In Konoha, at the Hyuga residence.
"What? Cloud Village has already withdrawn their ultimatum?" The Hyuga clan members asked in surprise and delight.
"Seiki asked me to let you know in advance," Mizuki said calmly. "Although Cloud Village's official notice hasn't arrived yet, it should be coming soon!"
"That's great!" cheered the members of the Hyuga Clan.
Although they had all guessed that as long as Cloud Village wasn't run by complete idiots, they wouldn't dare insist after Seiki got involved...
Still, none of them expected Cloud Village to back down so quickly!
After all, that was one of the Five Great Hidden Villages—a village even rumored to be surpassing Konoha as the strongest ninja village. Who would've thought they'd actually back down like this!
Reflecting on this, Hizashi sighed, "Truly worthy of being Seiki-sama, single-handedly forcing Cloud Village into submission!"
Neji was even more excited, his little face flushed red with admiration as he waved his tiny hands, "Compared to some spineless Hokage who cowered under Cloud Village's pressure and couldn't even lift his head, Seiki-sama is the one who truly deserves to be Hokage!"
Mizuki gave a look of approval. "You've got guts, kid!"
Hiashi expressed his gratitude, "Mizuki-jonin, thank you so much for your trouble!"
Mizuki shook his head, "You should be thanking Seiki instead!"
"Indeed! Seiki-sama has done so much for us! Even from afar, he's never forgotten us!"
As they left the Hyuga estate, Asuma was walking with his hands behind his head, whistling discontentedly, "Why did Seiki only send you the message and didn't say anything to us?"
Mizuki gave him a sidelong glance, "You guys haven't mastered Sage Mode, so it's difficult for Seiki to communicate with you remotely."
"Eh? Does Sage Mode have that function?" Might Guy exclaimed from beside him.
"Of course it does!" Mizuki smoothly covered up the fact that he and Seiki had been communicating through dream-sharing.
"Speaking of remote communication, the Dream World built by Seiki should be updating to cross-region communication soon too," Kurenai said with admiration in her eyes.
"Yeah, maybe we'll be able to meet more often in the future!" Shizune said with anticipation.
As the group walked along chatting, they suddenly heard a group of children excitedly discussing something.
"Did you guys hear? The crisis facing the Hyuga Clan has already been resolved!"
"Crisis? You mean that ultimatum Cloud Village issued?"
"That's the one! Cloud Village did something wrong and still wanted to threaten us. The Hokage was too afraid to get involved, but in the end Seiki-senpai stepped in and made Cloud Village back down!"
"Senpai is so amazing, I want to become someone like him in the future!"
It wasn't just the children; adults on the street nearby were also excitedly discussing things.
"Man! It's high time someone taught Cloud Village a lesson!"
"Seiki-sama was freaking awesome, confronting Cloud Village all by himself and forcing that formidable Raikage to withdraw the ultimatum!"
"Hmph, did they dare not back down? Seiki-sama is the God of Ninja!"
Hearing the increasingly intense discussion, the group was completely taken aback.
"Wait a minute, didn't we just come from the Hyuga Clan?"
"Hasn't this news spread too fast? How did it get ahead of us?"
"Everyone was puzzled, then simultaneously turned their heads toward Mizuki. 'Mizuki, what's going on?'"
Mizuki replied calmly, "I was just worried our Hokage-sama would take credit for this and claim the Raikage's compromise as his diplomatic achievement. That's why I hurried to make a conclusion."
Asuma scratched his chin, "Now that you mention it, he totally would!"
Kakashi patted his shoulder, "Not just possible—they're already here!"
Everyone turned to look. Several Anbu wearing animal masks were walking toward them.
Tatsuma's face beneath his mask turned grim. Those Root bastards sure move fast!
Mizuki said mockingly, "Hey there, esteemed Anbu. Does Hokage-sama have any orders for us?"
Tatsuma's voice was cold and sharp, "According to intel, the Three-Tails has revived near the coastline of Mist. The Mizukage is mobilizing forces to capture and perform the Seal. Hokage-sama commands you to sabotage Mist's operation. Even if you can't capture the Three-Tails, drive it into the open sea or kill it outright!"
Minato sneered, "What, trying to get us out of Konoha so you can control the story?"
Tatsuma snorted coldly, "Story? I don't know what you're implying. Besides, do you really think something like a Bijuu's resurrection is something we can control?"
"How convenient!" Mizuki shrugged. "Still, even without this, Hokage-sama would've found some way to assign us a mission anyway."
While they snarked at each other, Kakashi's heart thundered in his chest.
"The Three-Tails...revived?" Thinking about what his senior had said four years ago regarding Rin's revival, his mouth went dry and his body trembled. "If we capture the Three-Tails, can Rin be revived?"
Noticing Kakashi's strange behavior, Guy asked in confusion, "Kakashi, what's wrong with you?"
"Mizuki, watch your words!" Tatsuma suddenly raised his voice, then goaded, "If you're too scared to go, then forget it. After all, you're that person's friends. How dare I force you!"
At that moment, Kakashi suddenly said, "I'll go!"
Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Kakashi, you..."
Kakashi shook his head slightly, his eyes burning as he stared at Tatsuma. "I accept this mission!"
A frown creased Tatsuma's brow beneath his mask. "You alone? No way. How can I trust you to handle such a dangerous mission by yourself?"
"You doubting my skills?" Kakashi's tone grew serious. "At the very least, I can always run away when needed!"
"Even worse then. How are you supposed to complete the mission if all you think about is escaping?" Tatsuma sighed. "In any case, this mission must be accepted by all of you together!"
"You..."
"Kakashi, are you sure you really want to go?" Mizuki suddenly asked.
Kakashi nodded firmly. "I have my reasons for going!"
"Reasons?" Tatsuma felt puzzled. "Could it really just be about killing the Three-Tails to avenge that Rin?"
"Truly, I can't help it," Mizuki sighed. "I'll go with you."
"Mizuki, you..." Kakashi stared in shock at the other man. He naturally knew that Mizuki was a man who had dedicated his life to "evangelism." For him to willingly accompany him on a mission at a time like this!
"Seiki once said, the most important thing will always be people!" Mizuki said, looking toward Tatsuma. "Besides, Hokage-sama underestimated our conviction. Did he really think no one would step forward just because we're not in Konoha?"
"Senior!" Kakashi felt moved in his heart. Even though his senior was no longer in Konoha, he was still receiving his care!
"Tsk! This bastard..." Tatsuma's voice turned cold and grim. "Watch your back and don't get yourself killed out there!"
"Huh? You wouldn't happen to be conspiring with Mist to frame us, would you?" Mizuki wore a sorrowful expression. "Looks like I should notify Seiki beforehand. If we die, make sure our deaths are avenged!"
Under his mask, Tatsuma flushed green with rage. If they died from their own stupidity, was the blame really going to land on him?
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