Chapter 98: Mitokado Homura: "If It Doesn't Concern You, Stay Out of It."

Mitokado Homura stopped in his tracks, turned around, and fixed his gaze on her.

"I hope you can restrain your fiery temper until the war is over. Tsunade is not our enemy."

"And what about Hyuga Takashi?"

Being indirectly called hot-tempered made Koharu Utatane's face grow increasingly grim.

"You also voted in favor of obtaining the puppets and their core production secrets."

"So what?"

Mitokado Homura replied indifferently.

"Hiruzen is more anxious than we are. If Hyuga Takashi truly refuses to hand over the puppets and their core secrets, I believe Hiruzen will personally convince Tsunade to resume cooperation."

If they couldn't gain full control of the puppet secrets, at least they could collaborate to produce them, right?

As always, it's all for the village.

Taking a step back, what harm could it do?

"You sly fox, Homura. You always seem so upright, but I see now that you're the most devious one of all," Koharu muttered under her breath.

"But are you really content with this?" she asked.

"What choice do I have if I'm not?"

Mitokado Homura shook his head slightly.

"Hyuga Takashi doesn't want to hand anything over, and Tsunade won't cooperate. Do you think we could kill him and take what we want?"

Don't be ridiculous.

Hyuga Takashi...

It's fine to covet his secrets or set traps to snatch them, but touching him directly? No one could bear the consequences.

"Keep a low profile for now. Don't provoke Tsunade unnecessarily. As for the puppets, let Hiruzen figure it out. After all, he's the Hokage, isn't he?"

Watching Mitokado Homura's figure disappear into the distance, Koharu wanted to spit at him. But after thinking it over, she realized his words made sense.

Hiruzen was the Hokage. Even if they got their hands on the secrets, they would only be following his lead. The Third Hokage was in charge of everything, so why should they stand in the spotlight and draw fire?

Tsunade had already dealt with the Hyuga Clan; if they pushed further, they might become her next target.

Leaving the mess to the Third Hokage sounded perfectly reasonable.

That evening, the branch elders of the Hyuga Clan were released, but the main family elders were left as "guests" of the Anbu.

"Hahaha!" Takashi couldn't stop laughing as he held the scroll Tsunade had sent him.

This was too amusing.

Taking advantage of the Clan Leader's absence, Tsunade had detained the main family elders in the Anbu interrogation rooms, forcing the Clan Leader to return to the village.

Tsunade's maneuver was nothing short of brilliant.

"Let me see! Come on, show me!" Jiraiya was itching with curiosity, desperate to know what was written in the scroll that made Takashi laugh so hard.

"See what? Mind your business!" Takashi slapped Jiraiya's hand away in mock annoyance.

"Of all the beds in the medical unit, why do you insist on squeezing into my room? What is it—my resting space is more comfortable or something?"

"Hehehe."

Faced with Takashi's questioning, Jiraiya scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

Sitting nearby, Sakumo Hatake coughed awkwardly and turned away.

These two had been staying in the medical unit for recovery. On a whim, they had moved their beds into Takashi's resting space while he was in the operating room.

"We just wanted to free up some space in the medical unit for others," Sakumo explained, though his voice lacked conviction. Jiraiya, as usual, had a shameless grin plastered on his face.

"Save it."

Takashi wasn't buying their excuse. If they had come alone, maybe he'd believe it, but they even dragged their beds along. Did they think that made their story more convincing?

When Takashi returned to rest after his surgery, he had been stunned to find two extra beds crammed into his already small resting space, one occupied by each of them.

"Alright, spill. Why are you both here? If you don't tell me the truth, I'll have someone haul you back."

Takashi had no interest in sharing a room with two grown men, especially with someone like Jiraiya, whose flamboyance made it feel like a punishment.

"Fine," Jiraiya admitted reluctantly. "The medical staff were too enthusiastic, and Sakumo and I couldn't handle the attention."

Sakumo buried his face in his hands, clearly regretting trusting Jiraiya's harebrained ideas.

Yeah, right, Takashi thought. He could believe that Sakumo was overwhelmed by the nurses' enthusiasm. But Jiraiya? The man was lucky not to be treated like a pervert.

Without looking up, Takashi gave the bed frame a light kick.

"Fine, I'll let it slide this time. Sakumo, I believe your excuse. But you, Jiraiya? I think you were just jealous and dragged him into this to save face."

"Here's the deal: I don't like sharing my space with others. Move your beds outside. While you're recovering, I'll let you freeload meals here, but that's the limit. No negotiating."

He cut off Jiraiya before he could protest, motioning for him to hurry up and move the beds.

The small room was already cramped with just a bed and a table. Adding two more beds had practically turned it into a communal sleeping area.

"No problem!" Jiraiya cheerfully hopped out of bed, grinning as he carried his bed out. As he worked, he chatted with Sakumo, "See? I told you Takashi wouldn't send us back, just out of his room."

Please don't talk to me. I don't know anything.

Sakumo silently carried his bed, avoiding eye contact.

After relocating the beds, they returned to the resting space. Sakumo sipped tea quietly while Jiraiya, pen and paper in hand, worked on his writing.

Takashi sat on his bed, observing Sakumo, who seemed lost in thought.

Since returning to camp for treatment, Sakumo had been like this—brooding, weighed down by guilt.

It was clear he blamed himself for the loss of the elite team, convinced it was his leadership mistakes that led to the disaster.

Jiraiya had dragged Sakumo to Takashi's room precisely because he was worried about his mental state.

"Senior."

Sakumo looked up, forcing a strained smile.

Jiraiya set down his pen and scratched his head, unsure how to console his friend. He had tried numerous times in the medical unit, all to no avail.

Takashi, choosing his words carefully, finally said, "Responsibility is something you can't avoid, but those who sacrificed themselves wouldn't want to see you spiraling over this."

"I haven't avoided my responsibility," Sakumo sighed.

And it was precisely because he hadn't that he felt so guilty.

"No, you have," Takashi countered.