Tsunade's Feelings

The work of stitching his arms back on continued.

Tsunade truly lived up to her reputation as the benchmark for Medical Ninja, blessed with extraordinary talent.

Gradually, her hands grew steadier, and her expression became utterly focused.

Before long, Rinto's arms had returned to where they belonged.

Keeping his expression calm, Rinto clenched his fists and could not help giving her a thumbs-up in his heart.

Tsunade, what craftsmanship! But were you seriously tying bows at the ends of the stitches?

Suppressing the urge to complain, Rinto put on the appearance of someone who had lost too much blood. He sat cross-legged with a weak expression and said sincerely,

"Thank you, Princess Tsunade."

Kneeling beside Rinto, Tsunade seemed not to hear him. She continued staring blankly at the gruesome wounds on his arms.

Even now, she had yet to adapt to such a brutal method of treatment.

After all, when an ordinary person's arm was severed, it was truly severed.

And earlier, Tsunade had clearly seen Rinto's heart get pierced through by Lightning Release.

She was not stupid. She had always known that there was something special about this boy.

But even so, Tsunade could not forget the sight of Rinto suddenly appearing and blocking that blade.

Nor could she forget the helpless smile on his face as blood spilled from his mouth.

Just as Tsunade's face was growing redder and redder, Rinto reached out and waved a hand in front of her.

"Princess Tsunade? Princess Tsunade?"

"Huh? Did the lightning fry your brain?" Tilting his head, Rinto rubbed his chin with a puzzled look.

The next second, Tsunade rolled her eyes despite herself.

She did not know why she had rolled her eyes, but she had wanted to.

It had clearly been such a beautiful scene.

Beneath the moon, in an empty forest, amid a chaotic battlefield, a boy and a girl sat facing each other.

It should have been a tender, affectionate gaze, yet this guy's first words were, "Did the lightning fry your brain?" He completely ruined the mood!

"What is it?" Tsunade asked expressionlessly.

"Well..." Seeing Tsunade snap out of it, Rinto scratched his head awkwardly, looking embarrassed. "Well... when we get back to the village, could you not tell anyone about what happened today?"

Though he knew the chances were slim, Rinto still decided to ask.

In truth, he had already prepared to run!

After all, the Third Hokage had now taken office. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had possessed some authority in his youth, he had actually been rather soft-hearted inside.

It was only after he grew old that he looked kind and benevolent, while his true nature became that of a sly old fox.

That was probably the change in mindset brought about by strength.

When one was powerful, there was nothing to fear, so one could freely show kindness; but once one's strength declined, one began distrusting everyone instead.

Right now, he had saved Princess Tsunade. Hiruzen Sarutobi would most likely spare Rie any trouble for the sake of that.

With every muscle tensed, Rinto only waited for Tsunade to refuse or hesitate. Then he would knock her out in an instant and flee.

Tsunade fell silent for a while. Then she raised her head, revealing that delicate and beautiful face, and stared intently at Rinto.

"If I don't agree, are you going to leave Konoha?"

Holy crap!

Rinto was instantly shocked!

Was this little girl really that sharp?

Wasn't she supposed to be all chest and no brains? Why were you going against your character setting?

His gaze lowered. It stretched out as far as the eye could see. All right, never mind!

Tsunade did not care about Rinto's somewhat lecherous gaze. Or perhaps, at her age, she could not distinguish between lecherous and creepy.

She simply stared blankly into Rinto's eyes.

Avoiding her gaze, Rinto sighed helplessly and slowly nodded.

"What about Rie?" Tsunade pressed.

Already used to her sharpness, Rinto let out another long sigh. His expression suddenly turned desolate as he gave a self-comforting bitter smile.

"It'll be fine. She knows all the places where I hid my money. Nine hundred thousand Ryo will last her a long time. And the children from the orphanage will take care of her.

"As for Uncle Hiruzen, I believe that, seeing as I never caused trouble in Konoha, he'll let Rie grow up safely!"

After hearing Rinto's words, Tsunade's expression suddenly became stubborn. She grabbed him by the collar.

"Then tell me! Why can't you tell Uncle Hiruzen what happened tonight? Why would you leave Konoha if I don't agree?"

Hearing that, Rinto gave a miserable smile.

Tsunade... this girl really had never seen darkness before.

With that thought, Rinto gently pried Tsunade's hand away, lowered his head, and began speaking to himself.

"Since you know I came from Amegakure, then you probably know I escaped from the Jashin Cult!"

Tsunade nodded. "Uncle Hiruzen told me. You suffered a lot."

At those words, the corners of Rinto's mouth, hidden in the shadows, slowly curled up.

"What kind of suffering?"

"..." Tsunade froze. What kind of suffering? She had never considered it.

Perhaps in her mind, the phrase "a child used for sacrifices, subjected to every kind of abuse" was already the most painful thing imaginable.

"See?" As he spoke, Rinto raised his left hand and drew out a Kunai with his right.

With a wet stab, the Kunai instantly pierced through his palm, blood splattering everywhere.

"Is this suffering?" Rinto shook his head with a smile. "This does not even count as the tiniest bit of pain."

Then, ignoring Tsunade's horrified gaze, the Kunai flashed.

In an instant, all five fingers fell to the ground.

"What about this? Does it hurt? Maybe. But it's only the tiniest pain."

A smile devoid of all warmth rested on Rinto's lips as he quietly watched Tsunade.

"There was also burning, slicing, drying, electrocution, disembowelment, removing the heart, sawing open the skull, and so on.

"Of course, since I don't have the tools and I'm afraid of pain too, I won't demonstrate each one for you!"

At those words, Tsunade felt an icy chill rise up her back and rush straight to the top of her head.

She was only a child. How could she ever have seen such inhuman methods?

And she understood why, if she told Hiruzen Sarutobi about what had happened tonight, Rinto would rather flee than remain in Konoha.

This was not a choice at all.

At that moment, an inexplicable feeling surged through her heart and overwhelmed her fear. Tsunade suddenly threw her arms around Rinto.

"I won't tell anyone! Not even if I die! Come back with me, back to Konoha!"

Holding Rinto's head tightly, Tsunade spoke with absolute determination.

Hearing that, Rinto grinned and laughed silently.

Thank god... I finally bluffed this girl. That wasn't easy!

Sure enough, to deal with young girls, you had to awaken their maternal instincts! To deal with mature women, you had to spoil them like children!

The harem king truly did not deceive me!

But seriously, cutting off my fingers really hurt like hell! Have I gotten too full of myself lately? Have I taken too few beatings?

"Um... you're pressing on my fingers!" Rinto said weakly, his neck trapped in Tsunade's embrace.

A vein instantly popped on Tsunade's forehead.

You bastard! At a time like this, you're still worried about your fingers? There's a beautiful young girl like me in your arms!

The mood! Pay attention to the mood!

"Don't talk." Tsunade domineeringly tightened her hold around Rinto's neck, feeling his warm body temperature and his heart, which did not seem particularly willing to move.

Oh my god! Does this guy not even have a heartbeat anymore? He's a three-hundred-and-fifty-nine-degree, no-dead-angle mood killer! The remaining one degree belongs to Caged Bird!

The kind who could leave me speechless even with his mouth shut!

Tsunade's face darkened as she angrily released Rinto.

"Your heartbeat is gone!"

"Huh?" Rinto froze. Then he pulled open his shirt, glanced at the wound that had pierced through his chest, and complained inwardly.

Isn't that obvious? It got pierced through. How could it beat? Beat my ass! If it beat, wouldn't blood just squirt out with every thump?

But seeing the threatening look on Tsunade's face, Rinto shrank back and gave an awkward smile.

"Well... how about you wait a bit and let me recover? Maybe after a while, it'll feel like beating again?"

Seeing Rinto's smile without the faintest trace of gloom, Tsunade's heart suddenly softened. Pressing her lips together, she took out needle and thread.

"Forget it. I'll stitch it up for you."

Just as she was about to begin, Tsunade suddenly thought that if she became Rinto's girlfriend in the future, she would never have to worry about him dying on the battlefield.

Oh my god... that works too?

Seeing Tsunade preparing to give him heart-stitching surgery, Rinto shook his head repeatedly.

It was not that he was worried about anything. He simply did not trust Tsunade's skill.

If she stitched it well, there would be no problem. But if she stitched it badly, his heart might skip a beat every now and then. Who could endure that?

He might as well dig it out and grow a new one!

At that thought, Rinto suddenly shuddered.

"Princess Tsunade, forget it, forget it. It'll grow back on its own soon enough."

Hearing that, Tsunade immediately grew bashful and said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible,

"Call me Tsunade. Or you can call me Little Tsunade."

Rinto did not hear a word. Seeing only Tsunade's pretty face redden, he merely felt that there was something seriously wrong with her head.

They were having a perfectly normal conversation, so why was she suddenly blushing?

"Ahem, Princess Tsunade, then it's settled. After we return—"

Before Rinto could finish, Tsunade's long brows suddenly furrowed. She grabbed his ear and roared, "Don't call me Princess Tsunade! Call me Little Tsunade!"

Oh my god... whoever marries this woman in the future is going to be unlucky!

She's already this violent at such a young age. When she grows up, won't she break six ribs with a beating?

Still, for the sake of his ear, Rinto nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken. "Little Tsunade, Little Tsunade. I'll call you Little Tsunade from now on."

By the way, was your Onix's hidden ability Weak Armor? You moved so fast and grabbed my ear in one go.

Only then did Tsunade angrily let go.

Still, she looked rather pretty when she was angry, especially with that golden hair and proud high ponytail.

For a moment, Rinto actually stared in a daze.

The quiet forest instantly fell silent. Tsunade lowered her head and leaned against Rinto with a faint blush on her little face, as though she wanted to remain like that until the end of time.

Suddenly, Rinto froze, and the look in his eyes instantly returned to normal.

A kilometer away, the Shadow Clone hidden in the grass dispelled its Shadow Clone Jutsu and returned with its memories.

It turned out that a large group of Anbu, led by Kagami Uchiha, was rushing over.

At the same time, Rinto sensed considerable activity in the northwest, near the border.

With that, he understood that even if he had not saved Tsunade, she would never have been taken away by people from another village.

But not saving Tsunade would mean that he might fall under suspicion.

By saving Tsunade, however, he could use the corpse of the man called C to completely clear himself of suspicion.

After all, Konoha possessed secret techniques capable of examining the memories in a dead person's brain!

That was also why Rinto had smashed the heads of A and B.

Those two had witnessed his special physique. Although they could not necessarily deduce that he had an immortal body, cautious as Rinto was, he would never allow even the slightest flaw.

As for Tsunade, Rinto believed that as long as she did not want to speak, no one could force her to.

After all, her grandmother, Hashirama Senju's wife, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, the princess of the Uzumaki Clan, Mito Uzumaki, was still alive!

Even setting Mito Uzumaki aside, no one would dare force Tsunade to answer questions based solely on her status as Hashirama Senju's granddaughter.

With that thought, Rinto slowly spoke.

"Someone's coming. It should be the Anbu."

As he spoke, Rinto swallowed the Iron Sand scattered through the air right in front of Tsunade.

The Iron Sand flowed into his body. Rinto picked up the fingers on the ground, and the Iron Sand moved, slowly reconnecting them.

Only after everything had been cleaned up did Rinto finally let out a long breath.

Honestly, if Tsunade had not woken up, he would not have forcibly used Flying Thunder God and turned his short sleeves into no sleeves.

Whenever he thought of it, Rinto felt his heart ache.

A short-sleeved shirt cost two hundred Ryo, you know?! That was enough for twenty skewers and sixty dumplings!

Damn it, what a huge loss! I should've just stayed home and gone nowhere!

As he pondered, swish, swish, swish—countless figures suddenly appeared.

At their head was Kagami Uchiha, who had recently formed an unreliable duo with Rinto.

Kagami Uchiha wore none of his usual sunny smile. He stared at Rinto with a stern face.

The Anbu swiftly stepped forward and instantly separated Tsunade from Rinto, while the remaining Anbu all watched Rinto warily.

"So it really was you, Rinto-kun? I saw your Shadow Clone earlier!"

As Kagami Uchiha spoke, his gaze swiftly swept over the uneven battlefield and the corpses of A, B, and C. He slowly let out a breath, his tone suddenly carrying a trace of teasing.

"Looks like you'll be spending another couple of days in Konoha's dungeon."

Another time?

Rinto nearly laughed out loud.

This time, I'm definitely throwing the special brick into the archives!

Just as Rinto barely managed to suppress his joy, Tsunade interrupted.

"Rinto saved me!" The little girl's voice was incomparably calm.

Hearing that, Kagami Uchiha was about to explain when Rinto suddenly waved a hand at Tsunade.

"Don't! This is the Anbu's standard procedure! As law-abiding citizens of Konoha, we have to comply!"

Kagami Uchiha. Every Anbu present spat inwardly.

What the hell are you pretending for? Who here doesn't know you're a double agent?

Hearing Rinto's words, Kagami Uchiha nodded with an odd expression.

Come to think of it, Rinto-kun, was it really appropriate for you to know the ropes so well?

Rinto raised his hands without the slightest resistance, signaling his surrender.

At his side, someone wearing a dog mask reluctantly walked over to Rinto.

"Yo, Dog Brother. One night apart, and I missed you terribly!"

At that, the other Anbu all turned their masked eyes toward Earth Dog.

Countless gazes converged on Earth Dog.

In an instant, Earth Dog felt like he had hemorrhoids, then like a mole had sprouted on his butt. He nearly forgot how to walk.

Fuming, Earth Dog put shackles on Rinto and shoved him like an aggrieved little wife.

"You bastard, I stopped watching you for one night, and you caused such a huge mess!"

Yet that tone sounded exactly like a wife scolding her husband for losing money at mahjong.

Watching from the side, Tsunade felt as though her head was covered in green.

Anbu dungeon.

It was the familiar Cell 233 again, the familiar collection of The Tale of Genji again. The only difference was that the book Earth Dog had lent him this time was actually a colored edition with illustrations.

Rinto lay on the bed with wads of paper stuffed in his nostrils, reading with great relish.

Just as he reached the exciting Rokujo Estate Residence arc, the cell door suddenly opened.

Earth Dog strode forward and snatched the illustrated book from Rinto's hands. Seeing the greasy fingerprints on its pages, his face beneath the mask immediately turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Sakuta Rinto, Lord Hiruzen wants to see you!"

"Me?" Rinto frowned.

Normally, with C's corpse and Tsunade's testimony, he should have been locked up for a few days before being released. Why did they need to see him?

Were they going to thank him?

At that thought, Rinto nodded reluctantly. Then, while Earth Dog was not paying attention, he snatched The Tale of Genji back.

"Dog Brother, lend it to me for another two days."

"No!" Earth Dog snatched the book from Rinto again, formed a hand seal with one hand, and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear outside the door.

Rinto stared blankly at his empty hand, then looked up at Earth Dog carefully stuffing the book into his clothes. He felt like he'd been screwed by a dog.

Damn it, brother, can't you afford to lose?

Earth Dog gave a cold laugh. Lend it to you? You never returned anything you borrowed from Kato Ippongi. Did you really think I didn't know?

Besides, you never returned the set of The Tale of Genji you borrowed from me last time.

"Cheapskate." Muttering that, Rinto stepped out of the cell and followed Earth Dog.

Soon, they arrived at the Hokage's Office.

Earth Dog knocked lightly. After receiving permission, he pushed the door open and entered with Rinto.

The first thing Rinto saw upon entering was an enormous desk. But it was no longer as clean and orderly as before. All kinds of documents were piled high, open scrolls were scattered everywhere.

Smoke continuously rose from behind the mountains of paperwork. Looking closer, Hiruzen Sarutobi had a pipe in his mouth, tugging at his hair with one hand while writing something with a brush in the other.

The moment he saw Rinto enter, he waved to those around him.

The surrounding Anbu nodded in unison and left the Hokage's Office.

Rinto stepped forward and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi through the towering piles of documents.

"Uncle Hiruzen, what did you want me for?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly took a puff from his pipe, stood up, and looked at him with some satisfaction.

"Rinto-kun, thank you for bringing Tsunade back safely."

Rinto shook his head indifferently.

"No need to thank me. I was saving myself. Besides, even without me, they wouldn't have been able to take Princess Tsunade away."

Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi was even more satisfied.

The Intelligence Analysis Division's report from last night had already come in.

Those three shinobi had accepted employment from a sponsor codenamed "Amaaya" to kidnap Tsunade in Konoha.

The three were originally biological brothers. Dissatisfied with the rule of Takigakure's leader, they had defected from the village and begun accepting jobs at the Bounty Exchange, selling their strength.

According to intelligence sent by the Bounty Exchange's Dark Child, the sponsor codenamed "Amaaya" had close ties to the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Lightning. Again, the Land of Lightning. Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows knitted tightly.

Teacher Tobirama's death had been inseparable from Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning. Shimura Danzō strongly suspected that this had been Kumogakure's sinister plan.

They had pretended that Kinkaku and Ginkaku were at odds with the Second Raikage, then suddenly struck and ambushed Teacher with the Six Paths Tools.

To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not wanted to believe that the kind-hearted Second Raikage would do such a thing. But after becoming Hokage, his way of thinking had changed.

Putting himself in the other man's shoes, for the sake of his village and its comrades, if he could eliminate such a great enemy, he would be willing.

Moreover, Tsunade's kidnapping this time also vaguely implicated Kumogakure.

Thinking of that, Hiruzen Sarutobi's resolve became even firmer.

"Rinto-kun, there is something I would like to ask of you."

Uh.

What could Hiruzen Sarutobi possibly ask me to do?

What talent of mine could make a Hokage seek me out?

Without even thinking, Rinto instinctively shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it. Please find someone more capable."

Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been puffing on his pipe, choked and began coughing. The ash at the end of his pipe flew out.

"Cough, cough. Cough. Rinto-kun, won't you at least hear my request?"

"No! If I hear it, there'll be no backing out." Rinto shook his head so hard it was practically about to fall off.

What a joke. Even if the benefits were astronomical, I wouldn't do it. Besides, it definitely won't be anything good!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was left speechless by Rinto's utterly decisive refusal.

Suddenly, his eyes rolled, and he shook his head with a sigh.

"Ah, what a pity. Rinto-kun was able to eliminate three powerful Jonin who worked together seamlessly.

I had been thinking that once you earned some public merit for Konoha, I could make an exception and promote you directly to Jonin.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pity."

Rinto nodded along with a regretful expression. "Yeah. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pity."

Pity my ass. Who doesn't know Konoha's Genin are the strongest? Nobody stop me, I want to be a Genin for life!

Seeing Rinto mimic him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face turned red from holding it in. He took a deep breath, suppressed his frustration, and spoke again.

"I was originally thinking that after this mission, I'd arrange a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment for you on Tea Street in Konoha. But now that I think about it, perhaps we should discuss it when there's time later."

"Heh." Rinto laughed.

Tea Street was indeed a good location, right beside the Hokage Building. But a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment? Was he trying to fool a ghost?

You're the Village Head of Konoha and the Sarutobi clan head. Is this really how you test your officials? What official could withstand a test like this?

What he was actually thinking was: a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment on Tea Street cost only eight hundred and fifty thousand Ryo.

He had casually made four hundred thousand Ryo just by picking a fight at the Uchiha compound. Did Hiruzen think he could buy his life with that little money? No way.

Besides, Rinto had made quite a bit recently by using Shadow Clones to forge iron. Altogether, it came to around one hundred and seventy or one hundred and eighty thousand Ryo.

Adding that to the previous eight hundred thousand, he was nearly at one million Ryo.

With one million Ryo, wouldn't a one-hundred-and-twenty-square-meter apartment with three bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, and two bathrooms be better?

Or he could take one million Ryo, buy land outside the village, and start a factory. Wouldn't he take off then?

A two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment? Was Hiruzen trying to fob off a beggar?

Seeing Rinto's disdainful expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face finally darkened. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

"I'll add another Five Hundred Thousand Ryo in operational funds. Will you do it or not?"

"No, no!" Rinto shook his head repeatedly. He hated the term "operational funds" now.

Because whenever that term appeared, what followed was a three-year deadline.

After talking for so long, if Rinto still did not know what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted him to do, he would be too stupid.

The things he could do, and do well, were nothing more than being a double agent and an undercover operative.

Thinking about how Amegakure had sent him to Konoha as a double agent, only for Konoha to send him to some other village as a double agent, Rinto instinctively felt uncomfortable.

This was not a matter of whether he went undercover or not. It was... how should he put it? It was just disgusting!

Could he really introduce himself like this in the future?

My name is Sakuta Rinto!

I am the Village Head of Amegakure, the lover of Konoha's village head, the lover of Kirigakure's village head, the lover of Iwagakure's village head, the Anbu captain of Sunagakure, and the captain of the Raikage's guard in Kumogakure!

It sounded impressive at first, but on closer thought... huh? It actually did sound pretty impressive!

After all, he would have accomplished the peace of the shinobi world that even Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had failed to achieve!

Of course, the prerequisite was that it happened in bed!

No, no!

Rinto vigorously shook his head, tossing that tempting thought from his mind.

Seeing that Rinto was utterly unmoved, Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely speechless.

Has this guy forgotten that he's an undercover agent? Damn it, he's even decided to cling to me and refuse to leave!

"Cough, cough, cough." Left with no alternative, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only use his final move and speak from the heart.

"Rinto, don't you want to know who sent people to kidnap Tsunade?"

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's blinking eyes, Rinto sighed helplessly.

"You mean Kumogakure?"

Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively took two steps back. Once again, Rinto had shocked him.

How exactly is this guy's brain built?!

Had he gathered intelligence from somewhere again? Or had someone leaked the information?

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally understood just how monstrous Rinto truly was.

Before, when he had not yet become Hokage, he had merely found Rinto astonishing. Now that he was Hokage, Rinto actually seemed somewhat terrifying.

No wonder! This guy wouldn't budge no matter what I offered him. He didn't want any benefits, and I thought he wasn't greedy for money!

So he had guessed my purpose long ago!

At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally understood Teacher Tobirama's words.

Why could this guy not be allowed into the Konoha High Council?

Teacher had already foreseen that when facing Sakuta Rinto, he would feel so powerless, as though his intelligence were being completely crushed.

"Cough!" Gathering his thoughts, Hiruzen Sarutobi lightly coughed. "Rinto-kun, where did you gather your intelligence this time?"

"Uh..." Rinto immediately looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi as if he were an idiot.

"Uncle, are you tired? I think you should go home and get some rest early."

Ignoring Rinto's sarcastic words, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "I'm not tired. Hurry up and tell me!"

Rinto pursed his lips helplessly.

"First, let's establish this: what can I do? What can a young lad under ten do?"

Rinto shrugged and spread his hands. "Be a Dark Child."

"And could such an awesome Dark Child as me go to some tiny village? No."

Seeing Rinto shamelessly boast about how awesome he was, Hiruzen Sarutobi darkened his face, signaling for him to continue while silently wondering whether to beat him up.

"Then there were far fewer choices: the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water."

"Hanzo of the Salamander is in the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. To put it bluntly, even if everyone else died, he might not.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure are not much of a threat. Pass.

Then there are the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning. The Land of Water is right next to Uzushio Village in the Land of Whirlpools. To put it bluntly:

The relationship between Konoha and Uzushio Village is, if there's blame to take, I'll take it; if someone has to die, you go.

So Kirigakure is not much of a threat either. Pass.

Doesn't that leave only the Land of Lightning?

And Second Lord Tobirama passed away not long ago. It's only natural that you disciples would want revenge."

As Rinto rattled off that analysis, Hiruzen Sarutobi actually found himself nodding unconsciously.

This guy had casually said a few words and, damn it, made the international situation crystal clear. Wasn't this far more reasonable than that bullshit Danzo said?!

Danzo had even tried to convince him that Sunagakure was an enormous threat that had to be guarded against!

That Kirigakure was sharpening its blades and needed to be watched carefully!

Finally, he had claimed that because they lacked fertile land, war was inevitable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted that as Danzō said made sense, but at present, Rinto's analysis better matched reality.

And the Second Ninja War twenty years later also proved Rinto right. Hanzo of the Salamander became a boss the Land of Wind, Earth, and Fire simply could not defeat.

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, Rinto shook his head, sighed, and took the initiative to speak.

"Uncle Hiruzen, aren't there any other candidates?"

Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and shook his head.

"There are, but none are such monstrous shinobi at your age.

If they infiltrated Kumogakure, at most they could disguise themselves as merchants or residents."

Heh.

Rinto sneered inwardly and cursed.

Your ambitions aren't small! You're hoping I can work my way into Kumogakure's upper ranks!

Don't you know those idiots are either black or white? What, am I supposed to get a tan?

At that thought, Rinto's expression gradually hardened, and his tone turned serious.

"Lord Hokage, what about Sakuta Rie? The reason I chose Konoha was to give her a happy childhood. I don't want her to wander everywhere with me and suffer!"

Seeing the earnest look on Rinto's face, Hiruzen Sarutobi became serious as well.

He knew that success or failure hinged on this. If he could persuade Rinto to infiltrate the Land of Lightning, not only could he uncover its secrets, but he could also fulfill his teacher's dying wish: keep Rinto away from Tsunade and, preferably, prevent them from becoming involved.

"The village and I will take proper care of her!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with absolute certainty.

Rinto shook his head firmly, his gaze locked onto Hiruzen Sarutobi. "That answer won't do!"

He knew the man before him had a precedent—though that precedent had not happened before his own time.

Naruto Uzumaki, the posthumous son of the Fourth Generation, could fairly be called a hero of the village;

But look at how he had been treated: instant noodles, expired milk, being called a demon fox, a lonely childhood;

Before Rinto, the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai was called the Byakugan.

Before this guy, the Kekkei Genkai of everyone in the village was fucking Byakugan. Yet Hinata, who truly possessed the Byakugan, was gentle and kind to him. What irony.

He could do nothing about Naruto, but as for Rie... better not even think about letting her suffer that kind of fate.

After all, Konoha Anbu intelligence listed Rinto as:

Loyalty: E-

He did not care about Konoha. He only cared about the people he cared about.

Seeing Rinto refuse, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.

The reason for Rinto's tough attitude was simple: he had prepared an escape route.

A clone that had long since left the borders of the Land of Fire was carrying a brick.

As long as he wanted to, he could fly away at any time. At worst, he would leave behind an arm or a leg.

They would grow back anyway. It was only a matter of time.

Besides, once his wings were strong enough, he could return to the village and protect Mizuguma.

After all, he had left back then because he lacked strength. Now that he was powerful, he would naturally be valued when he returned!

As for the Eight Inner Gates Formation, Rinto thought, Konan is so cute, Nagato is amazing, I'm going to follow Nagato around and starve for nine meals every three days!

When the time came, Nagato would be up in the sky while the First Generation carried several stories, and he would sneak into the archives and run off with the Scroll of Seals. Perfect plan!

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's next words temporarily dispelled Rinto's plan.

"I spoke to Tsunade about this."

Hearing that, Rinto inwardly grumbled, Why do you have to tell that girl everything?

What he did not know was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had already noticed Tsunade's unusual feelings toward Rinto.

Without waiting for Rinto to ask, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe and continued, "Tsunade said she could help you take care of Rie. Rie can live at her house."

Rinto immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

This... this was fucking perfect!

Not only was it acceptable, it was actually the best choice!

After all, who would dare bully the chubby little girl beside Princess Tsunade?

At that thought, Rinto raised a thumb and nodded heavily.

"Fine, I think it's great! Also, from now on, I'm not her brother!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately frowned and sank into thought. Only after a long while did he understand, and his heart filled with complicated emotions.

He understood Rinto's move.

Yet he also felt that he was drifting farther and farther away from this boy.

By cutting off his relationship with his younger sister Rie, this move not only contained boundless love for her, but also complete distrust toward the village and toward him.

Rinto had clearly decided that his identity would be exposed, causing an uproar in the village and ultimately affecting Rie's life.

But where would his identity be exposed? And who knew his identity?

The fact that he thought Tsunade taking care of Rie was a good thing showed that the boy trusted Tsunade. As for everyone else, including himself, did Rinto trust them?

The answer was no!

And it was an unhesitating no!

Having entered informant mode, Rinto's mind raced as he spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi again.

"Lord Hokage, after I leave Konoha, I'll leave communication with Amegakure to you. The Anbu should have someone capable of imitating my tone. Oh, Earth Dog can do it."

As he spoke, Rinto scratched his head.

"Oh, and help me ask about Mizuguma's situation more often. Don't let Hanzo of the Salamander think I've forgotten him."

Watching Rinto ramble on like an old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi pursed his lips. He suddenly felt that before he had become Hokage;

He and Rinto had probably been very sincere with each other. How had they ended up scheming against one another now?

At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and made a decision.

"Ahem. Rinto!"

Rinto stopped talking and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with slight confusion.

"Uh..." Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for quite a while before slowly speaking.

"Rinto, Sakuta Mizuguma is dead."

After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently into Rinto's eyes, every muscle in his body tightening.

He was prepared—prepared to subdue Rinto at any moment if he lost control.

Hearing those words, Rinto froze, his mouth opening and closing in jerks.

At that moment, Mizuguma's voice and appearance flooded into his mind.

The stern, serious expression he wore while teaching him the Chakra Extraction Technique;

The awkward way he had comforted him when Hanzo disliked him;

The way he had dragged him to the Kabuki District, anxious like a child eager to show off a new toy;

The lovestruck smile on his face as he held Meiya and Yukiko;

The devastated, lost expression he wore after learning of Hanzo of the Salamander's plan;

The reluctant, worried look he had when they said goodbye.

And the sneaky, hilarious way he had shoved the secret technique scroll into his hands!

As he thought of it all, a crystalline tear slid from the corner of his eye.

So this was what loss felt like!

Rinto let out a long breath, reached up, and instantly wiped away the tear at the corner of his eye. Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, he forced out a stiff smile.

"S-sorry, you've seen me make a fool of myself."

"Where was I? Uh, right, right—we were talking about how to imitate my handwriting. Th-this... this is easy."

As he spoke, Rinto's voice began to choke up;

Trembling, he slowly raised his head, pursed his lips, and gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a placating smile.

"S-sorry, I... I... I lost my composure a little. I'll... I'll go back now."

He gritted his teeth, yet said goodbye in a gentle voice,

Clear liquid—whether mucus or tears, it was impossible to tell—slowly ran from his nostrils.

Step by step, or rather, dragging himself along, he reached the door. Like a puppet on strings, he opened it and left the Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply stared blankly at Rinto's retreating back. He wanted to say something, but the words reached his lips and were swallowed again.

He had thought Rinto would rage, rage until he lost all reason;

He had thought Rinto would roar and charge toward Amegakure without regard for his life;

He had thought Rinto would turn dark and hate this world with madness.

What he had not expected was that Rinto merely cried like a child who had lost his father, so helplessly.

Rain began to fall from the sky, drip by drip. Soon, it came down in curtains, the rain covering heaven and earth.

Standing before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, Hiruzen Sarutobi continuously puffed on his pipe, the crackling burn drowned out by the sound of rain.

He watched the street below—the child staggering through the rain like a walking corpse;

The child who had always stood with his back straight, but was now hunched over;

Sakuta Rinto, trembling, collapsing helplessly to his knees in the rain, crying like a child.