20demayo Chapter 126 Celebration Ceremony
Chapter 126 Celebration Ceremony
Chapter 126 Celebration Ceremony
The sunlight streaming through the window slanted into the Hokage's office, illuminating the stacks of documents on the desk, but it couldn't dispel the somber atmosphere in the room.
Jiraiya sat opposite him, somewhat regretting mentioning the Uchiha clan. After thinking for a while, he took the initiative to break the silence.
"Minato, what do you plan to do with Minato Takuya's contribution? If it weren't for his heroic efforts in the medical room, the casualty list wouldn't be so short now."
Minato Namikaze put down the report in his hand, and when he mentioned Takuno Minamoto, his expression seemed much more relaxed.
His knuckles tapped lightly on the table unconsciously.
Jiraiya-sensei was right. The powerful medical ninjutsu that Minamoto Takuno displayed was no less valuable than that of any top ninja who fought bloody battles on the front lines.
His tireless efforts and incredibly precise medical skills have saved countless lives and minimized the cost of this battle.
"A reward for my senior? —" Minato Namikaze rubbed his temples, a wry smile appearing on his handsome face.
How to reward Gen Takuno is a truly tricky problem.
Ninjutsu? The other party isn't interested. Sealing techniques? There's nothing else worth offering as a reward.
As for status and position—
It seems like only a year or two ago, he had just defied all opposition and promoted Yuan Tuoye to the prestigious position of deputy captain of the Dark Division.
Although the current captain's resignation is not far off, now is not the right time to replace him. Directly promoting him to captain would be inappropriate and likely to cause trouble.
Furthermore—a hint of helplessness flashed across Minato Namikaze's deep blue eyes.
Based on his understanding of Yuan Tuoye, the other party was naturally easygoing and disliked getting involved in trivial matters. For him, a promotion would probably not be a blessing, but rather a troublesome shackle that was difficult to get rid of.
Thinking of this, Minato Namikaze felt a slight pain in his temple. How should he arrange a suitable reward?
Minato Namikaze's predicament was noticed by Jiraiya, who was always very observant.
One of the three ninjas suddenly burst into laughter, breaking the tense atmosphere in the room: "Haha, kid, what's there to worry about! I have a ready-made solution here!"
"Huh?" Minato looked up in surprise.
Jiraiya, with his signature sly smile, leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice mysteriously: "I happened to chat with him about it before—"
Then, he told Minato Namikaze in detail about how he had mentioned Tsunade when he was testing Minamoto no Takuno, and how Minamoto no Takuno had shown interest in higher medical skills.
"Tsunade-senpai to be Takuno-senpai's teacher?" Minato frowned slightly, carefully considering the suggestion.
"Exactly!" Jiraiya slapped his thigh hard, his eyes gleaming with certainty.
"That kid, Minamoto no Takuya, has such exquisite control over chakra that it's a once-in-a-century talent! If Tsunade were to personally train him and make him her successor, he would be the perfect person to learn her incredible strength or her unparalleled medical ninjutsu!"
This is both a tribute to his achievements and a practical way to enhance his strength and compensate for his weakness in self-preservation due to his aversion to fighting.
.
The terrifying scene of Tsunade splitting the earth with a single punch involuntarily flashed through his mind, and a thought stirred within him.
If Genjiro were to master this technique, the power he unleashed with his refined chakra control would probably astound even Tsunade.
Minato Namikaze pondered seriously, putting aside personal preferences, that Takuno Minamoto was indeed the ideal candidate to inherit Tsunade's mantle.
But there is a crucial element to this plan.
"Teacher, I understand what you mean; it is indeed a brilliant idea. However—Tsunade-senpai's whereabouts are elusive. Do you know her exact location now?"
"Uh—" Jiraiya's confidence froze instantly, and he scratched his signature white hair with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Well—I've put in some effort to investigate before. Although I can't pinpoint her exact location right now, as long as we're willing to search, there are clues, and finding her shouldn't be a problem!"
"In that case," Minato Namikaze's eyes flashed with determination, and he immediately picked up a pen. "Then I will write a letter in the name of the Fourth Hokage to solemnly ask Tsunade-senpai to accept Takuno-senpai as my disciple."
Jiraiya pondered for a moment, but did not object to the plan.
He knew in his heart that after Tsunade left the village, her identity had long since left the village.
The Hokage's orders were meaningless to her; she would never listen to them.
But if it were a letter personally written by Minato, the Hokage, with humble and sincere words, a "request" rather than a "command," and with his own old face acting as a go-between—
He was quite confident that he could persuade Tsunade to accept Minamoto no Takuno as her exceptionally talented disciple.
When the topic shifted to the rewards for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Minato immediately felt much more relaxed.
These three families are renowned and prestigious clans with deep roots, while Yuan Tuoye is a lone individual.
For them, the rewards could simply follow the conventional route of family bestowal, regardless of whether Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, or Akimichi Choza had any special requests.
Granting their families generous resources, ninjutsu scrolls, or honorary titles is a precise and effective way to achieve the goal of rewarding them, resulting in a win-win situation for everyone.
Thus, the post-war rewards were determined through the words of the master and apprentice.
In Konoha Village, the warm sun lazily shines on the eaves of Gen Takuno's residence.
Yuan Tuoye leaned back on the large wooden chair, his eyes slightly closed, letting the sunlight gild his face with a thin layer of gold.
A long-standing sense of alienation has enveloped this old house.
Even during his brief respite after returning from the front lines, when he sought permission from the Fourth Hokage, he went directly to the Land of Hot Springs instead of setting foot there.
For him, was this place still a "home", or just a temporary stopover?
Yuan Tuoye simply put this pointless thought out of his mind.
Today was merely a rare moment of respite from the nerve-wracking and arduous experiments in the Land of Snow.
The fatigue from continuous mental concentration had been building up, but for him, this fatigue was insignificant compared to the temptation of becoming stronger.
This was not the reason that prompted him to return to Konoha.
Konoha Village is about to hold a grand victory celebration ceremony.
More importantly, the arrival of the ninja leader from the defeated Hidden Cloud Village in Konoha adds a subtle touch to this ceremony symbolizing the return of peace. More importantly, it is necessary to negotiate a war reparations plan acceptable to both sides for the devastating war that swept through the Land of Fire.
If the negotiations go smoothly, the two long-standing rival ninja villages may even be able to form an alliance based on this.
At such a significant historical juncture, the original Yuan Tuoye is naturally indispensable.
Even though he is skilled in creating clones, and his lifelike wooden clones can handle many mundane matters, he still needs to personally take control of such a far-reaching, complex, and subtle situation.
He silently calculated the time, finally pulling himself out of his languid state, slowly getting up, and stretching with a slightly stiff yawn.
The bones in his body emitted subtle sounds, seemingly dispelling the weariness from days of hard work.
He stepped out and merged into the jubilant crowd that had already formed a sea of people on the street.
The entire Hidden Leaf Village seemed to be caught in an endless vortex of celebration.
Every household was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the streets were filled with surging crowds and deafening cheers.
Takuno Minamoto was not a detached spectator; he was also an indispensable member of this celebration, someone who had to appear on stage.
Thinking of the noisy scene and countless stares he was about to face, he couldn't help but feel a little impatient, yet there was nothing he could do about it.
He clearly realized that with the complete end of this war that swept through the ninja world, his prestige in Konoha would inevitably reach even greater heights.
Since the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage that was enough to destroy a village, he has been crowned with the title of "hero".
On this battlefield, countless ninjas on the verge of death were able to return home thanks to his healing efforts. Behind each ninja was a family deeply worried about their loved ones.
The prestige accumulated in this way has reached a critical point.
Yuan Tuoye even had a premonition that if the current Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, whose strength was unparalleled in the ninja world, were to step down one day, he would probably have no shortage of followers if he raised his arm to call for help.
Unfortunately, Genji Takuno had no interest in the position of Hokage, which symbolized the pinnacle of power but also meant trivialities and constraints.
At this point in time, even Minato Namikaze, whose strength had reached its peak in the ninja world, was still deeply mired in endless documents and government affairs, and the fatigue after a series of battles had not yet been completely relieved.
Yuan Tuoye knew the burden was heavy, so why would he want to invite trouble upon himself?
What interested him more was the true purpose of the Cloud Village ninjas coming to Konoha under the guise of signing the alliance.
The possibility that might occur in a certain future trajectory lingered in his mind at that moment.
For example, taking the opportunity to kidnap Hinata Hyuga, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan's main family.
Yuan Tuoye pondered to himself that the actual development trajectory had deviated significantly from the so-called "original work".
The Fourth Raikage is currently still recovering from serious injuries, and his physical condition is probably not strong enough to support launching such a sinister plot that could easily trigger a new round of war.
Furthermore, the outcome of the war has been completely altered, and the balance of power between the two sides has shifted dramatically, making the possibility of this happening extremely slim.
However—life is unpredictable, and the word "what if" is precisely the most difficult variable to completely eliminate.
Even though this matter seemed to have nothing to do with him personally, after thinking for a moment, Gen Takuno decided to send a few inconspicuous crows to lie in ambush on the outskirts of the Hyuga clan's territory as night fell, and to keep watch quietly all night.
With these thoughts in mind, Gen Takuno walked through the bustling streets and arrived at the open plaza in front of the Hokage Building.
The crowds gathered and dispersed here, and as his gaze swept casually across the area, he instantly spotted a peculiar figure.
Hiashi Hyuga.
The current head of the Hyuga clan, dressed in a traditional kimono that seemed somewhat out of place with the festive atmosphere, stood tall and alone beside the crowd, his gaze fixed on the distant sky, his face bearing a habitual calm and detachment.
When Yuan Tuoye saw him appear, he was not surprised at all.
His intervention has caused the world's history to deviate from its original course.
Moreover, and more importantly, there are still some days until Hinata Hyuga's birthday, so there is no need for him to perform that symbolic ritual of shackles—carving the "Caged Bird" curse mark on the foreheads of the children of the branch family's age today.
Naturally, he would not be absent from such a landmark celebration.
Furthermore, Takuno Minamoto felt that even if today were Hinata's birthday, Hiashi Hyuga would never be absent from such a grand event as depicted in "Historical Path".
The reason is obvious: the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage are completely different.
Minato Namikaze is currently in his prime, ambitious, and enjoying immense popularity.
More importantly, the political landscape of Konoha has changed.
The Hyuga clan is not the largest clan in Konoha as depicted in the original story. The Uchiha clan, which was deliberately targeted and suppressed in the original story, has seen its situation greatly improve after Minato Namikaze took office and is now revitalized. Their influence and strength in the village have formed a strong check on the Hyuga clan.
At this sensitive moment, it is certainly important for the main family to place a curse mark on the branch family members, but is it really not acceptable to postpone it by one day or bring it forward by one day? Yuan Tuoye thought coldly.
Surely not all the eligible branch family members of the Hyuga clan are born on Hinata's birthday and have to complete the seal on that specific date?
Reflecting on the Hyuga clan's stance at this time in the "historical trajectory," Minamoto Takuno had only one assessment in his mind:
At this point in the original story, the Hyuga clan was indeed "getting a little cocky."
Even before the celebration began, the clamor of the crowd had already set the stage for it.
Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath, suppressing the timidity that arose in his heart from speaking in front of such a large audience for the first time. His gaze fell on the slightly languid figure of Minamoto Takuno.
"Takuno-senpai."
With a clear voice carrying obvious respect, Uchiha Shisui walked through the small groups of people and stood down next to Minamoto Takuno.
"Hmm? It's Shisui." Gen Takuno turned his head upon hearing the voice, looking at the young Uchiha genius with a hint of surprise.
His numerous encounters on the battlefield made him quite familiar with Shisui. From the blood-stained clothes when he intercepted the Two-Tails Yugito to the pale, exhausted Shisui after his hard-fought battle with the Fourth Raikage, Shisui was almost always the one who healed him with the fastest speed after each close call.
Because they were well aware of the crucial role the other side's combat strength played in the balance of power on the battlefield, their contact naturally became more frequent.
At this moment, seeing Yuan Tuoye's seemingly detached and relaxed demeanor, Shisui's inner anxiety about tension became even more pronounced.
He hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke tentatively: "Senior Yuan Tuoye, you—you were also invited to speak later, right?"
'
Although it was a question, his tone was almost certain. Given Yuan Tuono's performance on the battlefield, it was impossible for him to be absent from the list of speakers at such an important occasion.
"Yes." Yuan Tuoye nodded knowingly, his gaze falling on Shisui's young face, which showed a hint of awkwardness.
This child's thoughts are so easy to understand.
"What's wrong, are you nervous?"
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