Setting up a chair in the yard, Torifu could lie on it all day.
This was almost Torifu's standard routine after lunch every day, and as for whether Minato had eaten, that was none of Torifu's business; a grown child needed to learn to forage for himself.
About a week later, the Ninja from Konoha returned to Konoha with replies from the Kazekage and Tsuchikage.
The two letters were immediately presented to Torifu, who read the letters while listening to the Ninja's report.
"Kazekage-sama set off for Konoha two days after we left and is expected to arrive tomorrow."
"The Tsuchikage-sama is also coming; Tsuchikage-sama not only wants to discuss Amegakure's attack on Iwagakure with Konoha but also wants to reach some economic cooperation with Konoha."
Torifu nodded after listening; the contents of the letters were similar to what they said, with very little useful information and mostly greetings.
Correspondence between Kage was always like this, especially since Konoha was now the largest Ninja Village in the Ninja World; letters from other Kage had to be reviewed repeatedly to ensure there were no offensive words.
Torifu put away the letters and said to the two Ninja below, "You two have worked hard. You've been busy and tired these past few days, so I'm giving you two days off to rest well."
Both of them smiled upon hearing this: "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Then they left the Office.
With two Kage coming to Konoha, thorough hospitality and welcoming ceremonies were essential. If it were like the last time the Kazekage visited Konoha, it would be quite embarrassing.
However, Torifu was not very familiar with the procedures for these matters, so he left it to his subordinates.
After the instructions were given, the Ninja responsible for these matters quickly provided a detailed plan.
Torifu glanced at it and felt there were no issues; as long as the two Kage felt honored, it didn't need to be overly luxurious.
Thus, the welcoming ceremony and hospitality procedures were set and quickly prepared.
After all, the two Kage were arriving tomorrow, leaving them not much time.
Just as Torifu was about to deal with other official duties, there was a knock on the Office door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Torifu looked up to see that it was Sakumo, alone.
"Hokage-sama, I heard that Kazekage-sama and Tsuchikage-sama are coming tomorrow, and our team should have stayed in the Village to welcome them, but unfortunately, I just accepted a mission to the Land of Waves."
"So I'm afraid I can't stay in the Village."
Torifu smiled after hearing this: "So it's about this. No problem, you can go ahead."
It must be said that the Ninja World's Ninja rules are truly numerous; even such a small matter needed to be reported.
"I went to the Land of Waves once when I was a child. At that time, I followed Second Hokage-sama to capture the Six-Tails, and we passed through the Land of Iron along the way. That place is a pure land for samurai; you can go and explore."
Sakumo was also very interested after hearing this: "I saw it when I was planning the route; the closest path to the Land of Waves requires using the Land of Iron's harbor. I always hear my father talk about the Land of Iron, so this is a good opportunity to see it."
Speaking of the Land of Iron, Torifu thought of that Mifune kid. Torifu gave him a good sword back then; after so many years, it must have broken by now.
However, by this time, he should have already become a somewhat famous samurai.
"If you meet a samurai named Mifune in the Land of Iron, you can ask him if he knows someone named Ikeda Ryuya."
Sakumo was a bit confused: "Ikeda Ryuya, he doesn't seem to have any fame in the Ninja World. Is Hokage-sama looking for him?"
Torifu laughed heartily after hearing this: "Speaking of which, that was a pseudonym Tobirama-sama gave me. When we stayed in the Land of Iron back then, we used that name."
Sakumo also gave a self-deprecating smile after hearing this: "I see, I was overthinking it. So, Hokage-sama is more interested in this Mifune person? A samurai?"
"That's right, this person should not be underestimated. He is the last glory of the samurai. Although he is not famous yet, he will surely resonate throughout the entire Ninja World in the future."
Sakumo's heart itched with curiosity. A samurai whom even Hokage-sama praised so highly—if he could spar with him, he would surely gain new insights.
"Okay, if I can meet this person named Mifune, I will definitely convey Hokage-sama's words."
Torifu was satisfied with this. If he could really meet him, that would be great. If not, it wouldn't matter; he thought they would meet again soon.
"By the way, what mission are you taking those three children to the Land of Waves for?"
"To clear out bandits. The Land of Waves no longer has Ninja, and the Daimyo-sama's Residence's soldiers cannot deter the bandits, so they asked us to go. It will likely take over a month for the round trip."
This timing was within Torifu's expectations: "Okay, I understand. If anything unexpected happens, retreat immediately. Whether the mission fails or not is not important; your lives are the most important."
Since Torifu took Office, he has always emphasized that mission failure would not significantly affect the Village, but the sacrifice of Ninja would cause great losses to the Village. Therefore, when performing missions outside, one's own life and the safety of teammates come first.
Although some older Ninja's mindsets could not be changed initially, it has been over ten years now, and everyone has adopted this as an ironclad rule, so Sakumo was not surprised when Torifu spoke of it.
"Yes."
Then he left the Office.
With this departure, they wouldn't see each other until next month. It was also Minato's first time leaving home so far, and he didn't know if he could adapt, but he was already ten years old and indeed needed some experience.
Although children in the previous life generally only became productive members of society in their twenties, this was the Ninja World, so it naturally couldn't be compared.
Although these Genin were also called Ninja, the missions they performed were only things like finding cats and dogs or clearing out bandits.
They couldn't even take escort missions, so there was basically no situation where their opponents would be Ninja, and with a Jonin leading the team, their safety was completely guaranteed.
"Alright, everything that needed to be done has been done. Now we just wait for the two Kage to visit Konoha tomorrow and see what their attitudes are towards Amegakure."
Konoha had always adhered to the principle of non-aggression, but at this juncture of the Second Shinobi World War, Amegakure's actions were significant, clearly indicating a declaration of war against Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
This would give Konoha a legitimate reason to send troops against Amegakure.
Although Torifu held no personal grudges against Amegakure, with Hanzō and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's subordinates colluding, no one else could be blamed.
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Chapter End
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