Kurenai Yuhi's Counterattack!

"Bang bang bang!"

"Hokage-sama, open the door! Don't hide inside and stay silent, I know you're in your office!"

"You had the guts to assign Kazeka to me, but you don't have the guts to open the door!"

An angry and irritable voice echoed through the entire corridor. The staff in the corridor exchanged glances.

Then, all their attention turned to the beautiful female ninja who was furiously smashing the Hokage's office door.

Kurenai Yuhi, a Konoha Jonin, possessed an extremely strong talent for genjutsu.

Her mission execution was outstanding, and her abilities and methods were in no way inferior to other male Jonin, with her overall capabilities ranking in the upper-middle tier.

Furthermore, she possessed feminine gentleness, always appearing as a kind, older sister figure to everyone.

Therefore, it was rare to see her in such an enraged state in the village.

In fact, it could be said that merely witnessing this scene was worth the price of admission for the staff working in the Konoha administrative building, who were very fond of gossip, even if it cost them their lives!

"Hmm, Kakashi, I think my previous decision was a bit rash.

Indeed, I should have given Kurenai Yuhi a heads-up beforehand..."

The Third Hokage, hunched in his office chair, unusually did not reprimand his subordinate for the disrespect. Instead, he didn't even dare to open the door:

"Kakashi, you and Kurenai Yuhi have quite a bit of history. You go and call her away.

As a Jonin, acting like this without any regard for face, what kind of conduct is that!"

"Hokage-sama, Kurenai Yuhi is still furious right now. If I go up there, I'll be killed..."

Kakashi maintained his usual dead-fish-eyed expression, but upon closer inspection, a hint of fear could be discerned in his eyes:

"A woman in anger is a more troublesome existence than a Tailed Beast. This kind of matter requires you to handle it personally!"

"Sigh..."

The Hokage wore a pained expression as he took a puff from his pipe, then resignedly snapped his fingers.

Kakashi melted into the shadows, and the previously tightly shut door was suddenly opened. Kurenai Yuhi, looking as if she were wreathed in flames, strode in!

"Hokage-sama, you replaced the original Shino Aburame with the troublesome Kazeka Hyuga. You must give me an explanation!"

"Sigh, Kurenai, don't let your temper get the better of you.

This swap was the product of the village's thorough consideration, meticulous research, and detailed planning.

You need to have a broader perspective and view this with a long-term vision..."

"Hokage-sama, don't try to fool me with such official rhetoric..."

Kurenai Yuhi gave the Hokage no face at all. With her fighting spirit soaring, she looked like a Valkyrie descended to earth:

"The original Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame were all ninjas skilled in detection.

Moreover, Shino Aburame's methods of controlling Kikaichū were even more versatile.

He was also steady and calm in his actions, far more mature than the other two. I was planning to train him as a captain.

Now you've replaced him with Kazeka Hyuga, how can this be!"

"Kazeka, like Hinata, also possesses the Byakugan, and his detection methods are not inferior.

And although Kazeka is a handful, his strategic mind is also top-notch..."

The Hokage sat upright in his office chair, completely unfazed by Kurenai Yuhi's insubordination:

"Training him as a captain would also be excellent..."

"But Kazeka and Hinata's abilities overlap, and Team 8's abilities won't be complementary!"

Kurenai Yuhi did not back down at all:

"A team with a single focus of ability will have significant flaws!"

"You just said Shino Aburame's methods were versatile, but Kazeka's methods are far more numerous than Shino's..."

The Third Hokage tried his best to appease Kurenai Yuhi:

"You don't need to worry about this aspect at all!"

"Fine, I can overlook other things, but Kazeka's personality is too terrible..."

Kurenai Yuhi seemed to be swayed by the Third Hokage, but then she immediately held her ground:

"His personality is lawless, he likes to experiment on his fellow villagers, and he'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

I'm worried that such a person will corrupt Hinata and Kiba..."

"Kurenai, the other Jonin leading teams are also facing various challenges.

Placing Kazeka in your team is already the best solution I could think of..."

Taking another puff from his pipe, the Third Hokage appropriately displayed a hint of weariness:

"I'm not young anymore. Every time I get involved in the village's affairs, I feel a sense of weariness.

Kurenai, you've always been the one Jonin I've felt most at ease with.

Just indulge an old man this once, alright?"

The Third Hokage looked at Kurenai Yuhi.

In the past, whenever he used this tactic, the soft-hearted Kurenai would obediently comply and take on all sorts of troublesome matters.

This had almost become the Third Hokage's special trump card against Kurenai Yuhi.

However, this time, facing this move, Kurenai Yuhi didn't show a resigned expression. Instead, she looked at the Hokage with a playful glint in her eyes:

"Lord Hokage, it seems you truly have no other choice but me..."

"Hm?"

Sensing something was wrong, the cunning Third Hokage immediately straightened his expression.

He cast aside his tired demeanor, his eyes sparkling with shrewdness:

"Kurenai, what do you mean?"

"It's fine to have Kazeka join my team, but... you'll have to pay more!"

Kurenai Yuhi stared back at the Third Hokage, matching his intensity:

"When Jonin are leading teams, the village provides team supplies.

My supplies must be five times that of other leading Jonin!"

"Kurenai, don't joke around. That's Konoha's money..."

As soon as he heard about money, the Third Hokage became even more alert:

"The team supplies each time are the result of meticulous review by the village. How could I possibly allocate such a large portion just for you!"

"That Kazeka kid is a troublemaker, that's a consensus among all of us.

When carrying out missions, even with me there, he's bound to cause trouble.

It's foreseeable that the compensation afterward won't be small. All of this needs to be factored into my team subsidy.

You want me to help mentor a student, but I end up losing money? That's not how things are done..."

Kurenai Yuhi showed no signs of backing down:

"Also, that kid's ability to cause trouble is top-notch. My emotional distress compensation can't be lacking either. If that's not possible..."

Seeing the Hokage stubbornly refusing to budge, like a dead rooster unwilling to shed its feathers, Kurenai Yuhi snorted:

"Then give me Shino Aburame back!"

"Ah, this..."

Seeing that the emotional appeal, which had always worked, was failing, the Hokage was at a loss.

He was the Kage of a village and had the authority to issue forceful orders, but if he did so, it would also cause dissatisfaction among his subordinates.

As Hokage, he also had to consider their feelings:

"Five times is still too much. Even if I agreed, it would cause dissent among the other leading Jonin. Two times, that's my limit..."

"No, four-point-five times..."

"Three times..."

Bargaining was always a woman's super talent.

Even though he was the Hokage and accustomed to haggling with the various ninja villages and nations, facing Kurenai Yuhi, Sarutobi felt he was still somewhat outmatched.

In the end, Kurenai Yuhi was compensated at three times the price of other leading Jonin.

Watching Kurenai Yuhi leave triumphantly, the Hokage sighed:

"It seems I still underestimated Kurenai's resolve. Her previous patience was all for this moment!"