Chapter 151: Potion

"Sure enough, she's still avoiding me."

Yuto turned his head, glancing at Tsunade, who was leisurely lagging at the back of the group, and chuckled inwardly.

That night, Yuto had almost managed to make a move, but was interrupted by Ryusuke Hyuga, leaving his attempt unsuccessful.

The blonde woman had adopted an ostrich-like behavior, hiding her head whenever her apprentice approached, fearing he might try to "feed her sweets" again.

This was the second day since the Konoha group had left Sunagakure. Just an hour ago, they had crossed the border of the Land of Valleys and returned to the Land of Fire, with the journey being smooth and uneventful.

In Yuto's sealing scroll lay thick documents detailing the peace treaty between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, four copies in total. One for each shinobi village and one for each daimyo. Once Hiruzen and Rasa formally signed the alliance, the war between the two nations would come to an end.

After that, with this achievement, Yuto would become the top candidate for diplomatic affairs, having the authority to engage in trade negotiations and military discussions with other countries.

With Hiruzen growing older and expressing his desire to retire in multiple public appearances, it was clear that Konoha would soon welcome its Fourth Hokage.

Rumors from the Hokage building suggested that once Minato Namikaze took office, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura would temporarily retain their positions. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade Hime, and Yuto would be given advisory roles, with Hiruzen coordinating the transition of power. Once the elderly quartet officially retired, a new generation would step in.

This plan seemed reliable, ensuring a smooth transfer of power among the old, middle-aged, and young generations, maintaining Konoha's strength for another twenty years.

— Provided Minato didn't die too early.

Of course, Yuto wasn't concerned with next year's Nine-Tails incident at the moment. His mind was focused on the imminent "Battle of Kannabi Bridge."

Although he had heeded the warnings from the old man, he didn't plan to proceed cautiously.

'Perhaps there is indeed a will in the world that will try to stop me,' Yuto thought. 'But that won't change my resolve. At most, it means planning more carefully and preparing several backup plans.'

His main goal was simple: eliminate anyone who stood in his way.

The security within the Land of Fire was decent, and no foolish bandits dared to rob a team guarded by Lone Lion and Tsunade Hime. Another day passed, and Ryuji Araki bid farewell to the Konoha shinobi, returning to the capital of the Land of Fire.

With the departure of the ordinary people in the group, their pace quickened tenfold.

Naturally, Tsunade could no longer use "rear guard" as an excuse to stay at the back.

"Sensei," Yuto approached her, looking serious. "Why do you always stay at the back? Are you feeling unwell?"

The blonde woman shot him a glance and continued walking in silence.

"Looks like you haven't rested well. Here, Sensei, replenish your energy. I'll give you a candy."

"You! Watch the occasion! There are so many people ahead... Hmm?"

In the sunlight, the handsome young man held out a pig-shaped candy in his palm. "That night, you said you liked this candy. So the next day, I found the vendor in the desert and bought them all."

"Well, at least you know how to respect your teacher." Tsunade huffed, taking the candy and putting it in her mouth. As she gently bit down, the sweet flavor exploded on her tongue.

It warmed her heart.

...

Shisui looked up, raindrops falling on his brow. At the same time, a white-haired girl leaped down from a tree.

With top-tier Shunshin and Sharingan abilities, Shisui instinctively dodged. But he chose not to, colliding with the girl.

They rolled together, tumbling far.

"You pig!" Ruri jumped up. "Why didn't you dodge?"

"Then you would have fallen to the ground. It's raining today, and the forest is muddy. Your clothes would get dirty." Shisui stood up, rubbing his shoulder nonchalantly. "Besides, didn't you protect us with your Shikotsumyaku?"

The white bones that had formed a ball around them retracted into Ruri's body. She spat lightly. "Because I knew a pig wouldn't dodge."

"Hahaha..." Far from being offended, Shisui laughed heartily. "Ruri, I knew you were an excellent shinobi who values comrades."

As they spoke, a few shinobi from the same village approached.

They were the other members of Team 9: Muta Aburame and Minato Namikaze's three students.

"Kakashi-senpai, Obito-kun, Rin-senpai." Shisui greeted them politely. He and Obito, both Uchiha, were close in age and quite familiar with each other.

Obito jumped up, giving Shisui a heavy pat on the shoulder, squeezing here and there. "You're so strong now, and growing fast. Alright, I declare you a qualified Uchiha!"

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh, nodding apologetically at Shisui and shrugging helplessly. "Shisui is definitely a qualified Uchiha. I heard he awakened his Sharingan at six. What about you, Obito? How old were you? Oh, right, you haven't awakened yours yet."

"Kakashi, you!" Obito's face turned red. "Fine, fine. Since today is sparring day, let's start!"

"Sure, warming up is good. Although ten seconds is a short warm-up..." Kakashi teased.

Rin Nohara covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Obito, embarrassed, quickly removed his backpack, taking out eye drops and applying them.

Kakashi facepalmed. "Why are you using eye drops? You're an Uchiha..."

"To prevent sand from getting in, idiot!" Obito shouted, lunging at Kakashi.

As Yuto was seen as Minato's close aide, his students naturally got along well too.

When they had free time, Kakashi and Shisui would spar and exchange jutsus.

Despite the age gap, Rin was a medical-nin with little combat ability, and both Shisui and Ruri were genuine geniuses with high-level kekkei genkai, often holding their own against Kakashi and his team.

— As Kakashi put it, fighting alongside a "dead last" like Obito and still winning showed he was stronger than he thought.

The four watched Kakashi and Obito's fight, ceasing their chatter.

Ruri's eyes lowered slightly. She stood behind her comrades, ensuring no one could see her actions.

Boom!

In the distance, the spar reached a critical moment. Obito used a Great Fireball, and the flames exploded in the forest, drawing everyone's attention.

Seizing the moment, Ruri swiftly pulled out the eye drops from Obito's bag, adding a black powder into the bottle before flicking it back to its original position.

Mission accomplished.

(End of Chapter)