Hearing Rii's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand impatiently.
"If you want to issue a mission, go to the mission office."
"The mission office said any A-rank or higher mission requires your personal approval. I had no choice but to bother you," Rii replied, pulling a scroll from her ninja pouch and placing it on the desk.
"Lord Hokage, I am here on behalf of the Daimyō of the Land of Rain to issue an A-rank mission!
The mission objective is to assist in rebuilding Amegakure.
The mission budget is 100 million ryō, and the assigned contractor...
Hehe...
Is none other than myself!"
Hiruzen was instantly at a loss for words.
Here we go again!
The same old routine, the same familiar absurdity.
These siblings, relying on their deep pockets, spent their days granting themselves vacations!
It was downright ridiculous!
Without even thinking, Hiruzen replied grumpily, "Denied!"
Hearing this, Rii immediately pouted, her voice tinged with grievance as she muttered, "I guess I'll just have to give the 100 million ryō to Iwagakure. I heard they're pretty quick at building houses."
Hiruzen's face darkened instantly.
This girl! He had been counting on her to be the tether that kept Rinjin tied to Konoha.
And now? The tether was trying to run off on its own!
What a colossal misjudgment!
Taking several deep breaths to suppress his frustration, Hiruzen finally spoke in a low voice, "Konoha can build houses faster. The mission is approved!
But you can't take it on alone; you'll need to bring a team."
Rii mulled it over for a moment before agreeing. However, she added, "Fine, but I'll only take people who know Earth Release: Transmutation Technique. No one else."
Hiruzen, exasperated, nodded in agreement.
Satisfied, Rii smiled brightly and turned to leave the Hokage's office.
Not long after, Fugaku Uchiha entered the office with the clan leader of the Hyūga Clan.
The moment the two leaders met, the air grew thick with tension.
"Lord Hokage, what do you need from me?" Fugaku asked calmly.
Before Hiruzen could respond, the Hyūga Clan leader snorted coldly and pointed to his two sons, who stood behind him with bruised and swollen faces.
"What do I need? Are your Sharingan blind? Can't you see for yourself?"
"Blind? Even if they were, that's still better than being branded like livestock, with life and death out of your own hands," Fugaku retorted, scratching his forehead meaningfully.
Nearby, Hizashi Hyūga, the younger of the two brothers, flinched at Fugaku's words.
The fight between him and his elder brother had stemmed from his inability to suppress his inner resentment.
After all, who could truly accept being born into such humiliation? Even the most mild-mannered person would feel a deep-seated anger.
The Hyūga Clan leader, trembling with rage, pointed an accusatory finger at Fugaku.
"Uchiha Clan matters are none of your concern! Is this how you teach the brats in your clan?!"
Fugaku's expression darkened.
Teach them? This brat was taught by Rinjin! If you've got a problem, take it up with him!
And besides, you're just a lowly Hyūga. How dare you yell at me, the leader of the mighty Uchiha Clan?
Crossing his arms and raising his chin, Fugaku shot back, "How I teach my clan is none of your business!
With your own house in disarray, what right do you have to criticize me?
No matter what, the Uchiha Clan takes care of its own."
He had a point.
From the perspective of clan loyalty, the Uchiha were indeed far more united than the Hyūga or even the Kaguya.
But from the village's standpoint, the Uchiha were like a stubborn kidney stone lodged in a critical spot—impossible to ignore and incredibly painful.
Watching the two clan leaders argue endlessly, Hiruzen felt a headache coming on.
Meanwhile, the instigator of the whole mess, Fugaku, had somehow slipped onto the sofa in the corner. He even had the audacity to pour himself a cup of tea.
Good grief, this kid really was Rinjin's protégé through and through.
The way he stirred the pot was exactly the same as his teacher's!
Rinjin had once set the entire shinobi world ablaze, and now his disciple was making waves in Konoha.
At such a young age, Fugaku had already managed to pit the leaders of Konoha's two most powerful clans against each other.
Hiruzen's thoughts drifted to another of Rinjin's disciples, Teuchi, better known as "Ichiraku."
That kid was no saint either.
Word had it that Teuchi liked to knead dough while using Eight Gates techniques, shouting incomprehensible slogans like "Youth forever!"
The worst part?
Hiruzen had tasted Teuchi's ramen, and it was annoyingly delicious!
Rinjin's three disciples were nothing but troublemakers!
One had inherited his master's laziness, constantly giving herself vacations.
Another had been thoroughly corrupted, his scheming eyes a mirror image of Rinjin's.
And the third? Well, the less said about him, the better.
Konoha's "Three Prodigies"! A legacy of chaos starting from Rinjin himself!
Hiruzen silently cursed Rinjin a hundred times over.
That man was a walking disaster!
As Hiruzen fumed internally, a bold idea suddenly crossed his mind.
What if…
What if he handed all of the Uchiha's problem children over to Rinjin for training?
Would that be a case of turning waste into treasure?
No, no, he couldn't think of his comrades in the village that way.
Would it lead to the Uchiha's self-destruction?
Possibly. But a more likely outcome was the village's self-destruction.
Just imagine—a group of Uchiha kids, devoted to love and peace, walking down the street.
They see two people fighting.
One rushes in to break up the fight by beating both combatants.
Then another steps in, questioning the first: "Why did you hit them? Let me teach you about love!"
And soon, the two are fighting.
Then a third steps in, trying to mediate with their fists…
The thought sent shivers down Hiruzen's spine.
No, no, no!
That would be an endless disaster!
If they all piloted giant mechas, the village would be doomed!
Still, the terrifying idea gave him a bold new perspective.
In the future, any problem children in the village could simply be handed over to Rii for training!
As Hiruzen pondered, the Hyūga and Uchiha clan leaders finally ran out of steam. Panting heavily, they continued to glare daggers at each other.
Knowing it was time to intervene, Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"Ahem…
You've argued enough. Now it's time to listen to me.
Fugaku Uchiha is Rinjin's disciple, but he is also a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Here's what we'll do: the Uchiha will compensate the Hyūga for medical expenses, and the Hyūga will drop the matter.
At the end of the day, we're all comrades in the same village. Fugaku only stepped in to stop the fight for your own good."
The message was clear: Fugaku was Rinjin's student. Everyone knew what kind of person Rinjin was, so the Hyūga should let it go. Take the money, go home, and don't fight in front of this kid again.
As for the Uchiha, don't get cocky. You'll have to clean up after Fugaku's mess.
Why was Hiruzen siding with Fugaku?
It was simple. Despite his many flaws and temper issues, Fugaku had no fundamental problems.
In fact, he had managed to channel everyone's grievances onto himself, inadvertently promoting harmony within the village.
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