Pressuring Him to Marry

"Young Master Bai Yue, Lord Jinren requests your presence." Bai Yue, who had been intently sparring with Hyuga Bun, was suddenly interrupted by a deep voice.

"All right. Thanks for your trouble, Uncle Goruryu." Bai Yue stepped back to pause the match, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "I'll head over right away."

"Uncle Goruryu, what does Grandpa want with me?" Bai Yue asked about the situation as they walked.

"I'm not sure of the specifics, but it should be good news," Hyuga Goruryu said gently.

"Then I'll have something to look forward to." Bai Yue feigned surprise.

It was most likely about Minato Namikaze succeeding as the Fourth Hokage. After all, Orochimaru had committed an unforgivable crime and ultimately defected.

The fierce battle over the Hokage's successor had instantly come to an end.

As for the accompanying candidates, Fugaku Uchiha and Danzō Shimura?!

With the Uchiha Clan's arrogant nature, they could never win the support of commoner ninja, much less the vast majority of ninja clans.

And Danzō Shimura?

That guy's chances of inheriting the Hokage position were even lower than Fugaku Uchiha's!

This Old Man had always acted in dark, underhanded ways and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He secretly cultivated the Root organization. That nonsense about being a hero in the darkness could only fool hot-blooded commoners who knew nothing.

His use of cruel methods such as human experimentation, and his secret schemes against ninja from the same village—every one of those bastardly deeds was more or less known by the major ninja clans. The only ones who might support him were probably those pitiful Root members who had been brainwashed, along with his relatives.

Moreover, this old bastard had always pulled strings from behind the scenes and had never made any notable contributions to the village in public. That alone was enough to eliminate him from contention for the Hokage position.

He lacked the necessary prestige, achievements, and popular support. His methods were cold, cruel, and deranged, and he was about the same age as the Third Hokage. No matter how one looked at it, this Old Man did not meet the requirements to become Hokage.

Come to think of it, Bai Yue found it rather funny. This old bastard had secretly built up his own reputation and forcibly shoved himself into the pool of Hokage candidates.

Yet a whole bunch of young people did not even know who he was. It was hilarious.

It could be said that he had no ability, no strength, no reputation—he had nothing at all! Unless every famous ninja in Konoha died out, Danzo would never get a turn.

Even if they all died, this Old Man would still have to pull some tricks, because he could never convince the masses!

At that thought, Bai Yue could not help laughing aloud.

???

Hyuga Goruryu, who was leading the way, froze. "Has Young Master received the news?"

"I can roughly guess a little." Bai Yue composed himself after mocking Danzo and smiled. "With Orochimaru's defection, Teacher Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage should be a sure thing, right?"

"Indeed. Lord Minato Namikaze is outstanding in strength, ability, and even character," Hyuga Goruryu replied.

Of course. He was Konoha's succubus, after all!

As they spoke, Bai Yue arrived at the Central Hall.

Old Master's smile was so wide that he could not suppress it at all.

"Grandpa, you called for me?!"

"Bai Yue, go visit your teacher tomorrow morning and properly congratulate him." Hyuga Jinren had been riding high lately.

His own great-grandson was still studying Sealing Jutsu, but he had finally begun learning the Hyuga Clan's signature Taijutsu.

And his own great-grandson's teacher was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha!

If his good grandson could keep up his current drive and diligence, perhaps he might even become the Fifth Hokage in the future!

Bai Yue had no idea that his Old Master had actually developed the thought, My grandson has the makings of a Hokage.

If he knew, he would definitely scoff at it.

If Danzo ranked behind dogs, then every member of the Hyuga Clan, whether from the Main Family or Branch Family, would have to rank behind Danzo.

There was no need to mention the Branch Family. The Caged Bird Curse Mark alone ruled them out. No one would accept a Hokage whose life rested in someone else's hands.

The Main Family was even less worth mentioning. Their reputation was far too terrible, and their clan consciousness was excessively strong.

"All right, Grandpa. I'll have Aunt Hanako prepare a gift for me now." Bai Yue agreed without hesitation.

"There's no need to worry about gifts. Grandpa has already prepared them for you. Take a look and see whether anything needs to be added." He casually pulled out a list and tossed it to Bai Yue.

The deeds to six shops, banknotes worth thirty million Ryo, and some ninja notes, such as Wind Release Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation...

The gifts were plentiful. As expected of the Hyuga Clan—they were truly generous!

But there was no need for that. With Minato Namikaze's personality, giving him money was not really appropriate.

"Grandpa, forget the money. As for those six shops... forget it, leave them all in. But add two more things to the Gift List." He had originally wanted to cross out the money and similar items, but after thinking it over, he decided against it.

"What should we add?" Hyuga Jinren was intrigued. One could criticize the Hyuga Clan for many things, but there was one thing beyond reproach: their etiquette, passed down for a thousand years.

Therefore, Hyuga Jinren felt that this Gift List was already perfect. Rather than asking Bai Yue for his opinion, he had really only been letting him look at it.

"Teacher and Master's Wife should be getting married soon too. Give them two Love Knots to urge them along." Bai Yue smiled cheerfully.

"Good! Our Hyuga Clan will fully cover every expense for this wedding." Hyuga Jinren's eyes lit up. He felt that his own great-grandson's suggestion was simply perfect.

"That won't be necessary. I don't think Teacher Minato will hold a grand ceremony. He'll probably only have a small, low-key wedding, at most inviting close friends and acquaintances to a meal."

"Hmm, that's true. Minato Namikaze is a very pure person. But whether it is grand or simple, it makes no difference!" Hyuga Jinren practically radiated the aura of a wealthy tycoon.

"Goruryu."

"Elder!"

"Go to Enmusubi Shrine and obtain two Love Knots."

"Yes!" The moment he finished speaking, Hyuga Goruryu vanished from the spot.

Bai Yue continued studying the Gift List.

Watching his own great-grandson, Hyuga Jinren was incomparably satisfied!

Hardworking and clever! What a good child!

Hika, your child—my grandson—is truly exceptional!

The next day—

Bai Yue arrived at the Central Hall in high spirits.

A large Gift Box sat on the table in the Central Hall.

"Grandpa, I'm leaving!" Bai Yue picked up the Gift Box, called out a greeting, and set off.

"Mm."

The trip went smoothly.

Today, Bai Yue did not run into Might Guy, who seemed to randomly spawn in every corner of Konoha, nor did he even see a single acquaintance.

He arrived at Minato Namikaze's doorstep without anything unusual happening.

Knock, knock, knock!

The person who opened the door came as quite a surprise to Bai Yue. He did not recognize her at all!

???

Bai Yue froze, then looked around! Damn it, this was definitely the right place!

Who was this woman? Why was she in Minato Namikaze's house? Had Minato Namikaze and Kushina moved?!