"Captured? That sounds so harsh!
I, Uchiha Yan, don't do things like that. They walked right into this themselves."
Yan spread his hands, looking helpless.
"I was just trying to leave, but those two brats had no idea what they were getting into. They chased after me, thinking they could cause trouble. Then Shisui took them down."
"I was just wondering how to get the upper hand on Oonoki, and then these two handed me the perfect opportunity.
So I put the Kusagakure situation on hold and brought them back first.
If I don't make Oonoki lose face over this, I'm not Uchiha Yan!"
"..."
Oonoki really had the worst luck. One moment, he was fighting with you, making threats, and trying to put pressure on you.
The next moment, his own granddaughter and disciple fell right into your hands.
Tsk, tsk.
This was going to be interesting.
"But what's your plan for handling this?"
One wrong move, and this could turn into a complete mess. Worse, it could push Konoha and Iwagakure into a full-on conflict, maybe even war.
"First, send word to Iwagakure. We'll wait and deal with things when Oonoki gets here. However he wants to handle this, Konoha is ready to respond."
During the Third Shinobi War, Iwagakure nearly pushed Konoha to the brink. That was a deep wound for everyone in Konoha.
On the surface, the war ended, but in reality, it was only because Iwagakure didn't see any more profit in continuing the fight.
Otherwise, no matter how strong Minato was, unless he could wipe out Iwagakure's home base in one go, the war wouldn't have ended so quickly.
The post-war negotiations were proof of that—Iwagakure didn't pay reparations, didn't compensate Konoha, and even acted arrogant while signing the peace treaty.
Konohagakure had no choice but to compromise because, at that time, they simply couldn't keep fighting.
Then came the Nine-Tails attack. Minato gave his life, and Kumogakure took advantage of the chaos to stab Konohagakure in the back.
If they hadn't been worried about Iwagakure possibly making a move, Kumogakure might have outright declared war on Konohagakure.
In the end, Konohagakure was forced to settle the matter in a humiliating way.
Because of that, for years, whether in diplomacy or mission-related dealings, Konohagakure always found itself at a disadvantage when facing Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
"If you're confident, then I'll leave this matter to you. But, and this is just a hypothetical—"
Tsunade trusted Yan, so she handed everything over to him.
No matter what the outcome was, she was prepared to accept it.
But she still set her expectations:
"If possible, there's no need to take things all the way to war with Iwagakure. Even though we've grown stronger."
"I know."
Yan smiled slightly. He understood what Tsunade meant—Konohagakure was ready to deal with the worst-case scenario, but if there was room to maneuver, there was no need to rush into war.
"Put your worries aside. Unless Iwagakure makes the first move, war won't break out so easily.
The ninja world still has unknown threats. If we're concerned, then Oonoki must be even more worried.
Older folks always have a lot of things they can't just ignore."
"As long as you understand. Oh, by the way, there's intel that says Deidara is Oonoki's prized student, and Kurotsuchi is quite talented too. What do you think of those two?"
"One's a rebellious loudmouth, and the other's a sharp-tongued brat. Both are talented, and if they develop properly, they could take Oonoki's place. But I have more faith in Kurotsuchi.
Deidara is like a ticking time bomb—if you don't keep him in check, he'll blow up the enemy and himself along with them."
No matter how gifted Deidara was, he was always going to be a risk. Kurotsuchi, on the other hand, was more grounded, even if she had a bit of an attitude.
She was definitely worth investing in more than Deidara.
Yan also mentioned the matter of the police force. Tsunade's mouth opened slightly in shock as she stared at him, then let out a helpless chuckle.
"If the old man heard you say that, he'd probably be furious. But still, it's best not to talk like that too much—she's the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, after all."
"I know. I was just messing with her. Not that it worked—she knows she's valuable, so she's not worried about me doing anything to her."
Yan stretched out lazily on the couch.
"Running around like this is exhausting. But now, I can sit back and watch Oonoki run around instead. I bet his expression is going to be priceless."
I don't know if Oonoki's expression will be priceless, but I know yours definitely will be soon.
"Cough, cough!!"
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't act like those old men who always start coughing before talking."
"You looking for a beating?"
Tsunade had been about to clear her throat before bringing up the tutoring program, but before she could even say anything, Yan beat her to it.
Her forehead veins bulged in frustration as she clenched her fists, barely holding back the urge to slam Yan into the couch and beat him senseless.
"Quit messing around. Let's talk business."
Business, my ass!!
She shot Yan a sharp glare, then let go of her clenched fists and crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
"The old man came to see me. He wants Sarutobi clan ninjas to take part in the selection for tutoring instructors. I agreed, on the condition that they wouldn't receive any special treatment and would have the same fair competition as everyone else."
Yan shifted on the couch, found a more comfortable position, and closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"This kind of small matter—you decide. No need to make a big deal out of it. If the Sarutobi clan wants to join the election, let them. As long as they behave, I can't be bothered to target them. It's not worth the effort."
"As long as they know their place."
"Got it. I'll send someone to inform the old man. The Sarutobi clan already has enough problems on their hands, and he's been busy dealing with them."
Can you grow fat from one big meal?
Other than the Sarutobi clan, what other family in the ninja world would expand so recklessly?
It's like shooting yourself in the foot.
Sure, the clan is getting bigger, they have more ninjas, and their strength is growing, but their foundation can't keep up.
Even the smallest issue could bring them endless trouble.
One wave of problems isn't even solved before the next one rolls in.
Upstart clans never think things through. All they care about is expansion and power.
Compared to old families like the Uchiha, Senju, and Hyuga, the Sarutobi clan, as an ordinary family, reaching this point already makes them look like a classic case of an upstart clan.
The Third Hokage had no choice—that's why he even considered using tutoring jobs.
After all, tutoring pays just as well as some elite Jonin who take on long-term missions.
And the best part? No danger. Where else would you find such a good deal?
It's not just the Sarutobi clan—other clans' ninjas are eyeing those few open positions too.
But there are only so many spots. Yan wasn't going to expand the tutoring program any further. If it got too big, it would start interfering with the ninja academy's education.
And the academy's education is the real foundation.
"I've already reminded the old man to keep his people in check."
"Doesn't matter. Whether they truly respect me or are just putting on an act, I don't care. As long as they don't try anything shady behind my back, I won't bother with them."
You have to look at the bigger picture. He's already the village's second-in-command—why waste time on trivial matters?
If they didn't come knocking on his door first, Yan wouldn't even bother dealing with the Sarutobi clan.
As long as they don't make trouble, there's no need to worry about them.
Instead of wasting time on this, wouldn't it be better to handle more important matters? Or train to get stronger?
"I'm going to rest. I'll deal with official work tomorrow. Make sure to send someone to remind Oonoki—tell him that his prized student and granddaughter are in my hands. He better hurry up and come to Konohagakure to see me."
"What if Oonoki doesn't come?"
"Even better. I have plenty of ways to control Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
With their talent, if they grow properly, Konohagakure will have two more Kage-level ninjas. Sounds like a win to me."
Either way, Konohagakure won't lose out.
If Oonoki comes, he'll have to drink foot-washing water.
If he doesn't, then we'll just keep them and train them ourselves.
A blonde girl and a blonde kid—handling them should be a piece of cake.
Rather than forcing Oonoki's hand, Yan would prefer for Oonoki to give up on them. That way, he could train them properly without any interference.
"I was just joking, and you actually took it seriously?"
Tsunade was speechless.
I was just making a casual comment, do you really have to take it that seriously? But if Oonoki doesn't come, with the talent these two have…
Damn, I really want to keep them here. How about this—Oonoki, just don't come.
Just leave your student and granddaughter in Konohagakure. We definitely won't turn them away.
No worries about them being disloyal—we'll make sure to train them well.
With the Hokage's advisor personally mentoring them, that should be enough respect, right?
"Damn it!!"
Seeing Yan turn around and walk off while flipping her the middle finger, Tsunade was so mad she almost swore out loud.
Just you wait, I'll deal with you tonight.
Wait, no—this brat is definitely going to run off to Kurenai's place tonight.
Forget it. Sooner or later, he'll end up in my hands.
Gritting her teeth, Tsunade calmed herself down and called for the Anbu, instructing them to head to Iwagakure and deliver a message to Oonoki.
With their mission assigned, the Anbu prepared themselves and immediately set off, heading straight for Iwagakure.
A few days passed, and Oonoki still hadn't realized that his prized student and granddaughter had already arrived in Konohagakure—locked up, no less.
The student had a stinky sock stuffed in his mouth, while the granddaughter was completely losing her temper.
"Tsuchikage-sama, this is an invitation letter from the Konohagakure Hokage's office."
Tsunade was at least polite enough to send an official invitation instead of just passing along a message.
[Here it comes, here it comes—two chapters, 6,000 words, mwah~]
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