These past few days, Tsunade had devoted almost all her energy to reforming Konoha's medical system.
As the current head of the medical department, she had to deal every day with mountains of medical cases, talent training plans, and the deployment of medical teams throughout the village. She was so busy she barely had a moment to rest.
As for Arisu, he simply couldn't be bothered to go home. He directly claimed a quiet private hospital room and treated it as a temporary residence.
After all, Arisu never paid for anything in Konoha.
Besides, these days, Yukio had been taking Ino home for family visits, and neither of them wanted to disturb their son's romance. As a result, the hospital became a rare private world for the couple.
The afternoon sunlight in the hospital room was gentle.
Arisu leaned against the hospital bed, leisurely eating a plate of sliced fruit while flipping through a thick medical book borrowed from the library.
The door suddenly opened. Tsunade walked in wearing a white coat, arms crossed, giving him a helpless yet amused look.
"Do you even realize you're taking up medical resources? Hospital beds are already in short supply, and here you are treating a whole room like your own house."
Tsunade said with her arms folded.
Arisu looked up, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as he replied casually, "I'm only taking up one room."
"When those daimyo and nobles come for checkups, they book an entire building."
"I'm already being pretty low-key, okay?"
Tsunade curled her lips and walked over to sit beside the bed.
"Hmph, at least you still know how to care about me."
"Medical reform has really been exhausting these days... Having you here with me makes it a little easier."
Arisu speared a fresh piece of apple with a fork and popped it into his mouth. Suddenly remembering a joke from his previous life, he slowly said, "I heard the hospital has B-ultrasound, so I came."
Tsunade instinctively replied, "Obviously. Hospitals definitely have B-ultrasound examinations."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized something was off. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression quickly changed from helplessness to not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"You! Stop playing word games with me!"
Tsunade casually reached out and pinched Arisu's cheek, then bent down and planted a firm kiss on his lips, carrying her usual mix of dominance and affection.
Arisu was stunned for a moment by the kiss, then laughed. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows into the room that symbolized Konoha's highest authority.
Minato Namikaze looked exhausted.
Back in his early years as Hokage, he had been quite normal.
But after holding the position for so long, Minato was starting to feel worn out. There were simply too many things to deal with.
Seated behind the Hokage's desk, Minato held an intelligence scroll that had just arrived from the Anbu, his brows tightly furrowed.
A series of strange activities had recently appeared in Amegakure.
That village, which was perpetually shrouded in rain, had always been extremely closed off and rarely interacted with the outside world. Yet now it was frequently active near the border of the Land of Fire, giving off a faintly unsettling feeling.
For Konoha, this was undoubtedly a potential threat.
On top of that, Amegakure and Konoha had historical issues.
They had fought against Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War.
As the Seventh Hokage, Minato naturally could not ignore it. He planned to send an elite reconnaissance team to infiltrate Amegakure and find out what was really going on.
But the problem was... who should he send?
Minato rubbed his forehead and fell into thought.
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke...", Minato murmured to himself.
Shinnosuke was the same age as him and also his companion. He was steady, capable, and reliable.
But he was currently serving as the Ninja Academy principal and was busy every day. Pulling him away for such a high-risk infiltration mission was clearly inappropriate.
"Jiraiya?"
Minato quickly shook his head.
Although Jiraiya was powerful, his personality was far too carefree and unrestrained. In Minato's eyes, he was not a reliable choice.
Because of Arisu's appearance, the two had never developed a master-disciple relationship, so there was naturally far less trust between them.
As a result, in Minato's eyes, Jiraiya was simply a powerful expert who was carefree and thick-headed, somewhat unreliable.
'Kakashi? Asuma?'
No. Although they were exceptionally talented, they were still too young. They were currently serving as instructors, and transferring them rashly would affect the village's basic training work.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo?
Those two were even more impossible.
As Hokage, how could he ask his seniors to take such a risk?
"Master Tsunade..."
Minato gave a bitter smile and immediately rejected the idea.
Tsunade was currently dedicating all her efforts to reforming Konoha's medical system. She was overwhelmed with work every day, and her temper was even fiercer than Kushina's. Disturbing her now would be asking for trouble.
After considering every option, Minato realized that Konoha seemed to have only two truly suitable candidates left, Sakumo Hatake and Arisu.
Both were mature, steady, and extremely powerful. Whether in experience or mastery of ninjutsu, either was fully capable of handling this infiltration mission.
Minato lightly tapped the desk with his fingers and eventually focused on Sakumo first.
"Senior Sakumo is more suitable...", Minato muttered softly.
Although Arisu was even stronger, he was still Minato's teacher.
Back then, Minato had only become Hokage thanks in large part to Arisu's support and help.
If he asked Arisu to carry out this mission, Arisu most likely would not refuse outright,
but Minato would still feel somewhat awkward about it.
As a student, it was better not to order his teacher around casually.
Thinking this, Minato stood up and walked to the window. Looking at the Hokage Rock in the center of the village, he let out a quiet sigh.
"Looks like I'll have to talk with Senior Sakumo first... Hopefully, Amegakure's recent activity is just a false alarm."
Not long afterward, the office door was gently pushed open.
A tall figure slowly walked in.
It was Sakumo Hatake.
Although he had not been on a battlefield for years, Sakumo still maintained strict ninja habits.
His short white hair was neatly combed, his simple ninja outfit fit perfectly, and even the position of the sword at his waist was precise and orderly.
Though time had left faint marks at the corners of his eyes, it had done nothing to diminish the presence of one of the ninja world's top experts.
"Senior Sakumo, you're here."
Minato stood up. Respect mixed with warmth in his voice as he personally stepped forward to greet him.
Sakumo nodded slightly, his gaze calm yet courteous.
"Hokage-sama."
After both men sat down, Minato skipped unnecessary pleasantries and directly pushed the latest Anbu intelligence scroll toward Sakumo.
"Amegakure has recently shown a series of unusual movements. The village has always been closed off, but this time they've been frequently active near the Land of Fire border. Intelligence suggests this may involve the movement of an unidentified ninja force."
"I'm worried this could become a potential threat to Konoha, so I want to send an elite team into Amegakure to investigate and determine their true intentions."
Sakumo took the scroll and quickly read through it.
As the contents entered his eyes, a faint gleam gradually appeared in his previously calm gaze.
It was long-lost fighting spirit and excitement, like a sleeping beast being awakened.
Amegakure... that village perpetually covered by rain had always been a mystery.
For Sakumo, the chance to infiltrate it and uncover its secrets was undoubtedly a highly challenging opportunity.
"The situation is indeed somewhat troublesome."
Sakumo closed the scroll. His deep voice carried obvious interest.
"Amegakure's terrain is complex, and its rain and mist greatly interfere with sensory ninjutsu. Infiltration won't be easy. But... that's exactly why it's worth the trip."
Seeing Sakumo's expression, Minato quietly relaxed and smiled.
"Then, Senior, are you willing to accept this mission? Of course, if you need manpower, I can assign elite Anbu members to assist you."
Sakumo did not hesitate for long. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a rare sharp smile.
"I can go. I'll be enough on my own. More people would only make it easier to get exposed.", Sakumo said calmly.