhardy personality.
Land of Water, Mist Village, Mizukage's Office.
Yagura rubbed his eyes, thinking he must have been mistaken when he saw the Third Mizukage sitting calmly in his chair, with no sign of his usual madness or chaotic aura.
"M-Mizukage-sama, you've recovered?"
The moment the Third Mizukage lifted his head, Yagura became visibly excited.
"Recovered?" The Third Mizukage raised his hand, instinctively wanting to touch his face, but stopped midway and quickly lowered it. His tone was strange as he replied:
"Yes, I've recovered."
"That's wonderful! Master Gengetsu will be overjoyed to hear this news!" Yagura exclaimed.
For Mist Village, having the once delirious and crazed Third Mizukage back to his senses was undoubtedly great news.
At least that's what Yagura believed.
The madness and murkiness in the Third Mizukage's eyes had vanished, replaced by a clarity that hadn't been seen in years. It was as though everything had reverted to how it was over a decade ago.
"Ahem, there's no need to spread the news that I've recovered. I'm just going to use the restroom first," the Mizukage said, standing up and heading toward the bathroom.
Yagura, overwhelmed with joy, punched the air in celebration, completely oblivious to how off the Mizukage's behavior was.
"Damn it! Why can't It go!?" The Third Mizukage sat on the toilet, one hand resting under his chin as he gritted his teeth, straining in vain.
No matter how hard he tried, not a single fart escaped, let alone anything else.
Good thing Black Zetsu had already left, or he'd be coughing up blood if he saw this scene.
I told you to control the Mizukage and make this pawn useful for one last time.
But all you care about is experiencing the feeling of pooping!
"Is there anything I can assist you with, Mizukage-sama?" Yagura asked, knocking on the door.
"No, nothing, just deep in thought," the Mizukage quickly deflected, shifting the conversation.
"What's the current situation in the village?" he asked.
Yagura, unaware of what the Mizukage was really up to, began explaining the village's status, now that the Mizukage had seemingly returned to his senses:
"Mizukage-sama, the village is stable overall, but we've had a minor conflict with Konoha over our maritime routes."
"Konoha?"
Hearing that name piqued the Mizukage's interest, making him completely forget about his earlier troubles on the toilet.
A battle with Konoha? That sounded interesting, maybe just as exciting as relieving oneself.
Damn it! Why can't It go!! The Mizukage cursed inwardly, his face twisted in frustration.
The news of the Mizukage's recovery quickly spread among the upper echelons of the Mist Village.
Master Gengetsu was the first to arrive to meet with the Mizukage, but unfortunately, the Mizukage was too busy in the restroom to entertain him.
Yagura blocked any visitors during that time.
The next day, at a high-level village meeting, the Third Mizukage made a brief appearance. Although the appearance was short, it was enough to excite the leadership of the Mist Village.
Their Mizukage had truly recovered.
Yagura hadn't lied.
"Takuya…"
As soon as they arrived back in Konoha, Nawaki immediately sought out Takuya, so eager he almost chased him all the way into the restroom.
"Get lost!!" Takuya shouted, kicking Nawaki out the door. "Go home and rest. I'll arrange a meeting with Hyuga Suzune tomorrow. As for whether Meiko will come along, I can't guarantee that.
Whether things work out for you depends on your own effort."
If you keep pestering me, you'll get a thumping stick for sure!
Told you I'd help, but can't you give me some breathing room now that we're back in the village?
Nawaki's acting like a madman!
"Heh heh heh."
As Nawaki shuffled back home, rubbing his sore backside, he heard someone laughing. Looking up, he saw Minato leaning on the second-floor balcony, winking playfully as if to say:
"See? Now you know how it feels! One good kick was all it took."
Go to hell!
Nawaki flipped him off, and Minato laughed, flipping him off in return.
The team returned to the village but didn't go to the Hokage's office.
Takuya didn't feel like it, Minato couldn't be bothered, even though he had the Flying Raijin Jutsu, and as for Nawaki, he was too preoccupied with his romantic pursuits.
This left the Third Hokage waiting in vain at his office.
Normally, after completing a mission, Takuya's team should have reported to the Hokage immediately.
The Third Hokage had already prepared for their arrival after being informed by the ANBU, but as the night wore on, they never showed up.
"What have those three been doing since they got back?" The Third Hokage's expression darkened.
Even though he knew Takuya's team wasn't fond of reporting to the office, he hadn't expected them to skip their debrief entirely.
Takuya not showing up was one thing, but Minato and Nawaki being no-shows as well? What was going on?
After a moment of silence, the ANBU ninja responded: "Hokage-sama, after returning to the village, Takuya's team went home to freshen up, and then…"
"And then what?"
"Then Yagami went to sleep."
"…"
This kid…
"And the others?"
"Minato went to the Uzumaki compound to meet a girl from the Uzumaki clan."
"And Nawaki?"
"He's been sitting at home, daydreaming."
"Cough, cough. Minato is growing up, I see," the Third Hokage mused, a nostalgic look on his face, remembering his own youth.
But Nawaki…
"Never mind, you can rest now. Thank you for your hard work," he said, dismissing the ANBU.
No point in waiting any longer. They'd just report in tomorrow. After all, the mission was completed perfectly, so it didn't really matter if they came a bit earlier or later.
The next morning, Takuya was awakened by loud knocking at his door.
Unsurprisingly, it was Nawaki.
If Nawaki wasn't afraid of angering him, he probably would've just climbed in through the balcony instead of knocking.
Taking one look at Nawaki, Takuya noticed the heavy dark circles under his eyes—clearly, he hadn't slept well.
"You're hopeless. Let me freshen up first," Takuya sighed, heading to the bathroom. Nawaki was anxious, but Takuya certainly wasn't.
"Did you report the mission yet?" Takuya asked.
"I already asked Minato to go to the Hokage's office for us," Nawaki replied.
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Next Bonus: 3500 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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