I Didn't Expect You to Be This Kind of Hokage (Seeking Collection and Recommendation)

The last time I came to the Hokage's Office was over half a year ago, wasn't it?

Back then, I was still tagging along with the Squad Leader Ninja on missions.

As soon as he stepped into the office.

Qifeng immediately sensed that the atmosphere inside the Hokage's Office was completely different from his last visit—tense and oppressive.

And on a chair off to the side sat a man leaning on a cane. Just sitting there, he gave off a sinister, chilling vibe.

Danzo!

"..."

Qifeng really wanted nothing to do with this man, Danzo.

You don't bother me while I'm looting corpses, and I won't bother you while you're scheming against the loyal. We'll keep to our own lanes.

But given Qifeng's strength and status, Danzo probably wouldn't set his sights on him anyway. He wasn't even worth the trouble.

For a moment, a flood of thoughts raced through Qifeng's mind, finally settling on a conclusion: he was scaring himself.

While he was lost in thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a low voice.

"Qifeng, you're here."

"Lord Hokage."

Qifeng called out respectfully, standing there dumbly, waiting for orders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe lightly against the desk, fixing Qifeng with a serious gaze, and suddenly said, "...And tell Asuma to smoke less."

"..."

Qifeng glanced at the pipe in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, twitched the corner of his mouth, but still replied, "Yes."

Thinking about it, as the Hokage's youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma was still his flesh and blood. The Hokage would know who he met every day and what he did.

So it wasn't Asuma selling him out, but—

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought he was leading his son astray and wanted to make things difficult for him?

I never thought you'd be this kind of Hokage!

To his response, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave no clear reaction, only asked again, "How's your training been lately? Have you slacked off?"

Weighing his words carefully, Qifeng said cautiously, "I haven't been on a mission in a while, and the morgue work keeps me busy. I'm probably a bit rusty."

He really hadn't trained much, and Hiruzen Sarutobi should know that.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Qifeng for a long time, couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, then said gently, "The ninja world isn't peaceful lately. You can't afford to slack off on training. This time, I have no choice but to entrust you with a mission. It's a last resort."

There it is!

He really is making things hard for me!

I already said I haven't trained properly and my skills have dropped badly, but he's still handing me a mission. If that's not making things difficult, what is?

Qifeng swallowed lightly. "Wh-what mission?"

If you dare send me to the front lines now, I'll dare to curse you out right here, believe it? Qifeng decided silently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer right away. He just waved his hand.

The office door opened again, and three fully equipped ninja walked in.

Qifeng recognized one of them—silver hair, dead-fish eyes, and that show-off mask. Who else could it be but Kakashi?

"Lord Hokage," Kakashi called out.

Qifeng saw him, and of course, Kakashi saw Qifeng too. Putting it together with the mission, he understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's intent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples with a hint of headache, scanning the four of them.

"Kakashi's Squad has an opening again after the last mission. After much thought, you're the only one who fits, Qifeng. After all, you and Kakashi are pretty familiar."

Pretty familiar.

Over two months, Kakashi had come to collect bodies four times. How could they not be familiar?

At this rate, this mission might send a few more into the morgue.

Is this a mission?

This is a death sentence!

Definitely making things hard for me!

Qifeng's heart was full of "resentment."

But before he could speak, Kakashi beat him to it. "Lord Hokage, I don't think he's up for it."

I agree.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples again.

To be honest, he was already swamped, and now he had to babysit Kakashi too.

"Kakashi, this is an order." Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone left no room for argument.

"If he dies, that's not my problem." Kakashi said stiffly.

Qifeng, standing nearby, ground his teeth in irritation.

The Kakashi of right now really wasn't cute at all.

As if he'd actually care if someone else died.

"Don't worry, just this once. This mission is a bit special—a temporary team-up."

Kakashi nodded.

"Let me explain the mission." Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, walking out from behind his desk as he spoke. "The Kirigakure to the east is restless and stirring trouble. Almost all the scouts we sent from Konoha have been wiped out. However, according to the latest intel, one team managed to escape the Land of Water with valuable information."

"But they were severely injured by the Mist Ninja's pursuit. Before dying, they used a special method to relay their location to me—they're in the Land of Hot Water."

"Your mission is to safely bring back the bodies of every member of that team to Konoha."

The ninja world's situation was growing more tense by the day, and at times like this, that intel became all the more critical.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Qifeng. "Qifeng, even though you haven't been on missions for a while, you're something of an expert when it comes to handling corpses."

"Understood." Before Qifeng could speak, Kakashi answered directly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction, sweeping his gaze over the four of them. "Any other questions?"

Qifeng slowly raised his hand, and at Hiruzen's gesture, asked: "Lord Hokage, for such important intel, isn't sending just us a bit... inappropriate?"

Shouldn't this be a job for a squad of Anbu, backed by several elite teams led by Elite Jonin?

Hiruzen wasn't surprised by the question. He smiled and replied, "It's true—this mission is important and highly dangerous. But rest assured, I've already sent people to seal off the Land of Fire's border, with several ninja teams standing by to support you. The enemy's strong forces won't dare act rashly."

"You're not a high-profile target, so the danger you'll face won't be great either."

Thinking it over, Qifeng roughly understood.

The simplified meaning was: you four weaklings won't draw the enemy's attention. The stronger the ninja you send, the more they'll take notice.

"Alright, if there are no more questions, go prepare and set out as soon as possible."

The four acknowledged.

As they walked out the door, Kakashi shot him a glance and said stiffly, "Fifteen minutes. Meet at the village gate."

With that, he vanished in a flash.

The other two shook their heads helplessly, gave Qifeng a "good luck" look, and left as well.

Qifeng clicked his tongue and headed for his quarters.

After they'd gone, Danzo, who had remained silent the whole time, finally spoke.

"Hiruzen, with Kakashi's current disposition, if you hand him over to me to train, he'll absolutely become Konoha's sharpest blade—even better than Sakumo."

This was clearly a topic they'd discussed more than once. Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head firmly. "Drop it, Danzo."

Danzo frowned but refused to back down. Instead, he stood up, staring at Hiruzen as he said in a low voice, "You've seen Kakashi's personality now. No ordinary ninja can earn his respect. Hiruzen, don't let your personal sentiment bury Konoha's genius."

"Eventually, someone has to walk in the darkness. He's the most suitable candidate."

"Kakashi is a genius. Konoha needs him to display his talents in the sunlight—that's the best morale boost we can get. Besides, I've already found the perfect person to handle him. Once this mission is over, it'll be about time."

Kakashi's solo-team mortality rate was terrifyingly high. Even if Hiruzen indulged him, he couldn't let it continue.

"Who?" Danzo narrowed his eyes, already forming a guess.

"Minato." Hiruzen said firmly. "Minato has led Kakashi before. They only disbanded due to mission and personnel issues. But with the situation so volatile now, Minato is the best choice."

At the name, Danzo fell silent.

If Kakashi was Konoha's rising genius, then Namikaze Minato was a powerful ninja who had already turned his talent into results and earned a reputation.

"But just the two of them isn't enough to form a team. It's not graduation season—what about the remaining slots?" Danzo still wasn't giving up.

Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, slowly exhaling a thick cloud of white smoke. "Maruyama Qifeng seems suitable enough, doesn't he?"

"Him?" Danzo's mind flashed to Qifeng's simple, honest face, and he let out a cold laugh. "Whether he even survives this mission is up for debate."

"Then we'll talk about it after he survives."

Hiruzen was calm about it. He'd already made his decision and wouldn't change his mind over one person.

The life or death of an unknown Genin mattered, but for Konoha right now, a genius like Kakashi was far more critical.

After all, on the battlefield, Genin were nothing but cannon fodder.

Special times called for a special mindset. Otherwise, Hiruzen wouldn't have just watched Kakashi's teams lose members one after another, only to keep filling the ranks.