"Kazekage, is your eldest princess so temperamental? Could it be that you have no intention of cultivating her to be the next Kazekage?"
Mei Terumī spoke to the "Kazekage" sitting on the other side after seeing this scene.
"Hehe, Mizukage-sama, could it be that you wish for all the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to be women?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard and chuckled.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Jiraiya and Tsunade to return due to the crisis brought by Iwagakure and Kirigakure, he had already thought about having one of them succeed him as the Fifth Hokage.
The situation in the Ninja World was changing too fast, and he was getting old, feeling increasingly powerless.
"Oh? Could it be that the Hokage, at his age, is still preparing to undergo a transplant..."
Mei Terumī's expression showed a slight surprise.
"Transplant what? Uh..."
As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, he remembered Kakashi's work, which was as famous as Icha Icha Paradise, and his face instantly darkened.
On the other side, Temari, who had won the match, did not feel happy.
She returned to the spectator stands, filled with worry.
"Gaara, you need to be careful of the Konoha ninja."
Temari thought for a moment and still spoke up; as an older sister, she had to warn him.
"Careful? Are you saying I'm not as good as them?"
Gaara, who had not yet been won over by Naruto, was quite cold at the moment, uttering a line similar to Uchiha Madara's, "Are you saying you can kill me at any time?"
"I, I'm telling you to be careful of your rear."
After Temari struggled to get the words out, she turned and left.
"Hmm?"
Gaara frowned.
What did 'be careful of your rear' mean?
Gaara looked at Kankurō.
"Uh..."
Kankurō scratched his head and racked his brain, trying to think.
Under Gaara's gaze, Kankurō felt immense pressure and instinctively looked at his puppet, Karasu, behind him.
Huh?
"I got it!"
Kankurō leaned close to Gaara and began to whisper: "My puppets are all made by Chiyo's grandson. I looked into it before and learned that Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law both died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang.
I then went to ask the older ninja in the village for information about Konoha's White Fang, but I didn't expect..."
"Didn't expect what?"
Gaara was listening intently when Kankurō suddenly stopped, a mysterious expression on his face, which made him frown.
"Konoha's White Fang is said to possess an extremely terrifying taijutsu technique. He forms the Tiger hand seal and then aims for the enemy's back door..."
"The White Fang is Kakashi's father. It's said that Kakashi's Lightning Cutter was named after he used Chidori plus Thousand Years of Death to cut off the Raikage's hemorrhoids."
"?!"
Upon hearing this, even with his currently cold and ruthless heart, Gaara couldn't help but feel his rear end clench.
Gaara's gaze fell upon the spectator stands opposite.
Among Kakashi's team of three, was there anyone who had received Kakashi's technique?
Gaara shifted his gaze to Sasuke.
According to some information Baki had brought back, among the three, Sasuke often trained with Kakashi.
So, he needed to be careful of Uchiha Sasuke?
Gaara silently noted this down.
At this moment, the next match in the arena began.
A duel between the main family and branch family of the Hyūga clan.
In the spectator stands, Hyūga Hiashi sat in the front row with Hanabi, watching Hinata and Neji below.
Seeing Hiashi's appearance, Kurenai Yūhi, Hinata's team leader, showed a surprised expression.
When she first became Hinata's team leader, she visited the Hyūga clan.
After all, according to the Hyūga clan's usual rules, Hinata would be the heiress, and performing various missions with her carried risks.
However, Hiashi simply said at the time, "Do as you please. If she can't even beat Hanabi, who is five years younger, the Hyūga clan doesn't need such an heiress."
He then directly ordered her to leave.
And as he said, he truly never bothered with Hinata again.
Logically, Hiashi shouldn't have come to Hinata's match today either.
"Hmm?"
While Kurenai Yūhi was wondering, she suddenly saw little Hanabi on the opposite side, who had left the front row at some point, now pulling someone back with her.
"Hanabi seems to have a good relationship with that person, smiling cheerfully, but Clan Head Hiashi..."
Kurenai Yūhi muttered to herself, analyzing.
On the other side.
Hyūga Hiashi's face instantly darkened when he saw Hanabi pulling Bai Mo over to sit with them.
This was an enemy who had threatened the Hyūga clan!
However, Hiashi remembered that Hanabi had apologized earlier, so he simply ignored it.
He would just pretend Bai Mo wasn't there.
Anyway, the result would be out soon.
Hyūga Hiashi thought this, but the next second, veins bulged on his forehead again.
Hanabi actually started chatting with Bai Mo as if no one else was around.
At the same time, Neji below also began to voice his opinions before the match officially started.
Although Neji had the Byakugan, all his attention at this moment was on Hinata.
He had previously confirmed that Hyūga Hiashi was not in the spectator stands, so he assumed he wouldn't come to watch Hinata's match today.
It was precisely because of this that Neji dared to say what he was about to say.
If he had known Hyūga Hiashi was watching, he would probably have recalled the feeling of living a life worse than death under the Caged Bird Seal as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Lady Hinata, you truly are the main family's young lady—people cannot change! A dead last is a dead last, and an elite is an elite; it will never change!
Give up, you are not suited to be a ninja at all. Go back and be your young lady with peace of mind!"
Neji sneered, then assumed the Gentle Fist stance, loudly expressing the bitterness and dissatisfaction in his heart.
Hinata was already not good at speaking, and now she was even more speechless, flustered and at a loss.
Naruto in the spectator stands couldn't stand it anymore.
Dead last?
Someone was indirectly insulting him!
"Hinata, go for it! Beat him up good!"
"Brother Neji, actually, I also want to change..."
After a series of hand seals, Hinata also activated her Byakugan and assumed her starting stance.
Just this starting stance alone showed how big the gap between them was.
"...Father, look!"
Although she was puzzled by her older sister's sudden surge of fighting spirit, Hanabi was still very happy, looking excitedly at her father Hiashi beside her.
Hiashi was indeed a little surprised by Hinata's change.
"She can't even use her best Talk-no-Jutsu. This dead last isn't being wrongly scolded."
Bai Mo chuckled, making a comment.
"Hmm? What mouth, Talk-no-Jutsu?"
Little Hanabi turned her head to Bai Mo, puzzled.
"It's a way of speaking, refuting the other person's point of view, making them turn over a new leaf."
"Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu always revolves around the same few phrases: 'I will definitely become Hokage,' 'I must work hard to gain everyone's recognition,' and so on. It's always a self-centered narrative... Uh, Hanabi, do you understand?"
Bai Mo realized halfway through that Hanabi was only seven years old.
"Mm-hmm, I understand."
Hanabi nodded her head.
Oh, then it's fine. Another genius who can "think from the Hokage's perspective" at seven years old.
Listening to Bai Mo and Hanabi's conversation, Hiashi couldn't help but feel proud of Hanabi.
Even if Hinata had changed a little, she was still too far behind his younger daughter.
"Actually, to refute Neji, you only need to ask him one question—
Since he believes that fate is predetermined, the Hokage's son is the Hokage, the feudal lord's son is the feudal lord, and the scapegoat's son is still the scapegoat.
Then he should just dutifully be a scapegoat. Why does he work hard to train? Why does he angrily confront the main family's young lady whom he is supposed to protect as a scapegoat?
Isn't it precisely because he wants to defy fate?"
Hanabi's eyes lit up after Bai Mo finished speaking. She stood up, leaned over the railing, and shouted down, "Brother Neji!!!"
After Neji looked over, Hanabi cleared her throat: "Brother Neji, I ask you, since you believe that fate cannot be changed..."
Hanabi directly repeated what Bai Mo had just said.
Finally, she pointed forcefully at Neji: "Then why don't you just dutifully be a scapegoat? Why do you work so hard to train! Why do you treat my sister with such anger! You've always wanted to defy fate, haven't you!"
Neji was stunned by these words.
His wound was exposed, his true thoughts laid bare. He couldn't even spare a thought for Clan Head Hiashi, who had suddenly appeared in the spectator stands.
"Little dummy."
Bai Mo shook his head with a smile.
Hmm?
Hanabi was startled. Was this the next line?
"Dummy!"
Hanabi yelled at the dazed Neji in the arena.
However, because Hanabi was adorable and her voice was cute, it had no real impact.
"You're being a bit of a pig."
Bai Mo was speechless.
"Stupid pig!"
Hanabi continued to point and scold Neji.
"Idiot."
"Idiot."
"Hedgehog."
"Hedgehog!... Eh? What kind of insult is 'hedgehog'?"
Hanabi scratched her head.
"Ahem!"
Hyūga Hiashi coughed twice.
He had initially felt a little relieved, but less than two seconds later, he personally witnessed Bai Mo teaching his daughter "auspicious words."
My Hyūga clan's upbringing is completely ruined!
....
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