[Ding! Host Status Panel]
Name: Yagyu Sōsuke
Chakra: 7564
Ninjutsu: 1342
Taijutsu: 1333
Genjutsu: 1322
Bloodline Limits: Sage Body (41%), Sharingan (Mangekyō)
Overall Strength Evaluation: Kage-level
Looking at his luxurious stat panel, Yagyu couldn't help but smile,
"Ever since breaking into the Kage level, it feels like life finally has something to look forward to… this feeling is way too good."
As for the decrease in the Sage Body development percentage that was completely within his expectations.
After all, his current Sage Body was now a complete Sage Body, no longer just the Senju variant.
A drop in percentage was perfectly normal.
Getting out of bed as he spoke, Yagyu tidied up his messy room before heading downstairs.
After eating the breakfast prepared by his mother he gathered all his equipment and left home.
At the Hokage Tower, outside the office of Tsunade.
Knock, knock, knock.
After knocking on the door, Yagyu waited calmly for permission.
To him, knocking was nothing unusual.
Rules existed for a reason.
Respecting others was also respecting himself.
He wasn't like Naruto Uzumaki, charging in recklessly without thinking.
Unless it was an emergency he had no problem following proper etiquette.
While Naruto's impulsiveness might look passionate and harmless to those close to him, there was no denying it having strength while also knowing how to respect others, like Yagyu did was the better approach.
After all, mutual respect is what keeps the world running.
"Come in."
Tsunade's crisp voice came from inside almost immediately.
Click.
Pushing the door open, Yagyu stepped inside and saw Tsunade seated behind her desk, with Shizune assisting beside her.
"Senior Sister Tsunade, you said there's an important mission for me?"
Walking up to the desk, Yagyu asked directly,
"It's rare for me to get an assigned mission."
Because he operated as a one-man special squad, most of the time.
Yagyu chose his own missions rather than receiving direct assignments.
Seeing Yagyu arrive, Tsunade put down the pen in her hand and looked at him with a serious expression:
"Yeah, there's a mission… a rather special one. Do you know about the elder from the Root?"
Danzo the so-called "Shadow Hokage," the man who dared stab a Susanoo with a kunai.
Yagyu was very familiar with that old fox.
"I've heard a little," After a brief pause, Yagyu smiled lightly,
"But I don't know much… why? Does this mission have something to do with that idiot cough, I mean, that elder?"
Hearing the word "idiot," Tsunade raised an eyebrow, clearly giving him a "kid, you get it" look.
But soon her expression turned serious again:
"Yes, it does."
Whoosh.
A scroll flew toward Yagyu, which he caught effortlessly.
He opened it and began reading.
Meanwhile, Tsunade explained with a slightly grim expression:
"Sōsuke, you know this already. I've only just become the Fifth Hokage. The number of people I can truly mobilize is very limited… and the number of strong ones is even smaller."
As he read the mission details, Yagyu nodded in agreement.
After Tsunade took office, even Jiraiya had been constantly busy handling important matters for the village.
The reason was obvious her foundation in the village was still too weak.
She needed trustworthy top-tier fighters to handle critical missions.
And Jiraiya ended up shouldering that burden, right up until his later mission to Amegakure…
From the moment Tsunade became Hokage his carefree wandering days had essentially ended.
"The negotiations with Sunagakure are finished,"
Tsunade continued, looking at Yagyu,
"They've agreed to pay the compensation we demanded. But who should retrieve those resources is now the problem. That shipment is extremely important to Konoha."
"Originally, it was assigned to the Root… but yesterday, that idiot Danzo Shimura refused, claiming they had other arrangements."
"Right now, all available jōnin are tied up with missions. The only combat power I can spare… is you."
At this point Tsunade hesitated slightly, then added,
"Of course, because of how outstanding your performance was in the last war, sending you might be dangerous. So Sōsuke… you can refuse this request."
Yagyu frowned slightly as he read the scroll.
It wasn't that he feared any scheme from Sunagakure.
With his current strength, even a stronger village like Kumogakure wouldn't be able to stop him from going in and out freely.
The real issue was something else entirely.
The problem wasn't Sunagakure.
It was Danzo Shimura.
That old fox refusing this kind of mission?
On the surface, it made no sense.
A task like this transporting war compensation was full of room for manipulation.
Resources, influence, hidden gains… Root would definitely benefit from it.
And Root wasn't like Yagyu, a one-man unit.
They had huge operational costs.
There was no way Tsunade would assign such a mission without offering concessions.
At her current stage, she had to trade benefits to stabilize her position.
It was a necessary compromise.
And yet Danzo refused.
Not just that, he refused at the perfect moment when all of Tsunade's available high-level combat power had already been deployed,
leaving only Yagyu as the last top-tier force in the village.
That timing alone was suspicious enough to trigger every alarm in Yagyu's mind.
This old bastard is targeting me.
Almost instinctively, Yagyu threw several conspiracy theories onto Danzo's head.
But in the next moment he let those thoughts go.
No point overthinking.
Whether there was a scheme or not didn't matter.
With his current strength he could crush everything head-on.
In fact…Yagyu almost hoped Danzo would make a move personally.
Because that would give him a perfectly justified opportunity to eliminate that old schemer once and for all.
"Well?"
Tsunade looked at him and asked,
"Will you take it? This mission just needs a capable leader. If not, I can find someone else."
Right now, Yagyu was unquestionably one of Konoha's strongest fighters and also one of its most prominent figures.
From that perspective he was the optimal choice.
But decisions like this couldn't be one-sided.
His opinion mattered.
"I'll take it."
Yagyu smiled calmly at Tsunade,
"But I'll assemble the team myself. Is that okay?"
Tsunade nodded without hesitation,
"That's fine… but there aren't many elite shinobi left in the village for you to choose from."
Storing the mission scroll away, Yagyu remained as confident as ever and replied,
"I don't need elites."
"I already have better candidates in mind."
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