Upon hearing Hibari's generous offer, Sakumo's eyes lit up with excitement. "Commander, you have my word. I'll take good care of it."
"Hahahaha, Sakumo, you're not holding back, are you? What if Hibari was just being polite?" Kagami said with a laugh.
Hibari shot a glare at Kagami, then said, "Just take it. You can give it back to me before I leave."
Sakumo gleefully accepted the Ame no Murakumo from Hibari. He didn't care about anything else and just sat there, admiring it.
The others were also curious about the divine blade but weren't as obsessed as Sakumo. After a few glances, they turned their attention back to Hibari.
"Commander, are you leaving again?" Hitenn asked.
"Yeah, I still have a bunch of things to finish. I'm waiting to start my Senjutsu training. This time, I'm just here to attend your wedding and the clan head ceremony. After a two-day break, I'll head back to the Land of Grass," Hibari said with a smile.
"That sounds like a lot of work," Hitenn said softly.
"It's not so bad. I was just in a hurry when I left, and I forgot to set up a Flying Raijin seal back home, and I had Orochimaru with me. So I had to run back and forth. Next time, I'll just use the Flying Raijin Technique to get back. So it's no big deal," Hibari said, waving his hand.
Before he left Ryūchi Cave, he had left a kunai with a Flying Raijin seal on it with Ichikishimahime. So, if he wanted to go back, he wouldn't have to endure the long journey again; he could just instantly teleport back, which was very convenient.
In fact, he could even practice in Ryūchi Cave during the day and return to the Senju clan compound to sleep at night. But that would be a pointless waste of effort, and since Senjutsu training required focus, Hibari ultimately decided to stay in Ryūchi Cave for a while.
It was then that Hiruzen finally spoke. "By the sound of it, you really found Ryūchi Cave?"
Hibari laughed proudly and said cockily, "That's because I didn't have time to look for it before. Otherwise, is there anything I can't do? Ryūchi Cave? Pfft, I just looked around a bit and found it~"
He said it as if his arduous search across the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Sound, and the Land of Iron never happened. As if he just walked out the door, and the first cave he entered happened to be Ryūchi Cave.
Although Hiruzen knew Hibari was just bragging, he didn't dwell on the details. Instead, he asked about Ryūchi Cave with great curiosity.
"Did you and Orochimaru both achieve your goals?" Hiruzen asked.
Hibari patted the large scroll on his lower back with a smug expression. "See this? This is the highest-grade summoning contract in Ryūchi Cave. That kid Orochimaru's was a little less impressive, but he also achieved his goal. And I am the first human in a thousand years to have my name on this.
"I'm not bragging, but with my natural talent, the moment I stepped into Ryūchi Cave, I received treatment better than a VIP. I ironed everything out in a flash. Not only did I get the summoning contract, but I can also learn Senjutsu anytime I want.
"When I'm done and come out, catching up to my family's 'God of Shinobi' will be just around the corner, won't it? At that time, I'll be second in Konoha, and who would dare to claim they are the strongest? Hahahaha!"
While Hibari's words were a bit over the top, his meaning was clear. As for "VIP-level treatment"... if you thought about it, it was true. He even "dealt with" a beautiful Snake Princess. Wasn't that more than enough to be considered a VIP?
Kagami looked at Hibari and then at Hiruzen. "Are you noticing this, Third Hokage? This kid spent three months traveling and came back even more arrogant and cocky? He's getting too big for his britches. He doesn't even respect you, the great Hokage..."
"Shoo, shoo! Don't you try to stir up trouble here!" Hibari said, laughing as he scolded Kagami.
Hiruzen also laughed. "What do you think? When have you ever seen this kid respect me?"
After some back and forth, they had a clear idea of Hibari's situation. He was just back for a 'vacation.' After resting, he would return to Ryūchi Cave to train in Senjutsu.
As for Orochimaru, his business was finished, and he would continue to accumulate power in Konohagakure. Hibari also gave him a few things to do.
Regarding the Land of Hot Water, Hibari and Kakuzu were in regular contact. While Kakuzu might have some flaws in terms of strength, he was a very skilled businessman. He had also studied at the Mitsumine Group for so long, and Hibari had left him with a basic plan for the development of the Necro Cult, so there was no need for him to worry too much. Even if something came up, he could handle it remotely.
With his own matters now out in the open, Hibari began to ask about the village's situation. After all, he was one of the village's high-ranking leaders, the official commander of the Anbu. Even if his various powers weren't as great as before, he couldn't just ignore everything.
"How has the village been lately? I imagine nothing big has happened, right? The external environment is stable, and with your methods, Hiruzen, as the Third Hokage, there shouldn't be any trouble even in my absence, right?" Hibari asked with a cheerful laugh.
As soon as he said this, the lively atmosphere suddenly became quiet. Hiruzen and Kagami had just changed the subject from the embarrassing topic, and Hibari had brought it up again.
Noticing the sudden shift in mood, Hibari frowned. "Is there really a problem?"
Hiruzen looked at Hibari and then at Kagami. It wasn't easy for him to say anything.
After a moment of silence, Kagami slammed his hand on the table. "I'll say it. Hibari, I might be working for you in the future, so you'd better pay me well..."
Hibari's eyebrows shot up. He had an idea of what Kagami was getting at from his words. He smiled. "That's great news! Don't worry, with our friendship, how could I ever treat you badly?"
Kagami smiled and continued, "The village is indeed in some trouble right now. To be honest, the root cause... is still related to all the messy things in my family. Don't laugh."
"Oh? What's going on?" Hibari asked softly.
"Ever since Madara used his Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tailed Fox to attack our Konoha, our Uchiha clan has removed him as our clan head from within. Now, Eizumi is the clan head. He might not be as strong as Madara, but he's very powerful.
"Although he hasn't reached the Mangekyō level, he's mastered the Three-Tomoe Sharingan for decades, and his ninjutsu is incredibly strong. Now, he feels the time is right, and he wants to compete for the Fourth Hokage position, so he's been making aggressive moves..." Kagami said softly.
Hiruzen then spoke. "He wants the position of the head of the advisory council, with Shikajin as his deputy. At the same time, he also wants the Uchiha clan to have two advisory positions..."
The advisory positions were nothing, just honorary titles. As long as the Hokage was strong and had a solid foundation, they were just decorations. The Hokage could choose to listen to their blabbering if they wanted, but if not, they could be barred from even entering the Hokage's office.
But the position of the head of the advisory council was a genuine position of power, and a very influential one at that, capable of affecting the Hokage Residence's decisions.
Hibari was stunned when he heard this. He was about to say something, but he looked at Kagami with an embarrassed expression. Kagami smiled helplessly and said, "Just say whatever you want, you bastard. You know where I stand. It's just a difficult situation for me, but I can still tell right from wrong..."
Hearing this, Hibari patted Kagami on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you just quit? It would be so much better for you to work for me than to be caught in the middle here."
Kagami smiled and nodded. "I need to prepare for that first. No rush..."
Hibari nodded. "We're all family here, so I'm going to speak my mind..."
After a slight pause, Hibari spoke directly. "If it were Kagami who wanted to be the head of the advisory council, I'd have no objections. Not only did Kagami and I accomplish a lot together in the Anbu, but in terms of qualifications, he's your peer, Hiruzen. He's an old-timer shinobi, has the merit, and has the heart. He's also loyal to us. There's no need to worry about any hidden agendas."
At this point, Hibari paused again, then said angrily, "But to be frank, what else does Eizumi have to brag about, besides being older than Kagami? You never saw him on the battlefield. Just because he has the Uchiha name and became clan head, he thinks he's hot stuff? That he can just do whatever he wants? I don't mind him having an advisory position, but I absolutely refuse to let him have the head of the advisory council. I'm the big boss of the Anbu, and I have a say in these meetings, don't I? I'm putting my foot down right now... I will not agree to it!"
Hiruzen felt a sense of relief listening to Hibari's words. Kagami, on the other hand, was torn between laughter and tears. This guy was bad-mouthing his own family but also lifting him up, so he didn't know how to react.
After a moment of silence, Hibari asked again, "Hiruzen, what about my grandfather, the Second Hokage? Has he shown any reaction? Is he just watching Eizumi cause trouble?"
Hiruzen gave a helpless smile. "Tobirama-sensei seems to genuinely have no interest in this, or perhaps, he's using this to test me. In any case, the Uchiha clan has tried to provoke him several times, but the Second Hokage has made no move at all..."
"That's strange... well, if I'm not wrong, he's just observing whether our Hokage Residence has the ability to handle this kind of situation," Hibari said, stroking his chin.
Hibari absolutely refused to believe that Tobirama would completely stop caring about Konohagakure just because he was no longer Hokage. When the Third Raikage came, he was curious enough to ask about it.
There was no way he would just stand by while the Uchiha clan, whom he had always been wary of, caused trouble. Therefore, Hibari deduced that his grandfather was probably watching the Hokage Residence's ability to handle things.
As the commander of the Anbu and the Hokage's first direct subordinate, he was naturally part of the Hokage Residence's inner circle. It was one thing for him to be absent, but now that he was here, could he just turn a blind eye?
For the Uchiha clan to come knocking and "insult" those in the Hokage Residence was like them slapping Hibari in the face.
Thinking about this, Hibari got even angrier. "I'd say you've been too lenient with them, Hiruzen. As Hokage, you have to be ruthless. Forget the Uchiha clan; even our Senju clan, your Sarutobi clan, and Hitenn's Hyūga clan should never do anything to oppose the Hokage Residence.
"Look at the mess they've created! One mistake, and it could escalate into a rebellion like the one in Kumogakure, and the Uchiha clan is much more formidable than those two guys, Kinkaku and Ginkaku!"
The Hokage Residence was the authoritative body of Konohagakure, symbolizing the entire village's prestige. Therefore, even if others had different opinions, they should voice them secretly and through proper channels. They must never show the kind of open opposition the Uchiha clan was demonstrating.
If they did, it would no longer be a small problem. Conflict could erupt and even lead to a rebellion like in Kumogakuree. And as a matter of fact, the Uchiha clan would indeed have a similar plan in the future!
Think about when Tobirama was the Second Hokage. He also encountered moments of differing opinions, like with the Academy. But he handled everything in the shadows through various means and negotiations, and the matter was always settled without escalating into open opposition.
"Anything that threatens the authority of the Hokage Residence is a serious matter. Today, the Uchiha clan wreaks havoc and gets no punishment. On the contrary, they even get what they want.
"What message does that send to others? Can the Hokage Residence still run things? Can it still hold the line? Who does the village listen to? Once those thoughts appear, factions will form, and it won't just be the Uchiha clan's problem anymore. At that point, factions will lead to infighting, and Konoha could even split apart!
"Hiruzen, you need to think about this clearly. The Uchiha clan's actions this time have already crossed a line. If you don't nip this in the bud, they'll really think we're pushovers!" Hibari said indignantly.
Hiruzen looked a little helpless. "How can I 'nip' it? I can't just personally go and attack them, can I?"
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