Chapter 217: Better to Manipulate Than Be Manipulated

Entering the room, Takuya grabbed some paper and a pen, slamming them down on the table. He pulled Minato over and pressed him into a chair.

"Go on, start writing. Keep it simple—just a standard shinobi retirement application."

"Are you out of your mind?"

Minato shot up from the chair in shock.

Retire? Was this some kind of joke?

People retire because of psychological trauma or physical disabilities. But Takuya Yagami? He was perfectly fine, wasn't he?

"Yup, I'm totally out of my mind."

Takuya grinned widely.

Those old geezers wanted to play dirty behind the scenes? Fine. He'd just flip the table and lay all the cards out in the open.

No more playing along with their schemes.

"If they want to suppress me when it suits them, then come running to me when they need something, accusing me of not being loyal to the village when I refuse, well, I'm done with it. I'll just retire. Who needs to be a shinobi anyway?"

"Constant surveillance, endless schemes. The second you're connected to the Uchiha, it doesn't matter how much you contribute or how many victories you bring. They'll always find a way to target you."

"I'm going to see the Hokage," Minato muttered, finally understanding why Takuya was talking about retirement. The village leadership had pushed him too far.

If Takuya had aligned with the Uchiha, it might've been one thing, but he hadn't. And yet, they still wouldn't leave him alone.

Their tactics were underhanded and downright cruel.

"Sit down and finish writing that retirement request. After that, you can do whatever you want."

"Let me go!"

"Where's my stick...?"

"..."

In the end, under Takuya's not-so-subtle threat of violence, Minato sat back down, reluctantly writing the retirement letter. He never thought he'd find himself doing something like this—writing up a resignation for his closest friend.

The whole situation left a bitter taste in his mouth.

As soon as he finished, Minato tossed the pen aside and bolted out of the room, terrified that Takuya might grab him and rope him into something else.

Would Takuya chase after Minato?

Not a chance. In fact, Takuya was counting on Minato to spread the word, to make sure the whole village—no, the entire shinobi world—knew about this.

When news got out, the Third Hokage would have a real mess on his hands.

Suppressing a village hero on baseless accusations? Forcing him into retirement because of some imaginary grudge against the Uchiha?

Once the public caught wind of it, the village leadership's reputation would be dragged through the mud.

"Captain, are we preparing to head out soon?"

When Aida Sui saw Takuya, he was practically buzzing with excitement. He had been eagerly awaiting the day they'd leave the village to take on higher-level missions.

But he was about to be sorely disappointed.

Takuya sighed and patted Aida Sui on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Aida Sui, but I won't be able to take you on any more missions. I came here to tell you that the Hokage will be assigning another jonin to lead your team."

"..."

The smile on Aida's face froze, and he scratched his head awkwardly.

"Captain, please don't joke like that. It's really not funny."

"I'm not joking. I'm retiring. Do your best from here on out. I still need to inform Suzune and Ryoji. Take care."

"..."

Retiring? Why?

When Uchiha Ryoji heard the news, he was in complete disbelief. Retire? What the hell was going on?

"Captain, can I ask why you want to retire?"

Hyuga Suzune, who had been looking forward to leaving the village and exploring the wider world, was shocked when the first news she got was about Takuya's sudden decision to retire.

It felt like her entire world was spinning.

"Does it really matter?"

"It does."

Suzune nodded earnestly.

"I guess I'm just tired. Tired of constantly fighting for the village, only to be targeted and dragged down because of some ridiculous reasons."

"So, I'm choosing to retire. Let the Hokage deal with targeting the Uchiha from now on—I'm done with it."

"Even if you have a new captain, make sure to work hard. Only strength can truly ensure your safety."

Takuya gave Suzune's head a light pat before walking away with a smile.

Was he retiring because he was being targeted?

As someone from the Hyuga main family, Suzune was somewhat aware of the tension between the village leadership and the Uchiha. She wasn't completely clueless.

The higher-ups had been targeting the Uchiha for a long time, and because Takuya had Uchiha blood, despite not being part of the clan, he'd been caught up in their schemes.

"Do you need help packing your things?"

Suzune's father, the Hyuga elder, had assumed his daughter was about to leave the village on her first real mission.

He had no idea what was really going on.

"Father."

After bowing respectfully, Suzune shook her head.

"There's no need to pack anything anymore. My captain is retiring. He's no longer going to be a shinobi."

"Hmm, retiring is a good... wait, retiring?"

The elder's eyes widened, his pale Byakugan flaring as his voice rose an octave.

"Retiring? Is that true?"

"..."

It was the first time Suzune had seen her father lose his composure like this. She nodded slowly.

"Yes. That's what Captain said. He's tired of being targeted because of his connection to the Uchiha, so he's choosing to retire."

"..."

What in the world was going on?

The Hyuga elder knew far more than his daughter about the inner workings of the village leadership. He just never expected Takuya to react so strongly. Everything had seemed fine up until now.

Why the sudden backlash?

Could it be that the Hokage had ramped up the pressure again?

None of it made sense to him.

From the elder's perspective, Takuya might have Uchiha blood, but he had repeatedly refused to align himself with the Uchiha. That made him far more valuable than any actual member of the Uchiha clan.

Was the village really willing to throw away a genius like him?

As her father shook his head in frustration, Suzune timidly asked, "Father, was the captain telling the truth?"

"Stop asking questions."

Her father shot her a stern look.

"If Yagami Takuya is retiring, it means your team is being disbanded. You'll stay here and continue your Gentle Fist training."

"Yes, Father."

Suzune nodded obediently, not daring to press any further.

"Where is Master Jiraiya?"

Minato was growing frantic. At first, he'd thought about going to the Hokage, but he quickly abandoned that plan. Jiraiya would be much more effective at getting through to the higher-ups.

If Minato went to the Hokage himself, it wouldn't change a thing.

Why did it have to come to this?

Didn't they realize how much this would demoralize everyone?

Minato couldn't understand why the village leadership was so determined to target the Uchiha—especially someone like Takuya, who had Uchiha blood but had no ties to the clan.

Why did it always come down to power and control?

After searching everywhere, Minato couldn't find Jiraiya. Frustrated, he ended up at the hospital.

In Nawaki's recovery room, Orochimaru was explaining the finer points of ninjutsu while Nawaki listened attentively. The door suddenly slammed open, startling them both.

"Minato, what are you doing? Don't you know patients need a quiet environment to recover?"

"Are you deliberately messing with me?"

Orochimaru rarely had time to give private lessons, and Nawaki had been listening intently, only to be interrupted by Minato's loud entrance.

"Screw the recovery!"

Minato was too panicked to care, brushing past Nawaki to approach Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-sensei, do you know where Master Jiraiya is? I need to find him—it's urgent."

"Jiraiya?"

Orochimaru calmly closed the book he'd been holding and thought for a moment.

"He's probably somewhere... not fit for little kids. Ever since that old man's voyeur technique got exposed, all the hot springs in the village have added coverings. He can't peep anymore, so he's been finding... other ways to entertain himself."

"Why do you need him?"

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