Chapter 91: You Deserve to Be Single
"Biwako and I have a wonderful relationship," Hiruzen Sarutobi clarified hastily, feeling the heat of Kagami's unfriendly glare. "These were clearly sent by an admirer of yours. The kid was too shy to come in, just lingering at the entrance to the building. I happened to be passing by and kindly brought them up for him."
"My admirer?" Stelle's voice was laced with genuine astonishment, as if she'd just been told the sky was green. "Someone like me has an admirer? Is that some fish that slipped through the net and hasn't been beaten into submission yet?"
She plucked a small card from the massive bouquet of roses. The name Tsukiyomi Kenshi was written on it in elegant script.
"Tsukiyomi Kenshi?" She tilted her head. "Who's that? The name doesn't ring a bell at all."
Hiruzen was at a complete loss for words, utterly baffled by the Fourth Hokage's selective memory. She could somehow recall Might Duy, a Genin who barely caused a ripple in the grand scheme of things, yet had no impression of a Jonin who had stared down death with her.
"When you were surrounded by the Fujiwara Clan, he was the one who risked his life to get intel back to Konoha. Have you really forgotten all about it?"
"I think I have a vague impression, maybe."
'I'm not even from this timeline, how am I supposed to remember that?' Stelle thought. 'Survival comes first.' Still, it was a kind gesture, and she shouldn't let it go to waste. She supposed she could find a place to display them.
Just as her fingers were about to brush against a velvety petal, Hiruzen snatched the bouquet away and thrust it into Kagami's arms.
"You're so busy all day, you probably don't have time to take care of these. Why not let Kagami help you? Kagami looks like a careful person. You can just put them in your office, right, Kagami?"
He shot Uchiha Kagami a pointed look, his wink screaming, 'I've done my part, now it's your turn to say something!'
Kagami understood the cue, clutching the flowers tightly. "Just leave them to me."
With that, he turned and vanished, moving so quickly it was as if he was afraid Stelle would change her mind. He even used the Body Flicker Technique to make his escape.
He reappeared in his own office, deposited the flowers, then flickered away again. This time, he materialized at a flower shop, where he purchased an even larger, more extravagant bouquet of roses before returning to the Hokage Office.
He even found a vase, personally arranged the flowers with surprising care, and placed them on the corner of Stelle's desk. With a faint, satisfied smile, he made a perfect exit.
The entire exchange took less than ten minutes, leaving Stelle utterly bewildered. She turned to Hiruzen, who still hadn't left.
"Kagami seems a bit… strange today, doesn't he?"
"Men get a little strange around a certain age," Hiruzen hinted, his tone layered with meaning.
Stelle pondered this for a moment. "Oh, right. You're getting married soon, so it's about time for Kagami, too. I heard he's on good terms with several of the Uchiha girls. I'm sure good news is just around the corner." Her mind drifted. 'Shisui, oh Shisui, hurry up and be born. I want to see Green Bull.'
Hiruzen's face fell. 'Uchiha Kagami, you silent fool,' he thought in despair. 'She completely missed the point! Can't you be more active? It's one thing to be quiet, but you don't even let other women get close to you. You deserve to be single…'
The assassination of the Land of Wind's Daimyo was no small matter, especially given the drastic measures "Kazushi" had taken afterward. Killing the Daimyo and executing nobles was a declaration that could not be ignored. Soon enough, spies from every major village had investigated and delivered their findings.
Now, the intelligence reports lay spread across the desks of the Kage: the Land of Wind's Daimyo was dead, and the Hidden Sand Village was experiencing a sudden, rapid economic boom.
"Does Shamon actually have that kind of courage?" Hiruzen tapped the report, a deep frown creasing his brow. "No, that's not right. Something feels wrong. If he had that kind of nerve, the Hidden Sand wouldn't have been fractured into two factions by the Daimyo's meddling in the first place."
He looked up, his expression grim. Honestly, this intelligence was not good news for Konoha.
Ever since Stelle had killed the Kage of the other four great nations, they had all sheepishly paid their reparations and retreated to lick their wounds. In the aftermath, all four nations had descended into considerable turmoil.
First, the Land of Lightning. The Second Raikage had just taken office and hadn't had time to groom a successor before Stelle cut him down. With the line of succession unclear, Kumogakure was thrown into chaos. However, the Cloud shinobi believed in the rule of the strong. After a period of unrest, the man who would become the Third Raikage in the original timeline emerged victorious and took the title of the Third A. But he was still too young, unable to fully consolidate his power, and authority fell into other hands, greatly slowing Kumogakure's development.
In the Land of Water, the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu, had signed the treaty with its high compensation, earning him the dissatisfaction of the Hidden Mist shinobi. Unrest simmered just beneath the surface. The Kaguya clan, in particular—a clan bred for combat—was completely fed up with his regime and wanted nothing more than to tear him down and install one of their own as Mizukage.
The Land of Wind, of course, had its economic lifeline choked by the Daimyo.
Only the Land of Earth, under the stable rule of Iwagakure, had managed to continue its development unimpeded.
The era of the Daimyo's absolute rule was already a relic of the past. Now that the Land of Wind's Daimyo had been killed, if the people of the Hidden Sand had any sense, they would never allow such a regime to reappear. Without the Daimyo's constraints, the greatest obstacle to the Land of Wind's development—a lack of funds—was suddenly solved.
However, a powerful neighboring country is never a good thing for one's own.
"The Hidden Sand has always coveted the fertile lands of the Land of Fire," Hiruzen stated gravely. "If their village truly stabilizes and develops, it will undoubtedly be a detriment to Konoha in a few years. We must acquire more accurate information."
"I suspect some remarkable individual has appeared in the Hidden Sand," Uchiha Kagami added, his sharp eyes scanning the reports. "And at his suggestion, Shamon killed the Daimyo. It would be best to find out who this person is."
Danzo's decision was immediate and ruthless. "After we identify him, if conditions permit, it's best to eliminate him. Otherwise, he will certainly become a threat to Konoha in the future." He truly lived up to his reputation as a hawk; even while managing finances, his innate belligerence remained unchanged.
Uchiha Kagami pondered for a moment. "How about I lead a team to investigate? My Mangekyo Sharingan is more than enough to ensure a safe retreat."
"No. Your eyes cannot be used frequently."
Stelle immediately shot down his proposal. A Mangekyo Sharingan, without being upgraded to an Eternal one, was a consumable resource. Using it too often would only lead to trouble.
"Let Sakumo go instead," she declared. "The mission reward will include a ninjutsu scroll; he can choose any Lightning Release technique from the Scroll of Seals."
Though she felt a little embarrassed, Stelle had no choice but to assign this arduous task to Sakumo Hatake, who had just returned to the village from his last mission. There was simply nothing she could do about it; Sakumo was too useful. His formidable strength and unmatched stealth skills made him the perfect operative for intelligence gathering and assassination.
Ever since Stelle had discovered his talents, she had been piling missions on him. He had completed so many in such a short time that his accumulated merits had already seen him promoted to Anbu Captain.
As for whether anything major would happen in the Land of Wind, Stelle wasn't worried at all. It wasn't as if her own clone would personally engage Sakumo Hatake in a deathmatch.
And so, Sakumo Hatake, who had only returned home the previous day and had yet to enjoy a proper rest, received another mission scroll.
Holding the scroll in his hand, Sakumo couldn't shake the feeling that he was being specifically targeted.
The Fourth Hokage really, really liked to boss him around. It felt like she was determined to work him to death, one mission at a time.
'No,' he told himself, shaking his head. 'It's just a delusion. It must be a delusion.'
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