From undercover in Konoha, to I am the Hokage!

Chapter 166 Variables
The waves are surging and the sky is moving.

Looking far along the edge of the coastline, a white wave like a pillar of heaven bulged up on the blue wave surface at the very edge of the horizon. Amid the endless waves, it seemed to be blown away by some kind of explosion.

Faintly, one can see a small black dot, which is fighting bravely around the giant creature hidden deep in the sea, constantly stomping on the water surface and circling around it.

On the coastline, a hunched old monk looked quietly into the distance.

Around him, a group of ninjas dressed as Mist Village Anbu were staring intently at the movements in the distance. The sealing squad behind them had already prepared themselves completely, waiting for the final blow.

"Boom——"

It was not until a sharp explosion suddenly sounded on the sea surface and the surging water column peeled off a thin layer of blood on the surface of the giant like a blade splitting the sea and splitting the sky that the movement on the sea surface finally gradually calmed down.

"quick!"

At a command, all the Sealing Squad ninjas behind the monk rushed out, and under the leadership of the Kirigakure Anbu, they surrounded the giant creature. At the same time, they threw out capsules one by one, revealing the sealing scrolls hidden inside, and pulled them open in mid-air with the inertia of running.

From a distance, it looked as if these black dots were used as the foundation to spread out a net that was large enough to surround the giant creature under the sea.

In just a short while, extremely violent chakra fluctuations were heard on the sea surface.

The master watched this scene quietly until the three-tailed Isobu was finally sealed inside the body of the ninja in the center, and then he seemed to slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

Ever since the Hidden Mist Village discovered traces of the three-tailed beast, Isobu, they have been busy these days with various matters related to sealing the tailed beasts.

At this time, the task was finally completed, and the stone in Master Yuan's heart finally fell.

However, as if he had thought of something, even though he watched the tailed beast surrender at their feet, the Master, one of the leaders of Kirigakure, did not show a relaxed expression, but just looked at it quietly from afar.

After a while, a group of ninjas from the Sealing Squad and the Anbu came up from the sea, carrying Yagura Karatachi, whose upper body was naked and a seal pattern was faintly visible on his abdomen.

Even though he had just experienced a great battle, it was not known whether it was because Isofi had been exhausted or because he had received the replenishment of the tailed beast's chakra, but despite his small size, Yagura Karatsuka still looked as vigorous as a dragon.

When he arrived in front of Master Yuan, he half-knelt on the ground and said solemnly:

"Master Yuanshi, I am honored to have fulfilled your mission."

"Yakura, you did great."

Seeing this, Master Yuan's old face slowly revealed a smile, and he calmly asked, "Can your body still bear it?"

"is acceptable."

Although Karuta Yagura still looks like a child of twelve or thirteen years old, the physical fitness of a ninja cannot be simply judged by size.

Master Yuan nodded slightly, and then said: "Then follow me."

"Yes."

Seeing this, the ninjas behind him naturally understood that the top leaders had a secret matter to discuss, and they had no intention of being ignorant and following suit.

The two, one old and one young, slowly walked along the coast of a small island in the far east of the Water Country.

"From now on, as the third Jinchūriki, you will be one of the pillars of the Hidden Mist Village."

"As the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Gendaka should have a few more years to live, but his age and body are no longer sufficient to take on various tasks in the ninja world. The remaining matters, big or small, will depend on how you handle them."

Although the Master's voice was nonchalant, Karuju Yagura always maintained an obedient look as a junior, without any extra thoughts arising from his words, and said calmly:
"I am still young. If the various affairs of the village were not managed by Master Yuanshi and Master Sandaime, I would have lost my way long ago."

"Even if Master Yuanshi can grant me the opportunity to become a Jinchūriki today, it is enough for Yagura to remember it in his heart."

"Haha, no need to be so serious."

The Master turned to look at him, like a kind and gentle elder: "You fought for the opportunity to become a Jinchūriki, what does this have to do with me?"

"Besides, you are probably the only young ninja in this generation in the village who has the best chance of becoming a perfect Jinchūriki."

Goji Yagura lowered his head slightly and said nothing.

In fact, it is true.

Ever since he received the information about the appearance of the Three-Tails Isobu from Sawara Kiri a few days ago, as well as the order for him to become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, he has been busy with matters in this regard these days.

Now that I have finally gotten what I wanted, I am not too happy about it.

The gap is still too big.

I don’t know whether it was because the shadow left by Sawara Kiri was too deep, or because his achievements and power were too terrifying.

Even though he had become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki and had roughly sensed the total amount of chakra in his body, Karatachi Yagura could not think of any chance to escape from that guy's clutches.

Even after a head-on battle with the three-tailed Isofu, he realized that the so-called tailed beasts were nothing more than that. Apart from being slightly larger in size and chakra, they were just wild beasts with a little intelligence.

The seals and traps that had previously failed to work on Sawara Kiri now all fell on this unlucky bastard.

It is precisely because of this that he was able to thrive in this battle and win with ease.

However, I definitely can't explain these words to Master Yuan.

So, Karuju Yagura just listened quietly.

Seeing this, the Master didn't say much, but just laughed twice and changed the subject: "A few days ago, news came from the mainland that the Fire Nation annexed the Loulan Kingdom and set up a military base in the center of the Loulan capital. This attracted Ohnoki and Hanzo to lead their troops to confront Konoha on the border. Did you know about this?"

"Yes."

Karuju Yagura recalled and nodded slightly: "I heard that even the traitor Sawara Kiri was dispatched. He suppressed the two countries with his own strength and made them dare not move until a week ago when they retreated."

"The rise of the Fire Nation may be difficult to contain."

"yes."

The Master's voice seemed to carry some emotion, and he sighed: "The last time I saw such power was during the time of the first Hokage. The two men of that era were also like him, one person could defeat ten thousand."

“It’s like a god.”

"Letting go of such a good seedling is the most unprofitable business that the Hidden Mist Village has ever made."

Goji Yagura didn't respond.

The most unprofitable deal?
Not always.

As the master spoke, he suddenly turned his head and looked at him: "What do you think the future Kirigakure will do in front of Sawara Kiri?"

"."

Goju Yagura was startled when he heard that, and subconsciously raised his head, just in time to meet Master Yuan's eyes that were as calm as a deep pool, and his voice paused.

After a pause, he said, "I will definitely protect Wuyin until the moment I die in battle."

"Eh."

However, the Master did not seem to be happy with this answer. Instead, he waved his hand and said calmly, "From the Warring States to the Ninja Village, it has only been forty years. The wars and chaos of the previous tribes lasted for thousands of years, but they all died. When the Kirigakure Village was established, I was still a young and strong boy. At that time, I saw too many elders who were unwilling to integrate their families into the village."

"But what was the result?"

"No matter how unwilling they are, no matter how intensified the conflicts within the village are, they will eventually be wrapped up in the collective of the Ninja Village, right?"

"A tree that is moved will die, but a person who moves will live."

"Some trends are difficult to reverse by mortal power."

“The same will be true in the future.”

After hearing this, Goji Yagura's body seemed to stiffen.

Although he had doubts in his heart, he felt that what he had done should not be discovered, so he still bit the bullet and continued, "What do you mean?"

The master looked at him gently, his eyes deep and peaceful: "Yakura, you can really put yourself in the shoes of the villagers and make preparations for both situations. This is the spirit that a Mizukage should have."

“You did a great job.”

When Goji Yagura heard that he had said this, his heart suddenly sank, but it was as if he saw a little light in the darkness. He did not dare to speak, but just pursed his lips tightly:
"I don't know which one you are referring to."

"It doesn't matter."

The sound of the Master Yuan and Karuta Yagura's conversation was gradually drowned out by the sea breeze and the remaining waves, and was no longer heard.

Although the Fire Nation's annexation of the Loulan Nation was a small matter, it caused quite a stir in the entire ninja world and sparked an uproar in public opinion.

But in Konoha Village, there was more thunder than rain.

Most of the Konoha villagers had no sense of reality about the fact that their country had annexed a small country, or a small town, that bordered the country.

The two parties that suddenly became busy were the newly established Konoha Research Department and the Anbu.

People from all walks of life kept coming in and out of the Hokage building. Just around one hundred and eighty scientific research proposals related to the 'Humanitarian Continuation Guarantee Agency' and the 'Near Future Space-Time Lens' were listed in one go and placed on the Hokage's desk one by one.

Only at times like this would Tsunade be glad that she did not rely on the power of that brat to be promoted to the position of Hokage. Most of the time, she was thrown to Orochimaru to deal with - he seemed to enjoy it.

Most of the troops at the border have been called back, and even Sawara Kiri, who is at the front line, has received a recall order.

A little friction will not cause the countries that have been devastated in the Second Ninja World War to start another round of war. Both the recuperation of the population and the secret preparation and research and development will take a lot of time.

After she had some free time, Tsunade naturally dropped the stalls she was running and wandered around the village on her own.

It was almost summer and the weather was gradually getting hotter. The clothes worn by men, women, old and young on the street became much thinner, and the whole street was filled with white and taut thighs.

However, Tsunade didn't have the heart to pay attention to these things. She just walked leisurely on the street alone.

Her clothes were also shorter, with a light-colored haori draped over her shoulders, with only a tight short-sleeved shirt and long pants underneath. The ice silk lining stuck tightly to her body, outlining a heavy curve. The tight special-woven material vaguely revealed some traces of the inner layer, but the beautiful scenery was all covered by the wide haori. In her hand, she held a bottle of rice wine and wandered around the village like an ordinary street urchin.

After the war, Konoha has become much more prosperous than before due to the comprehensive reforms carried out by these people.

The street she was standing on just separated the old town of Konoha from the new town. Looking from top to bottom, it looked like a straight line, outlining the past and the future.

Several buildings have been erected on the edge of the new city. Looking up, they look like an indestructible mountain standing on the west side, casting large shadows, which is cool.

However, Tsunade's face was full of worry at this moment, and she was drinking wine gulps by gulps.

The only thing that could make her so upset was naturally the matter of that brat.

Ever since Sawara Kiri and his team returned from their mission in Loulan, they have submitted a mission report based on the facts, detailing what happened in Loulan.

Others like An Lushan are okay, and it is not too surprising that someone can travel through time and space and come back from the future.

However, the alien enemies that will descend from the sky in the near future and the news of Sawara Kiri's future death greatly surprised her - how could such monsters exist?

What worried her even more was another thing.

In his mission report, Orochimaru pointed out that Sawara Kiri had used a never-before-seen bloodline ability similar to the corpse bone lineage of the Kaguya clan in the Hidden Mist Village.

"The Corpse Vein."

Tsunade murmured softly as she sipped her drink.

In fact, as early as when Sawara Kiri just rose to prominence, they had already discovered the unusualness of this young man - whether it was the talent that could be hidden for many years, or the superhuman learning talent, which were all fatal flaws for a ninja.

But when Sarutobi Hiruzen was around, he was confident that he could suppress the opponent.

After he became a vegetable, Sawara Kiri suppressed all external public opinion at the speed of a cannonball taking off.

Until now, he can even suppress an entire country by himself and has become the strongest and most powerful pillar in Konoha Village.

This is also the reason why Orochimaru only brought this up in the mission report.

What right does Konoha Village have to point fingers at the person who has always protected it?

No one even mentioned it, let alone interrogation.

This is the benefit of strength.

However, while others can pretend that this matter does not exist, Tsunade, as one of the acting Hokage and the one who has the closest relationship with Sawara Kiri among the top leaders, cannot be completely ignorant of everything.

She has been worrying about this matter for many days.

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard a voice calling out from afar:

"Tsunade-sama?"

When she looked up, she saw three young men from Sawara's team sitting in a roadside ramen stand, waving in her direction.

Tsunade paused, her expression changed, returning to her usual careless and lazy look, and walked towards them:
"Oh, you're back already?"

"It's pretty fast."

Sahara Kiri smiled and said, "This is all thanks to Minato-kun's Flying Thunder God, otherwise it would have taken us ten days just on the road."

"Lady Tsunade, have you had lunch yet? Would you like to join us?"

Tsunade was just looking for an opportunity to talk to him, so she pushed open the water gate on the other side, sat down at his seat, and said to the shop owner inside:

"A large tonkotsu ramen. All of it, plus an extra serving of bamboo shoots."

"Hi!"

Sawara Kiri noticed her movements, but before she could say anything, Miss Yayoi on the other side had already glanced at her with a pair of cold dark eyes, and subconsciously glanced at the pile of dirt that was placed directly on the table with disgust in her eyes.

Tsunade, still holding the wine in her hand, glanced at her and said, "Thank you for your hard work on this mission. Today's meal is on me."

When Minato Namikaze saw her like this, he knew that she had something to say to Kiri-kun, so he obediently sat further away without saying a word.

Sawara Kiri naturally realized this, and subconsciously looked at her, wondering:
"Lady Tsunade, did you finally win money?"

"What are you talking about!"

Tsunade was fine if other things were mentioned, but she got angry when gambling was mentioned - she didn't have time to go today!
But she seemed to realize that there was something else to ask, so she suppressed her temper and turned to look at him:

"Let's not talk about gambling for now."

"Wu, you probably have something else you want to explain first, right?"

Hearing her words, Sahara Kiri suddenly understood.

Tsunade's eyes were almost straightened out these days, and it was not easy for him to hold back until now to ask, but he still said with a smile:

"What is the one thing that Lady Tsunade wants me to confess?"

"What else?" Tsunade's eyes could not help but linger. "Of course it's the bone ninjutsu you used in Loulan before. What's going on?"

"Let me tell you, these past few days those old guys in the archives department have been causing a big fuss in my office because of this matter, and they've been urging me to come find you every day."

"Even if we all know what kind of person you are, we still need an excuse to suppress you. You are such a stubborn brat."

"Actually, I'm an undercover agent from Kirigakure."

Just as she was mumbling about her grievances, her voice suddenly stopped.

Turning around, he looked in the direction of Sawara Kiri.

Everyone present was stunned and looked at him quietly.

Only Sawara Kiri had a calm expression, as if he was talking about something insignificant.

(End of this chapter)