"You are Yagyu?"
A shota-looking boy who appeared only twelve or thirteen years old stood in front of Yagyu, looking him up and down.
"That's me! Are you Yagura?"
Yagyu looked casually at the boy in front of him and spoke in a calm tone.
Today was the day of departure for Konoha. Yagyu, Yagura, Terumi Mei, and Genji had gathered together, preparing to leave the Hidden Mist base.
"I will prove that I am stronger than you."
Yagura clenched his fist and spoke passionately to Yagyu.
"I'm gonna be the Mizukage!"
Yagyu: →_→
Patting the sealing scroll on his body, Yagyu let out a long sigh.
It was a pity he didn't have a straw hat on him.
Otherwise, Yagyu wouldn't have minded putting a hat on Yagura. (Translator's Note: A subtle reference to Luffy from One Piece, playing on Yagura's shonen protagonist declaration.)
"What is that expression?"
Seeing Yagyu shaking his head and sighing, Yagura asked with dissatisfaction.
"Let me tell you, I'm not younger than you. You'd best not look down on me!"
Yagura stated indignantly.
It seemed his unique stature caused him quite a bit of trouble.
"I'm not looking down on you"
"A man who is short in stature but strong in will... Ooh, how scary"
Yagyu spoke with a rhythmic cadence, transforming into a master of sarcasm in that moment.
His mocking tone left Yagura with dark lines across his face.
"Can I beat him up?"
Yagura pointed indignantly at Yagyu, asking Genji beside him.
"No!"
Genji sighed, glancing helplessly at Yagura.
Do you think I don't want to beat him up?This beast is stronger than even me!
Genji saved Yagura some face by not explicitly saying
"You can't beat him,"
but this only made Yagura, who was strangely confident in himself, feel dissatisfied.
Terumi Mei looked at Yagyu with a resentful gaze, feeling helpless inside.
He clearly has such great talent and resources, why can't he use them properly?If I had your conditions, I would definitely become the Mizukage!
Konoha.
After entering the Land of Fire, Yagyu and the other three were escorted (monitored) by Konoha ninja all the way to Konoha Village.
"Remember! Once we are in Konoha, do not be too arrogant, but do not tarnish the name of our Hidden Mist either."
"Do not actively stir up trouble, but if someone looks for trouble, do not be afraid. Our Hidden Mist does not fear war."
Before entering the village, Genji spoke sternly to Yagyu and the others—words intended equally for the Konoha ANBU observing in the shadows.
Konoha was currently locked in a fierce struggle with the Sand and Stone; they wouldn't proactively do anything excessive to the Mist.
The Mist also felt that now was not the time to join the war, and similarly did not wish to provoke Konoha.
The purpose of this trip was essentially a military exercise in two words: Show of Force!
Bring the three most talented and powerful young ninja to flex their muscles without actually starting a war.
If possible, gaining bargaining chips through peaceful means would be ideal.
Without the power to annihilate a nation, isn't the purpose of war simply to gain chips for negotiation?
"Envoys of the Hidden Mist, greetings!"
"My name is Shinnosuke Sarutobi. I will be hosting you from here on out."
A Konoha ninja who bore a resemblance to the Third Hokage appeared in front of Yagyu and the others, greeting them with a smile.
"Shinnosuke Sarutobi? From what I know, you are a Konoha ANBU. Why aren't you wearing your uniform or mask?"
Yagyu looked Shinnosuke up and down, speaking with a puzzled expression.
Shinnosuke's expression froze for a moment, then he continued with his smile unabated,
"Because this time, I am not receiving you in my capacity as an ANBU, but as a ninja of Konoha."
Yagyu nodded with a look of realization.
"I see! I didn't expect the Third Hokage to send his own biological son. It seems he really attaches great importance to us."
"The Third Hokage's biological son?"
Terumi Mei and Yagura looked surprised, and even Genji wore a stunned expression.
You sure know a lot!
Shinnosuke Sarutobi's mouth twitched, and he said softly,
"It seems you are very well-informed about me, sir."
"That I am a member of the ANBU and the son of the Third Hokage... very few people are aware of these facts."
Yagyu laughed heartily and waved his hand dismissively.
"That just means there's a traitor among the Konoha higher-ups. You'd better have the Third Hokage investigate it quickly. If necessary, don't be afraid to purge them... like Stalin."
Shinnosuke Sarutobi: "..."
I'm just here to receive you as part of my official duties. Why are you causing me this kind of trouble?
Shinnosuke shot a resentful glance at Yagyu, realizing he had picked up a hot potato.
At the same time, he silently added this new information about Yagyu to his mental file.
Since Yagyu had only recently appeared on Konoha's radar, they lacked intelligence on him.
Every Konoha ninja who came into contact with Yagyu, including Shinnosuke, was tasked with gathering information about him.
First: Yagyu might possess classified Konoha intelligence. The implications of this would not be discussed here.
Second: Yagyu seemed to possess certain intelligence that even the Hidden Mist did not know, which might be exploitable.
Third (Highlight this): This person has an extremely terrible personality. I really want to beat him up!
Shinnosuke added these three points in his mind, then looked at Yagyu with a gaze full of ill intent.
"Whoa! Why are you looking at me like that? An angry Konoha ninja... Ooh, how scary~"
Yagyu pursed his lips and cried out in exaggerated fear.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi: (◣д◢)
I can't take this anymore!
"Ahem! Alright, please take us to our accommodations first,"
Genji interjected to change the subject, then glanced at Yagyu with a satisfied look.
They hadn't come to Konoha just to eat and drink. Yagyu's probing—which stayed just within the line of acceptability—was exactly what both sides wanted to do.
Genji had expected Konoha to be the first to probe Yagyu's special abilities, but surprisingly, Yagyu had struck first.
Good!
Genji was very pleased.
Led by a fuming Shinnosuke, the four of them entered the guest house Konoha had prepared for them, after which Shinnosuke left immediately.
Genji looked at Yagyu and said,
"In the coming days, people will definitely come to test your abilities. Control the situation well; do not expose your weaknesses."
Yagyu pursed his lips.
"Weaknesses? I have no weaknesses."
Genji shook his head but said nothing more.
Whether Yagyu's ability had a weakness or not, even he didn't know.
Such matters were taboo; village higher-ups wouldn't lightly pry into them.