Even though Genji had some doubts, no matter what Hozuki Mangetsu was planning, he had no reason to oppose it.
The Anbu quickly notified the Kaguya clan, who were still out searching for Kimimaro.
"Why are you calling us to the Mizukage building now? We've got other things to do!"
"You didn't even send people to help us look for Kimimaro. Why are you asking us to come here?"
"If it's something, just say it. If not, don't waste our time."
When a group of big, white-haired men came in loudly arguing, Genji felt a bit nervous.
After all, it was just him and young Hozuki Mangetsu in the room. He was genuinely worried the kid might say something careless and end up offending them.
Starting a fight here would be a real pain.
Hozuki Mangetsu sat on the table, flipping the document in his hand to the back page. The handwriting there was messy and hard to read.
"Considering what happened with the Three-Tails, the Kaguya clan suffered heavy losses, both in terms of buildings and money."
"I've decided to give you special high-paying missions to help you rebuild quickly."
The noisy group of white-haired men instantly went quiet. They looked at each other, not sure what this new Mizukage was trying to pull.
High-paying missions for them?
Could something this good really happen to them?
Back when Yagura was in charge, he had done everything he could to keep them down — whether it was before or after he was being controlled.
Yagura had always been uneasy about the Kaguya clan and rarely gave them missions.
Whether they turned rogue or caused trouble outside, it always gave Yagura headaches.
That's why Yagura kept them under pressure in the village, trying to keep them in check.
Now Hozuki Mangetsu becomes Mizukage and immediately starts giving them all these high-paying missions? That's unheard of.
"These missions have no deadline. Basically, once you're done, you can come back."
"But since the pay is high, they'll also be dangerous. There aren't many of them, so you'd better agree quickly, or someone's going to miss out."
After pretending to be serious, Hozuki Mangetsu waved the file at them.
"I'll do it, I'll do it!!!"
"Get in the back! Stop pushing me!"
As the Kaguya clan excitedly fought to sign up, Genji finally realized something was off.
High pay, danger, no deadline, and limited spots — this kind of language was designed to get them scrambling.
There was no way a kid like Hozuki Mangetsu could come up with that kind of pitch!
In a flash, an image of Hatake Satoru's smug smile popped into Genji's mind.
It had to be that guy!
This whole thing was clearly being controlled by him from behind the scenes.
He was using the excuse of rebuilding to send the entire Kaguya clan away.
Maybe because he had once been their teacher, Hatake Satoru knew exactly what the Kaguya clan needed most.
He even found a perfect excuse to make it all sound good.
"Damn it…"
For the first time, Genji truly felt what it was like to be completely outplayed.
Hatake Satoru had pretty much figured everything out.
His plan to use the Kaguya clan to make a comeback was probably completely ruined now. Just judging from the current situation, Kimimaro was clearly sticking with Hatake Satoru for good.
The Kaguya clan was obviously worried about Kimimaro, but keeping him in the first place was all about stirring up war—making others see how terrifying the Kaguya clan could be.
Now that they were able to take on high-paying, dangerous missions, didn't that already prove how strong and scary they were?
They didn't even need Kimimaro anymore.
And if Kimimaro really had any sense, he should know what he needed to do in the village.
The Kaguya clan members were all smiles as they left with their mission forms in hand.
"That guy really knows how to read people."
Genji had already sat back down in his chair.
That dull, lifeless expression returned to his face—like he was already halfway in the grave. His small eyes were hidden in the shadows.
"Of course Sensei is amazing, in every way."
Hozuki Mangetsu jumped down from the table and answered without hesitation, proudly glancing at Genji.
...
Early the next morning, at the ninja academy.
"Snip, wrap, smack!"
Hozuki Mangetsu brought Hozuki Suigetsu up to the third-floor dorms.
There, they saw two tall men standing in the middle of the room playing rock-paper-scissors.
Meanwhile, five- or six-year-old Kimimaro was sitting on Shisui's bed, watching them eagerly with his head leaning forward.
The whole scene just looked so wrong—like those two had switched ages with Kimimaro.
"Ugh—how are you so good at this?"
Shisui groaned out loud, hanging his head like he'd just given up on life.
"You've lost for three days straight. Still wanna keep playing~?"
Hatake Satoru flashed a peace sign and grinned at Shisui.
"What are you guys even betting on?"
Two heads that looked like they were made from the same mold turned toward them curiously.
With the same smooth white hair, Suigetsu looked a bit cuter—his bangs in front were a little longer too.
"Oh, Kimimaro doesn't want to sleep alone, so if he comes to our dorm, someone has to share a bed with him."
"Shisui's lost three days in a row~"
Hatake Satoru seemed to be teasing on purpose as he held up three fingers in front of them.
Shisui didn't actually mind sharing a bed with a kid, but come on—three losses in a row? He didn't even lose that much when playing with Itachi!
Mangetsu and Suigetsu glanced at each other, then tilted their heads slightly and said thoughtfully,
"…You guys could just add another bed, you know."
"Ah—Mangetsu, don't say it out loud! Let him lose two more days!"
"Eh?!"
"You were gonna just buy another bed if you lost?! You…!"
Shisui, who had been playing rock-paper-scissors seriously, froze for a moment—then realized Hatake Satoru had been acting the whole time.
Hatake Satoru had no idea how well Suigetsu and Kimimaro would get along, but right now, Kimimaro was the only kid around their age they could find.
Kimimaro didn't talk much. He just kept staring at everyone with a curious look.
After all, before this, he'd barely seen anyone who could even breathe.
Hozuki Mangetsu gave a quick intro for Suigetsu and left. Since Hatake Satoru was there, Mangetsu wasn't too worried his little brother would get beat up.
Suigetsu might not be great at other things, but he was actually pretty good at dodging attacks with his water-style technique.
"Suigetsu… huh, someone his age. They'll probably get along."
"We've got class in a bit, so you two go downstairs and play for a while."
Hatake Satoru looked thoughtfully at the two white-haired kids who nodded obediently.
"Shouldn't be a problem."
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---