Chapter 216: Confronting the Third Hokage and Requesting Retirement

Minato chuckled, playfully punching Takuya on the arm.

"Go on, maybe the Hokage has a special mission lined up for you."

"Special mission? That's the last thing I want to hear. Nothing good ever comes from those."

Takuya grumbled as he waved off Minato and headed toward the Hokage's office.

Just like Takuya said, whenever the words "special mission" popped up, trouble was always sure to follow.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in."

Takuya stepped through the door, entering the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama."

The Third Hokage set aside the documents he'd been reading and looked up at Takuya.

"I heard from Minato that you've decided to take your team toward the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron on a mission?"

"Yes," Takuya confirmed with a nod.

"I haven't settled on the exact path yet. I need to review the available missions carefully since Hyuga Suzune is part of the team. I'll have to take that into account."

"Though the Hyuga Clan has always been very protective, I believe that keeping flowers sheltered in a greenhouse will only make them weak. It's time to let them experience the real world."

"You're right. Without facing challenges, these kids won't be able to stand on their own," the Hokage agreed with Takuya's assessment.

"Since that's the case, I have a mission I'd like you to take on and complete."

"What mission?" Takuya asked bluntly.

"If it's anything to do with Hanzō, then count me out."

"Uh..."

The Third Hokage was momentarily stunned—Takuya had already refused before he could even explain.

"Could you at least tell me why? This mission is very important to the village. Aren't you willing to serve your village?"

"What does that mean, Hokage-sama?" Takuya's face flushed red with anger as he raised his voice.

"If I wasn't willing to serve the village, why have I risked my life taking on missions?"

"If I wasn't willing to serve the village, why did I go to the front lines to fight?"

"If I wasn't willing to serve the village, why did I threaten Hanzō and bomb Amegakure?"

"If I wasn't willing to serve the village, why did I accept the role of Jonin instructor to train the next generation?"

"Hokage-sama, do you feel no guilt saying something like that to me?"

Takuya's voice echoed loudly through the Hokage's office, so much so that even those in the hallway outside could hear him.

People passing by stopped, staring at the door in shock, not sure what was going on.

The atmosphere was tense. Some of the ANBU members considered stepping in to calm things down, but on second thought, they realized Takuya hadn't done anything wrong—he was just being loud.

Besides, when it came to sensitive matters like this, it was best for ANBU to stay out of it.

"That's not what I meant at all," the Hokage tried to explain, now flustered by Takuya's outburst.

He had only intended to make a casual remark, but Takuya's heated response had thrown him off.

"Then what did you mean, Hokage-sama?" Takuya wasn't letting up, his voice growing even more intense.

"Does taking on village missions not count as serving the village?"

"Does going to the battlefield and fighting enemies do not count as serving the village?"

"Does being a jonin instructor, helping young shinobi grow, not count as serving the village?"

"Then please, Hokage-sama, enlighten me—what exactly does it mean to serve the village?"

"I follow every mission the village assigns me. I go to war when the village sends me. I train new recruits when the village asks me to."

"And yet, somehow, I haven't served the village?"

"Did Takuya Yagami just walk into the Hokage's office?" someone whispered in the hallway.

"Yeah, it's him. That kid's young, but I hear he's really strong. Even the Third Kazekage and Hanzō have fallen for his tricks."

"What's going on in there? Sounds like he's arguing with the Hokage."

"Who knows? Best not to pry into things that don't concern us."

The hushed murmurs quickly died down as ANBU agents shot warning glances toward the gossiping shinobi, reminding them to mind their own business.

Still, everyone strained their ears to catch more of what was being said inside.

"Takuya, calm down. That's not what I meant," the Hokage said, trying to defuse the situation.

"I appreciate all you've done for the village. I was simply hoping you'd be willing to take on this one mission."

"No way!" Takuya's frustration continued to build.

"When others fight for the village, they're hailed as heroes. But when I fight for the village, no one even knows about it."

"Fine, I can deal with that. But then you try to keep me in the village, telling me it's for my protection, forcing me into this role as a Jonin instructor. Tell me, Hokage-sama, how can I—a mere child myself—be expected to guide three other children to grow?"

"Three children, no less—one of them a Uchiha, one a Hyuga, and from the main branch at that. The tension in the squad is unbearable!"

"Alright, enough, enough! Please stop," the Third Hokage's head was spinning.

He was terrified that the next thing out of Takuya's mouth might be an accusation that the village was targeting the Uchiha—and maybe even him, Takuya Yagami.

The Third Hokage knew that Takuya was aware of the village's treatment of the Uchiha, thanks to his close relationship with Tsunade. There was no doubt in his mind that Tsunade had filled Takuya in on the details.

"Since the village no longer trusts me, I hereby request retirement from service. I will no longer be a shinobi of this village."

"I'm tired of being targeted because of the Uchiha. I just want to live a normal life."

"I'll submit my official resignation in writing soon. As for my squad, you'll have to assign someone else to replace me."

"That's not what I—"

But before the Hokage could finish, Takuya had already stormed out of the office, leaving him in complete shock.

And those who had been eavesdropping were just as stunned.

Wait... what just happened?

Did Takuya really just quit being a shinobi?

Was this for real? He was already talking about handing in his resignation letter.

It wasn't unheard of for shinobi to retire, especially when they could no longer handle the psychological toll of killing or due to other personal reasons. They would submit a request to the Hokage's office, and if approved, their shinobi status would be revoked, allowing them to live as ordinary citizens.

But this?

Takuya Yagami was taking the initiative and flipping the situation on its head before anyone else could.

Who am I? What just happened?

The Third Hokage sat there for a good while, too stunned to even process what had just occurred.

"Takuya, what mission did the Hokage give you?" Minato asked, approaching Takuya as he returned.

Takuya shoved Minato's face aside with one hand.

"No special mission. But he sure tried to dump a heap of responsibility on me. Want to take it?"

"Uh... what?"

Minato blinked in confusion. What responsibility was he talking about?

"Oh, by the way, you're pretty good with words, right? Help me write up a resignation letter. I need to submit it to the Hokage's office tomorrow."

"A... resignation letter?"

Minato was now completely lost.

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 260+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters

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