Playing House

The support from the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans surprised many people.

To be precise, it was the Nara Clan's attitude that made everyone hesitate. Most ninjas are impatient guys who are keen on training in Ninjutsu rather than dealing with piles of documents as high as small mountains. The Nara clan members are an exception.

This family, renowned for its wisdom even more than its Secret Technique, holds a pivotal position in the village. In every Administration Department of the village, you can always see their distinctive pineapple-shaped hairstyles. To exaggerate a bit, it's as if the entire family single-handedly supports Konoha's administrative system. Their calm minds and extraordinary wisdom have earned the respect of everyone who has come into contact with them.

Therefore, when the Nara clan expressed their support, it prompted the representatives of the other families to reflect deeply on whether they had overlooked something...

Grass!!

The clever man's expression changed as he noticed Katsuki, who hadn't said a word, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

I've lost my mind! How could I overlook the person who made this request? A notorious natural disaster, and more importantly, the other party is young enough. And youth means impulsiveness and irritability, something that no young person can avoid. Unlike adults who are bound by rules and reason, if a young genius is provoked, who knows what he might do!

This is clear from the records of missing-nin. Apart from a very few cases, most missing-nin were geniuses. Of course, if you weren't a genius, you wouldn't have the ability to defect. The reason for defection was that 60% of the time it was due to a momentary impulse that led to an irreparable mistake, such as killing someone you always disliked, violating the village rules, and having no choice but to flee.

Once they understood this, most of the opposition disappeared instantly. Even those who weren't so quick-witted were soon persuaded by their companions. The remaining people either believed that Katsuki wouldn't do anything irrational or were confident that they had enough strength to handle trouble.

However, the situation eventually became clear. More than half of the people voted in favor, and the meeting smoothly came to an end. The migration of the Uzumaki, Yuki, and Kaguya clans to join Konoha was a done deal. As for the related details, they would naturally be handled by a dedicated department.

After the meeting adjourned.

"What a boring meeting."

Danzo's lips twitched slightly, his mocking gaze sweeping over the Third Hokage seated in the main seat.

"Hiruzen, did you invite us here just to play this little game of make-believe?"

"A game of pretend that had to be played."

The Third Hokage looked over and said coldly.

"What a waste of time... This pretense is disgusting. As Hokage, you should act decisively when necessary. Why hold these hypocritical meetings?" Danzo retorted.

"Instead of wasting your energy complaining here, you should go back and tell your 'roots' to be more diligent lately. Keep a close eye on the people who need to be watched. I don't want to see too much internal strife in the village," the Third Hokage said coldly.

Their gazes clashed fiercely, almost sparking with each exchange.

Danzo gave a sarcastic hum, leaned on his cane (which he used for show), and got up to leave.

The Anbu, who were secretly waiting, watched silently as this guy who dared to argue with the Hokage left. They secretly prayed that the black-faced guy wouldn't keep bothering the Lord Hokage. Every time he argued with the Lord Hokage would have a gloomy face for a long time, making them very nervous, for fear of offending the Lord Hokage.

Sure enough, once Danzo disappeared outside the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage's face immediately fell. He was extremely depressed. In the past two years, that Danzo had become increasingly disrespectful to him as Hokage. Every time they met, Danzo would make sarcastic remarks, which infuriated him. Several times, he almost kicked Danzo out to retire.

However, considering the usefulness of 'Root' and the fact that no one could inherit Danzo's position for the time being, he ultimately endured it, though he had no way to vent his dissatisfaction.

"You damned bastard... you damned bastard..."

The Third Hokage smoked vigorously, the Kakkō from his pipe flickering, and soon the room was filled with smoke, like a fairyland.

"Dad, Dad."

The knocking was jarring; apart from Asuma, the Third Hokage's youngest son, no one dared to be so rude to the Hokage's Office door.

After symbolically striking the door, Asuma Sarutobi rushed in without waiting for the Third Hokage to speak, and immediately began shouting.

"Dad, is Teacher Katsuki back? Hmm... cough cough, Dad, why are you smoking so much again?"

"Asuma, can't you be a little more obedient? Don't barge in and start yelling..."

"Dad, just tell me if Teacher Katsuki is back or not, don't ramble on about all this nonsense." Asuma impatiently interrupted the Third Hokage, making the Third Hokage's hands tremble with anger, and he almost fainted.

Asuma's eyes widened, his face full of impatience, which made the Third Hokage's eyes twitch. Damn it, why was his youngest son like this? He was completely unlike his eldest son, who was so composed.

"Sigh--! Only a Shadow Clone of Katsuki has returned; the real Mizuki is still outside the village on a mission!"

Unable to persuade his youngest son in the end, the Third Hokage sighed and said...

"Bang!"

Asuma left like the wind, and the poor door slammed shut with a heavy groan of unbearable torment.

The door panels need replacing.

The Anbu guards began to consider replacing the door panels.

With a sigh of helplessness, the Third Hokage silently picked up the documents on the table and chose to immerse himself in the world of work.

"Kakashi, Teacher Katsuki hasn't returned. The old man said that only a clone of Teacher Katsuki has returned; the real Mizuki-sensei is still on a mission."

In the park, Kakashi, Might Guy, Obito, and Asuma were all there, along with Asuma who came running at full speed.

"I see! No wonder I heard that Teacher Katsuki had returned, but I didn't see her... on a mission?"

Kakashi stroked his chin, striking a pose that suggested he was mature beyond his years.

"Asuma, do you know where Teacher Katsuki is on a mission?" Kakashi suddenly asked.

"Huh? I don't know. The old man would never have told me this. Besides, Kakashi, don't tell me you're leaving the village. Don't be ridiculous." Asuma glanced at Kakashi sideways.

"How could that be? Do you think I'm that stupid? Do you take me for Obito or Might Guy?" Kakashi ignored the angry and noisy Obito and Might Guy, and continued, "I'm just curious about what kind of mission it is. Even Teacher Katsuki took so long, it must be a very difficult mission."

"You bastard Kakashi, don't you dare ignore us!"

Obito launched a flying kick, but Kakashi easily dodged it. Kakashi then casually tossed Obito away, sending him crashing headfirst into the sandpit.

"Kakashi, you've improved again."

Asuma watched as Obito, covered in dust, crawled out of the sandpit and laughed without any restraint, bursting into laughter.

"However, I don't think Teacher Katsuki will be satisfied when he returns with this level of quality..."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about!" Kakashi sighed with a bitter face, and said helplessly, "It's really pointless to spar with these two idiots. Asuma, how about we have a little spar?"