Chapter 79
He looked at Yashamaru, unharmed, as well as the rest of the genin he had sent out. That was one thing he couldn't understand. Only their heads should have been left and sent to him. What was he supposed to do with this?
Was it a warning? The Third Hokage could do anything they wanted, and it was just a bother to kill Suna's shinobi. Is that the meaning of this? It infuriated Rasa that he couldn't even do anything about it but accept it.
And Rasa did admit that he underestimated the Third Hokage's cunning in using Orochimaru without other villages being able to interfere with it. His wounds were still here, though, in the end, Orochimaru could only injure him, but it was enough to throw away all of Rasa's plans.
Showing off his weapon and yet denying that it was his was cunning. And it was infuriating that there was nothing that could be said about it. Who would accuse the Third Hokage of it? Him? After he tried to use the Chunin Exams for war and betrayed the peace treaty?
Whoever would listen to him? He was already prepared to face the consequences that would come from all of this mess he created. Kumo wouldn't let it go as easily as Konoha. But at least then it would be far easier if Konoha acted as they should have.
"Don't leave the village anymore," he said. He couldn't kill Yashamaru and get rid of him, as Rasa had also failed in his mission. "From now on, you will be in charge of looking after my children."
All he could do was keep him close and not let those old idiots interfere with him. Since he had failed in his desperate action, he would take responsibility for it. It wasn't like anyone could do anything to him anyway.
"Kazekage-sama," but before he could send Yashamaru away, one of those old idiots just had to show up. "I apologize for the intrusion."
Sure, he did. Like he did it hundreds of times before. Rasa still hadn't earned their recognition. Still, he was the most powerful shinobi in the village right now. Without Pakura to stand behind, they could do nothing to him but show this disrespect.
"Leave us," Rasa addressed Yashamaru before the old geezer could say anything to him. "What is so important that you have to barge in? Did Konoha decide to respond to my actions?"
They were his actions. Not theirs. Not the village's. He wouldn't drag down anyone else in his failure. If he had to die, so be it. But he wouldn't be disgraced. And he wouldn't let those old geezers use this situation to manipulate him either.
"In a way, yes," the old geezer liked to drag his words. "In more ways than one."
Rasa glared at him with a murderous intent that could not be mistaken for anything else. But the old geezer didn't seem to notice it and continued to drag his words out in a useless manner. It felt like he was baiting Rasa to lash out, but he would have to be disappointed.
"Konoha's envoy just sent us Sasori's body."
Rasa's hands trembled. So, they really killed that boy. Probably the second strongest shinobi after Pakura herself. But unlike Pakura, he had no support, even if he was the grandson of the Esteemed Siblings.
His cruelty was well known, as was his strength and talent. Not many dared to approach him, and even fewer dared to use him. That's why Rasa regretted not being able to do so himself. But back then, he had no power.
And when the Third Kazekage died, Sasori was also gone. Seeing Ebizu's expression, it also seemed that the Third Kazekage's body had recovered. Just as many had expected but tried to hide, Sasori was the one behind it all.
"Secondly, even more alarming news has reached us," Ebizu continued, not showing any emotion at his grandson's death. "Konoha announced that their shinobi services were now worth more. Even a simple C-rank mission costs a fortune for normal people."
"What?"
Rasa was completely taken aback by the words and instructed Ebizu to explain in more detail. What at first sounded absurd made Rasa laugh at the end. He once again underestimated that damn Third Hokage. But this time it was the arrogance of that man.
He had just declared to the whole world that Konoha was the strongest village. To dare to raise the price of their services was like declaring that they were the best. That they were above everyone else.
And yet, who would deny it? Suna? The village that, in succession, lost the strongest Kazekage, a war hero, and the most talented puppeteer? What could such a village say to Konoha? Especially now?
Konoha still had that damn monster of the Third Hokage. The damn God of Shinobi. The Professor who knew more jutsu than anyone else. Then there were Jiraiya and Tsunade. Both dangerous shinobi who could take on the Hokage's position.
And then Fugaku Uchiha, the Wicked Eye, the one who killed Sasori, was with them too. Those four by themselves could probably take on another village. No other village would dare deny that fact on its own.
"Arrange a meeting with the Daimyo," Rasa instructed Ebizu. "Have him come to us this time."
But it all worked in Suna's favor. More than he could have ever hoped. And he would be damned if he didn't use this situation. How dare that damn Daimyo look down on them? Now, he would see how he dared to delegate any mission to Konoha.
There was no time to waste. He had to squeeze the life out of the Daimyo before he even thought of making any deal with another village. That cheap and greedy bastard had no choice but to come to them. And Rasa would not make the same mistake other Kazekage made and have the Daimyo make a tight contract with Suna.
That old monster must have known their situation and knew that it would be beneficial for Suna to accept Konoha's actions. It would be foolish not to. And he already lost, he couldn't afford to lose again.
He had probably planned it long ago. Even if he didn't know of Rasa's actions, that old monster must have predicted something similar happening. Funny enough, Rasa wasn't that angry to be played like this. In the end, it was all beneficial for Suna, so it didn't matter.
…
Something was wrong. A week had passed since all the changes were implemented. But there was a problem. Something Hiruzen never would have predicted. He couldn't even understand it. He had no work.
How was it possible? It must have been a mistake, right? The paperwork was so vicious that it decided to hide from him, right? What other explanation could there be? Where were the complaints from the shinobi who now didn't have any work?
Why hadn't the Daimyo contacted him yet and demanded an explanation? Why were there no nobles coming to his office to voice their complaints? And why did only two Great Shinobi Villages send their envoys to tell Hiruzen not to get so arrogant and to take back the changes?
And that was all. There were no demands. There were no problems arising anywhere. And he was left here, sitting by the empty table after finishing the day's work. Because there were far fewer missions coming to Konoha, Hiruzen had nothing to do at all.
Where were the clans? Why weren't they complaining to him? No, it couldn't be that simple. Nothing ever was. The other clans must be starting to plot something. Seeing the Hyuga clan dismantled and the members leaving the clan grounds must have put them on edge.
Yes. Hiruzen only needed to wait. The clans would have no choice but to start complaining about his actions and start putting pressure on him to retire. He only had to wait. Soon, every shinobi would feel the effects of no requests coming to Konoha, and they would join the clans in making Hiruzen retire.
…
The summer had just passed by. It was already September. But it was still warm outside. And the days were still long. So why was he once again sitting by his empty table after he finished his work? Why was the sun still so high in the sky?
What was he supposed to do now? There was no work for him. Where were all the problems that should have arisen by now? Hiruzen had no idea. Maybe, just maybe, could it be that he finally entered peaceful times?
No. That couldn't be. It wouldn't be so easy. He just couldn't accept it. It was just a lull before the storm, and if he let his guard down now, he would pay the price for it later on. All of this meant that the other villages were scheming something, especially Suna.
Hiruzen didn't trust them to let things go as easily as he did. All he knew about Rasa was that he was a total bastard. But he was strong, and he probably had his village behind him, supporting his actions. Hiruzen would have to watch out for them and see what they were planning.
Still, that didn't change the fact that he had nothing to do right now. The Chunin Exams were long since over. There were no disasters to deal with. Orochimaru seemed to have completely vanished. No Danzo to keep Hiruzen on edge either. What was he supposed to do right now?
So, he left his office and just wandered around the village, greeting people on his way. He found Hayate and Iruka sparring in one of the training grounds. Though it looked like they were trying to kill each other rather than anything else.
Hayate was now a chunin. Nobody disagreed with Hiruzen's decision. Aside from him, he made Shisui and Yamato chunin, too. As much as he would have loved to have them participate in another exam, there was no way other villages would agree to it.
Ever since he raised the prices of their services, Kusagakure was overwhelmed with missions. And he had no choice but to send both Shisui and Yamato to support Genma and Ebisu. With them, they would be able to deal with most unexpected things.
In another training ground, he found Kakashi and Shizune training together while Haku watched them with his dog in his arms. Since there wasn't much work nowadays, Hiruzen let Shizune have more free time too.
"Hello, Haku, Hikari," Hiruzen greeted the adopted kid Kakashi picked up from the Land of Water and petted the dog. "How are you doing?"
"Hokage-sama," Haku quickly greeted Hiruzen back in surprise as he only noticed him when he was already petting Hikari.
"Don't be so stiff, Haku," Hiruzen sat next to him. "Those two sure are at each other's throats. I don't think they even noticed me."
"Shizune-nee is angry," Haku reported. "Kakashi was late for their date."
"Oh, a date?" Hiruzen laughed unexpectedly, but he was more than happy to hear that.
"It wasn't a date!" Shizune yelled out, her face all red. It seemed she did notice him, but was still throwing what looked like poisoned senbon at Kakashi.
"If you say so," Hiruzen replied as he continued to watch. "Do you want some tea, Haku?"
Hiruzen pulled out a thermos with tea and a few cups from his seals and offered one cup to Haku. He accepted gratefully. Heating the tea, Hiruzen and Haku drank leisurely as they watched Kakashi trying not to get himself killed by Shizune, or, in other words, their training.
…
Kakashi had survived. But for how long, it was hard to tell from the glare Shizune sent to Kakashi every time her eyes glanced at him. Deciding that it was best in his interest not to interfere in this matter, he left them be.
The village was calm as he passed through it. Though he wouldn't say everyone was excited and happy, it was as if nothing concerned the people. Business was, as always, peaceful. It made Hiruzen smile even more as he greeted people around him.
Time flew by like this, and the day was already coming to an end. But Hiruzen still had nothing to do. All the work had been done; there was nothing left for him to do. He already made sure that his shadow clones continued to study.
So, there was no putting it off now. It was time he started to train himself. As useful as shadow clones were, they couldn't make him used to his newfound strength. He needed to do that himself.
He couldn't even believe how strong his body was when he looked at his thin arms and legs. His body was small, and with his memories of how to use his speed, it seemed that strength wasn't really necessary. But he was tired of breaking his pipes and cups.
And as much as he bemoaned his age, he still had thirty years to live. He couldn't let his body wither away behind a desk like this. Though he knew that there was only one thing he could do. As the Hokage, a light workout would be looked down on.
Even though he probably wouldn't be suspected of being anyone else by now, he still had to keep up his act. So, to not get any suspicious looks, there was only one thing he could do. Go completely mad and go completely hardcore. Though he was never going to wear any green.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.