"Yagyu, are you really not coming with us?"
At the entrance of Konoha Village, Terumi Mei looked at Yagyu with concern.
Yagyu smiled.
"Konoha is very hospitable. I've decided to stay and play with them for a bit. Besides, I never said I wasn't coming with you!"
Yagyu created a clone and spoke casually,
"This clone also possesses considerable strength, enough to protect you on your way back to the Mist base."
Not far away.
The three tomoe in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes spun as he spoke calmly,
"The real Yagyu stayed behind. The one leaving has only one-tenth of his chakra."
Fukuyama Uchiha frowned.
"What is the Hidden Mist plotting? Why leave so suddenly?"
"And if they are leaving, why is Yagyu's main body staying behind? I have a bad feeling about this."
Fugaku mused,
"Could it be that the Hidden Mist detected the Konoha higher-ups' plans in advance?"
Fukuyama realized,
"No wonder! An ANBU ninja came today and transferred some of the Uchiha clan's manpower."
While Fukuyama and Fugaku were discussing this, golden light suddenly erupted beside them.
Yagyu appeared next to them, smiling as he said,
"Gentlemen, what are you doing here?"
Fukuyama's expression changed. He spoke righteously,
"Yagyu, what are you doing here?"
"Don't you know it's very rude to appear suddenly next to people like that?"
"You aren't a Konoha ninja. What if you overheard some classified information we were discussing?"
Yagyu put on an exaggerated expression.
"You were discussing classified information just now? Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize the problem was so serious... Ooh, how terrifying~"
Fukuyama frowned. Just as he was about to speak, Yagyu continued nonchalantly, "I felt a gaze on me just now, so I came over to check."
"Appearing suddenly beside you was indeed a bit rude, but is it reasonable for you to be sneakily observing me from the shadows?"
"Konoha ninja~ Can you stop with the double standards? Talking about classified information and such... you can't scare me with that."
Fukuyama's face changed slightly, and Fugaku's expression became unnatural.
They had been ordered to observe Yagyu, but being detected by him was indeed a bit embarrassing.
"Forget it. Let's end this topic here!"
Yagyu waved his hand with a smile, not interested in pursuing the matter further.
He was already prepared to fight Konoha; pursuing such trivial matters now was meaningless.
His Observation Haki enveloped Konoha Village, making him perfectly clear on all personnel movements.
Early this morning, Konoha's White Fang, along with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, had departed with their troops. They were heading to the front lines to swap out Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.
Oh, and Dan Kato counted as one too.
Dan Kato's Spirit Transformation Technique could deal with Yagyu; that went without saying.
Orochimaru's snake venom could be used to ambush Yagyu. If poisoning worked, there would be no need for brute force.
Jiraiya possessed quite a few Sealing Jutsu and was one of the few talents in Konoha proficient in them.
Many people in Konoha knew Sealing Jutsu, and there was even a specialized Sealing Corps, but their level was generally average.
The one with the highest level of Sealing Jutsu in Konoha was Kushina Uzumaki; the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Jutsu was unrivaled in the Ninja World.
Because Minato Namikaze had hooked up with this "sugar mommy," he also mastered quite a few powerful Sealing Jutsu.
Jiraiya was Minato's teacher and the Third Hokage's student, so he had some talent in Sealing Jutsu as well.
With the dual connection to Minato and the Third Hokage, Jiraiya had access to many powerful Sealing Jutsu.
As for Tsunade...
She didn't have any specific means to deal with Yagyu. Calling her back was to give Konoha an extra layer of insurance.
To make a move on Yagyu, Konoha had to be prepared for the consequences.
Without Tsunade, the Ninja World's Number One Healer, neither Danzo nor Hiruzen felt at ease.
After all, you only live once.
With Tsunade, the best doctor in the Ninja World, present, the potential casualties for Konoha would be significantly reduced, and the lives of the higher-ups would be safeguarded.
As for the medical issues on the front lines, Koharu Utatane, who was also a medical ninja, could handle them.
Although Koharu's skills couldn't compare to Tsunade's, they were sufficient to deal with the vast majority of problems.
If there were problems she couldn't solve, then it couldn't be helped.
Compared to the ninja troops on the front lines, the village higher-ups in the rear were more important.
Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and the White Fang—ninja who posed little threat to Yagyu—were sent out. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—people with practical utility—were recalled.
Yagyu knew everything.
Not only did Yagyu know these important matters, but he also knew some less important trivialities.
For example...
"I heard your wife is pregnant? Congratulations."
"I bet your wife is definitely carrying a boy!"
"When he's born, how about naming him Itachi? Itachi Uchiha!"
"I'm sure he'll grow up to be a genius!"
"Not only will he be powerful, but even his thoughts will be... very terrifying~"
Yagyu looked at Fugaku Uchiha with a smile, speaking teasingly.
Fugaku was part of Konoha's younger generation, but he was also married and about to become a father.
In this Ninja World where children as young as a few years old could go to war, early marriage and childbearing were nothing unusual.
"How do you know my wife is pregnant?"
Fugaku's face looked a bit ugly.
Not many people knew about his wife's pregnancy.
If this hadn't been Yagyu's first time in Konoha, Fugaku might have started suspecting the color of his hat (implying infidelity).
Yagyu laughed heartily and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. I just have an excellent intelligence network."
Fugaku frowned. Is there a spy in the Uchiha clan?
But if so, why would Yagyu reveal this matter openly?
Didn't he know that saying this would put the spy in danger?
Or did he just happen to get this intel by luck and said it deliberately to cause unrest within the Uchiha clan?
Fugaku felt a headache coming on.
Watching the conflicted Fugaku, Yagyu laughed heartily. His body transformed into countless light particles and he left the scene.
He didn't care whether Fugaku was conflicted or not; doing whatever he pleased was his style.