Hey, Brat!

Watching this scene unfold before them, the entire Hatake Squad standing at the entrance of the Hokage's Office felt a strong urge to turn around and walk away right then and there.

What the hell was going on!

A Konoha high-stakes werewolf game?

Was this something ordinary jonin like them supposed to witness?

Hatake Sakumo, who found this whole affair unbearably troublesome, clearly showed his impatience with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, pretending he hadn't heard a thing as he looked up at the Anbu girl crouching on the rooftop—the curve of her hips seemed perfect for that new ultimate Taijutsu he'd been developing, didn't it?

Namikaze Minato furrowed his brow slightly, apparently not expecting the internal conflicts within the village to be so fierce, a hint of dissatisfaction stirring in his heart.

Uchiha Yayoi adopted an air of complete detachment, head down as she counted the pebbles on the ground, her pale toes peeking out from her sandals wiggling one after another, her thoughts a mystery.

Sahara Mizu, however, wore a very subtle expression as he looked toward Pot Kage Danzō, who stood at the very back of the group.

Of everyone here, only he knew

that this time, it really wasn't Danzō's doing.

But as a professional in dirty work, the village's biggest black pot contractor, and the head of Root—which ran Konoha's CIA, handling all external intelligence gathering, spy placement, and outpost development, yet whose funding was tightly choked by the Hokage—he was the high-ranking official most likely to have contact with foreign ninja.

At this moment, Shimura Danzō had to step up and say something.

"Foolish!"

He glared coldly at Tsunade with his single eye, as if the suspicious gazes around him stung him deeply, and barked loudly: "Tsunade! As a jonin of Konoha, you actually believe an enemy's provocation? Utterly idiotic!"

"Moreover, can your one-sided claim prove that the Third Raikage ever said those words?"

"What do you take Konoha's verification procedures for?!"

Just as he got that far, a young man at the doorway suddenly stepped forward and declared loudly:

"Report to Lord Third Hokage."

"When the Third Raikage said those words, I had just arrived at the scene."

"At that time, Lord Tsunade had already lost her combat capability and any chance of escape, and was about to be captured. It's highly likely the enemy accidentally leaked that information."

Tsunade froze at this, instinctively turning to look at the young man behind her.

Everyone in the Hatake Squad also stared at him in shock.

When Tsunade realized it was Sahara Mizu who had spoken, her gaze turned a bit more complicated.

That feeling of arguing your case alone, isolated and unsupported, only to suddenly receive someone else's backing—it was always especially reassuring.

But the impression Sahara Mizu had left on her before was, frankly, a mixed bag.

Even Tsunade herself found it hard to articulate her current feelings.

Probably... relief?

'This little brat.'

Sahara Mizu's purpose for stepping forward was far more complex.

Given his undercover identity, he had been on the opposite side of Danzō from the very beginning, only he had been in the shadows before, unknown to Danzō.

But now, having shown his strength in the battle against the Raikage, if he didn't immediately find himself a solid enough patron, being forcibly recruited by Danzō in the future was almost inevitable.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Clearly.

That fragrant, soft, and fair thigh of Tsunade's suited him just fine.

To deliver charcoal in a snowstorm and timely latch onto that thigh, Sahara Mizu had to take on the risk of 'possibly making an enemy of Danzō,' firmly pinning the black pot of colluding with foreign enemies on Danzō's head.

Thinking three steps ahead for every one taken was a spy's required course.

But at this moment, the Konoha F4 hadn't yet caught on to his little scheme, and once again turned their gazes in unison toward Danzō.

Shimura Danzō was clearly starting to turn red with anger, and snapped:

"Do you think I'm that kind of man?"

"Such things as trading intelligence, colluding with enemy ninja, betraying the village to foreigners, plotting against elites, and taking bribes—"

Mid-sentence, Shimura Danzō suddenly noticed that Sarutobi Hiruzen was holding a little notebook, scribbling something down as he listened, and his voice faltered.

"Hiruzen, what are you writing?"

"Nothing, go on." Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, signaling him to continue.

Shimura Danzō's single eye went wide, and his voice shot up another octave:

"Even you don't believe me!?"

"Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha!"

After that outburst, he immediately launched into a litany like reciting a tightening spell, going on about 'you are the Konoha basking in sunlight, while I am the root buried in darkness,' 'every last cent I earned was spent not on myself but on Konoha's funds,' 'if you hadn't stolen my chance before I raised my hand back then, I would be Hokage now,' 'the old man was sharp his whole life, but he made a mistake the day he chose the Hokage'—a bunch of rambling nonsense no one could follow.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's head throbbed from listening, and he nearly covered his ears on the spot.

Just as these two old fossils were about to veer off into 'I saved your life thirty years ago,'

Tsunade finally snapped: "(Konoha profanity*), enough!"

"I don't have time to listen to you ramble on about these old stories."

She raised her hand without ceremony, pointed at Shimura Danzō's nose, and looked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, her voice cold: "Old man! For what happened today, the Senju Clan demands an explanation, and all of Konoha demands one too!"

"I don't care how you handle it in the end, but the fallen heroes need to know whose hands they died by."

"."

Silence fell over the room once more.

The moment Tsunade brought out the name 'Senju Clan,' this matter was no longer a question of Hokage versus ninja, superior versus subordinate—it had escalated to a founding clan interrogating a Hokage.

Everyone understood that this couldn't end peacefully.

After a long silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and finally said:

"Tsunade."

"This matter—I will give you, and Dan and the others, an answer."

"."

Tsunade gave him one last look, turned around, and walked past Sakumo's Team, heading straight out the door.

But just before leaving, her gaze crossed paths with Sahara Mizu's and lingered for a moment.

Behind the desk, the Konoha F4 exchanged glances, but no one spoke first.

"Lord Third."

It was Hatake Sakumo who stepped forward first, asking: "Could we first settle the mission report for our team?"

"Ah, oh!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, his expression heavy, snapped back to reality, a warm elder's smile returning to his face:

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

It wasn't until a good while later, after the entire mission process had been reported, that Sakumo's Team finally walked out of the Hokage's Office with its gaping hole.

Hatake Sakumo, walking in front, turned his head to look at Sahara Mizu, who seemed completely unbothered. He sighed helplessly and patted his shoulder, warning:

"Mizu, don't be so impulsive next time."

"Those matters aren't for small fries like us to get involved in."

He had noticed earlier.

When he was reporting the mission, that bastard Shimura Danzō had been staring straight at him and the subordinate behind him, like he was looking at dead men.

Clearly, he had already written their names down in his little book.

But Sahara Mizu showed no fear, saying bluntly: "Even if those details didn't come out of my mouth, Lord Sakumo would have written them in the mission report."

"Rather than letting certain people hold a grudge against only Lord Sakumo, it's better to spread the hatred around a bit."

"Compared to facing it alone, if Lord Tsunade, Lord Sakumo, and I are tied together, it'll make them think twice, won't it?"

When Sahara Mizu said this, there was no fear in his voice. Instead, he grinned and looked up at Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo was stunned.

Clearly, this kid had already thought through the consequences of speaking up back then, and knew what it meant.

But to keep him from facing the danger alone, he had still spoken out without hesitation.

That meant it wasn't recklessness—it was courage.

"You little brat."

Looking at his grinning face, Hatake Sakumo suddenly felt a pang in his heart, wondering why the village had come to a point where kids had to think about things like this.

Namikaze Minato listened quietly to the exchange, his thoughts growing more and more tangled.

So this is what it means to think like a Hokage?

"Let's go!"

Hatake Sakumo suddenly raised his hand and ruffled Sahara Mizu's hair hard, laughing: "Even though it was a village-issued mission, the reward for this round is a full five hundred thousand ryō—everyone gets a share!"

"Awesome!"

As they spoke, the group walked out of the Hokage Building.

But just as they stepped outside, they saw Tsunade, who had left earlier, leaning against the entrance, clearly waiting for them.

Everyone was taken aback.

"Hey, you little brat."

Tsunade crossed her arms, her heavy chest propped up by her arms, looking even more imposing than before. Her tone, however, was far from polite as she called out to them, her eyes fixed squarely on Sahara Mizu in the crowd:

"Come with me!"

Thanks to reader Jiaoyanyu for the tip!

Thanks to readers 20210725173827439, Ulisse, and 20220415174606872 for the monthly tickets!

Keep those tickets and follows coming—more is always welcome!

Next chapter still at 23:55.

Ciallo~(∠▽<)⌒☆