"Really, teacher?"
Sasuke himself was unaware of the extent to which he trusted Hagoromo.
When he received the same answer from Fugaku, his first question was why.
But Sasuke simply wanted to confirm something with Hagoromo.
"Really, the teacher only found out recently." Hagoromo nodded very seriously.
"Don't worry, it's just an order issued to the outside world to prevent some people from using Itachi's identity as a member of Konoha to cause trouble."
"But Nissan, he..."
Sasuke lowered his head in frustration; this was completely unfair.
Even if the identity of this missing-nin is fake, who can guarantee the safety of her brother?
"Don't worry, Itachi is very strong."
Hagoromo gently stroked Sasuke's head, his tone very soothing.
"Teacher, can you tell me about his mission?" Sasuke's eyes were full of worry.
At the very least, he should know what happened.
"No, Sasuke." Hagoromo shook his head; this mission was already at its highest level.
His own father actually agreed, and even the teacher couldn't reveal what the task was.
Sasuke remained silent, which meant that his brother was going on a very dangerous mission.
"Don't worry, if anything happens to him, the teacher will help."
"But, teacher..." Sasuke immediately looked up, after all, he knew very well how strong his teacher was.
But distant water can't quench an immediate fire!
"But Sasuke, I think you should trust your brother. You should know his strength better than anyone else. Missions are something a ninja can't avoid."
Hagoromo felt that Sasuke was just worrying too much, but there was really nothing that could be done about it.
Even if Uchiha Itachi had a brain fart and went straight to the Akatsuki, there was no way he could stop him.
Although, it's unknown what Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru said.
That's why this decision was made.
However, even the Hiruzen said that Itachi didn't need to go to such lengths, yet he still went anyway.
It's likely related to the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.
We don't know for sure about the Uchiha yet, but if we're not mistaken, the Konoha clan's are Tailed Beasts.
However, he killed three members of the Akatsuki in total.
I doubt they can even manage the most basic two-person team anymore, right?
"Lord Hagoromo, the Hiruzen Lord requests your presence."
A member of the Anbu appeared beside Hagoromo, kneeling on one knee and speaking.
"Oh? Shisui?"
Hagoromo was delighted the moment she saw Shisui.
"Sasuke, your brother's strength is on par with this guy's. You'll see once you fight him."
After saying that, Hagoromo left immediately.
The fact that Shisui is here makes it obvious why.
Hagoromo was simply too lazy to deal with this mess anymore; first it was Jiraiya, then Uchiha Itachi.
Why can't they all just be a little more settled?
--
"Master."
As Hagoromo stepped into the Hokage's Office, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and immediately spoke.
"Hehe, Hagoromo, please sit down."
Looking at Hagoromo's face, which was full of resentment, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
After all, Shisui was dismissed by him, but judging from the looks of it, it's most likely that Hagoromo will simply choose to ignore him.
"What do you want with me?"
Hagoromo was speechless at Hiruzen Sarutobi's fawning attitude.
"The Land of Wind has submitted its surrender document."
Hiruzen Sarutobi got up, sat down on the sofa, and began to speak.
"Oh, that's normal, but the Fourth Kazekage has appeared?"
Hagoromo nodded. If Iwagakure has surrendered, then the Land of Wind will naturally do the same if it doesn't want to be destroyed.
"Yes, they've shown themselves."
Hiruzen Sarutobi. "The moment he appeared on the battlefield, he surrendered on behalf of Sunagakure."
Hagoromo's lips twitched.
Rasa is really pitiful. He was the one who started the war, and now he has to be the one to ask for a ceasefire and surrender.
I estimate that once he returns, he'll be sidelined by the higher-ups.
He'll be able to experience, to some extent, the treatment that his future son Gaara, will enjoy.
"But what does this have to do with calling me over?"
Hagoromo rubbed her temples and asked helplessly.
"Jiraiya has sent word that Iwagakure has already contacted him about when negotiations will begin."
Hiruzen Sarutobi on his pipe and said slowly.
"Uh, does this even need negotiation? If we lose, we just have to cede territory and pay reparations, isn't that enough?"
Hagoromo shrugged.
"That's true, but Jiraiya feels it's necessary for you to go there."
Alright, Hagoromo understood after hearing this.
This is a preparation for him to take charge, given Ōnoki's personality.
To put it bluntly, Jiraiya was worried that the conversation might turn into a fight.
"Alright, when do we set off?" Hagoromo shook her head and said helplessly.
"It's alright, there's still plenty of time. The Sand Shinobi will be with the Stone Shinobi; the negotiations will take place in the Land of Waterfalls."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his tone turned cold.
After all, Konoha has not forgotten what Takigakure did.
"Understood. I'll come along when we set off." Hagoromo nodded.
He also wanted to see what the so-called negotiations were really like.
--
"Hey, Sasuke, what are you thinking about?"
On the training field, Shisui had expected Sasuke to pull him aside and question him.
Unexpectedly, Sasuke simply greeted him and then went straight back to the training ground. Helpless, Shisui could only return to report to the Third Hokage.
Naruto, at the training ground, saw Sasuke return and sit there alone.
He couldn't help but walk over and ask.
"Thinking about something." Sasuke glanced at Naruto, responded, and then continued to space out.
"What is it? Tell me about it."
Naruto asked with a curious expression, after all, Sasuke was a rare sight these days.
"That's right, Sasuke, tell me about it."
Shikamaru and the others also gathered around, asking questions one after another.
If it were just Naruto, Sasuke would have said something sarcastic, but now, looking at his friends in front of him...
Sasuke fell silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly.
"Sasuke's brother."
After hearing this, Naruto put his hands behind his head, his thoughts becoming scattered.
"Sasuke, I think the teacher is right."
"Furthermore, becoming a ninja means facing certain things on your own; everyone has their own choices."
"This can be considered their Ninja Way; we don't need to dwell on it too much."
Naruto spoke to Sasuke after a long pause.
However, Naruto was quite puzzled by the surprised expressions on Shikamaru and the others' faces.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, it's just that it's hard to imagine such words coming from your mouth."
Shikamaru looked at Naruto, speaking while simultaneously trying to confirm whether Naruto had been switched.
"What?! Don't treat me like an idiot!"
Naruto said with a speechless expression, "These are the words my father sometimes used to comfort me."
When he actually said it, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and their friends looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"Alright, but Sasuke, Naruto is right." Shikamaru gave up his antics and turned to Sasuke.