This was a ninja wearing a cat-faced ANBU mask. From behind the mask, long purple hair cascaded down, and the distinctive red ANBU insignia was tattooed on their right shoulder. Looking at this familiar appearance, Tatsuya instantly recognized the identity of the ANBU ninja before him. It was Uzuki Yugao, the girlfriend of the "Kidney-Deficient Man," Gekko Hayate!
The moment Uzuki Yugao appeared, she saw the rather unsettling, almost perverted smile on Tatsuya's face. Startled by his expression, she instinctively recoiled a few steps, her hands crossing defensively in front of her chest.
Seeing this, Tatsuya was speechless. "What are you doing?" he asked, his tone exasperated as his expression returned to normal.
Seeing Tatsuya revert to his usual demeanor, Uzuki Yugao let out a sigh of relief. "Jonin Tatsuya, Lord Hokage summons you," she said, adopting a formal, professional tone, even though she knew her identity was no secret to Tatsuya. This was the proper conduct expected of an ANBU ninja.
"Let's go," Tatsuya said simply, then flickered and followed Uzuki Yugao towards the Hokage Tower.
Soon, Tatsuya arrived at the Hokage's office. In the room, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, clad in her green Hokage robe and wearing the Kage hat, was engrossed in her official duties, her head bent over a mountain of paperwork. Before her, stacks upon stacks of documents and files were piled so high they formed several small hills, completely obscuring the magnificent view of her ample chest, leaving only her long, pale-yellow hair and her maturely beautiful, perfect face visible.
Walking closer, Tatsuya bowed respectfully to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade." Now that he was nearer, Tatsuya, with his tall and robust physique, was finally able to catch a slight glimpse of the "scenery" that had been previously hidden by the paperwork.
"Tatsuya," Tsunade said, looking up from her work as she heard his greeting. Her beautiful brow furrowed slightly as she looked at him. "Kakashi's Team Seven accepted a B-rank mission today. They're about to leave Konoha for the Land of Earth. Did you know about this?"
Having been in the position of Hokage for several years now, Tsunade had long since earned the respect of everyone in the village with her exceptional abilities and decisive leadership. During these years, Tsunade had also used the power and resources at her disposal to thoroughly investigate many past events and individuals, particularly gathering extensive information about Tatsuya.
After learning many things about Tatsuya, Tsunade, unlike the Third Hokage in his earlier days, did not exhibit apprehension or suspicion towards him. Instead, she was prepared to rely on Tatsuya even more heavily. This wasn't because she was influenced by Jiraiya's talk of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, but rather stemmed from Tsunade's own astute judgment. Judging solely by the results, everything Tatsuya had done seemed to be moving the village in a beneficial direction. That alone was enough for her.
However, Tatsuya's profound laziness had also far exceeded Tsunade's initial expectations. Every time Tsunade tried to assign him some serious responsibilities or a heavy workload, this fellow would invariably manage to push it all off, clean and complete. He was barely in his early twenties, yet he was as difficult and slippery to manage as a stubborn old man.
Hearing Tsunade's question, Tatsuya nodded. "Mm. I just heard about it."
Tsunade asked, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"
Tatsuya replied, "The difficulty of this mission isn't too high. With Kakashi there, there shouldn't be any major problems, right?"
Tsunade's gaze fixed intently on Tatsuya. "Is that all?"
"Huh?" Hearing her pointed tone, Tatsuya feigned a look of innocent confusion, his eyes wide as he looked at Tsunade.
Seeing Tatsuya playing dumb, Tsunade couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. "Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! His safety is of paramount importance to the village! And you, as his teacher, are just going to let him go off without a care?"
Tatsuya's brow furrowed slightly. "Lady Tsunade, didn't you previously agree to let Kakashi take Naruto out for training and experience? Keeping him cooped up in the village all the time isn't conducive to his growth."
Tsunade retorted, her voice sharp with irritation, "I agreed to let Kakashi take him on missions, yes, but I didn't expect you all to rush into it this quickly! How long has it even been since Naruto and the others graduated? Moreover, this mission is different. They are going to the Land of Earth. That old geezer Onoki is not someone who plays by the rules!"
A thoughtful expression appeared on Tatsuya's face. "Lady Tsunade, what you mean is…?"
Tsunade stated firmly, "If Kakashi and his team are to take on this mission, then you must secretly accompany them and ensure their protection."
Tatsuya: "..."
Seeing Tatsuya's speechless expression, Tsunade's tone softened slightly. "I'm also saying this out of concern for Naruto's safety. Iwagakure has always had deep-seated conflicts with our Konoha, and that old man Onoki is notorious for using underhanded tactics. We absolutely cannot afford to be careless!"
Listening to Tsunade's earnest persuasion, Tatsuya didn't immediately agree. Instead, he proposed a condition. "Lady Tsunade, if you want me to take on this task, it's not a problem. However, I have one request."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Speak."
Tatsuya said, "After this mission is completed, I want Lady Tsunade to take me to Shikkotsu Forest."
Hearing this, Tsunade looked puzzled. "Shikkotsu Forest? What do you want to go there for?" Tsunade didn't understand Tatsuya's motive for making such a request.
Tatsuya shook his head. "You'll find out when the time comes."
Staring at Tatsuya for a moment, Tsunade finally nodded. "Alright. I agree to your condition."
Having settled the matter, Tatsuya didn't linger in the Hokage's office for long and quickly took his leave. Watching Tatsuya's departing figure, a thoughtful expression appeared on Tsunade's face. In her view, Tatsuya wanting to go to Shikkotsu Forest could only mean one of two things: either he wanted to form a summoning contract with the great slug sage, Katsuyu, or he was interested in learning the sage techniques of Shikkotsu Forest. Could it be, she mused, that he intends to master the sage arts of all three Great Sage Regions?
After leaving the Hokage's office, a relaxed smile appeared on Tatsuya's face. Truthfully, regarding Team Seven's upcoming mission, Tatsuya himself hadn't felt entirely at ease. Due to his interventions, the entire situation in the ninja world had already become completely different from what he knew. Would Sasuke and Naruto still possess their seemingly invincible "protagonist plot armor" as they had in his previous life? Tatsuya was very doubtful about that.
Therefore, even before coming to see Tsunade, Tatsuya had already decided that he wanted to accompany them on this trip, albeit discreetly. Besides, there weren't any particularly urgent matters in the village that required his constant presence. Kabuto had brought Kimimaro to him, and after Tatsuya had infused him with a large amount of life energy, Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai illness had been temporarily suppressed. Tatsuya could slowly study and deal with Kimimaro's condition after he returned from the Land of Earth; there was no immediate rush.
To be able to use this situation to exchange for an opportunity to visit Shikkotsu Forest with Tsunade—Tatsuya was actually quite pleased with this outcome. Shikkotsu Forest, that mysterious and legendary sage region… he had wanted to explore its secrets for a very long time.
Land of Earth.
In an underground secret chamber within a small, unassuming town.
A man dressed in a beige robe with a distinctive red inner lining stood before a surgical table, engrossed in an experiment. The man's figure was relatively slender and somewhat petite. His long white hair cascaded down to his waist and hips. Viewed from behind, his appearance could even be mistaken for that of a woman.
Near a small window close to the ceiling of the secret chamber, a small grey bird flew in through a narrow gap. The grey bird slowly landed on the man's shoulder. A small message cylinder was tied to its right leg.
The man paused his work and carefully retrieved a small slip of paper from the message cylinder on the bird's leg. After reading the contents of the note, the man couldn't help but tilt his head up, gazing towards the sky visible through the small window, and murmured softly under his breath, "Kakashi… it's about time I collected your eye."