Knowing when to bend and when to stand tall: the makings of an advisor

Aku's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The thought of how he had tried to poach someone from his partner right in front of them and how he had previously criticized the other person made him feel dizzy and disoriented.

Before, he would never have connected the young, fair-skinned boy in front of him with the Akahiro man who had recently become a popular after-dinner snack in the village.

Most people imagine the image of a red-haired boy as a burly, strong-looking young man.

Kanami glanced at the elephant and said, "What are you doing, elephant? You've scared my older brother."

Big brother?!

Upon hearing Kanami's words, Aku's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

'I actually called Chi "little brother" the whole way?'

Aku bent her knees shakily, trying to make her 1.8-meter height appear shorter.

"I was wrong. You're my older brother, I'm the little brother, Brother Chi, Master Chi!"

"My seniority has increased dramatically!"

Kanami chuckled lightly, but didn't do anything to him.

The other party was just an ordinary person, not even Ninja, and Kanami had absolutely no desire to fight him.

Xiang said calmly, "You can go out now, Aku."

Upon hearing that Xiang had asked him to leave, Aku overjoyed, his delight written all over his face.

"Yes, yes, Lord Elephant."

He didn't want to stay here any longer, even though the other party didn't seem to intend to hold him accountable, he was under a lot of pressure.

Akaka was someone who could kill Konoha Elder with a mere flick of his wrist; he had wanted to run away for a long time.

Aku had just lifted one foot when a question suddenly popped into her mind: 'Did I give you permission to leave?'

He quickly withdrew his foot, looked at Kanami, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

'I almost made a mistake! How could I have moved it without Chi's permission?'

Kanami was taken aback, and it took him a few seconds to understand.

The other party is asking for my opinion.

He waved his hand helplessly. "Get out."

Upon hearing this, Aku's tension subsided considerably. She quickly shuffled along the edge of the house and slipped out, closing the wooden door behind her.

"Am I that scary? I'm obviously so good-looking."

Kanami muttered to himself.

Hinata, kept suppressing a laugh, her lips curving upwards.

Kanami tapped Hinata on the head. "I saw you a while ago, stop holding it in, your face is all red."

Hinata covered her head with her hands and rubbed the spot where Kanami had knocked.

"Alright, you've gotten my older brother away. Now tell me, what are you doing here?"

Kanami looked at the elephant in front of him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you should know him, right?"

"Yes, I know, it's my classmate."

The elephant whispered mysteriously, "He has a big secret."

"Do you mean the Nine-Tails Fox inside him, or that he's the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze?"

"Uh... how did you know?"

What does what you're saying have to do with you being here?

Kanami didn't answer him; there was no need to explain it to him.

"Now that you know about Naruto Uzumaki, it makes things even easier to explain."

"I'm here using the same method I used to Sealing the news that Naruto Uzumaki was the Fourth Hokage’s son, but in a different way, to legitimize your actions and create momentum at the same time."

"Why did you do this? I don't recall ever asking Konoha to do these things to me, did I?"

During this time, he felt very strange. Even though he had killed the advisor, he rarely heard the villagers condemning him. Instead, they mostly admired him.

If these people truly possessed such a mindset, how could Konoha White Fang have died amidst rumors and gossip?

This had always been something that puzzled him, but he only understood it after Xiang spoke it out.

It turns out that someone on the other side was deliberately manipulating public opinion.

Xiang shook her head. "No, it wasn't requested by the Advisor Utatane; it was something we did voluntarily."

"We? You mean there are other people?"

"It's not just me; several other people you know well are doing the same thing in other places."

Kanami frowned. "What do you want?"

"We don't want another incident like the Konoha White Fang to happen in the village. The village needs a genius like you."

Kanami remained silent.

In his previous life, he had witnessed how public opinion could lead to irreversible consequences, so he understood that public opinion could sometimes be more ruthless and sharper than many weapons.

He doesn't believe he'll be crushed by public opinion; he'll kill anyone who spreads nonsense.

But now he is not alone.

What if public opinion were to Hinata?

Kanami glanced at Hinata, his eyes gentle and a faint smile playing on his lips.

'Only she is not good enough.'

Sensing Kanami's gaze, Hinata blinked her big eyes, looking puzzled.

She didn't know why Kanami suddenly looked at her and smiled.

Hinata tilted her head slightly and asked in a dazed tone, "What's wrong? Is there something dirty on my face?"

Kanami smiled and shook his head.

Then he looked at the elephant.

"Thank you," he said earnestly.

Xiang was taken aback when he heard Kanami thank him.

This was different from Kanami's casual apology before; he could sense the sincerity in the other party's words.

This side of Kanami was something Xiang hadn't expected.

He took a deep look at the cute girl Hinata Hyuga beside him.

'It's because of her, isn't it?'

Kanami spoke again, "Who are the other people you mentioned? Are they all from the Anbu?"

"Some are from the Anbu, and some are from the former Root. I'm a little surprised they chose to do something that will bring them no reward."

"Have the Anbu and Root been reorganized?"

"Yes, it was that Root who was previously codenamed A and called himself Tenzo, who brought some Root members to us and explained their purpose. Now Root no longer exists."

Kanami nodded.

This differed from the plot he remembered, but he didn't delve into it. After all, he had killed the Fourth Raikage. He might only be slightly affected if Root had assimilated the Anbu.

"Then you can continue with your fortune telling, we're leaving."

Kanami led Hinata away through the door.

"Red Red Red... Hello Brother Chi!"

Aku, waiting at the door, offered a stammering greeting.

"You're older than me, it feels a little strange to be addressed like that. Don't call me that anymore."

"Okay, Brother Chi!"

Hearing that Aka didn't mean to blame her, Aku instantly perked up, "Take care Brother Chi! Take care, sister-in-law!"

Kanami raised an eyebrow.

He didn't like being called "brother," but his sister-in-law certainly did.

"He's adaptable and resourceful; he's a promising individual with the qualities of an advisor."

After saying that, Kanami and Hinata used the Flying Thunder God Technique to disappear from the spot.

Aku was startled and rubbed her wide-open eyes.

Where did it go?

After a long while, his eyes were filled with admiration. "As expected of Brother Chi! He was so fast I couldn't even see when he left!"

"..."

"No! That's Chi! Why don't I take a picture with him?"

Aku's eyes widened even more, and she gripped her hair tightly.