Eating Noodles

Yichen ate a few bites of noodles, then suddenly said to the Cloud Ninja Representative sitting on the second floor, "Hey you, you're from the Cloud ninja, right?"

"Is the Fifth Raikage, Darui, alright? He succeeded to the position of Raikage, and we Iwa ninja didn't even offer him a gift, which is really inappropriate."

"I'll stay here and congratulate him. Go back and pass on a message for me."

The Cloud ninja envoy remained silent, but his fists were clenched tightly.

In the Ninja World, becoming the Kage of a village is usually not something to celebrate, because it is often accompanied by the death of the previous Kage.

Yichen, however, had no intention of letting him off easily. Instead, he continued, "Alas, the Fourth Raikage died a tragic death. Thinking back, I even collaborated with him many times back then."

"But it's better that he's dead. With his explosive temper, if he were still alive, the Ninja World would have to fight at least two more major wars."

"I remember it was right here, in Konoha, that your Cloud ninja delegation attacked the Hyuga Clan and kidnapped Hyuga Clan, the young lady of the Hinata Hyuga clan."

"We also need to use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send her Byakugan back to the village."

"Later, it was thanks to me that I realized your actions would destroy the peace that the Ninja World had worked so hard to achieve."

"So they secretly moved the base of the Heavenly Transfer Technique."

"Later, our Iwagakure's Space-Time Ninjutsu was developed based on your Heavenly Transfer Technique."

"To be honest, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been able to properly thank the Fourth Raikage all these years."

"I never imagined that we would be separated by Yin and Yang halves so suddenly. It's truly a case of heaven being jealous of talent."

The Cloud Ninja Representative furious; their Fourth Raikage was clearly killed by Yichen Light Release.

Now Yichen is feigning compassion, telling him that he didn't send a congratulatory gift for the Fifth Raikage's ascension to the throne, and didn't thank the Fourth Raikage.

Yichen was clearly provoking the Cloud ninja.

However, due to the power of the Iwa ninja and Yichen's strength, he could only dare to be angry but not speak out.

The Cloud ninja envoy suddenly stood up and said, "So it was you," upon hearing the name of the Heavenly Transfer Technique's base.

Then, realizing something, he slowly sat down, looking at the still empty arena without saying a word.

The Cloud ninja were initially puzzled as to why the plan was so meticulous. In the end, however, there was no reaction from the other side of the Heavenly Transfer Technique.

The truth has now come out: it was Yichen who was behind it all.

Kakashi was also speechless. He had met Yichen at Ichiraku Ramen before and knew that Yichen was going to cause trouble, but he didn't expect that Yichen would actually cause so much trouble.

The Hyuga Clan member standing behind Kakashi visibly swayed.

Yichen slurped up a few more mouthfuls of noodles, and seeing that Cloud ninja had no reaction, he knew that this guy wasn't short-tempered, so he let him go.

A while later, when Yichen finished his first bowl of noodles, Baki, the leader of Sunagakure, arrived. No one escorted him; he walked up by himself.

When he saw that Yichen had arrived first, he was a little surprised. He had originally thought that Yichen would put on airs, arrive right on time, or simply be late and make everyone wait for him.

Unexpectedly, Yichen not only didn't put on airs, but also ate three large bowls of noodles like crazy.

Yichen also saw Baki, waved to him first, and after swallowing the noodles in his mouth, he said loudly, "Oh, it's Baki! Want some ramen?"

"It was the Hokage who invited me to Ichiraku Ramen, Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha. You have to wait in a very long line to get a table there."

Baki froze for a moment, then glanced at the expressionless Kakashi and said, "No need, I'm not hungry."

Yichen sighed, "I'm not hungry either. It's mainly because it's delicious, famous, and there's no need to queue."

"Really not going to eat? This is a rare opportunity. If Konoha is destroyed one day, we might never get to eat this again."

Kakashi:...

"Let's give Chief Baki a bowl too." Kakashi didn't want Yichen to keep rambling on, so he made the decision for Baki.

No sooner had Kakashi finished speaking than a sinister voice immediately chimed in, "Hokage, give me a bowl too."

Yichen looked towards the source of the sound and saw Orochimaru walking out of the stands.

Yichen wasn't surprised by Orochimaru's arrival; what surprised him was that Orochimaru had come up, but Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't followed.

Only a few Konoha Anbu guided Orochimaru up here. Konoha is really bold!

However, Yichen quickly came to terms with it, because he noticed something amiss with one of the Konoha Anbu.

That Yin Release —it was undoubtedly Itachi Uchiha.

Yichen then turned his gaze to the two people behind Orochimaru. One of them was wearing glasses and looked very refined; he was none other than the multifaceted Kabuto Yakushi.

The other person was completely covered up, with not a single inch of skin showing.

Yichen sensed the other party's identity with his using Mind's Eye and immediately knew it was a White Zetsu clone.

Yichen carefully sensed the White Zetsu clone and, after confirming that there was no Black Zetsu attached to it, ignored it.

At this moment, Yichen pondered in his heart: Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi have both come to Konoha, so Jugo Kimimaro Kaguya and Jugo Amagi?

Kimimaro Kaguya was a key figure in Orochimaru's Yin-Yang Fusion and was indispensable, yet Orochimaru didn't bring him along.

Were they moved to a safe place, or are they still near Konoha? Yichen wasn't sure.

Yichen chuckled and said, "Orochimaru, you're actually wearing the Snake Pit Village Forehead Protector today?"

"I remember you used to wear Konoha Rogue Ninja Forehead Protector!"

Kakashi gritted his teeth, pretending not to hear, and turned slightly to the person behind him, saying, "Give Orochimaru a bowl of ramen too."

Orochimaru chuckled, "Among the people the Tsuchikage brought, there must be some who, like me, left Konoha."

"Are they wearing Konoha Rogue Ninja Forehead Protector?"

Yichen nodded very calmly and said, "That's right, the Squad Leader Jonin our Iwa ninja team and two of its members were all people I brought from Konoha."

"There's something interesting going on in Konoha today, so I brought them back to see."

"However, they are not Konoha Rogue Ninja; the Hokage did not list them as missing-nin."

At this point, Yichen sensed that the Byakugan guard behind Kakashi stiffened noticeably again.

At the same time, Orochimaru glanced at the man with a malicious look.

Yichen's heart skipped a beat. Could this person be Hyuga Hiashi? The Chakra of the Hyuga Clan is all about the same, and Yichen couldn't tell the difference just by using his Mind's Eye.

If the opponent makes a move, it's still possible to judge their strength based on their momentum.

But now this member of the Hyuga Clan is clearly deliberately concealing his aura, and Yichen is unable to determine his identity through the mask.

Kakashi, however, paid no attention to Hyuga Hiashi, and instead focused his gaze on the four Iwa ninja in the contestant area.

As a ninja who became Kage Level ninja under Yichen's guidance, Kakashi still cares a lot about Yichen's judgment. Therefore, he is very concerned about the words "take away from Konoha" that Yichen said.

The fact that Yichen took a liking to that person and took him away shows that he has extraordinary talent in at least some aspect.

He recognized him Sokai; even though Neji Hyuga was wearing goggles, he recognized him nonetheless.

However, he didn't recognize Sakura and Shion.

Kakashi was analyzing in his mind which of the two girls was actually taken away from Konoha by Yichen, and what that person's identity was.

Kakashi only watched for a short while before he had a guess in his mind.

He quickly ruled out Shion, because Shion every move inadvertently revealed that she had received very professional etiquette training.

This princess-like demeanor couldn't have been taught by the Iwagakure; you can tell just by looking at Yichen, who's eating noodles with no regard for his image.

This indicates that Shion's identity is definitely extraordinary.

Apart from the Hyuga Clan, no other clan in Konoha has such high requirements for etiquette.

"Then it's another one. Red hair, but the red is pink, not from the Uzumaki Clan." Kakashi thought for a moment, but still couldn't figure out Sakura's identity.

"It's a pity that Yichen has already abducted her from Konoha. Otherwise, if that little girl became my disciple, I would definitely teach her well."

Just as Kakashi was thinking that if Sakura were his disciple, he would definitely teach her everything he knew, Kisame also came up under the guidance of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He sat down to Kakashi's left.

His two bodyguards, also wearing masks, stood silently behind him.

Yichen swallowed the noodles in his mouth, coughed twice, and then waved to Kisame on the other side, saying, "Mizukage, over here, over here."

When Kisame turned his gaze to him, Yichen said again, "Long time no see, Mizukage. I brought you a gift this time."

Kisame was more at ease with Yichen than Kakashi. He grinned and said, "I wonder what the Tsuchikage is talking about as a gift?"

Yichen took out a Sealing Scroll from his Ninja Tool Bag and then broke the seal.

With a thud, a knife and a hammer appeared on the spot, connected by a rope.

It was Kabutowari, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure.

Kisame's eyes flashed, and his smile widened. He asked, "Is the Tsuchikage offering this to me, or is it a trade?"

Yichen laughed and said, "Calling it a transaction is too formal. What kind of relationship do we have?"

"Back then, you were just an ordinary Elite Jonin under the command of Suikazan Fuguki."

"We've known each other and become friends since then."

"Through countless trials and tribulations in the Ninja World since then, your Mist ninja have always refused the offers of Konoha, Cloud ninja, and Sunagakure, firmly standing on the side of our Iwa ninja."

"It is because of your perseverance as the Mizukage that our Iwagakure has achieved its current glory."

"Otherwise, if the four of you Teuchi us, our Iwagakure would have been crushed long ago, just like Konoha was before."

"We're all on the same side, talking about a deal would be too formal."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi had subtle expressions, the Cloud Ninja Representative kept his head down and remained silent, while Orochimaru listened to the story with a smile.

Only Baki clenched his fists, his face grim.

Yichen's words struck a chord with the Sunagakure ninja, who were originally evenly matched with the Cloud ninja Village Sunagakure, Konoha, and Iwa ninja.

If the Mist ninja moves towards them, the Iwa ninja will not be able to weaken the Sunagakure and Cloud ninja repeatedly.

Even earlier, without the help of the Mist ninja, the Iwa ninja clan would not have been as strong as the three clans working together.

However, the Mist ninja chose to ally with the Iwa ninja, determined to watch Iwa ninja stronger.

It has long been rumored that the reason why Mist ninja leaned towards Iwa ninja was because the Fifth Mizukage Kisame and the Fourth Tsuchikage Yichen had a special relationship.

Therefore, Yichen's words had a significant impact on the Sunagakure.

Kisame, however, didn't care at all. Although he had his reasons for choosing to ally with the Iwa ninja.

However, maintaining the alliance and siding with the Iwa ninja was at the suggestion of the Genji.

He simply smiled and asked, "What does the Tsuchikage mean?"

While eating his noodles, Yichen mumbled, "We call this exchanging gifts."

Kisame didn't care about the difference between the two, and instead asked, "So, what gift does the Tsuchikage want me to give you?"

Yichen laughed and said, "I heard that the Mist ninja obtained a batch of special masks from the Uzumaki Clan. I think it would be nice for the Mizukage to give ten masks as a gift."

Kisame was somewhat confused and asked, "What Uzumaki Clan mask?"

Kakashi's face darkened; he knew Yichen was setting a trap for him again.

Sure enough, Yichen swallowed a piece of seafood, sighed, and said regretfully, "Ah? So the Mist ninja don't have any? But it's alright, the Mist ninja have many allies, we can ask your allies."

The Cloud Ninja Representative sitting next to Baki pondered for a moment, "A mask from the Uzumaki Clan? What's the use of that? I've never heard of the village having one."

Could it be that Konoha has it?

The Cloud ninja Envoy had thought of it, Kisame naturally had too, but he didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze to the arena.

At this moment, Kakashi could no longer remain silent. Kisame had claimed to be there to watch the match, but in reality, he had come to help Konoha.

If Konoha can't even do something as simple as helping the other side retrieve their Ninja Blade, what will Kisame think?

Yichen clearly chose this moment to propose exchanging gifts.

Konoha must produce these ten masks.

What's most infuriating is that Kakashi wouldn't even be suitable to negotiate in this situation.

Kakashi then said, "We obtained a few Uzumaki Clan masks when Konoha adopted an orphan of the Uzumaki Clan. Since the Mizukage needs them, I'll have someone fetch them."

As Kakashi spoke, he glanced at Kisame, who had brought Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to go and get it himself.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew the purpose of those masks, so he felt a pang of regret.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi, Yichen feigned surprise and said, "Hokage, Konoha also took in members of the Uzumaki Clan? Our Iwagakure also took in some."

"It's a pity I didn't bring anyone with me this time, otherwise I could have let them get to know each other as relatives. It would have also helped to strengthen our relationship."

"Let them talk about how they've been doing in Konoha and Iwagakure these past few years."

"I wonder if the Hokage could allow the other party to come out and meet us?"

Kakashi:...

Kakashi took a deep breath, telling himself that too much talk leads to mistakes, and he mustn't say too much to Yichen later.

But since Yichen had already brought up the topic, he couldn't refuse, so he said, "I'm sorry, that senior has already sacrificed himself for the village."

"Really?" Yichen said, half surprised and half regretful. "That's such a pity."

"Hokage, this is where you went wrong. The Uzumaki Clan was once your ally, how could you treat them like cannon fodder?"

"In our Iwagakure, everyone treats the Uzumaki Clan as family. I have a disciple who is from the Uzumaki Clan."

"This little girl is lively and energetic, and she loves using Multiple Shadow Clones in battle. She has so much energy; I was hoping to find her a companion."

Kakashi kept his mouth tightly shut, refusing to respond. He felt that no matter what he said, Yichen would only bring shame to Konoha.

Seeing this, Yichen seemed to find it boring and stopped teasing Kakashi, instead looking at Kisame again.

Yichen said, "Mizukage, before you came, I was talking to the Cloud ninja about stealing the Byakugan."

"Although they killed many Hyuga Clan ninjas and even forced Hizashi Hyuga of the Hyuga Branch Family Main Family to die in place of the main family, they ultimately failed."

"Your Kirigakure was successful, and you were the first to succeed. Tell us what happened."

Kisame laughed, "I'm sorry to disappoint the Tsuchikage, but I was just an ordinary ninja at the time and knew nothing about this."

Yichen sighed and said, "We also obtained a Byakugan, probably from the former head of the Hyuga Clan, just like you."

"But I wasn't the Tsuchikage back then, so I don't know the specifics."

Kakashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi looked grim, and Hyuga Hiashi behind Kakashi had bulging veins and was breathing heavily.

Yichen ignored Hyuga Hiashi; Neji would be on stage Neji, giving him plenty of opportunities to tease him.

Yichen continued speaking to Kisame, "Mizukage, I left in a hurry back then. I left as soon as you Mizukage, and there were some things I didn't get to tell you in detail."

"Let me take this opportunity to explain it to you in detail."

Kakashi frowned; he was certain that Yichen couldn't possibly say anything nice.

Sure enough, before he could interrupt, Yichen continued, "Although the Mizukage has successfully taken office, I've heard that the power of Kirigakure is still firmly held by the Genji."

"I'll teach you how to fight these old guys."

"It's actually very simple. Doesn't he love power? Just dump everything on him. If he does a good job, it's because you trust him, so the credit naturally goes to you, the Mizukage."

"But if he doesn't do a good job, then it's his fault, and you can use swift and decisive measures, under the guise of righteousness, to kill him directly."

"The Seventh Hokage, though about the same age as you, did this very well."

"Everyone knows that the Seventh Hokage was a puppet who was put to power by the Hyuga, Nara, and other ninja clans."

"But it hasn't been that long, and I've heard that all those ninja clans are already gone."

"I think the Mizukage could learn a lot from the Hokage."

Kakashi wanted to speak, but Yichen didn't stop. "Of course, if Genji hasn't made any mistakes, then you're just creating trouble for Genji and increasing his workload."

"He's an old codger with one foot in the grave; you'll work him to death in less than six months."

Kisame didn't hold it against Yichen; his mindset was very calm. He simply smiled and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

His tone was exactly the same as it was back then.

When Kakashi Kisame didn't respond to Yichen's words, he pretended not to have heard anything.

As for what the two Anbu- disguised figures behind him, Hyuga Hiashi and Shibi Aburame, thought, Kakashi didn't really care.

Seeing that his attempt to stir up trouble had failed again, Yichen could only continue eating his noodles with his head down. At this moment, Baki and Orochimaru also arrived.

Baki was somewhat embarrassed, unsure whether to eat or not. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was eating with great relish.

Upon seeing this, Yichen immediately asked, "Orochimaru, I wonder if the taste of Ichiraku Ramen has changed since you were still in Konoha?"

Orochimaru laughed, "When I left Konoha, there was no Ichiraku Ramen yet."

Upon hearing this, Yichen couldn't help but sigh, "Really? Things have truly changed; the world has turned upside down."

"Back when I first became the Tsuchikage, I thought I'd be fighting the Fourth Kazekage, the Fourth Hokage, the Fourth Raikage, and the Fourth Mizukage for decades."

"Unexpectedly, they all left first."

"Everyone here is already a fifth-generation leader! Oh, I almost forgot, Konoha has reached its seventh generation!"

No one responded to that.

Kakashi expressionless, thinking to himself: his teacher, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, died because Yichen lost a Seven-Tails in Konoha during the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

Otherwise, with Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze in Konoha, there would have been hope of dealing with the Nine-Tails, instead of Minato Namikaze having to sacrifice his life to seal it.

Baki's breathing quickened; if it weren't for Yichen and the others wiping out the Sunagakure's top-tier combatants...

Rasa wouldn't be easily killed by the Sasori of the Red Sands just because he was studying the Dragon Vein.

Kisame blinked. Since Karatachi Yagura was under Genjutsu control, his downfall was only a matter of time.

However, it was precisely because of Yichen's interference that Yuki Koru and others took the risk, causing Karatachi Yagura to live a shorter period of time.

Otherwise, Yuki Koru and the others would probably wait until Mei Terumi and Hozuki Mangetsu become Kage Level before making their move.

Needless to say, the Cloud Ninja Representative kept his head down, gripping the chair tightly with both hands, using all his strength to prevent himself from doing anything rash due to impulsiveness.

Their Fourth Raikage was the only one personally killed by Yichen.

Orochimaru chuckled softly, giving the Cloud Ninja Representative a deliberately mocking look.

He shared the same thought as Yichen: if Konoha were to cause trouble, that would be best, as neither of them would have to bear the infamy of starting a war.

Kabuto Yakushi, standing behind him, reached out and pushed up his glasses, finding it quite amusing, no less so than doing experiments with Lord Orochimaru.

Unfortunately Yichen and Orochimaru did not succeed in their plan, and the situation did not escalate.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very efficient; he returned just as Yichen finished his second bowl of noodles.

Then Yichen and Kisame engaged in a friendly gift-giving session.

Orochimaru, on the next level, listened to the commotion above and pondered the purpose of the Uzumaki Clan's mask.

This would allow Yichen to use up one of Konoha's opportunities for them.

Clearly, Yichen can only do this once. Even if he takes out another Ninja Blade, Konoha won't need to make any more sacrifices.

The third match officially began as Yichen ate his third bowl of noodles.

Kakashi originally wanted to be polite and wait for Yichen to finish his noodles, but Yichen was just too good at causing trouble.

Who knows if I'll lose my temper and rush up to hit him after he finishes his noodles?

Kakashi, not wanting to wait any longer, announced the start of the exam.

Under normal circumstances, with the three from Iwagakure, there are a total of thirty-six contestants, and they are expected to compete for three days.

However, Kakashi felt that things might change if he waited too long, so he had the arena divided into four sections for four matches to be held at once.

Because of the sudden addition of the Iwa ninja, the originally set order of the matches was no longer valid.

Kakashi wanted all the contestants to draw lots to determine the new order of the matches.