Torifu had only just gotten a couple of days of peace, and now this whole mess in the Land of Whirlpools had to pop up! For a country that tiny, they were putting on a show like the Nine Princes' Succession Struggle!
Torifu then turned to leave. He had already planned where to plant a bomb to take out the entire Hidden Leaf Village in one go. He also had the system store open, looking for the "little boy" brand bomb, the kind that would turn everyone into old acquaintances.
Seeing that Torifu was genuinely angry, Tobirama came out and grabbed him, trying to placate him.
"Don't be so rash! Don't be so rash! I haven't finished yet! You're not going alone this time! Hiruzen and Naori will be going too!"
Torifu turned around, forcing a smile. "I still have to do the work, don't I? Since you're sending them, why do you have to bring me along too?"
To be able to speak so presumptuously to the Hokage, only Torifu, aside from Hashirama and Mito, would dare to do so in the entire village.
The Anbu member outside the window felt his back get soaked in sweat. He never thought that Torifu would be so bold as to talk back to the Hokage. That was a crime punishable by death! But then he thought, since it was Torifu, it probably wasn't a problem. Torifu had always been different from the other shinobi. It was as if he was constantly dancing on the edge of the shinobi rules without any fear. He lived a very free life. He was truly a shinobi's role model!
Tobirama sighed. "It's because I'll only feel at ease if you go. As the soon-to-be Third Hokage, you going personally will surely make the people of the Land of Whirlpools feel how important they are to the Hidden Leaf Village."
"And with you there, they'll have a leader, and there won't be any casualties when they encounter danger."
He then patted Torifu's shoulder. "Most importantly, Naori is going, so how can you not?"
Well, that was a nasty trick! Was Tobirama really putting Naori in the team just to make Torifu obey? She had just returned from a mission today! What a way to exploit an employee! But there was nothing Torifu could do. What Tobirama said made sense. With so many people going, they did need a leader, and the situation in the Land of Whirlpools was a little strange, so it was hard to say how difficult the mission would be.
Yes, that was it. Torifu definitely wasn't going because of Naori.
"Fine, then. Once I get back, can I take over?"
Tobirama smiled and nodded. "Of course. This will be your last mission as an elite Jōnin."
"I accept. When do we leave?"
Tobirama returned to his desk. "Naori just finished her mission and needs a few days of rest. Let's say in two days. Two days is enough time to rest."
Torifu nodded. Now he was too lazy to argue with Tobirama. The sooner he completed the mission, the sooner he would become Hokage. Once he became Hokage, he would be the highest-ranking official in the Hidden Leaf, and he didn't believe anyone could force him to do missions then!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for accepting the mission: Nine Letters of Aid. Mission Level: Unknown.]
Well, it had been a long time since he had heard this system notification. He hadn't done a mission in a while, and the first one back was a big one. He hoped it would be easy so he could go and come back quickly.
Torifu cupped his hands at Tobirama. "Is there anything else you need me to do, Tobirama-sama?"
Tobirama waved his hand. "No, no, you can do whatever you want."
After cupping his hands again, Torifu transformed into a cloud of mist and left.
Tobirama could only shake his head helplessly at this sight. He felt a bit like a father whose child had grown up and no longer needed his guidance. But he had been holding on to the position of Hokage for all these years, just waiting for the day Torifu would become the Third Hokage. He felt quite at ease entrusting the Hidden Leaf Village to Torifu. The changes Torifu had brought to the village in the past decade were a testament to that.
After leaving the Hokage's Office Building, Torifu went to the village gate. The wisp of cloud was hard to detect in the air, so no one noticed him. When he appeared in front of the gate, the gate guard was so startled that he immediately swung his sword at him. But Torifu caught it firmly between two fingers.
"It's me. Don't be so surprised. Be careful with your sword; it has no eyes."
When the guard saw that it was Torifu, he put his sword away. "It's Torifu-sama. You really scared me. I thought someone had infiltrated the Hidden Leaf."
Torifu smiled. "That would just mean he's looking for a death wish. Unless he doesn't leave any trace, he will definitely be discovered."
The guard scratched his head. "Torifu-sama is right. Are you heading out?"
Torifu waved his hand. "Just wait here for someone. Don't mind me."
"Hehe, I understand. You're waiting for Naori-sama, right? She's returning to the village today."
"You're quite well-informed. Yes, I'm waiting for Naori."
Just as Torifu finished speaking, a head appeared on the horizon, followed by three more smaller heads. When Torifu saw this, a smile immediately appeared on his face. The guard, being a smart man, returned to his post so as not to disturb Torifu.
Naori walked to the village gate and saw a man in a white robe, Torifu, waiting for her with a smile on his face. The fatigue from her journey seemed to disappear. They embraced, and Torifu gently kissed her on the forehead.
"You must be tired from the journey."
With a healing jutsu, Naori's fatigue vanished instantly. As for the children, Torifu didn't use the jutsu on them because they were supposed to be training, not Naori.
"I'm not too tired, and now I feel no fatigue at all. How have you been?"
Torifu smiled. "I took on two disciples. One is the young lady of the Aburame Clan, and the other is an orphan I found, named Namikaze Minato."
"You adopted another orphan? He must have a lot of talent, then."
"Of course. More than you."
Naori feigned anger and gave Torifu a punch. Torifu didn't dodge, and they both smiled at each other. The two children behind them had never felt so radiant, as if they could light up the entire world.
Naori then realized what she had done and felt a little embarrassed for acting like that in front of the children. She then pulled Fugaku forward. "Torifu, this is Uchiha Fugaku. I've mentioned him to you before."
Torifu nodded. "Yes, I remember. He's indeed a very talented young man."
Uchiha Fugaku scratched his head. "Thank you for the compliment, Torifu-sama. You and Naori-sama are also a very well-suited couple."
This was a pleasant thing to hear. Torifu was very happy and took out a healing necklace from his ring and gave it to Uchiha Fugaku. The other two children saw that Fugaku had received a gift and wanted one too, but they held themselves back due to their family's etiquette. Torifu felt that the two children were also very cute, so he took out two more necklaces and gave them to them.
.....
Chapter End
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[T/N: Hi readers!]
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