The third day, at the main gate of Konoha.
After the funeral ended, the group from Sunagakure prepared to set off back to their village.
Of course.
As the number one Shinobi village, they had to maintain the proper appearances.
Thus, Sarutobi Hiruzen, leading a group of elders and clan heads, was at the main gate to see Sunaen and the others off.
"Patriarch, everything is fine for me in Konoha. You don't need to worry about me."
Miyakiko, leading the Hatake Clan, was saying her goodbyes to Oyashiro En.
"Ah! Good! Good! Good! Seeing that you aren't being bullied makes me feel at ease! If you ever get bullied in the future, don't be afraid. Write a letter to the Patriarch, and I'll bring people over to back you up!"
"Thank you, Patriarch. You are so kind!"
Hatake Clansmen: "Heh!"
The one speaking to Miyakiko was indeed Oyashiro En, who had stopped by to visit her on his way.
After all, for a girl to marry into such a distant place all alone and without support, as the Patriarch of the Chinoike Clan, he naturally had to come and see if his clanswoman was living well in Konoha and if she was being mistreated.
Although rumors said that Miyakiko wore the pants in the Hatake household, how could one take rumors seriously? Such news might fool a child, but not him—the Patriarch of a clan, a wielder of the Ketsuryūgan (Blood Dragon Eye), and an Elder of Sunagakure!
Well, maybe it could!
During his few days staying with the Hatake family...
Oyashiro En discovered that the rumors weren't entirely accurate, but they weren't exactly false either.
As mentioned before, because the Chinoike Clan had always lived in the Jigoku Dani (Valley of Hell), the harsh environment there had caused most of the clan members to awaken the Ketsuryūgan.
The ocular power of the Ketsuryūgan is actually not weaker than a standard Three-Tomoe Sharingan. This also meant that Chinoike Clan members who awakened the Ketsuryūgan possessed the strength of a Jōnin or Elite Jōnin upon reaching adulthood.
Miyakiko was a Chinoike clanswoman who had awakened the Ketsuryūgan, so her strength was naturally above the passing mark.
Furthermore, she herself had received Shinobi re-education in Sunagakure.
Besides, if her strength wasn't up to par, could she have been assigned to work in such an important service area?
That place was a melting pot. Without strength, how could you make patients listen to your psychological guidance calmly!
On top of that, before she married, Sunaen had specifically used Shizen Enerugī (Natural Energy) to strengthen her. This healed her internal injuries, strengthened her body's cells, and further boosted her power, placing her firmly at the threshold of Kage-level.
When Hatake Sakumo married Miyakiko, there were actually some people who didn't welcome her. Otherwise, the matter wouldn't have caused such a stir back then. If the Hatake Clan Elder hadn't made the final decision, there's no telling how long the fuss would have lasted. (Since the Third War hasn't started yet and the Second War ended early, the Hatake Clan still has quite a few people.)
But what kind of person was Miyakiko? She wasn't some weak woman raised in an era of peace; she was a tough nut who grew up in the grueling environment of the Jigoku Dani! An Iron Lady! She had plenty of strength and methods!
On the second day after the wedding, Miyakiko went door to door and beat every single one of them, leaving them unable to get out of bed for three months.
Hatake Sakumo stepped in to stop her, and in the end, he ended up lying down too.
Of course, it wasn't that Hatake Sakumo was weak; it was just that the Ketsuryūgan counters close-combat Shinobi too well. In a situation where strength isn't vastly disparate, as long as you are cut and bleed, you are subject to the judgment of the Ketsuryūgan.
Finally, it took the only Elder of the Hatake family to step in to settle the farce, after which he happily sent the clansmen to the Konoha Hospital.
That Hatake Elder never imagined that he had originally only hoped to bring in a Bloodline Limit so the Hatake descendants might produce a Bloodline Shinobi.
But who would have thought? Before the children were even born, the mother was already a powerhouse. The Hatake Clan, which used to rely solely on Hatake Sakumo to hold up the front, now suddenly had someone even fiercer!
It's like going to gamble on a stone, thinking there might be good jade inside, so you buy it.
And guess what happened!
The stone was made of gold!
How could one not be happy!
Just like that, Miyakiko established a firm foothold in the Hatake Clan through her terrifying strength.
Additionally, the excellent education she received in Sunagakure over the years allowed the Hatake Clan to develop rapidly, making the Hatake people respect Miyakiko more and more.
It could be said that the current Hatake Clan was Miyakiko's one-woman show.
As for Hatake Sakumo? They knew him, but they weren't close!
After truly seeing Miyakiko's living environment, Oyashiro En was completely at ease.
"Dai, if you feel wronged or that life is not good after going to Sunagakure, you can write a letter to this old man. I will immediately lead Konoha's Shinobi to back you up. Remember, your roots are always in Konoha!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Oyashiro En nearby, acting as if he could do the same.
Oyashiro En: "...Heh, Copycat Monkey!"
"Kushina! Just play boldly and without worry in Konoha. If anyone dares to treat you poorly, write a letter to your Grandpa Rumei. This old man will personally lead the Uzumaki Clan here to back you up!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "...Heh, Copycat Red-head!"
"Tsunade-hime (Princess), would you like to come to Sunagakure as a guest with me? We can admire the flowers together, admire the moon..."
"Go to hell, scumbag!"
Everyone: "...Heh, what a creep!"
Compared to the rush of their arrival, the return journey was much more leisurely.
Sunaen summoned a cloud of Sakin (Gold Dust), and the Sunagakure group slowly drifted away under the envious gazes of the Konoha crowd.
Tsunade almost couldn't hold herself back!
"Kazekage-sama, why did you expose your Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode)?"
Sensing that no Konoha Shinobi were following them anymore, Uzumaki Rumei could no longer contain his curiosity and asked Sunaen.
"Well~ about that, of course I did it on purpose!"
"On purpose!?"
Hearing Sunaen's words, Uzumaki Rumei was first shocked and then deeply confused.
"Exactly! Let me ask you, if you knew your neighboring Shinobi village possessed a method to restore one's vitality, what would you do?"
"Erm..." Uzumaki Rumei thought for a moment and then replied.
"Infiltrate, investigate, seize, or destroy!"
"Correct! And who in Konoha is responsible for this area?"
"Shimura Danzō!"
"Right! And what kind of person do you think Danzō is?"
"Sinister? Cautious? Scheming?"
"That's Ebizō! Danzō isn't that good! Let me tell you a story.
Back then, during the Kinkaku and Ginkaku rebellion... in the end, Danzō always felt that the position of Hokage should have been his. So, you understand now."
"I see. Kazekage-sama, you want to prop Danzō up so he can challenge Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"Exactly!"
During the battlefield in Ame no Kuni (Land of Rain), because of a major dereliction of duty in Danzō's post-war cleanup, not only did the credit that should have been his vanish, but his original power was also significantly affected.
So, I want to create an opportunity for Danzō. I believe he will definitely seize it.
At this moment, in the Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was already dark beyond measure.
He looked gloomily at Danzō, who was handing him a pen.
"Hiruzen! What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and sign! Once it's signed, I can arrange the training. Do you still want to get intelligence on Sunagakure or not!"
"Heh! Danzō! I can understand wanting Shinobi from the Yamanaka Clan; after all, they are experts at gathering intelligence. But why is the Akimichi Clan in here too? Can they gather intelligence!"
"You don't understand. I plan to open a restaurant to infiltrate. The kitchen! All fat people! I need fat people!"
"Oh~ and this Hatake Clan?"
"The kitchen! Good knife skills! For chopping vegetables!"
"Oh~ and why is the mistress of the Hatake household on here too?"
"Bah! I figured since she's family, it's safer!"
"Oh~! Is that so?"
"Of course! You have to trust me, Hiruzen!"
"I see~ then what is Uzumaki Kushina for? Could it be because she has nine tails, she can stir-fry nine pots of food at once!"
"Uh... that... uh... Hiruzen! Let me explain. Actually, we can do without the Kyūbi!"
"Enough! Danzō, take this back and rewrite it!"
"Hmph! Hiruzen! You will regret this!"
"Enough! Danzō, I am the Hokage!"
Bang!