Chapter 566.Why Has That Woman Come to the Leaf Village Again?

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It seemed he would have to distance himself from Hiruzen from now on. Homura smiled bitterly and shook his head. He didn’t want to do this, but the situation and his clan’s interests forced his hand. Fortunately, Kazuki hadn’t compelled him to plunge a knife into the Third Hokage’s back. That, at least, was the last vestige of face Kazuki had left him.

"Who’s there?!" His heart heavy with anxiety, the deeply troubled Homura suddenly sensed someone approaching.

"Tsk. I never expected you to have a such sentimental soul," Kisame remarked from the doorway, his shark-like grin revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth that glinted coldly in the moonlight.

Hoshigaki Kisame?! Hadn’t this man already left?! Could it be that Uchiha Kazuki intends to fall out with me after all?! In that split second, a multitude of thoughts raced through Homura’s mind. Seeing the elder’s guard instantly shoot up, Kisame couldn’t have cared less. Finding the situation rather boring, he casually tossed the scroll he was holding. Homura caught the scroll Kisame threw, a flicker of confusion passing through his still-wary eyes.

This man hadn’t come to silence him? The moment Kisame had appeared, Homura’s immediate reaction was that Kazuki had changed his mind and was here to tie up loose ends. Others might not dare to act within the village, but Kazuki would. And he could do so with ease. If Homura were killed in his own home, that would simply be the end of it.

’Boring old fossil.’ Kisame turned and walked away, not even glancing back. "The Advisor sent me back. Inside that scroll are the deeds to some shops. The locations aren’t the best, but for the clan behind you, it’s still a considerable reward. The Advisor instructed me to tell you: this is a reward for your dedicated service to the village."

Kazuki was not a petty man. Despite his deep vengefulness, merit was rewarded with merit. Homura’s tireless efforts, his constant assistance, his endless overtime and toil – Kazuki had seen it all. Shikaku didn’t dare speak up to claim credit on Homura’s behalf, but Kazuki had remembered everything. He simply hadn’t found a suitable opportunity to bring it up.

Seizing this occasion of Homura passing information to the Third Hokage, Kazuki had intervened to sever the connection and relationship between them, given Homura a little rap on the knuckles, and incidentally offered him a bit of benefit. This was to ensure that Homura, the Third Hokage’s last remaining old friend, would stay far, far away from him, leaving Hiruzen utterly isolated.

"A reward?" Homura’s eyes were filled with bewilderment. The wariness in his gaze completely melted away. His mind, struggling to process the sudden shift, he numbly unfurled the scroll. Imprinted within were indeed shop deeds – seven or eight of them. The locations weren’t particularly prime, but for the clan backing Homura, it was truly a significant reward.

"..." Kazuki’s actions left Homura’s brain reeling, unable to quite catch up. In his view, serving the village diligently was simply one’s duty. Setting aside personal considerations, Homura’s work was truly beyond reproach. It was precisely because of this rigid mindset that this stubborn old man couldn’t quite keep pace with Kazuki’s rhythm – including the aspect of rewards.

Should he refuse? Clutching the scroll, Homura desperately wanted to refuse. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to be resolute, because his clan sorely needed these resources. He could accept it for the clan’s sake. But once he accepted, it truly meant severing his ties with the Third Hokage completely from now on.

"It seems I have indeed grown old." After a harrowing internal struggle, Homura ultimately chose to stand on the side of his clan. He was no Danzo. He didn’t possess that kind of ruthless heart to simply abandon his clan without a care. Just as the Third Hokage couldn’t let go of the Sarutobi Clan, Homura equally couldn’t abandon his own. Striving for personal gain no longer held such grand ambition for him. But for the sake of his clan... it seemed he still needed to continue his efforts. That night, Homura suffered a bout of insomnia.

Kazuki, however, was no different from usual. For him, the reward of a few shops was utterly inconsequential. As long as you contributed, as long as you accumulated sufficient merit, and as long as you didn’t attempt any stupid shit, the rewards would not be lacking. Even disregarding personal sentiment for the sake of principle – even for the village’s sake alone – benefits would not be withheld from you.

But accepting his benefits signified that you needed to draw a clear line between yourself and certain things. Otherwise, the next time would bring not rewards, but punishment. And a very severe punishment at that – the kind that would implicate one’s entire clan. In this move, Homura was firmly caught in Kazuki’s grasp. If even someone as depraved as Danzo could be swayed by interests, what was Homura by comparison?

"Lord Advisor, an urgent communiqué has arrived from the front-line camp. Additionally, envoys from the Mist Village have once again delivered an invitation, requesting the Advisor to journey to the Land of Wind to preside over the peace negotiations between the Mist and Sand Villages." Early in the morning, personnel from the Intelligence Division arrived with the intelligence scroll and the invitation.

"Understood. Leave them there." Kazuki picked up the invitation and skimmed through it, confirming the location and time. He then tossed it aside and picked up the scroll. After a single glance, he rolled it back up. In his palm, Wind Style chakra coalesced into countless razor-sharp blades that enveloped the scroll, shredding it to dust in an instant. "Itachi, send a reply to your father. Tell him he need not concern himself with the affairs of the front-line war. Just manage the camp properly. There’s no need to worry about anything else."

"Yes, my lord." The Third Hokage had halted his war efforts. Sensing something amiss, Fugaku had immediately dispatched the urgent message to solicit Kazuki’s intentions. Why had the Third Hokage stopped his advance? Kazuki could guess. It was undoubtedly the fallout from the Nine-Tails affair. That old fossil’s concern for the Nine-Tails was anything but ordinary.

Having dealt with the matters at hand, Kazuki surveyed his neat and orderly desk and decided to play laze aroung for the day. It was a rare occasion with so little administrative work to handle. Such a splendid day – not skipping work for once would be a disservice to himself. First, a little stroll around. Then, barbecue for lunch. Followed by an afternoon nap. In the afternoon, some reading. Dinner could be a simple bowl of ramen. In a flash, Kazuki had mapped out his entire day’s itinerary.

"Lord Advisor!" His pleasant fantasies, however, were met with the harshness of reality. Before he had even stepped out of the Hokage building, a new issue arose.

"What is it?" Having firmly resolved to skip work, Kazuki wasn’t about to return to the Hokage’s office for anything. Unless a genuine catastrophe had occurred, nothing would stand in the way of his determination to play hooky. He continued striding outward. The Anbu operative kneeling on the ground froze momentarily, then hastily rose and hurried after him. "Lord Advisor... the Raikage’s secretary from the Cloud Village, Miss Mabui, has arrived to pay a visit."

"That woman? What’s she doing in the village again?!" The image of Mabui’s face, with its slightly deeper skin tone, surfaced in Kazuki’s mind. He chuckled and signaled for the Anbu to bring her over.

"I’m going out for a stroll. Just bring her directly to find me." For Mabui to make a special visit, especially during wartime, she undoubtedly had important business. But there was no rule stating one couldn’t handle official matters while shopping and strolling, was there? If time was tight, it could even be dealt with over lunch. And just like that, it was happily decided.