Yakushi Kabuto forced himself to calm down. He had been severely injured by Yang Tao's sudden kick from above, and his chest was now numb, feeling no pain.
'At least five ribs are broken, and one has pierced an internal organ. If not treated, it will be life-threatening…'
Kabuto constantly pondered how to save himself.
Then he felt a lightness on his body; clearly, the man named Yang Tao had gotten off his back.
He had just breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he felt his scalp tighten, and he was lifted from the ground by his hair. He then saw the culprit, a young man with a benevolent face.
Looking at the other party's playful gaze, he didn't know why, but he felt as if he had been seen through.
"Yakushi Kabuto? It's a pleasure to meet you, but before that, let's make things clear."
"I plan to recruit you as my subordinate. Eight-hour workday, weekends off, food and accommodation provided three times a day, triple pay on holidays, and a travel service once every quarter. You have 10 seconds to consider it."
Kabuto: "???"
Weekends off? Eight-hour workday? Triple pay on holidays?
What does this mean? Do they pay for risking one's life?
At this moment, Maki, who was nearby, reacted and stabbed a Kunai towards Yang Tao's chest.
"An ant trying to shake a tree, truly overestimating himself…"
Yang Tao's tone was full of mockery. He lifted his foot and directly swept Maki away. Before Maki could get up, several Root Ninja had already surrounded him. The stance was that if he dared to move, the Root Ninja would swarm and kill Maki.
Feeling his life draining away, Kabuto made a very wise choice. He immediately endured the gradually appearing pain in his chest and said, "I… I am willing to follow you…"
"Very good!"
Kabuto was fundamentally a fickle villain. According to Yang Tao, he had a rebellious nature and no one had ever been able to control him from the start.
However, today, this free soul would ultimately be confined within a birdcage.
Yang Tao looked at Kabuto's pained expression, stretched out his hand, and waved at the Blue Bird standing on top of a Sand Ninja's head, saying, "Come here, give him a mental imprint. Hmm… just make him loyal to me, no need to change anything else."
If a scientist's thoughts were restricted, and he had no research ideas, wouldn't it be a waste of his talent?
Kakashi, with a solemn expression, Might Guy, with an incredulous look, and Genma Shiranui, who was purely playing the part of a bystander with a toothpick in his mouth, were all looking at Yang Tao.
"What… exactly do you want to do?"
Kakashi frowned deeply. It had been like this before; anyone touched by that blue parrot would undergo a drastic change in personality.
"What do I want to do?"
After the Blue Bird landed on Yakushi Kabuto's head, a green light emanated from Yang Tao's hand, taking a few seconds to heal Yakushi Kabuto's injuries.
He casually tossed him aside.
He walked step by step towards Kakashi. The inexplicable pressure made Kakashi unable to move. Finally, Yang Tao stood in front of him and said with a smile, "To be honest, I plan to have Naruto or Sasuke become the new Hokage, the true Fifth Hokage…"
"That's impossible!"
Kakashi immediately refuted Yang Tao's words without thinking.
"Nothing is impossible."
He pointed his finger at the ninja behind Naruto and Sasuke and said, "Nearly two hundred Chunin, plus Naruto and Sasuke, who have now reached Kage-level strength…"
"And the strong assistance from the Hyuga, as well as the personal endorsement from the Fourth Hokage, even if I don't participate, Naruto will definitely be able to become Hokage."
"Kakashi, do you want Konoha to continue like this? Will someone like your father, the White Fang of Konoha, die under the public opinion of his own people because his achievements overshadowed his superiors, is that it?"
Yang Tao stretched out his hand and patted Kakashi's shoulder, saying earnestly, "The Konoha of the past became corrupt and dilapidated on the night the Fourth died, and Naruto is the new hope."
Just then, a voice rang out from the stadium stands: "If you don't interfere, why would the Hyuga Clan help this kid? And the Fourth is already dead."
Hearing the voice, Yang Tao already knew who had arrived, so he said without turning his head, "If he's dead, then bring him back from the Pure Land. Minato is still young and can work for at least another ten years. Furthermore, given the awkward position of the Hyuga in Konoha, I think Hyuga Hiashi wouldn't refuse a powerful Hokage as his son-in-law."
After the Uchiha Clan was annihilated, the Hyuga Clan became the largest clan in Konoha, and at the same time, they became the target of all.
The Hyuga's hard power is truly lacking. If their Byakugan doesn't evolve into the Tenseigan, it leans more towards support.
And there are no leading figures, whether among the older generation or the new generation. Even Hyuga Neji doesn't stand out much among the Twelve Rookie Nine.
If he could truly choose, Hyuga Hiashi would naturally know how to choose. This isn't marrying off a daughter; it's clearly recruiting a son-in-law.
Otherwise, in the original work, Hyuga Hiashi's mind must have been messed up to give money, a house, and even help raise children.
"Jiraiya, didn't you also choose to leave Konoha because you were dissatisfied with the policies of the upper echelons? What? Today, the Child of Prophecy wants to reform Konoha, and you want to become a conservative?"
Jiraiya, who had just rushed over after dealing with the rampaging One-Tails, heard Yang Tao's audacious words and instinctively retorted, but this immediately left him speechless.
Jiraiya leaped down from the stands, landing steadily on the ground, and looked at Yang Tao, saying, "The point is you."
"Even if this kid becomes Hokage, in my opinion, he would just be your puppet."
Yang Tao looked at the tall Jiraiya, who wore a forehead protector with the character "Oil" written on it, and a smile appeared on his face.
Jiraiya's long white hair reached his waist, he had red markings below his eyes, wore a classic red outer coat, and wooden clogs. He was now walking towards him step by step.
"This child is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. I think you should be familiar with that name."
Hearing this name, Jiraiya's footsteps paused, and his gaze returned to the blond Naruto. In a trance, he saw Minato's figure in Naruto.
"But I think, Lord Jiraiya, you shouldn't forget this child's name. You personally gave him this name…"
"Now the child just wants to be Hokage. As his grand-teacher, do you want to personally crush the child's dream?"
Jiraiya: "..."
You've said everything, what else do you want me to say??
"Even if…"
"Also, even to be my puppet, Yang Tao's puppet, not everyone is qualified. Since you don't support us, I will establish a new ninja village next door, named New Konoha, and everyone is welcome to join our New Konoha."
Even Jiraiya, who hadn't returned to Konoha for over ten years, understood that if Yang Tao did this, Konoha's strength would inevitably suffer a severe blow.
Don't say anything about not being able to create New Konoha.
Given the strange power structure of the ninja world, as long as he convinced the Daimyo, Yang Tao could establish a new ninja village anywhere within the Land of Fire at any time.
Of course, all of this is based on absolute strength.
As for how to convince him, there are simply too many ways.
Jiraiya looked at Naruto, remained silent for a moment, and said, "If you can truly revive Minato, then I have no objections to Naruto becoming Hokage…"
He didn't understand Naruto, but he trusted Minato.
Yang Tao looked at the gradually dissipating Four Violet Flames Formation and smiled, saying, "Of course, no problem."