Stay Away From Him!

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..." Li Tong coughed violently, his back hunched over until he was nearly kneeling on the ground.

He refused to accept this!

How could such a person exist?

Could this be the legendary obsession with gambling? Was that why she would lower herself to such a degree, willing to take a mere twelve-year-old brat of a genin as her master just for the sake of gambling techniques? Li Tong didn't understand; Tsunade was simply too baffling!

"However... while I can take you as my master to learn gambling techniques," Tsunade said, dragging out her words as Li Tong coughed, "I must first test your skills. You claim to have mastered the ultimate techniques, so you must prove it to me. Furthermore, our relationship cannot be made public, and I will not perform the rites of a disciple!"

Li Tong, who had been coughing violently, suddenly stood straight, his expression serious. "I reject every condition you've proposed. Forget it, I won't learn!"

After speaking, Li Tong bypassed Tsunade and strode away.

Tsunade turned to look at Li Tong, the corners of her mouth twitching, before she vanished in a flash.

"Brat, you're really arrogant!" Tsunade suddenly appeared in front of Li Tong. Li Tong collided with her and bounced back a meter before finding his footing. Tsunade stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite menacing.

Li Tong gave Tsunade a deadpan stare, his expression clearly saying, "What exactly do you want?"

"Brat, let me remind you..." Tsunade stared at Li Tong with a half-smile before she began to speak.

Whoosh!

A figure appeared out of thin air behind Tsunade, kneeling on one knee with head bowed, speaking at a rapid pace: "Lady Tsunade, the Hokage requests your presence!"

It was a Konoha Anbu ninja—an Anbu ninja who held immense authority within Konoha, yet even they had to kneel when speaking to Tsunade!

"Oh?" Tsunade glanced at the Anbu ninja and said indifferently, "I understand."

"The Hokage hopes you will go immediately," the Anbu ninja added, then vanished in a flash.

Tsunade looked back at Li Tong, lifted her chin, and smiled maliciously. "Brat, consider yourself lucky today. You said your name was Li Tong at the casino, right? Hmph, I've remembered you. I will come looking for you again! Farewell!"

Tsunade winked at Li Tong, then performed a hand seal and vanished.

Li Tong stood rooted to the spot for a long time, staring at the space where Tsunade had disappeared, before finally letting out a sound: "I'm absolutely cursed!"

He felt completely drained.

The sun was setting, and the evening clouds on the horizon were like blood.

Deep within Konoha, inside a simple, heavily guarded residence, candles had been lit in an antique-style hall. The dim, yellow candlelight cast a peculiar glow upon White Fang's cold mask.

Hatake Sakumo stood respectfully beside a long wooden couch at the back of the hall.

On the couch sat a square table holding a teapot, two cups, and over a dozen unopened intelligence scrolls. A man of about forty years old sat cross-legged beside the table. With a beard on his chin, he appeared exceptionally heroic and stern, possessing an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

This man was the leader of Konoha, the Third Hokage of Konoha, and one of the most powerful men in the entire ninja world: Hiruzen Sarutobi!

"Lord Hokage, do you need me to negotiate with the Hyuga Clan?" White Fang asked respectfully.

"Negotiate?" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced sideways at White Fang, his most trusted confidant. He picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and pondered for a moment before saying, "No need! He killed a ninja of the Hyuga Clan, and the Hyuga Clan is seeking revenge. No matter how you look at it, the Hyuga Clan is in the right! Even if you went to negotiate on my behalf now, they might agree verbally, but in the shadows... would they really stop?"

"But this child is more perfect than any of the defecting ninjas we've recruited before. He has amnesia and no past. As long as we show him some favor, he will surely serve us with loyalty. If something were to happen to him..."

"Then that is his own problem," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, his voice growing deeper. "Actually, I truly hope he survives! Only then will it prove that the Surrender Acceptance Plan is feasible..."

"But you also..."

"You don't understand!" Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his teacup and tapped his fingers on the table twice. "The Surrender Acceptance Plan was formulated by Danzo and me; it was not passed by the high-level council. I used the authority of the Hokage to push it through... They do not approve of this plan, and they do not support me in this matter. If I were to warn them, it would not be good for me, and this child is not worth that much effort..."

White Fang fell silent.

In truth, when the previous few recruited ninjas were killed, White Fang had already understood the stakes. Konoha was, after all, composed of various clans. For those clans, especially major ones like the Hyuga Clan, clan rules often superseded Konoha's laws.

For instance, the head of the Hyuga main branch could decide the life or death of any branch family ninja without going through Konoha, and Konoha had no right to interfere!

And if a ninja of the Hyuga Clan were killed, the clan didn't need to notify anyone before seeking revenge! It was only natural!

Hiruzen Sarutobi could indeed warn the Hyuga Clan; given his relationship with the head of the Hyuga main branch, he could certainly suppress the matter. But! It wasn't worth it! To make the Hyuga Clan harbor resentment and be unable to avenge their own just for the sake of a brat—even a Hokage couldn't do that!

Why should they?! They pledged their loyalty to you, to Konoha, yet instead of protecting them, you expect them to swallow their teeth and keep quiet?

White Fang understood this logic!

But this was also what he couldn't grasp: if that was the case, what was the point of this plan? Was he really counting on that brat to withstand the Hyuga Clan's repeated assassination attempts? Forget him; even an elite jonin couldn't survive the retaliation of the Hyuga Clan. It was impossible!

Knowing full well he would die!

Did any of this really have meaning?

Whoosh!

A whirlwind suddenly stirred in the hall, and Tsunade appeared out of thin air, still holding the hand seal. There were very few people in all of Konoha who dared to use the Body Flicker Technique to appear directly inside the Hokage's room.

Seeing Tsunade arrive, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately revealed a faint smile. Among his few direct disciples, she was the only woman, and he had raised her since she was small, holding her in great affection.

"Teacher, you called for me." Tsunade, looking hurried, ran two steps to the wooden couch, bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then glanced at White Fang, who was standing there mysteriously in his mask, and patted him on the shoulder. "Lord White Fang is here too!"

Tsunade was only two years younger than White Fang; they were of the same generation and had known each other since childhood. Although their relationship was average, they were as familiar as could be.

White Fang stood there without a word.

"Someone just reported to me that you went to the casino again?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice deepened, and his smile faded.

"Uh... well... Teacher... actually, you know me... I can't quit..." Tsunade said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"I am not against you gambling; I know you cannot quit," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in quick succession. "What I want to know is, did you encounter a ninja with heterochromatic eyes, around eleven or twelve years old, at the casino..."

"You mean Li Tong?" Tsunade blinked, stunned. "Him? You know him? Isn't he just a genin? Is there something special about him?"

"He only became a Konoha genin today!"

"Hmm... did he just graduate from the Ninja Academy?"

"No, he was not a Konoha ninja before this!"

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a scroll from under the square table and handed it to Tsunade.

Tsunade's eyes were filled with confusion as she took the scroll and scanned it quickly; her expression changed almost immediately! The scroll contained all the information Konoha had gathered on Li Tong, including his origins in Amegakure, his killing of a Hyuga Clan ninja, his amnesia, his defection to Konoha, and finally, some details regarding the Surrender Acceptance Plan.

"Stay away from him!" Hiruzen Sarutobi took another sip of tea and said calmly.

"What?" Tsunade lowered the scroll she had been using to shield her face. "Why? Hasn't he already defected to Konoha? Besides, he has amnesia, and at eleven or twelve, he is still malleable. We could assimilate him..."

"The Hyuga Clan wants to kill him; you are not to interfere in this matter," Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted.

Tsunade was stunned again. After a moment of thought, she said, "He killed a Hyuga ninja before he defected, so the Hyuga want revenge, but are they unaware of your plan, Teacher? Since you have already accepted him as a Konoha ninja, how can the Hyuga still..."

"I am simply telling you not to interfere. I will arrange for someone to protect him, but as for whether he can survive, that will depend on him."

"You... like this... then why won't you let me have any contact with him?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer immediately. There were many things he could tell White Fang, but he truly did not want to tell Tsunade.

"Tsunade, you are the Hokage's direct disciple," White Fang spoke up. "If you step forward to protect Li Tong, it could trigger a direct conflict between the Hokage and the Hyuga Clan. The Hyuga Clan's revenge is justified! Every clan in Konoha is watching; you should understand the Hokage's predicament, so in this matter, this is the only way..."

Tsunade's mouth hung slightly open, and she was dazed for a moment before saying, "Then isn't he as good as dead?"

"Yes," White Fang nodded, subconsciously glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He suddenly felt that this matter was by no means as simple as it appeared on the surface! What exactly was the Hokage trying to do?