He had to show up first thing in the morning to deliver some information, only to find out the man already knew, and now he was given a task. Who could he complain to about this? There was no other way. Since he had eagerly taken on this job, he had to see it through. However, asking him to set off immediately was a bit harsh; at least let the Raikage live for a few more days.
He turned and left, his face filled with exhaustion. He had arrived feeling light, but he was now returning as if he were carrying a huge mountain. Fortunately, he had activated his Chakra Concealment Technique this time; otherwise, he would have been even more mentally drained.
Just then, Hiruzen happened to be arriving at the Hokage Tower for duty and saw Torifu walking out of the building looking dejected. It was rare to see Torifu in such a state, so he walked over and asked. "Torifu, what's wrong? You seem a little down."
Torifu saw Hiruzen and forced a smile. "Hehe, I just got a mission. Can you help me with it?"
Hiruzen patted his chest. "So that's all it is. Look at how worried you are. Leave it to me! What's the mission?"
Torifu immediately grabbed Hiruzen's hand in excitement! "That's great! Then you can set off for Kumogakure now and behead the Third Raikage."
Upon hearing this, the confident smile on Hiruzen's face froze, like a grotesque painting. He slowly pulled his hand away and turned to leave.
"Hey! Hey!"
Torifu turned and grabbed Hiruzen. "Why are you running! Didn't you say you'd help me with it?"
"I just remembered I have a date with Biwako today. Let's talk about it another day."
"Don't run! It's just the Third Raikage, isn't it? It's not like you can't beat him!"
Hiruzen turned his head and held Torifu's hand, saying, "I can beat the Third Raikage, but whether I can escape is another matter."
Alright, upon reflection, what Hiruzen said was true. Seeing this, Torifu no longer insisted and let Sarutobi Hiruzen go. Hiruzen then let out a sigh of relief.
"By the way, why are you going to behead the Third Raikage? Shouldn't he be coming to pay reparations?"
Torifu raised an eyebrow. "You've already spoken the truth."
Hiruzen's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Are you saying he's not coming?"
Torifu looked like he had given the correct answer, then added, "Not only is he not coming, but he's also spreading rumors in the ninja world, saying we were the ones who started the war."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. In that case, it seemed the Third Raikage truly deserved to die. "That guy almost makes me want to go myself."
"Then you can go. It's not like you can't beat him."
Hiruzen truly had the impulse to go at that moment. The Third Raikage's actions had already infringed upon the interests of Konohagakure, which was something he could not accept. But after thinking about it, he decided against it. After all, Torifu was definitely more reliable than he was, and he really did have something to do.
"Never mind, you go. When you return, I'll organize a celebration party for you."
Torifu waved his hand, indicating that it was no problem. He was only joking with Hiruzen anyway; there was no way he would actually let him go. Besides, he was in the midst of a blooming romance with Biwako and would probably get married soon. At a time like this, even Tobirama wouldn't assign him distant missions. They were all tasks in and around Konohagakure. After all, the marriage of the young Sarutobi clan head was a huge happy occasion for Konohagakure. Although Biwako was just a civilian girl, she didn't feel she was unworthy of Sarutobi Hiruzen. The two were in perfect harmony and had a wonderful relationship, always comforting Hiruzen when he was anxious. In the original world, the old couple had a great relationship and even had two sons for Hiruzen. It was a shame Biwako sacrificed herself during the Nine-Tails' attack. It could be said that her entire life was dedicated to the village and to Hiruzen.
After returning home, Torifu immediately began to pack, bringing some dry food for the journey. He then told Snowflake, who was now awake, that he was going on a long trip. Ryūfū and Aokumo would still go with Torifu. If he were to walk such a long distance, it would take half a month to return. With Ryūfū and Aokumo, that time could be shortened to within three or four days.
After killing the Raikage, he would immediately escape. It would be best to have Aokumo and Ryūfū ambush the remaining strong ninja of Kumogakure. It would be even better if they could kill the Kumogakure ninja until only civilians were left. From then on, a great ninja village would become an ordinary village. The resources and various secret jutsu in the village would naturally be taken away, as they should all belong to Konohagakure.
"Aokumo, Ryūfū! Fly at full speed!"
Following two crane calls, the villagers of Konohagakure 'longingly' saw Torifu. "Look, it's Torifu-sama! What is he going to do now?" "I don't know, but it must be something big again!"
The scenery from high in the sky was beautiful, but for Torifu, it was commonplace. Being able to fly always allowed him to see beautiful scenery that others couldn't and to observe the world from a different perspective.
It would take half a day to get from Konohagakure to the border and cross two countries to reach the border of the Land of Lightning. Today's entire day would probably be spent on Aokumo's back. Aokumo's back was very broad, wide enough for Torifu to lie down and rest comfortably.
When Torifu was idle, he often wondered when Aokumo and Ryūfū would finally get together. He hoped they would start a family soon. After all, they were two crane hermits who could use Senjutsu. It was not impossible that they could become something like the Great Toad Sage after a hundred years of training. At that time, the Kumotsuru Clan's compound would become the Fourth Holy Land. However, it was uncertain whether Torifu would benefit from it. Everything was still an unknown.
But for now, these two cranes, despite their large size, still had the personalities of children and had no interest in such matters. Torifu never expected that in his life, he would worry about the lifelong matters of two cranes.
"Aokumo, how long can you keep up this flight speed?"
Aokumo replied without even thinking, "Fly forever!"
"Don't be reckless. Are you serious?"
Ryūfū, who was beside them, said, "We can absorb natural energy at any time to recover from fatigue, so we can keep flying. No problem."
Torifu nodded. Since even Ryūfū said so, Aokumo probably wasn't just showing off. "Alright! In that case, let's fly straight to Kumogakure in one go!"
The last time he came to gather intelligence with Naori, he was all worried and cautious. They even got off Aokumo and Ryūfū as soon as they reached the border. This time, for a mission as important as beheading the Raikage, he wasn't being cautious at all; he was just going to swagger into Kumogakure.
It had been three years in a flash. The Hell Valley had now become a mine for Konohagakure, but no one in the Land of Lightning had noticed. This mine had brought a lot of mineral resources to Konoha, which could not be measured in money. These rare minerals used to create equipment for ninja were usually strategic resources. Most of the minerals from the Oyashiro clan were also purchased by the village.