Konoha, Hokage Building.
“I can understand the Sand Village, but what's the meaning of the Stone Village and Cloud Village? They should be firmly on the side of peace. How can they do this!”
In the Hokage's office, Uchiha Yoru angrily stood up and slammed the desk, continuously scolding.
Hearing the scolding of Uchiha Yoru, the Fifth Hokage, everyone in the Hokage building, whether working, receiving, or reporting missions, fell silent.
Eyes wide open, although it wasn't the first or second time, they still felt their faces burning.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru in the office continued unaware, angrily slamming the desk.
“Damn it, notify the ninja world. I want to severely criticize the Cloud Village and Stone Village for their half-hearted, unstable stance.”
“Everyone's making excuses, even stopped aiding us. We've barely managed to establish seventeen supply bases. These are all preparations for peace. How can they do this?”
Goodness, all the ninjas in the Hokage Building were speechless. Some Konoha ninjas who had just come to receive missions were confused.
What's going on? Is the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yoru, scolding the other villages for not providing supplies? But why should the other villages supply them? It seems the Fifth Hokage's words make sense. For peace, how can the other villages stop providing supplies?
Uchiha Yoru, furious, continued slamming the desk, “Kakashi, why have these small villages also reduced their supply aid? Saying they temporarily need to produce! excuses! All excuses!”
“The entire ninja world, these villages are all hypocritical and shameless! During the Kage Summit, they all promised solemnly, but now they've turned their faces. Indeed, these villages can't be trusted, peace! We can only trust ourselves.”
Goodness, Kakashi Hatake, who came to report, looked lost. The eye that was visible showed his confusion as if asking, ‘Who am I? Where am I? What happened?'
Kakashi Hatake seemed to be moving away from the original story. The indifferent Kakashi of the Anbu days was gradually changing.
After all, since allying with Uchiha Yoru, most of Kakashi Hatake's work involved politics, naturally leading to changes.
In the original story, Kakashi stayed in the Anbu environment until a few years before the plot began, then he left Anbu, leading to the Kakashi Hatake of the story.
“Ha ha, brat, you're too shameless, demanding supplies from so many villages in the ninja world, and you're so righteous about it. If they don't give, you scold them.”
Tsunade, sitting on the other side of the Hokage's desk, couldn't help but slap the desk and laugh, teasing: “If the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage saw your shameless behavior, would they regret it?”
Facing Tsunade's teasing, Uchiha Yoru replied seriously, “Princess Tsunade, I'm doing this for peace! For justice! You should mind your image when discussing this topic.”
“Alright, alright, mind the image, mind the image, pfft!”
Tsunade, covering her mouth, laughed so hard that tears almost fell out. This brat had scammed so many supplies from the ninja world, and now he's scolding others for their behavior.
"Is all this not given for free? If I don't give it to you, you turn around and scold me for being immoral."
Such twisted logic, yet it seems to make some sense.
"That... Lady Fifth Hokage, the relief supplies from various ninja villages in the ninja world in recent months are enough to sustain tens of thousands of ninjas in a prolonged war. Even with the average losses during the Third War, we could last a year and a half."
At this moment, Kakashi Hatake spoke awkwardly, feeling in his heart that it's no wonder Uchiha Yoru could become Hokage while he could only assist.
Such shamelessness and righteousness is a realm he could never reach in his lifetime.
Kakashi Hatake truly admired him at this moment, looking up to Uchiha Yoru's stature.
However, Uchiha Yoru, listening to Kakashi's explanation, not only didn't understand but also continued to stick to his own ideology.
"Kakashi, send a notice to the ninja world now, sternly criticizing these acts of weak will. As the Five Great Ninja Villages, we should set an example for peace. How can we act like this? It's irresponsible towards peace."
"That... Lord Hokage, envoys from the Stone, Cloud, Sand, and many smaller ninja villages have already arrived at the village, each expressing their apologies."
Kakashi reported helplessly, but with a look of admiration. Standing upright and asking for benefits, not giving and scolding the other party, yet each of them still came with a smile and expressed apologies.
It's like asking for money with your hand extended. If someone doesn't give it, you righteously scold them, and then these powerful people have to bow and apologize with a smile, promising to bring something next time.
When Uchiha Yoru heard that envoys from various countries' ninja villages were arriving in Konoha, his first reaction was to look at Kakashi suspiciously.
"Kakashi, didn't these envoys bring anything when they came?"
Kakashi was confused, scratching his white hair, wondering why envoys from each ninja village would bring gifts to Konoha.
Looking at Kakashi, Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a look of disappointment, "Nonsense, aren't all the envoys sent by the countries here to congratulate me on becoming the Fifth Hokage? They came empty-handed?"
"Who comes empty-handed? Even friends getting married, graduating from ninja school to become Genin, or being promoted to Chunin have gifts. How can envoys, who talk about peace and alliance, come empty-handed?"
Uchiha Yoru suddenly became serious and angry, slamming the table, startling everyone.
"I knew it! These envoys must have taken kickbacks! Otherwise, how could they come empty-handed? Which country's customs work like this?"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru looked at Kakashi with angry eyes, "Kakashi, I now order you to inquire clearly when welcoming these envoys from various countries. Did they take kickbacks from the gifts brought by their Kages?"
"I knew something was wrong. The Third Tsuchikage Onoki and the Fourth Raikage A, who are embodiments of justice and peace, how could they be so rude?"
At this moment, Kakashi Hatake finally realized that Uchiha Yoru wasn't really concerned about these issues; he just wanted to take the last bite, knowing he wouldn't have this chance again.
But Kakashi, facing this daunting task, nervously swallowed and his only visible eye beneath the mask was filled with helplessness.
“That… Lord Hokage, the Anbu tasks have been quite heavy lately, can this task be postponed?”
Before Kakashi could finish, Uchiha Yoru immediately showed a look of realization as if he understood something. He smacked his forehead in annoyance and said, “I almost forgot, Kakashi, you have been quite busy with tasks recently. Taking on the role of a messenger is indeed cumbersome.”
Hearing this, Kakashi secretly heaved a sigh of relief, even wiping the non-existent sweat from the corner of his eye. He felt somewhat embarrassed to shamelessly ask others for things. However, Uchiha Yoru's next words left him wanting to cry without tears.
“Kakashi, the burden on your shoulders is heavy. For the sake of Konoha, you’ll have to work hard this time. I will send Shisui and Itachi to assist you. You must set an example and pass on your experience well. Next time, I will send Shisui and Itachi.”
Wow! First, a carrot is dangled with familiar comforting words from a superior, then two more people are added to seemingly lighten the workload. In reality, it doesn't reduce it at all; instead, he now needs to train newcomers.
And finally, a huge promise is made about 'next time'!
If it were someone else, they might have been thrilled, thinking it's appreciation from a superior. However, Kakashi Hatake, with his political savvy, always felt something was off.
“Yes.”
Although hesitant, Kakashi still mechanically nodded in response and accepted the task. As he scratched his white hair and turned around, his face immediately fell.
His eye, revealed from the mask, showed a look of helplessness. Turning his head back, he saw Uchiha Yoru already engrossed in a pile of paperwork on his desk.
Opening his mouth to say something, the words that reached his throat were ultimately swallowed down. Kakashi sighed in resignation. It's not about the difficulty of the task, but rather that it’s really not easy for someone without a thick skin.
…
Konoha had two candidates for the Fifth Hokage, and one had to be chosen on the day the Hokage Rock Faces were completed. Uchiha Yoru, one of the Fifth Hokage candidates, was recognized by the entire ninja world and all the major ninja villages.
However, Konoha itself had not yet confirmed this. At the very least, the Land of Fire and Konoha Village had not officially appointed him, especially since the Third Hokage was still alive. The succession to the position of Hokage, symbolically, had to be handed over from him.
As the completion of the Hokage Rock Faces in Konoha approached, and with the official succession ceremony of the Fifth Hokage drawing near, almost all the major ninja villages and numerous smaller ones sent representatives.
Officially, they came to offer congratulations, but everyone knew the truth: they were there to watch Konoha's downfall.
They watched Konoha build its high towers, host its guests, and now, after so many years, they were ready to watch Konoha's fall.
The envoys from the major ninja villages were accommodated in a building near the Hokage Tower, with all the amenities befitting important guests.
But this time, despite such preferential treatment, the envoys, who came to watch the drama unfold, had somewhat uneasy expressions.
Inside the building, Hatake Kakashi, accompanied by Uchiha Itachi with his unwelcoming demeanor, and the bewildered Uchiha Shisui, had almost received all the envoys from various ninja villages.
“No, absolutely not, how could we dare accept bribes!” protested an envoy from a small ninja village, his face red with frustration. However, facing Hatake Kakashi's dead fish eye and the cold gaze of Uchiha Itachi, a cold sweat involuntarily slid down his forehead.
Watching the frightened envoy, Hatake Kakashi, with his dead fish eye and seasoned experience, casually took out a notebook from his ninja tool bag, mumbling to himself.
“Bird Ninja Village, came to attend the succession of the Fifth Hokage without any congratulatory gift, suspected of harboring hostility towards Konoha, intending to provoke border peace…”
Kakashi's muttering instantly turned the face of the Bird Ninja Village's envoy pale. He hurriedly waved his hands to explain.
“No, no, respected Konoha ninja, I didn't explain clearly. I'm just an early envoy from our village. Our leader and lord have prepared a generous gift to congratulate the succession of Konoha's Fifth Hokage.”
However, facing the explanation, Hatake Kakashi just lifted his dead fish eye slightly, uttering a nonchalant 'oh,' as if acknowledging but without any sincerity.
Seeing this, the Bird Ninja Village's envoy bit his lip and hurriedly said, “In three days, according to the timeline, the congratulatory gift from our Land of Birds will enter the Land of Fire.”
Seeing his goal achieved, Hatake Kakashi's dead fish eye instantly showed a smile, closing his notebook.
"We have seen the sincerity of Bird Ninja Village, thank you," said Kakashi.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Kakashi sighed wearily to Uchiha Itachi, “If it weren't for the news that the Third Hokage was accepting gifts, we would have almost forgotten. Let's hurry up and finish the task before the Third Hokage reacts.”
As the departing footsteps faded away, the door to this room in the Land of Birds was closed. However, the remaining Bird ninjas revealed their anger when there were no outsiders around.
"Damn it, Konoha is too bullying!"
"Robbers! Bandits!"
Watching their companions angrily denouncing Konoha's bandit-like behavior, the Land of Birds's envoy couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Blame it on the Third Hokage of Konoha. If it weren't for his idea, this Uchiha Fifth Hokage would not have been so eager to receive gifts early."
"Damn the Third."
Everyone was actually blaming the Third Hokage, even though all the benefits were reaped by Uchiha Yoru. Under human nature, everyone resented the Third Hokage.
"Alright, quickly send a message to the village and the Daimyo using the summoning beast, and prepare enough congratulatory gifts. This time, we must not let anyone find fault."
The Land of Birds's envoy was helpless, seeing his companions so angry, he began to console them.
"Okay, think about it, this is actually a good thing."
After suffering such a huge loss, a fierce look appeared on the face of the Land of Birds's envoy.
"We'll ostentatiously bring all the congratulatory gifts to Uchiha, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. When all the Konoha ninjas see it, huh, I don't believe no one will be jealous."
Everyone knows that Konoha currently has two Fifth Hokages. Everyone is sending gifts to Uchiha, what about the other side? How can they not be annoyed?
And what about the decision of the Third Hokage of Konoha and the Daimyo's office? Which one is actually the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade of the Sannin or Uchiha Yoru who activated the Mangekyo Sharingan?
This time, the envoys from various countries almost gritted their teeth and endured it. This is the last time! Just give it, as if paying for a ticket to watch a drama.
Anyway, when Konoha acts foolishly, they can already imagine Konoha falling from its pedestal, and perhaps even struggling to maintain the lowest position among the five great ninja villages.
Konoha, Hokage Building.
“I can understand the Sand Village, but what's the meaning of the Stone Village and Cloud Village? They should be firmly on the side of peace. How can they do this!”
In the Hokage's office, Uchiha Yoru angrily stood up and slammed the desk, continuously scolding.
Hearing the scolding of Uchiha Yoru, the Fifth Hokage, everyone in the Hokage building, whether working, receiving, or reporting missions, fell silent.
Eyes wide open, although it wasn't the first or second time, they still felt their faces burning.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru in the office continued unaware, angrily slamming the desk.
“Damn it, notify the ninja world. I want to severely criticize the Cloud Village and Stone Village for their half-hearted, unstable stance.”
“Everyone's making excuses, even stopped aiding us. We've barely managed to establish seventeen supply bases. These are all preparations for peace. How can they do this?”
Goodness, all the ninjas in the Hokage Building were speechless. Some Konoha ninjas who had just come to receive missions were confused.
What's going on? Is the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yoru, scolding the other villages for not providing supplies? But why should the other villages supply them? It seems the Fifth Hokage's words make sense. For peace, how can the other villages stop providing supplies?
Uchiha Yoru, furious, continued slamming the desk, “Kakashi, why have these small villages also reduced their supply aid? Saying they temporarily need to produce! excuses! All excuses!”
“The entire ninja world, these villages are all hypocritical and shameless! During the Kage Summit, they all promised solemnly, but now they've turned their faces. Indeed, these villages can't be trusted, peace! We can only trust ourselves.”
Goodness, Kakashi Hatake, who came to report, looked lost. The eye that was visible showed his confusion as if asking, ‘Who am I? Where am I? What happened?'
Kakashi Hatake seemed to be moving away from the original story. The indifferent Kakashi of the Anbu days was gradually changing.
After all, since allying with Uchiha Yoru, most of Kakashi Hatake's work involved politics, naturally leading to changes.
In the original story, Kakashi stayed in the Anbu environment until a few years before the plot began, then he left Anbu, leading to the Kakashi Hatake of the story.
“Ha ha, brat, you're too shameless, demanding supplies from so many villages in the ninja world, and you're so righteous about it. If they don't give, you scold them.”
Tsunade, sitting on the other side of the Hokage's desk, couldn't help but slap the desk and laugh, teasing: “If the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage saw your shameless behavior, would they regret it?”
Facing Tsunade's teasing, Uchiha Yoru replied seriously, “Princess Tsunade, I'm doing this for peace! For justice! You should mind your image when discussing this topic.”
“Alright, alright, mind the image, mind the image, pfft!”
Tsunade, covering her mouth, laughed so hard that tears almost fell out. This brat had scammed so many supplies from the ninja world, and now he's scolding others for their behavior.
"Is all this not given for free? If I don't give it to you, you turn around and scold me for being immoral."
Such twisted logic, yet it seems to make some sense.
"That... Lady Fifth Hokage, the relief supplies from various ninja villages in the ninja world in recent months are enough to sustain tens of thousands of ninjas in a prolonged war. Even with the average losses during the Third War, we could last a year and a half."
At this moment, Kakashi Hatake spoke awkwardly, feeling in his heart that it's no wonder Uchiha Yoru could become Hokage while he could only assist.
Such shamelessness and righteousness is a realm he could never reach in his lifetime.
Kakashi Hatake truly admired him at this moment, looking up to Uchiha Yoru's stature.
However, Uchiha Yoru, listening to Kakashi's explanation, not only didn't understand but also continued to stick to his own ideology.
"Kakashi, send a notice to the ninja world now, sternly criticizing these acts of weak will. As the Five Great Ninja Villages, we should set an example for peace. How can we act like this? It's irresponsible towards peace."
"That... Lord Hokage, envoys from the Stone, Cloud, Sand, and many smaller ninja villages have already arrived at the village, each expressing their apologies."
Kakashi reported helplessly, but with a look of admiration. Standing upright and asking for benefits, not giving and scolding the other party, yet each of them still came with a smile and expressed apologies.
It's like asking for money with your hand extended. If someone doesn't give it, you righteously scold them, and then these powerful people have to bow and apologize with a smile, promising to bring something next time.
When Uchiha Yoru heard that envoys from various countries' ninja villages were arriving in Konoha, his first reaction was to look at Kakashi suspiciously.
"Kakashi, didn't these envoys bring anything when they came?"
Kakashi was confused, scratching his white hair, wondering why envoys from each ninja village would bring gifts to Konoha.
Looking at Kakashi, Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a look of disappointment, "Nonsense, aren't all the envoys sent by the countries here to congratulate me on becoming the Fifth Hokage? They came empty-handed?"
"Who comes empty-handed? Even friends getting married, graduating from ninja school to become Genin, or being promoted to Chunin have gifts. How can envoys, who talk about peace and alliance, come empty-handed?"
Uchiha Yoru suddenly became serious and angry, slamming the table, startling everyone.
"I knew it! These envoys must have taken kickbacks! Otherwise, how could they come empty-handed? Which country's customs work like this?"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru looked at Kakashi with angry eyes, "Kakashi, I now order you to inquire clearly when welcoming these envoys from various countries. Did they take kickbacks from the gifts brought by their Kages?"
"I knew something was wrong. The Third Tsuchikage Onoki and the Fourth Raikage A, who are embodiments of justice and peace, how could they be so rude?"
At this moment, Kakashi Hatake finally realized that Uchiha Yoru wasn't really concerned about these issues; he just wanted to take the last bite, knowing he wouldn't have this chance again.
But Kakashi, facing this daunting task, nervously swallowed and his only visible eye beneath the mask was filled with helplessness.
“That… Lord Hokage, the Anbu tasks have been quite heavy lately, can this task be postponed?”
Before Kakashi could finish, Uchiha Yoru immediately showed a look of realization as if he understood something. He smacked his forehead in annoyance and said, “I almost forgot, Kakashi, you have been quite busy with tasks recently. Taking on the role of a messenger is indeed cumbersome.”
Hearing this, Kakashi secretly heaved a sigh of relief, even wiping the non-existent sweat from the corner of his eye. He felt somewhat embarrassed to shamelessly ask others for things. However, Uchiha Yoru's next words left him wanting to cry without tears.
“Kakashi, the burden on your shoulders is heavy. For the sake of Konoha, you’ll have to work hard this time. I will send Shisui and Itachi to assist you. You must set an example and pass on your experience well. Next time, I will send Shisui and Itachi.”
Wow! First, a carrot is dangled with familiar comforting words from a superior, then two more people are added to seemingly lighten the workload. In reality, it doesn't reduce it at all; instead, he now needs to train newcomers.
And finally, a huge promise is made about 'next time'!
If it were someone else, they might have been thrilled, thinking it's appreciation from a superior. However, Kakashi Hatake, with his political savvy, always felt something was off.
“Yes.”
Although hesitant, Kakashi still mechanically nodded in response and accepted the task. As he scratched his white hair and turned around, his face immediately fell.
His eye, revealed from the mask, showed a look of helplessness. Turning his head back, he saw Uchiha Yoru already engrossed in a pile of paperwork on his desk.
Opening his mouth to say something, the words that reached his throat were ultimately swallowed down. Kakashi sighed in resignation. It's not about the difficulty of the task, but rather that it’s really not easy for someone without a thick skin.
…
Konoha had two candidates for the Fifth Hokage, and one had to be chosen on the day the Hokage Rock Faces were completed. Uchiha Yoru, one of the Fifth Hokage candidates, was recognized by the entire ninja world and all the major ninja villages.
However, Konoha itself had not yet confirmed this. At the very least, the Land of Fire and Konoha Village had not officially appointed him, especially since the Third Hokage was still alive. The succession to the position of Hokage, symbolically, had to be handed over from him.
As the completion of the Hokage Rock Faces in Konoha approached, and with the official succession ceremony of the Fifth Hokage drawing near, almost all the major ninja villages and numerous smaller ones sent representatives.
Officially, they came to offer congratulations, but everyone knew the truth: they were there to watch Konoha's downfall.
They watched Konoha build its high towers, host its guests, and now, after so many years, they were ready to watch Konoha's fall.
The envoys from the major ninja villages were accommodated in a building near the Hokage Tower, with all the amenities befitting important guests.
But this time, despite such preferential treatment, the envoys, who came to watch the drama unfold, had somewhat uneasy expressions.
Inside the building, Hatake Kakashi, accompanied by Uchiha Itachi with his unwelcoming demeanor, and the bewildered Uchiha Shisui, had almost received all the envoys from various ninja villages.
“No, absolutely not, how could we dare accept bribes!” protested an envoy from a small ninja village, his face red with frustration. However, facing Hatake Kakashi's dead fish eye and the cold gaze of Uchiha Itachi, a cold sweat involuntarily slid down his forehead.
Watching the frightened envoy, Hatake Kakashi, with his dead fish eye and seasoned experience, casually took out a notebook from his ninja tool bag, mumbling to himself.
“Bird Ninja Village, came to attend the succession of the Fifth Hokage without any congratulatory gift, suspected of harboring hostility towards Konoha, intending to provoke border peace…”
Kakashi's muttering instantly turned the face of the Bird Ninja Village's envoy pale. He hurriedly waved his hands to explain.
“No, no, respected Konoha ninja, I didn't explain clearly. I'm just an early envoy from our village. Our leader and lord have prepared a generous gift to congratulate the succession of Konoha's Fifth Hokage.”
However, facing the explanation, Hatake Kakashi just lifted his dead fish eye slightly, uttering a nonchalant 'oh,' as if acknowledging but without any sincerity.
Seeing this, the Bird Ninja Village's envoy bit his lip and hurriedly said, “In three days, according to the timeline, the congratulatory gift from our Land of Birds will enter the Land of Fire.”
Seeing his goal achieved, Hatake Kakashi's dead fish eye instantly showed a smile, closing his notebook.
"We have seen the sincerity of Bird Ninja Village, thank you," said Kakashi.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Kakashi sighed wearily to Uchiha Itachi, “If it weren't for the news that the Third Hokage was accepting gifts, we would have almost forgotten. Let's hurry up and finish the task before the Third Hokage reacts.”
As the departing footsteps faded away, the door to this room in the Land of Birds was closed. However, the remaining Bird ninjas revealed their anger when there were no outsiders around.
"Damn it, Konoha is too bullying!"
"Robbers! Bandits!"
Watching their companions angrily denouncing Konoha's bandit-like behavior, the Land of Birds's envoy couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Blame it on the Third Hokage of Konoha. If it weren't for his idea, this Uchiha Fifth Hokage would not have been so eager to receive gifts early."
"Damn the Third."
Everyone was actually blaming the Third Hokage, even though all the benefits were reaped by Uchiha Yoru. Under human nature, everyone resented the Third Hokage.
"Alright, quickly send a message to the village and the Daimyo using the summoning beast, and prepare enough congratulatory gifts. This time, we must not let anyone find fault."
The Land of Birds's envoy was helpless, seeing his companions so angry, he began to console them.
"Okay, think about it, this is actually a good thing."
After suffering such a huge loss, a fierce look appeared on the face of the Land of Birds's envoy.
"We'll ostentatiously bring all the congratulatory gifts to Uchiha, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. When all the Konoha ninjas see it, huh, I don't believe no one will be jealous."
Everyone knows that Konoha currently has two Fifth Hokages. Everyone is sending gifts to Uchiha, what about the other side? How can they not be annoyed?
And what about the decision of the Third Hokage of Konoha and the Daimyo's office? Which one is actually the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade of the Sannin or Uchiha Yoru who activated the Mangekyo Sharingan?
This time, the envoys from various countries almost gritted their teeth and endured it. This is the last time! Just give it, as if paying for a ticket to watch a drama.
Anyway, when Konoha acts foolishly, they can already imagine Konoha falling from its pedestal, and perhaps even struggling to maintain the lowest position among the five great ninja villages.
