The next day
Li Yu waited outside Konoha's gates for the Land of Wind's delegation to arrive. He noticed several more members of the Uchiha Police Force stationed there, and security had clearly been tightened.
Li Yu was getting impatient. He waited a full three hours before three people wearing Sand shinobi Forehead Protectors finally appeared at the gates, with five Anbu Ninja following behind them.
"You finally made it. Weren't you supposed to arrive first thing this morning? Why are you so late?"
"Lord Nawaki, we aren't late. We arrived at the agreed time."
Hearing that, Li Yu sensed something was off. The time Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him was way off. He grumbled inwardly, Old man Third, you're trying to put me in my place. You deliberately made me wait.
A Sand shinobi behind them heard the Anbu address Li Yu and asked sarcastically,
"So you're Senju Nawaki? You don't look very old."
"What does my age have to do with these negotiations? You should understand why you came to Konoha."
"You..."
Li Yu turned and walked away, not bothering to look at the Sand shinobi's wonderfully expressive face.
The Sand shinobi leading the group stepped forward and said respectfully, "Konoha truly has no shortage of talent. May I ask which clan you belong to?"
Li Yu was surprised. He had just humiliated them, yet this man remained remarkably composed.
"Senju Nawaki, of the Senju Clan."
"And what might your name be?"
"Sand shinobi advisor Ebizo."
"Oh, I didn't expect you to come. It seems the Land of Wind attaches great importance to these negotiations."
"That's right. This matter will benefit both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind."
Li Yu escorted the delegation to a reception room in Konoha, where the village's negotiation experts had already been waiting for some time.
As the man who had defeated the Fourth Kazekage, Li Yu served as a deterrent. He didn't want to say too much, only stepping in at crucial moments to command the room. He hoped they would agree on a plan as quickly as possible so he could report back to the old man Third.
He also wanted to get back and check on construction at the Senju Clan's new settlement. He really didn't want to waste too much time negotiating. Going by the original story, the discussions would ultimately come down to interests, with little benefit for the Senju Clan.
After three days of heated discussion, they finally reached an agreement. Li Yu took the results to the Hokage Office and met with Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hokage, the negotiations are complete. My mission is complete as well."
He handed over a scroll and was just about to turn and leave when Hiruzen called him back.
"Nawaki, wait. Don't rush off."
"Lord Hokage, is there something else? I haven't been home for days, and I'm eager to get back and sleep with my wife in my arms. After three days of shouting and arguing over the negotiations, my head's killing me."
"Much is expected of those with ability. There aren't many shinobi as outstanding as you in Konoha."
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled smugly and waved for the Anbu Ninja in the room to leave. He took a deep breath from the pipe clenched between his lips and exhaled, as if he had made up his mind.
"Nawaki, the Senju Clan has made quite a stir lately. Quite a few people in the village are unhappy about it, but I've kept them in check for you."
Li Yu couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Old man Third, you're the one who kept them in check? Hmph. I think you saw which way the wind was blowing and had no choice but to compromise. You've kept quiet all this time, but now that you've brought it up, there must be something behind it. I've been waiting to see what you'd do.
Hiruzen straightened up, set down his pipe, and said gravely,
"Though I've quieted those voices of discontent, they're still there in the village. To earn the villagers' trust in the Senju Clan and stop them gossiping, these negotiations with the Land of Wind are a good start."
Li Yu's eyes lit up, and then a faint smile appeared on his face. Here it comes. The fox is about to show its tail. He then put on an attentive expression.
"The Land of Lightning has declared war on the Land of Fire. Konoha's defensive forces on the border have already clashed several times with shinobi from Kumogakure. Konoha is in grave danger. The negotiations with the Land of Wind have only just ended, and Nara Shikaku is still at the border, yet to return to the village."
"The fighting between the Land of Earth and Iwagakure is still ongoing. Namikaze Minato's team successfully blew up Kannabi Bridge, cutting off Iwagakure's supplies. We've gained a huge advantage on the main battlefield."
"The situation on the Land of Lightning front is dire. Konoha has already... sigh."
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Li Yu closely. Seeing him sit back and listen without responding, he thought, Nawaki really knows how to keep his composure. He won't take the bait, even after I've said this much. No wonder he managed to rebuild the Senju Clan right under the village's nose. Now the village's major clans are stuck in a difficult position, and there's nothing they can do about him.
After waiting a while longer and seeing that Li Yu still refused to take the bait, Hiruzen gave a dry chuckle.
"Fortunately, Tsunade agreed two days ago to go to the front and lead a team to stop the Land of Lightning's forces. She set out yesterday."
"What? She's already gone?"
Li Yu could no longer keep his expression under control. His face filled with shock and disbelief.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Li Yu's expression and smiled knowingly. Let's see you keep pretending now, you brat. What are you going to do?
Li Yu quickly regained his composure, but his heart was in turmoil. So after all my pretending, the old man Third was just watching me squirm. He got me with a simple information gap. The older, the wiser.
"Since Lord Hokage has already made his decision, I'd like to request permission to join the war against the Land of Lightning and help Tsunade."
"Oh? You want to go too? That's good. Since you're so eager to contribute to the village..."
"Heh. Anbu has an important mission that requires a highly capable shinobi. Tsunade will be on the battlefield, after all. I still have a great deal of faith in the Senju Clan's strength."
Li Yu's heart sank at those words. No good. What he had feared most had come to pass. Quite a few members of the Senju Clan might have gone to the front with Tsunade, while he was expected to carry out a special mission.
He gritted his teeth inwardly. Old man Third really knows what he's doing. This Anbu mission definitely won't be simple. The Senju Clan has only just been rebuilt and started to recover, and now we're being sent to the battlefield. Is this the Senju Clan's fate?
"This special Anbu mission is exceptionally difficult. It's provisionally classified as an S-rank mission, the highest rank in Konoha's history."
"One person will carry it out. You'll go behind the lines in the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning to harass their shinobi villages. There will be no support and no supplies. Your mission is to ease the pressure on the front lines, and it will continue until the war ends."
As Anbu's deputy captain and a Konoha shinobi, Li Yu had no choice but to accept the Hokage's direct assignment.
As he left, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi added, "You truly are someone who has inherited Konoha's Will of Fire."
Li Yu walked out of the Hokage Office Building and glanced back at it. "The people in the Hokage's Office really can't be underestimated. One careless moment, and they've got you."
The older, the wiser. What a scheme to wear down the Senju Clan's shinobi. He'd used tactics that were impossible to refuse—an open plot, with the danger plain to see, yet one they had no choice but to follow through on.
No wonder the Uchiha Clan in the village wanted to become Hokage. Clans that refused to submit to the Hokage dwindled over the course of history, until they eventually withered away.
"Hmph. I won't let you old men have your way. You think you know me, Li Yu, but you have no idea what I want to do. You know nothing about my strength. As for you, I know a great deal."
He clenched his fists several times. "Since you've made your move, I'll take it on. My strength is what gives me confidence."
After muttering those words, Li Yu's gloomy expression gave way to a bright mood, and he quickly left the Hokage Office Building area.