Conversation, Awkwardness

After what seemed like an ordinary dinner, Shuichi's relationship with the Yūhi family underwent a fundamental change; their interactions and conversations could now be considered those of a family.

In the backyard, Yūhi Shinkō and Shuichi sat side by side. As top Jonin of the village, they inevitably discussed important matters concerning Konoha when they got together.

"Several years have passed since the end of the great war, and judging from the current situation, the villages are inclined to engage in covert confrontations without open conflict," said Yūhi Shinkō, her expression slightly more serious.

"The number of high-level missions accepted by the Jonin has dropped significantly, which is a good thing for everyone."

Shuichi knew what the villagers were thinking. He had earned his promotion and exchanged the Ninjutsu he needed through merit during the Third Shinobi War. After becoming Jonin, there was no room for further advancement. Naturally, they hoped that this relatively peaceful environment would continue.

Shuichi himself had seen through this, so he clearly held back in the war against the Land of Lightning. Human nature is selfish, and even ninjas are no exception.

He's incredibly strong, so he can act recklessly without consequence. But if the two countries go to war, even if they win easily, many people will die. At that point, there will definitely be people in the village who secretly resent him.

There was nothing he could do; he was the one who stepped forward to stop the Hyuga Clan, and it was inevitable for ordinary ninjas to tend to protect themselves.

Therefore, in response to his future father-in-law's words, he replied noncommittally, "Is that so... peace is indeed hard-won."

After chatting for a while, Yūhi Shinkō became slightly serious and carefully considered her tone, "You are now the pillar of the village, and the Third Lord is not young anymore. Not long ago, some friends from smaller clans came to me and talked about possible candidates for the next Hokage..."

Shuichi chuckled to himself. He had indeed heard some rumors about this. No wonder so many people had been giving him strange looks lately. To put it bluntly, they wanted to join him as his underlings in advance so they could reap the benefits once the new Hokage took over.

This idea was mainly held by small and medium-sized clans and Civilian Ninja. Large Ninja Clan with high status in the village did not need to think this way, unlike small clans with few members who were in danger of extinction in the chaos of war.

The others were unaware of the intentions of Konoha High Command. Before the war with the Land of Lightning, those qualified to become the next Hokage included the Sannin and the aging Shuichi.

Because of what happened during the election of the Fourth Hokage, the qualification for the Fifth Hokage will most likely be a contest between two factions: Jiraiya vs. Orochimaru, or Jiraiya vs. Shuichi. Tsunade, being the only one left, is not competitive enough.

Even if Shuichi is the most outstanding and has the brightest future, it is not easy for him to become Hokage because he was implicated by Orochimaru joining Root. Outsiders assume that he is more inclined to Danzo's side of the martial faction, but the peace faction within the village that favors the Third Hokage is much stronger.

If the Third Hokage had supported Jiraiya's rise to power during the years following the Fourth Hokage's death, Hideyoshi would likely have been stuck behind him for the Shuichi one or two decades. After all, Jiraiya, in his early forties, was in his prime and wouldn't have stepped down unless he made a major mistake.

However, a few years after the Third Shinobi War, the Sannin almost disappeared from everyone's sight. Jiraiya traveled around the Shinobi World Jiraiya never returned. At this time, Konoha first clashed with the Land of Earth and then had a head-on confrontation with the Land of Lightning, which allowed Shuichi's invincible power to be fully displayed.

Because he held back during his battle with the Cloud to avoid a potential large-scale conflict, the pacifist ninjas couldn't find any fault with him, and this approach was more in line with the wishes of the majority.

By now, although the Jonin were unaware that the Third Hokage had already secretly begun his actions, their hearts were completely tipped in favor of Shuichi. Anyone with a brain could see the trend; what reason could there be to refuse the most outstanding ninja becoming Hokage?

"You don't need to test me anymore. The Third Hokage did tell me." Shuichi showed no excitement about becoming the next Hokage. "I want to have more leisure time. Hokage is less appealing than spending time with Kurenai. You can figure out how to handle these things."

Yūhi Shinkō was somewhat amused and exasperated; her daughter's charm actually surpassed that of the Hokage?

However, he quickly realized that as the only Hokage candidate and still so young, the allegiance of those small clans would be of no use to Shuichi; in fact, it would be a difficult task for him to take over.

"I see!"

Yūhi Shinkō smiled and replied, knowing that her small clan might benefit from this in the future, but she felt mostly gratified. Her gaze towards Shuichi held a longing for her deceased old friend. "Kenta, I never imagined your son would become Hokage. You must be so proud of him..."

In mid-February, due to the heavy snowfall earlier in the year, the sky over the Land of Fire, which was about to enter spring, was exceptionally clear, with stars twinkling in the night sky, bringing a good mood to the people walking on the streets of Konoha. Many people stopped in groups to admire the beautiful scenery.

Ishikawa Tatsuki stood there dejectedly, his face bearing an unusually deadpan expression, because he had become a heartbroken person. His two-timing technique, which he had learned from Shuichi, had gone awry!

Just yesterday, the Medical Ninja girl he had been pursuing for months waited for him at his doorstep, wanting to invite him to go out together that night.

Unfortunately, Saori, who works at the sushi restaurant, happened to be accompanying Mrs. Ishikawa home, and the two women clashed like fire and the situation completely exploded.

Ishikawa Tatsuki almost got beaten to death by his mother that night, not to mention the two girls; it was a miracle they didn't spit a single spit in his face.

"Why did this happen?" Ishikawa Tatsuki was still in a daze. "I've studied time management techniques, how could they have met by such a coincidence?"

"Tatsuki, we're here!"

He didn't have to wait long before a lively shout came from the street corner. The newcomer was wearing the same green bodysuit he never wore before, and his face under his watermelon-shaped haircut was full of excitement. It was Might Guy, who called himself the Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf.

Beside him, as usual, were his dead-eyed master Kakashi and Shisui, who had grown considerably taller. Seeing the gazes of the surrounding villagers, he wanted to pretend he didn't recognize this guy.

"Why did you decide to invite us to dinner today? And where's Shuichi?" Kakashi asked expressionlessly as he approached.

"Ugh, don't even mention it! I'm in a bad mood, I just want to get completely drunk," Ishikawa Tatsuki sighed. "I went to look for Shuichi, but he wasn't home. I don't remember having any missions lately, so I don't know where he went."

After the four of them arrived, they began walking towards the center of the village. The streets were bustling with people, but the further they walked, the more uneasy they felt. Why were the people around them looking at them with such strange eyes?

"What's going on?" Ishikawa Tatsuki asked in surprise, "Is there anything special about today? It seems like most people are in mixed-gender groups."

"I think I know why..." After a moment of silence, Shizuku, her face slightly Shisui, said softly, "Today seems to be Valentine's Day, so there are a lot of couples on the street."

"Valentine's Day?"

"That's right, this festival only started in the last two years, I don't know where it came from," Shisui explained somewhat awkwardly.

Yesterday, he was first invited to go with a female clansman, and then many female classmates from the Ninja Academy also came to his door, which left him puzzled.

Something unusual is bound to happen. Shuichi often says that geniuses are easily targeted. He considers himself a genius to some extent, so he went out of his way to gather information, only to discover that those girls actually wanted to...

Ishikawa Tatsuki, Kakashi, and Might Guy exchanged bewildered glances. No wonder they were being stared at like that. Everyone else was in couples, while they were three grown men and a boy, plus Might Guy dressed like that. It was hard not to wonder if these guys had some kind of unusual taste.

Under the watchful eyes of those sitting on pins and needles, the four of them could only unconsciously quicken their pace, hoping to find a shop to sit down as soon as possible.

Suddenly, the crowded people in front slowly parted, and when Ishikawa Tatsuki and the others looked over, their mouths dropped open. Kakashi's Sharingan couldn't help but spin around a few times.

A couple who looked like a match made in heaven walked towards us hand in hand. They were wearing exquisite matching outfits, and their scarves were tied in the same knot. Their impeccable looks and temperament made other couples pale in comparison.

Ishikawa Tatsuki exclaimed in disbelief, "Shuichi, Kurenai, you guys...!"