Chapter 119: Are You Trying to Block Everyone Else's Path to Becoming Hokage?
Sunlight spilled across the bustling plaza of Konoha. Earlier that morning, Jiraiya had boasted loudly about a brilliant new technique he had supposedly developed, insisting on showing it off to his teammates. Orochimaru, buried deep in some obscure experimental project, had flatly refused to show up. However, Kou and Tsunade arrived at the agreed-upon meeting spot right on time.
The trio was just about to head toward the designated training ground when a shadow swept over the sunlit pavement. High above, a goshawk circled the azure sky, emitting a sharp, rhythmic cry that echoed over the rooftops.
Hearing that distinct call, Kou tilted her head, a faint glimmer of admiration in her eyes for the Anbu's impeccable timing. Just as they were about to leave for a day of training, an official assembly order had to drop from the sky.
"It's an Anbu assembly order," Kou sighed, offering her teammates an apologetic smile. "Looks like I can't go with you guys today. Let's reschedule for later."
She turned on her heel, preparing to bid them farewell and report to headquarters. Before she could take more than a few steps, the sharp rustle of wind breaking filled the air. Several masked Anbu operatives blurred across the distant rooftops, descending in a synchronized crouch right in front of the three young ninja.
The lead operative straightened, his porcelain animal mask gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "Kou, you do not need to participate in this mission," he stated, his voice completely devoid of warmth. ", you are ordered to rest at home indefinitely. The Anbu will contact you if your services are ever required again."
Kou froze. Her eyes widened, portraying a perfect picture of dazed confusion. "Why?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. 'Rest at home' in the Anbu usually meant an indefinite suspension—or worse.
The masked captain let out a harsh, dismissive snort, clearly dissatisfied with her very presence. "During your previous operations, you nearly compromised the objective every single time. Someone with your track record is no longer fit to wear the mask. You are a liability."
Kou's expression crumbled into a dark, desperate panic. She took a step forward, her hands clenching into tight fists as she subconsciously defended herself. "Those were intelligence failures! The briefings were completely wrong. How can you pin the blame entirely on me? On what authority are you revoking my eligibility as a shinobi?"
In any large organization, internal friction was inevitable, and the Anbu was no exception. The captain's tone turned razor-sharp, cutting through the plaza's ambient noise.
"This is Hokage-sama's direct order," he barked, stepping into her space with an intimidating glare. "Are you going to defy the Hokage?"
"Hokage-sama's... order?"
Kou repeated the words in a hollow whisper. She stumbled back a half-step, acting as if a physical blow had just struck her skull. Her eyes lost their focus, portraying a mind buzzing with absolute shock. She let her breathing turn shallow and erratic, perfectly simulating a panic attack.
The Hokage had personally withdrawn her status. Did the Hokage truly believe she was entirely untrustworthy? Stripping a shinobi of their right to take missions was a fate worse than death. How could they inflict something so incredibly cruel upon her? If she lacked the basic right to serve her village, what was the point of her continued existence?
Tsunade and Jiraiya watched in stunned silence, the heavy, suffocating despair radiating from their friend practically choking the air around them.
Before anyone could say another word, Kou spun around and bolted. She sprinted through the bustling streets of Konoha like a ghost, her trajectory aimed directly at the towering structure in the center of the village—the Hokage Building, the absolute symbol of Konoha's authority.
"Kou, wait! Calm down!" Jiraiya yelled, finally snapping out of his daze.
Realizing her mental state was completely fractured, he and Tsunade immediately gave chase, leaping over fruit stands and dodging startled civilians. But Kou was an Anbu-trained operative; her speed was terrifying. Try as they might, the two genin simply couldn't close the distance.
Meanwhile, deep inside the highest office of that very building, the source of Kou's 'despair' was currently slumped over a massive oak desk.
Stelle, the reigning Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, had just returned from an exhausting, high-profile banquet hosted by the Inuzuka clan. She rested her chin on a stack of unread mission reports, completely devoid of any motivation to do actual paperwork.
"Why are there so many damn weddings lately?" Stelle groaned, her face pulled into a long, miserable pout. "It's like the entire village suddenly decided to rush into marriage all at once. If this keeps up, I'm going to be eating dirt by the end of the month."
Seated across from her were the village's top advisors. An emergency administrative meeting had been called, meaning the room was fully occupied.
Hearing the Hokage cry poverty caused a visible twitch in Danzo's eye. He slammed his cane against the floor, his expression souring.
"Do not play the victim," Danzo sneered, his voice dripping with displeasure. "Just last month, the Third Kazekage sent you two hundred million ryo in cold, hard cash as a diplomatic gesture. I didn't see a single cent of that funding for my divisions, yet here you are, claiming you have no money."
Ever since the Second Kazekage, Shamon, had permanently gone offline, the newly appointed Third Kazekage, Enkawa Kazue, had been incredibly eager to appease the Leaf. He had faithfully delivered the massive sum of cash, accompanied by a heavy chest overflowing with gold and silver jewelry. Danzo had been green with envy at the sight of such wealth, only to watch Stelle shamelessly sweep the entire fortune into her own pockets. Hearing her complain about being broke now felt like a personal insult.
"I literally only have a few thousand ryo left to my name!" Stelle shot back.
She dramatically yanked out her frog-shaped coin purse, unzipped it, and aggressively shook a few pathetic, crumpled bills onto the polished desk for Danzo to inspect.
"Look at this! See for yourself! As the Hokage, the red envelopes I give at these weddings naturally have to be thick. If I hand over a thin envelope, the clans will think I'm looking down on them!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Do you have any idea how many weddings I've attended this month? Over twenty! I swear, these clans are conspiring against my bank account. Handing out all these congratulatory gifts has completely bankrupted me."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat quietly to the side, puffing on his pipe as he complained internally.
'Why do you think they're all suddenly getting married?' he thought dryly.
The political reality was obvious to everyone except, apparently, the Hokage herself. The major clans had originally delayed their youths' marriages, hoping to secure a direct marriage alliance with her to consolidate their own political power. Handsome, elite bachelors from every noble family had taken turns parading in front of her, throwing flirtatious glances and subtle propositions. Unfortunately, all their efforts had been completely wasted on a brick wall. Stelle had remained entirely oblivious to their advances. After months of watching their best men fail to even register on her radar, the clans had finally given up and rushed to marry off their heirs to other families instead.
"Then what actually happened to your personal funds?" Uchiha Kagami finally spoke up, his calm voice cutting through the bickering. He distinctly remembered Stelle hoarding a mountain of wealth just a few weeks prior.
Stelle held up her hands, counting off her fingers as she began to calculate her expenses.
"Well, the last time I visited the Konoha Orphanage, those poor kids looked so pitiful. I couldn't just stand by, so I donated a large chunk of it to them."
'And every single one of those crying brats provided a steady stream of mood value,' she added silently in her mind, her lips twitching upward. The emotional harvest had easily netted her several hundred system points. As far as she was concerned, any problem that could be solved by throwing money at it wasn't a real problem.
"Later on," Stelle continued, lowering a second finger, "the Research Department was facing a severe budget crisis. The funding allocated for the New District's development was completely tied up, so I secretly funneled a massive portion of my own wealth into their labs to keep their projects afloat."
In reality, farming a massive wave of shock and gratitude from Orochimaru and Hiruko had been an incredibly cost-effective trade.
"And then, just last month, the New District took in a massive influx of war refugees," she sighed, looking deeply burdened by the weight of leadership. "Danzo's operational budget was entirely locked up in the construction of the Trade Port on the Land of Fire's border. Since no official funds could be mobilized in time, I liquidated the rest of my private accounts to cover the refugees' emergency food and medical needs. And just like that... my money was gone."
Her internal monologue, however, was singing a completely different tune. Several thousand desperate refugees, combined with the awe of the surrounding civilian populace, had yielded tens of thousands of mood value points. What was a pile of useless metal and paper compared to that kind of system currency? Was money worth more than her own survival? Absolutely not.
As soon as her explanation echoed through the room, a heavy, stunned silence fell over the office. Hiruzen, Danzo, and Kagami all drew in sharp breaths, their eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
While sitting in the Hokage's seat inherently required a leader to consider the big picture and focus on the village's welfare, none of them had ever considered the concept of a Kage liquidating their entire personal fortune to fund public infrastructure. Normally, when the village's treasury was tight, a leader would simply balance the budget, delay certain projects, and handle the most critical emergencies first.
Yet Stelle hadn't just dipped into her savings—she had emptied her entire treasury in one sweeping gesture of absolute philanthropy.
She was so terrifyingly selfless. Was she intentionally trying to block the path of anyone who dared to run for Kage in the future? By setting this impossibly high moral standard, how could anyone else ever hope to succeed her? Who would ever be considered worthy to sit behind that desk after such a saint?
"Did it never cross your mind to keep just a little bit for yourself?" Hiruzen asked, completely speechless.
"I did keep some!" Stelle argued defensively. "But didn't I just tell you I had to stuff it all into those damn red envelopes? Speaking of which..." She buried her face in her hands, groaning loudly. "The head of the Nara clan is getting married next month. Ah, what am I going to do? I literally don't have a single ryo left for his gift. Maybe I'll just fake a terminal illness that day and hide in the Medical Department."
She looked genuinely distressed. The crushing weight of Konoha's social obligations was far more terrifying than any enemy ninja.
Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a subtle, loaded glance, before both pairs of eyes slowly drifted toward Uchiha Kagami.
Clearing his throat, Hiruzen leaned forward. "Actually, Hokage-sama... why don't you just find someone to marry? Preferably a man from a prestigious, wealthy clan with deep enough pockets for you to squander freely. Someone who is highly skilled, gentle, and knows how to take care of your daily needs." He shot another pointed look at Kagami. "Most, you need someone who will unconditionally follow your lead and clean up the political fallout no matter how recklessly you behave."
"Get married?" Stelle narrowed her eyes, highly suspicious that Hiruzen was subtly insulting her intelligence, though she lacked the concrete evidence to prove it.
"Yes, exactly!" Hiruzen nodded enthusiastically, fully committing to his new role as the village matchmaker. "If you don't want to marry out of your current status, having a husband marry into your household is perfectly fine too. The actual marriage isn't the main point. The point is securing a partner who can cover your blind spots. Someone to ground you when you start acting crazy, and stop you before you do something irreversible. Whenever I make a reckless mistake, Biwako is always there to set me straight."
Danzo stroked his chin, a sudden, greedy light flashing in his one visible eye. He smiled, looking exactly like a merchant who had just stumbled upon a massive bargain.
"He makes a valid point," Danzo agreed smoothly. "Think about the logistics. If you squander your budget, your wealthy husband will simply replenish it. You can spend as much as you desire. And, naturally, when my Root division's finances are tight, you can funnel his excess wealth into my accounts so I can spend it too. It's a flawless economic strategy. You should agree immediately."
A thick, cross-shaped vein violently bulged on Stelle's forehead.
Without a second of hesitation, she lunged across the desk and brought her fist crashing down onto the top of Danzo's skull with a resounding crack.
"Do I look like a damn charity fund to balance your black-ops books?!" Stelle roared, pulling her fist back. "We are in the middle of a high-level administrative meeting! If anyone else spouts another word of nonsense, you'll be eating my fist for lunch!"
Danzo grunted, clutching his bruised head as he slowly peeled himself off the floor. He shook his head twice to clear the ringing, calmly adjusted his robes, and sat back down. 'Hmm, no concussion. We can continue the meeting.'
If one were to ask why the terrifying leader of Root had absolutely no reaction to being physically assaulted by the Hokage, the answer was tragically simple: his skull had already grown entirely accustomed to her beatings.
Hiruzen dragged a hand down his face, completely utterly speechless. He had been trying to set up a serious, politically advantageous romantic opening for their friend, but with Danzo shamelessly turning it into a money-laundering scheme, the mood was completely ruined.
'What an absolute liability of a teammate,' Hiruzen sighed internally.
Throughout the entire chaotic exchange, only Uchiha Kagami remained perfectly silent, sipping his tea with no particular emotion visible on his handsome face.
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