An Eventful Autumn

"If you remain like this forever, I think the spirit of Elder Tianyun would be disappointed."

"You..."

Hearing these words, tears instantly welled up in the eyes of Hyuga Yumi, sliding silently down her cheeks, but she quickly forced the remaining tears to stop.

"I don't need you to teach me..."

Hyuga Yumi raised her right hand, subconsciously wanting to form the Ram Seal to teach him a lesson.

"Yumi."

Hyuga Yumi's body trembled violently, her fingers freezing in mid-air, and the seal she was about to complete stopped instinctively.

"Lord Hiashi."

Hyuga Qinglan remained unhurried, bowing to the newcomer.

"Hmm..."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly, then turned to Hyuga Yumi, who was still half-sitting on the ground.

But upon seeing the unfinished Ram Seal on her right hand, his brows furrowed slightly.

"As a member of the Main Branch, causing such a scene in the training grounds—what kind of decorum is this!"

Hyuga Hiashi rebuked her in a deep voice, simultaneously gesturing for Hyuga Yumi to look at the Branch Family guards scattered on the ground nearby.

"Although they are called the Branch Family, they are still members of the Hyuga Clan, not targets for you to vent your anger on!"

"But..."

Hyuga Yumi felt aggrieved, tears threatening to spill from her eyes again.

"Enough!"

Hyuga Hiashi interrupted her defense, his tone filled with both severity and a hint of helplessness.

"Since you want to avenge Elder Tianyun, then learn the Eight Trigrams Palm properly from Qinglan. Do you understand?"

"...Yes."

Hyuga Yumi replied reluctantly, then glared fiercely at Hyuga Qinglan before leaving sullenly with a few guards.

The crowd outside the training grounds gradually dispersed, and the surroundings returned to silence, yet Hyuga Qinglan remained in his bowing posture, motionless.

Hyuga Hiashi nodded with satisfaction; the unpleasantness and irritation that had been lingering in his heart for days were now slightly suppressed.

"Qinglan, the Main Branch's stance is that since you have comprehended the Eight Trigrams Palm on your own, then regarding ninjutsu..."

"Lord Hiashi, rewards are merely icing on the cake. These are all things I should be doing."

Hyuga Hiashi felt completely at ease, a look of gratification appearing on his face: "Since the clan's ability to assist with ninjutsu is limited, we will certainly do our best to satisfy your material needs."

"I heard you've been a bit tight on money lately..."

He pulled a thick envelope from his robes and handed it to Hyuga Qinglan.

Hyuga Qinglan nodded.

He knew clearly that if he continued to feign refusal, it would likely make Hyuga Hiashi feel resentful instead.

Besides... he was truly in need of money.

"Alright, the rewards are settled; now let's discuss serious business."

Hyuga Hiashi's tone suddenly became solemn, his gaze locking firmly onto Hyuga Qinglan.

"Qinglan, that scroll of yours... exactly where did you find it?"

"The Son of the Daimyo wants to go to Yugakure to soak in the hot springs?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen held his pipe in his mouth, staring blankly at the Chunin at the mission registration desk, his pipe nearly slipping from the corner of his mouth.

"Yes... Lord Hokage."

"The Son of the Daimyo arrived at the village early this morning with several attendants and registered a B-rank mission at the mission desk."

"The reward is..." the Chunin stammered, holding up two fingers.

"Two... two million ryo."

How much?!

Two million?!

Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly choked on a mouthful of smoke.

One had to know that the reward for a standard escort mission was usually only between one hundred thousand and several hundred thousand ryo.

And now, just to escort one person to the Land of Hot Water for a hot spring trip, they were offering two million ryo?!

"Cough, cough."

As someone who had seen his fair share of storms, Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed lightly, quickly suppressing all his shock and emotions.

"Long, our village of Konoha will accept this mission. Have the Son of the Daimyo rest in the village for a moment; we will make arrangements shortly."

"But... Lord Hokage, there are not many ninjas left who can take on this mission right now... Besides, the other party is the son of the Daimyo. If something were to happen..."

Indeed...

There were not many ninjas left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at the endless blue sky, his gaze profound and complex.

The villagers along the way waved to him, and he responded to each one with a smile and a nod.

But if he could use this opportunity to build a good relationship with the Son of the Daimyo...

Perhaps the Daimyo could provide another substantial shipment of military supplies for the front lines.

"Long, you may go first. I will handle the rest."

"Yes!"

Sarutobi Long handed the mission scroll to Sarutobi Hiruzen and immediately vanished from the spot.

"Who should I entrust this mission to?"

He pondered as he walked into the Hokage Building.

"Jiraiya is on the front lines... Namikaze Minato is also on the front lines... Even Shikaku is on the front lines..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but sigh again.

Almost all the elite ninjas in the village had been sent to the front, and even students from the Ninja Academy had been sent to the battlefield.

If he didn't have to stay behind to guard the village, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have long since grabbed his Adamantine Ruyi Staff and charged into the fray himself.

"Troubled times indeed..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed open the door to the Hokage's office, but when he saw who was sitting in the chair behind his desk, his footsteps faltered slightly.

"Orochimaru?"

"Why are you here?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat surprised that his student would come to the office to find him, and even more so that he was sitting brazenly in the Hokage's seat.

However, he only glanced at him indifferently before looking away.

Clearly... he was long accustomed to the personalities of his three students.

"Teacher Sarutobi, I heard the situation on the front lines is not optimistic lately..."

Orochimaru was dressed in the standard attire of a Konoha jonin, yet he was wearing the Hokage's hat on his head.

"I have come to share your burdens."

He stood up, gently removed the hat, placed it on the table, and yielded the seat to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long look at Orochimaru.

This student of his was intelligent, sharp, and filial...

And rational.

Everything about him was good, except that he was perhaps too rational.

He always placed the interests of the village and himself above all else.

"If you could just change your temperament, the position of Fourth Hokage might have been yours."

Thoughts surged through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, and he did not notice that Orochimaru had already reached out to pick up the scroll on the table.

"The Son of the Daimyo, a reward of two million?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and shook the scroll. "Is this what you were agonizing over?"

"The ninjas in the village have gone to the front, but I haven't..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's body stiffened slightly.

How could he have forgotten about Orochimaru?

He slapped his head in annoyance. Although he had already internally decided that Namikaze Minato would be the Fourth Hokage, deep down, he still cared for Orochimaru.

After all, Orochimaru had also bled and performed meritorious service for Konoha.

Having realized this, a kind smile reappeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

"I'm getting old, and my memory isn't what it used to be."

"You are not old at all."

"Is that so? Hahahaha..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed heartily. "Since that is the case, I will entrust this mission to you. That way, it will be easier to answer to the Daimyo..."

"No."

Orochimaru's expression suddenly turned calm, interrupting Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What I mean is, not only will I take this mission..."

"I want to go to the front lines myself."