The Third Hokage noticed that Sakumo Hatake seemed a bit embarrassed to speak, so he encouraged him gently:
"Sakumo, just speak frankly, there's no need to feel burdened."
Hearing this, Sakumo Hatake decided to continue:
"I managed to evade the ANBU members and successfully infiltrated the Mizukage's office building, but unexpectedly, I bumped into the Third Mizukage in the restroom."
"..."
What a coincidence...
The Third Hokage was momentarily stunned.
Everyone else's expressions mirrored his.
"The Third Mizukage used to be the bodyguard of the First Mizukage, and he's a powerful shinobi. When I ran into him, I knew that if I was exposed, a battle was inevitable, so I decided to attack first."
"But what I didn't expect was that he would pull up his pants and run away."
"..."
"Cough, cough!!!"
Unlike the dumbfounded expressions of the Third Hokage and the others, Tsunade's eyes widened as she exclaimed:
"Senior, I don't mean anything by it, but did you really mean that the Third Mizukage didn't fight back and just ran away with his pants up?"
"Precisely."
Even Sakumo Hatake found it unbelievable. But yes, the Third Mizukage really did run away while pulling up his pants. His speed was even faster than Sakumo's blade.
With an awkward expression, Sakumo rubbed his face and continued with a bitter smile:
"Yes, that's what happened. After that, I fought off several pursuing enemies, and headed in the opposite direction towards the Land of Lightning, circling back to reach Konoha."
"This is the intelligence I managed to collect in Kirigakure."
After he finished speaking, Sakumo took out several intelligence scrolls and placed them on the Hokage's desk.
Apart from the incident with the Third Mizukage, Sakumo's mission could be considered successfully completed.
That encounter was purely accidental. Who could have expected to stumble upon the Mizukage in the restroom of all places?
"This was simply an unexpected encounter, and you were forced to take action. This wasn't an assassination attempt. So, how should we respond to Kirigakure?"
If this was labeled as an assassination attempt, it would be extremely unfair to Sakumo Hatake.
The Third Hokage was not willing to let Sakumo take the fall for something that was not his fault. Even if Danzo or the elders tried to tarnish Sakumo's reputation, they couldn't pin such a ridiculous crime on him. If news of this spread, people would die laughing.
"Just tell them it was all a misunderstanding, that there was no assassination attempt. Whether Kirigakure believes it or not, that's their problem."
Tsunade was the first to voice her opinion.
Since the accusation of assassination was groundless, there was no need to appease Kirigakure. Just brush it off.
If they had the guts, they could declare war; Konoha wasn't one to be intimidated.
With the threat of assassination cleared, Sakumo Hatake breathed a sigh of relief, giving Tsunade a grateful look.
Nodding his head, it was his way of expressing gratitude for her support.
Tsunade returned a reassuring look. Regardless of what others thought, she wouldn't allow such an unjust charge to be pinned on Sakumo.
Not only was Sakumo not at fault, but he had accomplished something significant.
"What about you all?"
The Third Hokage turned his gaze towards the elders and Danzo, who were part of the advisory council.
"I agree with Tsunade's statement."
Danzo spoke up slowly. As a hardliner, he needed to maintain his faction's stance.
At a time like this, Konoha couldn't afford to bow down to Kirigakure, even if it led to war. Danzo had to hold his ground.
Besides, if a war broke out, it would only be advantageous for him. If war ensued, it would provide the perfect excuse to drag Sakumo Hatake down.
Regardless of the village's decision, Sakumo would have to bear the blame for starting the conflict. And once Sakumo carried this burden, Danzo could ensure he never had a chance to rise again.
The villagers would never accept someone responsible for immense losses becoming Hokage—even if it wasn't intentional.
"I second that."
Currently aligned with Danzo, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado agreed without any argument. They weren't about to make things difficult for Sakumo after Danzo had already stated his position.
"Then I'll send a response to Kirigakure accordingly."
With everyone in agreement that this wasn't an assassination attempt, the Third Hokage didn't see the need to dwell on it further. The plan was to send a diplomatic reply to Kirigakure and let things settle on their own.
Hopefully, Kirigakure would let the matter go in time. The Third Hokage believed that just as Konoha didn't want a war without proper cause, Kirigakure shared the same sentiment.
However, what he didn't realize was that Kirigakure's situation was very different from Konoha's.
The Third Mizukage was no longer the reasonable leader he used to be; he was now a puppet, recklessly controlled like a madman.
"Tsunade, thank you."
"No need to thank me, senior. This was just what I ought to do."
Tsunade knew Sakumo's personality. She understood he wasn't the type to say elaborate words of gratitude.
He kept gratitude in his heart and would repay it when the time came. But expressing it in flowery words was not his strength.
Waving her hand, Tsunade smiled:
"You accomplished an incredible feat this time, and it hasn't been easy going back and forth like this. Go rest and spend some time with Kakashi."
"Alright."
Sakumo didn't refuse. Smiling, he nodded and turned to leave.
Although he was a few years older than the Sannin, they had grown up in the same era and knew each other well.
After being away from the village for a while, he really did miss his son.
"I wonder how Kakashi has been lately."
Maybe it was time to find a teacher for him.
Sakumo knew he was an excellent shinobi, but being a great shinobi didn't necessarily make him a great teacher. Thinking of Kakashi's personality and how it had been affected by his absence, Sakumo could only sigh.
If Kakashi's personality wasn't corrected, it could cause trouble in the future.
But who could be the right teacher for him?
The Sannin?
While other kids were still playing and worrying about passing their Academy exams, Sakumo Hatake was already thinking of finding a powerful and suitable mentor for his son Kakashi.
Life was never fair, especially between commoner and clan-born shinobi. This reality was starkly evident in the differences between their growth and upbringing.
Commoner shinobi had a tough path. They had to work hard for money, for jutsu, and for a good teacher.
Meanwhile, clan shinobi didn't have to worry about any of that. Backed by their clans, they received the best resources and could find the best teachers to guide them.
Konoha's response reached Kirigakure.
However, the response didn't satisfy Kirigakure.
The message claimed that it was all just a misunderstanding, simply an intelligence-gathering mission, and there was no assassination attempt.
Whether Kirigakure would believe it or not was up to them.
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Next Bonus: 1000 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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