Naruto: Starting as Tsunade's Desk Mate

Page 60

The death of White Fang was something no one wanted to see. In the original timeline, it was because of White Fang's death that Sasori couldn't find anyone to take revenge, which led him to kill the Third Kazekage and trigger the Third Shinobi World War.

An Yan was certainly not the kind of person who did nothing. He went directly to Hatake Sakumo's house and found the sullen Hatake Sakumo.

At this moment, Sakumo Hatake was drinking alone in silence. His wife had passed away unexpectedly a few years ago, and now he had no one to help him cope with his emotions.

An Yan plopped down next to Hatake Sakumo, casually opened a bottle of wine, and the two clinked glasses before drinking directly from the bottle.

Soon, after four or five bottles of wine, both of them were a little drunk. During this time, Hatake Sakumo did not speak, so An Yan took the initiative to ask.

"Tell me, Brother Hatake, what exactly happened with your mission this time? Why is it causing such a stir in the village?"

The two had known each other for many years and had always been close companions, so Sakumo Hatake naturally had no intention of hiding anything from Anyan.

"This mission was a trap from the start. The person who commissioned the mission was the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. He said that he had recently received news that someone was going to harm the Daimyo and asked us, Konoha, to protect him. However, he colluded with other ninja villages and hired a large number of ninjas to launch a feint attack. First, they directly captured my Konoha ninjas. Then, when I went to rescue them, several more ninjas attacked and killed the Daimyo and the Anbu member who stayed behind to protect him. So the mission failed. That's roughly the situation."

An Yan immediately understood what was going on. The son of the daimyo of the Land of Fire couldn't wait for his father to die and was eager to become the daimyo, so he betrayed his own side and devised this scheme.

"So after this kid tricked you, is he now aiming to become the daimyo? Tsk, he's definitely not easy to deal with. But why do you say Konoha suffered huge losses?"

An Yan was still puzzled. A mission can be considered a failure if it fails. How can it be said that Konoha suffered huge losses?

Sakumo Hatake sighed: "He's already the daimyo. From the death of the old daimyo to his succession, it only took six hours. The process was so smooth, it was like it had been rehearsed many times. After the new daimyo took office, he used the failure of this mission that led to the death of the daimyo as an excuse to cut the annual funding that the Land of Fire gives to Konoha by 30%. He wanted to save money by forming his own Guardian Ninja to protect the daimyo of the Land of Fire."

Thirty percent of Konoha's annual budget is indeed a huge loss. I always said that if Danzo had known how to manipulate public opinion, he would have become Hokage long ago.

It turns out that a powerful daimyo was behind this. Although these nobles weren't very strong, they were all quite dirty-minded. No wonder the Third Hokage seemed strange about the whole affair; he had chickened out.

As everyone knows, in the bizarre world of the ninja realm, an ordinary daimyo's confidant dares to boss around ninjas with extraordinary powers, as if the ninjas were the dogs of their nobles.

The ninjas seemed to have become accustomed to submitting to the daimyo in order to obtain his financial and material support, since ninjas did not engage in productive labor.

However, the fact that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, bowed his head, pretended to be dead, and remained silent did not mean that An Yan could swallow his anger.

Chapter 122 Come forward

On the surface, this incident was caused by Konoha's White Fang failing in his attempt to protect his comrades, resulting in a major loss for the village.

However, that was just what people outside heard; it was a nicer way of putting it. In reality, it was a power grab orchestrated by the son of a daimyo, and Sakumo Hatake became the only victim in this incident.

He couldn't explain to everyone that the Daimyo was responsible and it wasn't his fault. If he dared to say that, Konoha would probably lose another 30% of its funding. The petty squabbles between big shots weren't something a mere tool like him could casually talk about.

As for the ANBU member who was rescued by Hatake Sakumo at the end of the original timeline, he was either being manipulated by someone else or was not very bright, as he actually accused Hatake Sakumo of not completing the mission after being rescued.

Just kidding. If you were so eager to complete the mission, you should have committed suicide immediately when you were captured. Without a rescue target, Sakumo Hatake naturally only had one option left. Now that he's been rescued, he's making excuses again. He's really hypocritical.

After learning the truth of the matter, An Yan patted Hatake Sakumo on the shoulder and promised, "Don't take this to heart. I will avenge you. Calm down and don't do anything rash. You still have a son."

Sakumo Hatake was startled by An Yan's words. He quickly grabbed An Yan's arm and said urgently, "An Yan, what are you trying to do? Don't do anything foolish!"

Hatake Sakumo knew that An Yan was audacious. After An Yan said that, he was worried that An Yan would go and kill the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Nobles had been operating in the ninja world for thousands of years and had almost become the rule. If An Yan really did that, he would probably immediately become an S-rank rogue ninja of Konoha and be wanted by various countries.

An Yan laughed and patted Hatake Sakumo's hand.

"Don't worry, I have a family and I wouldn't joke about my wife and children. Besides, the previous daimyo of the Land of Fire had the bloodline of the Senju clan, so I'm related to the current daimyo."

After exchanging a few more words, An Yan felt relieved that Hatake Sakumo didn't seem to be suicidal at all. He then bid farewell to Hatake Sakumo and went directly to the Hokage's office.

In the Hokage's office, apart from the hidden Anbu members, only Hiruzen Sarutobi was handling official business. The other two Hokage advisors were also absent, and it was unclear where they were. An Yan simply greeted them.

"Hokage-sama."

"Oh, it's An Yan. Thank you for your hard work with the school these past few days."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at An Yan, then continued with his official duties.

"It's not hard work; it's just a matter of fulfilling one's duties in one's position."

An Yan replied casually, then got down to business: "Lord Hokage, normally, the missions that each Konoha ninja team carries out are highly confidential. However, for some reason, the news of Hatake Sakumo's mission failure has spread like wildfire. I feel that we still need to investigate who is stirring up trouble."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused in his reading, looked up at An Yan, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "You've been to Sakumo Hatake's place, haven't you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was firm, and An Yan did not deny it, nodding directly: "Sakumo Hatake is a powerful force in Konoha, and it is no exaggeration to say that he is a pillar of the nation. He should not suffer from public pressure because of a failed mission. You should know that he comes from a samurai family and values ​​honor. If things go wrong, he will commit seppuku."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. He hadn't expected this. He could accept putting Sakumo Hatake under verbal pressure, but he couldn't accept Sakumo Hatake committing suicide and causing Konoha to lose a vital fighting force. It seemed he had to take action, but doing so would probably tarnish his reputation.

"Since you came from Sakumo Hatake's house, you should already know the whole story. All we can do now is try our best to control the spread of public opinion and prevent it from spreading further. A, order the Konoha Guard to strictly control the spread of public opinion about the Konoha White Fang incident and investigate the villagers' sources of information."

As soon as the Third Hokage spoke, an Anbu ninja vanished instantly, heading to the Uchiha clan's territory to deliver the order.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to An Yan. Looking at An Yan's youthful face, he glanced down at the age spots on his own hands. He was already over fifty years old and was gradually feeling that he was losing his strength in many things. Taking this opportunity, it was time for him to step down. Tobirama-sensei had passed on his position to him at about the same age, and he should set an example.

“An Yan,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a low voice.

"Hokage-sama."

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have something else to arrange, An Yan immediately stood at attention to receive instructions.

"After this matter has calmed down, you will become the Fourth Hokage."

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, An Yan was stunned. Orochimaru hadn't defected, and Tsunade and Jiraiya were still in the village. How could the Hokage position be his?

What An Yan didn't know was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had already asked the three for their opinions. Tsunade and Jiraiya had no interest in the Hokage position, while Orochimaru was engrossed in his research and his attitude toward the matter was: I don't want what others don't want.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to pass on his position to his disciple, but the disciple's ambitions lay elsewhere. Apart from the three, the most suitable candidate was naturally An'yan. As the son-in-law of the Senju family and Mito Uzumaki's personal disciple, although he was nominally Danzo's disciple, he was actually more like Tobirama Senju's disciple.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

An Yan quickly realized what was happening and bowed to the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, took a deep breath, and then said, "We need to warn the daimyo. You take care of this matter. Remember, don't kill him, and don't reveal your identity. When you return, I'll take this opportunity to abdicate and hand over the reins to a more capable person."

Since he had already offended the daimyo, he might as well go all the way. At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi missed his old classmate Danzo terribly. In the past, Danzo would always handle these kinds of things without Hiruzen, the Hokage, having to give any orders.

An Yan's eyes flickered, and he roughly understood what Hiruzen Sarutobi meant. The relationship between the ninja village and the daimyo has always been delicate. Now that the new daimyo has taken office, he is being a bit unruly. It is indeed necessary to show strength and warn him, lest this guy overestimate his abilities and cause some trouble, making things ugly for everyone.

An Yan originally wanted to transform into another ninja and kill the Daimyo directly, but since the Hokage had spoken, he had to give him some face. The two had gotten along quite well over the years, so there was no need to go against each other.

Chapter 123 Teaching the Fire Country Daimyo a Lesson

An Yan left the Hokage's office.

Walking down the street, you could see Konoha guards patrolling everywhere, and you could no longer hear the villagers discussing White Fang.

The Hokage wields considerable power. Although he is nominally just the village chief, Konoha is essentially an armed group, and once the highest leader issues an order, it will be carried out to the end.

An Yan was casually walking down the street when he actually saw several Uchiha people who had captured a few suspected spies. These people were villagers who had stirred up trouble and fueled the White Fang incident. Apart from the stupid and wicked ones, the rest might actually be spies, but it was uncertain which country they were from.

However, An Yan was certain that there were people sent by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire among them, and he wondered how the Konoha Guard would handle the matter.

Arriving at Konoha Hospital, An Yan walked easily to Tsunade's office, pushed open the door, and sure enough, Tsunade was reading there. Konoha Hospital was relatively quiet during peacetime, after all, there were only so many people in the village, and no one was sick every day.

An Yan walked over and started massaging Tsunade's shoulders. As a woman with a broad mind, Tsunade often felt sore shoulders. Over time, An Yan had become accustomed to massaging Tsunade's shoulders.

After Tsunade received a massage from An Yan, her mental state immediately relaxed, and An Yan took the opportunity to reveal the purpose of his visit.

"The matter of Hatake Sakumo is being handled by a Daimyo. The Hokage sent me to warn that kid. I'm telling you this so you won't worry about me."

After An Yan finished massaging Tsunade, he affectionately nuzzled her face. Tsunade turned her head and kissed An Yan, whispering, "Be careful on the road. The child and I are waiting for you at home."

"Yes, I'll get this done as quickly as possible."

An Yan lightly bit Tsunade's earlobe and licked it slightly. Tsunade immediately shuddered and got goosebumps all over her body.

"Ugh, hurry up and come back."

Tsunade instinctively threw a punch, but An Yan had anticipated it. He dodged it with a grin, walked a few steps to the office door, turned around and waved to Tsunade before turning and leaving.

After reporting to Tsunade, An Yan immediately set off and left Konoha Village.

Using his super light rock technique, he arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire in just half a day.

It was already late, and most people were asleep. An Yan used the White Rare Transformation Technique to transform himself into Dante and infiltrated the Daimyo's mansion.

At this moment, the daimyo's residence was still filled with singing and dancing. The daimyo of the Land of Fire sat high above, holding a wine cup and admiring the dancing girls below.

Suddenly, the roof tiles exploded, and a figure in red clothes and white hair descended from the sky, landing right on the table in front of the lord. Screams immediately erupted all around.

"Protect Daimyo!"

The samurai around the daimyo drew their swords and rushed forward. The man in red spun around on the spot and swept his leg down, sending the various delicacies on the table flying and knocking the samurai down.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire stumbled backward, then turned and scrambled to escape, but the man in red merely reached out and grabbed him by the back of his collar.

Before anyone else could react, the two of them leaped into the air and flew out through the large hole in the roof that had appeared when the man in red had landed.

An Yan carried the Fire Country Daimyo to a height of several thousand meters in one hand. At this moment, the full moon hung high, its silvery light shining on the earth. A few clouds drifted by, and the cold water mist hit the Daimyo's face, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

An Yan just held him up like that, not even looking at him directly, and asked, "I heard that the Daimyo wants to cut Konoha's budget?"

The Fire Country Daimyo, who was initially terrified of An Yan's godlike and demonic abilities, immediately realized that An Yan was a Konoha ninja upon hearing him speak, and his sense of superiority as the ruler suddenly emerged.

"You're a Konoha ninja? Who are you? How dare you treat me like this? I'll have the Hokage kill you! I'll order the disbandment of Konoha!"

The Fire Country Daimyo twisted his body, extremely agitated. He had already wet himself in fear when An Yan had carried him into the sky, and now that he learned that it was a Konoha ninja who was affiliated with the Fire Country who had done this, he was furious.

"You lowly wretch, how dare you humiliate me like this! I will kill you!"

Seeing the attitude of the Fire Country Daimyo, An Yan immediately lost the desire to communicate.

"Tsk, you want to kill me? Then you die first."

An Yan released his grip immediately, and Daming fell from a height of several thousand meters.

"Ahhhhhh~~"

The daimyo of the Land of Fire sang in a tenor voice as he fell from the clouds to the ground. Just as he was about to fall to his death and was filled with terror, An Yan grabbed him and they took off again.

Once they reached the clouds, the daimyo of the Land of Fire was free-falling again. His heart-wrenching cries echoed across the sky. After a few rounds, his voice became hoarse and he could no longer speak. Fortunately, this daimyo was young. Although he was in ecstasy on the roller coaster and his face and head were covered in frost from the low temperature, he actually managed to endure it.

An Yan had been sensing the Daimyo's vital signs, fearing that he might accidentally kill the guy and then he would lose his chance to become Hokage.

When he felt it was about time, he brought his lord back to the clouds.

An Yan casually tapped the air, and a huge blue magic circle with a radius of ten meters appeared in the air. The two of them stood directly on the magic circle.

This magic circle was originally used for double jumps in Devil May Cry, but in An Yan's hands, he could use it however he wanted.

"How's it going? Can we communicate normally now?"

An Yan said this, but Daming opened his mouth but could not speak. His throat was hoarse and his tongue was almost frozen. He was only able to stand because his legs were frozen.

An Yan smiled and immediately cast a Water Prison spell, washing the daimyo from head to toe. This restored the daimyo's frozen facial muscles and also washed away the excrement and urine he had produced in fright.

An Yan performed the technique three times, and Daming also drank the yellow soup three times, vomiting up everything he had eaten that night.