Chapter 3

Hearing Yusuke's words, Dan suddenly twitched and almost couldn't hold back his scolding.

"What do you mean, are you cursing me to death?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Yusuke, still holding Tsunade's hand with his right hand, scratched his head with his left and apologized insincerely, "I just heard that the patriarch of the Kato family is very weak, and I didn't expect you to survive on the front lines, haha."

Dan grew even more annoyed at this half-hearted apology. If Tsunade weren't present, he would've liked nothing more than to deal with Yusuke right then and there.

Tsunade, on the other hand, almost couldn't suppress her laughter, thinking that this kid was truly an infuriating genius.

[Checking in, 9 seconds left… 8 seconds…]

"Princess Tsunade, the Kato patriarch seems to care about you. Are the two of you lovers?" Yusuke asked, continuing to stall for time until the check-in was complete.

At this, Dan looked at Tsunade with hopeful eyes, eager to hear her say "yes." However, Tsunade glanced at him briefly and responded without hesitation, "No."

The reason for her indifference was that Tsunade had just experienced the loss of her brother and the decline of her clan, leaving her in a vulnerable state. Dan had taken this opportunity to comfort her, but Tsunade had never fully reciprocated his feelings.

"Hey, kid, you've held on long enough…" Tsunade began to say, her patience wearing thin.

But before she could finish, Yusuke released her hand.

[Check-in target location: Senju Tsunade—success!]

[Sign-in Reward: The Chakra Reserves of the Senju Clan!]

A warm surge of energy filled Yusuke's body, making him feel like he had been reborn.

"Alright, everyone, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave." Now that he had gotten what he wanted, Yusuke was ready to make his exit.

"Wait, you brat." At this moment, Shinku Yuhi grabbed Yusuke by the collar and smiled. "You were the one who beat these people, weren't you?"

Shinku Yuhi had pieced together the events from Kurenai and realized that many of those beaten were from the Sarutobi and Shimura families, which would require serious repercussions. Additionally, Yusuke holding his daughter earlier was something Shinku found particularly unforgivable.

Yusuke shrugged, knowing there was no escaping this situation. Though he wasn't a true Konoha ninja anymore, and the village had multiple high-level shinobi like Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and even Tsunade, he was confident in his ability to escape if necessary.

After entering the Hokage Building, Tsunade noticed the short blade in Yusuke's hand and frowned. "That knife…"

"It's Captain Sakumo Hatake's saber, [White Fang]," Yusuke said calmly. "His relic."

Shinku Yuhi, Tsunade, and the others were shocked.

"How can that be?!" Shinku Yuhi shouted in disbelief.

He and Sakumo Hatake had been classmates, and the news of his death was hard to accept.

Tsunade and the others were equally shocked. The White Fang had been a formidable figure in the ninja world, one whom few could defeat. How could he be dead?

"I'm not one to explain much. If you want to know why, you can ask around," Yusuke replied indifferently.

Upon entering the office, Yusuke finally met Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, a ninja in his prime.

He seemed like a kind old man, but Yusuke knew better. Hiruzen was a master at concealing his true nature.

"Tsunade, you're back. You should go see Lady Mito for the last time," Hiruzen said kindly upon seeing Tsunade.

"Humph!" Tsunade huffed, not even glancing back as she left the room. Ever since the near-annihilation of the Senju Clan due to a misjudgment of Konoha's leadership, her relationship with Hiruzen had become strained.

"Shinku, you brought this Anbu member to me for a reason, didn't you?" Hiruzen asked, noticing Yusuke standing beside Shinku.

"Yes, Hokage-sama..." Shinku Yuhi quickly recounted the events as he had heard them.

Hiruzen's expression darkened as he listened, especially when he learned that his cousin had been beaten nearly to death. He suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Yusuke, is there a reason why you attacked your fellow companions?"

"Companions? Isn't Konoha known for killing its own companions?" Yusuke thought with a smirk.

Outwardly, he displayed a look of righteous indignation. "Because they insulted Konoha's hero, White Fang. I was just teaching them a lesson."

Yusuke then recounted the disparaging remarks made by the group.

"They deserved a beating!" Shinku Yuhi, a friend of Sakumo Hatake, couldn't help but agree.

"If I had been there, I'd have wanted to fight too," Shinku added, turning his eyes to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen quickly processed the situation and nodded, his expression serious. "I understand. This was indeed the fault of the others."

"But Yusuke, you also have a problem with attacking fellow villagers. This..."

Before Hiruzen could finish, Yusuke removed his Anbu vest and placed it on the Hokage's desk. "Hokage-sama, I don't think I deserve the position of Anbu captain."