Chapter 222: If They Make Me Unhappy, I'll Make Sure They're Miserable Too

Kushina's bold declaration of "I'll take care of you" left everyone in the room stunned.

"I don't need you to take care of me. I've saved plenty of money. Even if I quit being a ninja, I've earned enough from my missions and contributions to live comfortably."

Money was something Takuya never lacked. He might not be the wealthiest, but he had enough to live a comfortable, worry-free life.

"Besides, do you really think my resignation will be approved?"

They were overthinking this.

Just because he submitted an application didn't mean it would automatically be approved.

The Third Hokage had to agree to it, and if he didn't, the resignation request would just sit there, gathering dust.

"Probably… yeah, I guess it wouldn't be," Minato said, scratching his head. He wasn't entirely sure if the Third Hokage would approve Takuya's resignation.

Kushina and Mikoto exchanged glances. Neither of them knew what the Third Hokage was thinking either.

Takuya waved his finger dismissively. "I can assure you, the Hokage won't approve it. He'll just keep it on file."

"So, you won't actually become a civilian?" Minato's eyes brightened.

He'd been worried all day, fearing that Takuya would really quit being a ninja and live as a civilian.

"Wait, if the Hokage won't approve it, why bother writing the resignation in the first place?"

If you're going to make a stand, just make a stand—why go through the trouble of submitting paperwork?

You really don't get it, do you? Takuya rolled his eyes at him. No wonder, even as the Fourth Hokage, Minato had ended up as little more than the Third Hokage's puppet, with no real power of his own.

"I'm just making my stance clear," Takuya said, stretching lazily on the couch. "I want them to know that I'm tired of being messed around with. I'm done with all these ridiculous games."

It was frustrating enough when people kept testing your patience, but the worst part was, the more you ignored them, the more they pushed.

It was as if they thought you'd never push back, that you'd always tolerate it.

And that only made them more brazen, pushing you further and further until you were standing at the edge of a cliff, with nowhere to go but down.

The Uchiha clan was a perfect example. In the original timeline, if they'd resisted sooner, would the Third Hokage and Danzō have been so bold?

The Uchiha had hundreds of ninja, dozens of whom were Jōnin, making up a tenth of Konoha's elite.

And their Jōnin were strong—each of them capable of taking on two regular Jōnin in battle without breaking a sweat.

Then there were Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui, both possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan.

If the Uchiha had truly revolted, the ones in trouble would have been the Third Hokage and his faction.

But unfortunately, with someone as weak-willed as Fugaku leading them, the Uchiha were doomed from the start.

Takuya's situation was similar to the Uchiha's.

The difference was, while the Uchiha couldn't agree on a course of action, Takuya was just tired of dealing with the nonsense.

The result was the same—people took advantage of the situation, constantly pushing boundaries.

Well, if that's how they want to play, I'm done playing along. From now on, everything's strictly business. No more games.

"But won't this upset the Hokage?" Mikoto asked, worried. As an Uchiha, she knew all too well how the village targeted her clan.

If they used the same tactics on Takuya, things could get bad.

Minato, who had been feeling relieved just moments earlier, suddenly felt uneasy.

Even Kushina, who had boldly proclaimed she'd take care of Takuya, was now concerned about whether he'd be targeted or punished in retaliation.

The minds of those in power were unpredictable.

People had been targeted for no reason before. Going up against the higher-ups like this would definitely make them hold a grudge.

And once someone became a target, it would only lead to more trouble.

"If they make me unhappy, why should I care about making them happy?" Takuya smirked, unconcerned.

He'd already considered the consequences before taking action.

How things would turn out depended on how far the Third Hokage wanted to push.

If he wanted a fight, Takuya was ready to oblige.

"Don't worry, I'm not like the divided Uchiha elders or the overly accommodating Fugaku. It'll be fine. Just wait, everything will calm down soon."

Sure, this might have ticked off the Hokage, but so what? Was the Hokage really going to come after him during a time of war?

Would he risk damaging his own reputation just to settle the score with Takuya?

If he did, fine—let's see who'd suffer in the end.

"Takuya…"

Minato was suddenly afraid. Takuya seemed completely unconcerned about the usual rules and restrictions.

In this state of mind, if Takuya clashed with the higher-ups…

Minato couldn't even imagine the outcome. What if…

No, he couldn't think about it. Minato shook his head, trying to push the thought away.

Takuya would never leave the village, right? His parents sacrificed themselves for Konoha, and their graves were here in the memorial cemetery. Konoha was his home, the only place he could honor his parents. He wouldn't just leave it behind.

Minato wasn't being unreasonable.

Knowing Takuya's personality, it wasn't hard to imagine him doing something drastic if pushed too far.

"What's wrong?" Takuya asked.

"Nothing. Do you have anything to eat?" Minato smiled wearily. "You scared me half to death today. I've been running around all day, and I'm exhausted. I haven't even eaten."

"Let me check. I think I brought back a deer from a mission a while ago."

Takuya didn't think much of it and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

After all, he hadn't eaten yet either.

Once they'd all had dinner, everyone, lost in their own thoughts, didn't linger for long. They each left to go their separate ways.

"Minato, you're hiding something, aren't you?" Mikoto asked as they left Takuya's house. Minato was planning to visit Nawaki in the hospital and discuss what had happened today, but Kushina and Mikoto had stopped him.

If even Kushina could sense that something was bothering Minato, how could someone as perceptive as Mikoto not notice?

Takuya had been too preoccupied with his resignation to notice, but that didn't mean Kushina and Mikoto hadn't picked up on it.

"I…"

Minato looked back at Takuya's house, where the lights were still on, and smiled bitterly.

"Forget it. Let's talk at the hospital. I was planning to discuss it with Nawaki anyway."

"Then let's go!" Kushina, eager as ever, grabbed Mikoto and dashed toward the hospital, with Minato hurrying to catch up.

"How did it go? Is everything sorted out?" Nawaki was lying in his hospital bed, anxious for news. When Minato arrived with a food box in hand, Nawaki couldn't even focus on eating, immediately bombarding him with questions.

"Nawaki, don't worry. Takuya said his resignation is just a way of expressing his frustration. The Hokage won't approve it. There's nothing to worry about," Kushina reassured him, pushing Nawaki back down onto the bed to keep him from moving too much.

With his injuries, he needed to stay still. Too much movement could reopen his wounds.

"That's a relief." Nawaki sighed in relief and then laughed, cursing, "That damn Takuya, he really scared me. I thought he was serious about quitting as a ninja. But seriously, why does the Hokage keep targeting him when he hasn't done anything to harm the village?"

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Check out my other translation, Kidnapping Hancock and Building the Strongest All-Female Pirate Crew. It's a book that was abandoned by the previous translator, and I'm currently working on it. The story is quite engaging!

This is a bonus chapter for reaching 4000 Power Stones.

Next Bonus 4500

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