"...…"
The corners of the Third Hokage's mouth twitched as he glanced at his two old advisors, both of whom had expressions as sour as vinegar. He tried to defend them, "The two elder advisors haven't participated in active combat for many years, and their age—"
"I'm just a kid, and I'm not afraid of danger. So what are they afraid of?" Shinki interrupted with a smirk.
How shameless. Where's their dignity?
Always staring at me with disapproval? Fine, I'll make sure they're part of any dangerous missions from now on, ensuring they share in the risk.
As for whether they'll make it back safely—that's not on me.
Seeing that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were visibly shaking with anger yet still hesitant to speak up, Shinki continued to prod them:
"Is age really a problem? Chiyo from Sunagakure is still active on the battlefield at her age. Or is our esteemed council afraid of death?"
"Enough!!"
Homura managed to maintain his composure, but Koharu couldn't hold back. "Hyuga Shinki, don't use that old woman Chiyo to provoke us. Just as you said, if a young person like you dares to undertake such a dangerous mission, Homura and I won't back down either! Let's go!!"
The Third Hokage: "...…"
Homura closed his eyes and sighed, thinking, *If you're going to act impulsively, why drag me along?*
"Excellent. Then it's settled. We'll depart from the Anbu base at dawn, three days from now. I trust neither of you will back out," Shinki said before leaving, satisfied.
Koharu's temper had always been fiery and quick to ignite. The moment Shinki provoked her, she couldn't help but react.
Once Shinki had left, Homura, forced into accepting a risky mission, said helplessly, "Koharu, he was provoking you deliberately. Why did you fall for it?"
"Are you afraid of dying?" Koharu snapped back, her face dark.
"I…"
Homura was left speechless, feeling a wave of frustration and helplessness wash over him.
"Koharu, you shouldn't have agreed, and even if you did, dragging me into it wasn't necessary," the Third Hokage said with a sigh. "Hyuga Shinki clearly wanted to reject this mission, so he involved the families associated with us to force the issue."
"This mission is dangerous enough on its own. With Shinki leading, it could become even more so."
If Shinki chose to prioritize his own safety over others, that was one thing. But if he decided to play any underhanded tricks, the entire mission team could be in jeopardy. It was one thing for other ninjas to face misfortune, but for Koharu and Homura to fall victim—that would be catastrophic.
"Are you saying he might turn on us?" Koharu's eyes widened in realization. Homura sighed. "That's why I said you shouldn't have agreed. We should be staying in the village to assist Hiruzen, not heading out on a risky revenge mission."
"As for whether Shinki would actually attack us—it's possible, or maybe not. If it were exposed, it wouldn't do him any favors."
"Then what do we do now? Can we refuse?" Koharu asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.
There was little point in the two of them joining such a mission, and Shinki had only suggested it to corner them. If they became targets during the mission, any pursuers would prioritize attacking them over Shinki.
To most enemies, the two elder advisors held more strategic value than Shinki.
Refuse?
How could they refuse now? If they backed out, Shinki could easily tell the public that they were too afraid to go on the mission. Their reputations would be ruined, and they'd never live down the humiliation.
"Ha ha ha…"
Outside, Shinki laughed as he walked away from the Hokage's office. It was incredibly satisfying. There should be more situations like this in the future, giving him more opportunities to drag the two advisors into action.
As for whether they made it back—that wasn't his concern. In dangerous situations, his priority would be his own safety.
He wouldn't actively betray them; that would be foolish and damaging to his reputation. But if circumstances put them in peril, he wouldn't go out of his way to save them. The principle was simple: don't sabotage, but don't rescue needlessly either.
Worst-case scenario, he'd treat the mission as a sightseeing trip to the Land of Wind.
If questioned about his capabilities later, he could always say, *I wasn't skilled in earth-style or fire-style jutsu at the time. I could only follow the team's lead.* Whether he showed mastery of those techniques later would be irrelevant. He could easily claim, *I, Hyuga Shinki, was inspired to train harder after feeling ashamed. That's why I learned it. Is that not acceptable?*
"Ha ha ha…"
Shinki chuckled all the way to the Anbu base. As he walked into his office, he was still grinning.
"???" Nara Shikashin, who was sitting nearby, looked up with a face full of confusion.
"What's got you so cheerful?" Shikashin asked.
"Ha ha ha…" Shinki couldn't contain his laughter as he recounted the scene in the Hokage's office. Shikashin's eyes widened. "Wait, they really agreed to that?"
No way!
How could they fall for such an obvious provocation?
And Koharu actually agreed?
Well, that wasn't too surprising. She was known for her temper and couldn't resist a challenge.
"Ahem, Shinki, I understand you have strong opinions about them, but this mission is complicated…" Shikashin wasn't worried about most things, but he was concerned Shinki might sabotage the mission and put others at risk.
If that happened and it was discovered, it would be a massive problem. Just look at Shimura Danzo—why was he locked up in prison? It wasn't just because Tsunade was strict, but because he had betrayed the village and harmed his own allies, earning widespread outrage.
If Shinki did the same to the elder advisors, he would become the next Danzo once exposed.
"Don't worry, senior," Shinki said, giving Shikashin a reassuring smile. "I'm not that reckless. I won't jeopardize myself over two people I don't care for."
Shinki knew that Shikashin feared he might make a miscalculated move, so he offered reassurance. Would he act against them himself? No, it wasn't worth it. He wouldn't risk his own safety for the sake of two troublesome elders.
However, while he wouldn't act, he couldn't control what the enemy might do.
---
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 355 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
Gimme power stonesssss
Also, leave a review FFS