Wonderful, Wonderful

Kakashi's small eyes were filled with immense confusion.

When the war had just ended, his father, having become a great hero, was at the height of his popularity, with many ninjas coming to visit every day.

But once rumors about his father began to spread throughout Konoha, those visiting ninjas seemed to vanish into thin air, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth. Even though the Hokage Building had issued an official announcement to clear his name, very few people came to visit anymore.

Seeing so many strangers in the house all of a sudden was indeed a rare occurrence in recent times.

"Kakashi, come here."

Hatake Sakumo beckoned to Kakashi.

Having Kakashi come over to meet his friends was secondary; he mostly wanted to show off in front of these few people.

Since Kakashi possessed such outstanding talent, as his father, he naturally wanted to bask in some of that reflected glory!

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, but still obediently walked over, though his cold, aloof little face revealed a hint of awkwardness and bewilderment.

So this is the Kakashi of his childhood?

Ye Ning's eyes lit up instantly.

Come to think of it, Kakashi actually had those dead-fish eyes even when he was a kid...

He had always assumed Kakashi's eyes ended up like that from reading Icha Icha Paradise!

After briefly introducing him to the group, Hatake Sakumo was all smiles, his face brimming with the pride of an old father:

"How about it? My son is pretty good, right?"

"Well, he inherited your talent. Congratulations, congratulations."

"Mm-hmm, not bad at all."

"...Hmm?"

The reactions of the group were all very lukewarm.

Hatake Sakumo really wanted to show off his son's talent, but unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong audience.

Of these people, one had just lost their lover not long ago, one had never even considered marriage or children and was solely focused on various research, and one was a lifelong bachelor who had been single since birth—they felt absolutely nothing!

Hatake Sakumo was instantly covered in black lines.

So he was just casting pearls before swine, was he?

"Forget it, Kakashi, sit down and have a bite to eat."

By now, Kakashi had shed his earlier restraint. His eyes, dark and lustrous like jade, blinked as he occasionally sized up everyone at the dining table, his mind clearly occupied with unknown thoughts.

"What did you say!?"

Third Hokage widened his eyes, staring at the Anbu ninja before him, his face full of shock.

"You mean Tsunade and Orochimaru, including Ye Ning, all went to Hatake Sakumo's house?"

Sensing the fluctuation in Third Hokage's emotions, the Anbu ninja instinctively lowered his head. "Yes, Lord Hokage. They seem to have gone to Hatake Sakumo's house to drink together. I was afraid of being discovered if I got too close, so I could only observe briefly from outside the house."

Third Hokage sighed anxiously and waved his hand powerlessly, signaling for the Anbu ninja to withdraw.

In normal times, if these people gathered together, it would be nothing more than a dinner between friends, and Third Hokage wouldn't think twice about it.

But now, it was precisely not a normal time.

A month ago, that rumor had only just subsided.

Throughout this past month, Third Hokage had remained vigilant.

He was terrified that Ye Ning might make a move next.

In Third Hokage's view, Ye Ning's appearance in Konoha was nothing more than a scheme by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to gradually seize control of Konoha.

And speaking up for Hatake Sakumo was likewise just one part of that plan.

He knew Hatake Sakumo's temperament all too well.

Once Ye Ning, who was his savior, took action, it was highly likely that Hatake Sakumo would be pulled over to his side.

Yet, nothing had happened over the course of this month.

Third Hokage had thought this matter had come to an end, but today's gathering of Tsunade and the others made his sensitive heart tighten once again.

"Hiruzen, why the long face?"

Just when Third Hokage was at his most troubled, Danzo arrived at the perfect moment.

As soon as he pushed open the door, Danzo noticed the dark, foul expression on Third Hokage's face.

"Danzo, you've come at the right time."

Third Hokage lowered his voice; at a time like this, he really needed Danzo to help him brainstorm. "Today, Tsunade and Orochimaru went to see Hatake Sakumo together, and Ye Ning was there too."

At those words, Danzo's face instantly darkened.

However, the reason for his gloom wasn't that Tsunade and Orochimaru had gone to see Hatake Sakumo, but that Third Hokage had mentioned the name Ye Ning.

The moment that name was mentioned, he was reminded of the humiliation he had suffered that day.

Before him, no one had ever dared to speak to him in such a manner!

"I fear that the Daimyo is losing his patience. Once Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo all lean toward the Daimyo, then Konoha will sooner or later become the Daimyo's Konoha!"

"Delusional! They want to lay their hands on Konoha? I will never allow it!"

Danzo's face was cold, his eyes filled with malice. "Leave this matter to me. I will let Ye Ning know, and I will let the Daimyo know, that Konoha is absolutely not something they can touch!"

"Hiruzen, I told you long ago: as long as we control Ye Ning, the Daimyo will never dare to dictate terms to Konoha again!"

"But..."

"Hiruzen, you are too weak! I do all of this for the sake of Konoha!"

The Third Hokage fell silent instantly.

In the past, they had engaged in countless arguments just like this one.

Ultimately, it came down to their differing temperaments.

Compared to the Third Hokage, Danzo's personality was more paranoid, and his methods were naturally more extreme.

Yet, previous debates had always ended with the lines "I am the Hokage" and "You will regret this."

But this time, the Third Hokage was actually swayed by Danzo.

Given the current situation, if they continued to let Ye Ning act so recklessly, Konoha might truly change hands!

The Third Hokage's expression showed clear signs of wavering, and Danzo seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot: "You see the situation now; Ye Ning is the destabilizing factor in Konoha. If we don't make him rein it in, and he manages to unite ninjas like Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade, then your time as Hokage is at an end! Everything I do is entirely for the sake of Konoha!"

"You must not harm Ye Ning! A complete falling out with the Daimyo is by no means a good thing for Konoha!"

These words completely changed the Third Hokage's initial stance.

Hearing this, Danzo smiled coldly:

"Rest assured, I will not harm him. I am merely inviting him to sit for a while in my Root."

The conversation between the two ended there.

The door to the Hokage office enjoyed a rare moment of peace.

If Ye Ning were fortunate enough to hear the entire process, he would surely call it spectacular.

The thought processes of these two politicians were indeed quite different from those of normal people.

Sometimes, you might even find yourself at a loss for whether to laugh or cry at their logic.

A casual action could be interpreted by these two politicians as having some profound, hidden meaning.

They would then make irreversible decisions, all while claiming it was for the good of Konoha.