As the afternoon warmth breeze wafted all over the courtyard, a child walked slowly amidst the eyes of different people looking in his path.
He is Yoichi.
Dressed in his regular casual attire, Yoichi's white coat fluttered and swayed while the wafts swept on his arrival, currently portraying his blissful countenance.
In each step, his foot eventually reached his destination.
Then, Yoichi saw an antique-like courtyard with a red-haired woman, who was enjoying the warmth of the orange rays of the sun.
"Yoichi-kun, I am sorry if I did not welcome you for your timely visit."
Looking at Yoichi's profile, Mito discerned something unusual about her guest's imperceptible emotions.
Aggrieved and a little bit dissatisfied? I wonder what happened with his conflicted sentiments...
"Mito-san, please give me some advice for the injustice I've suffered!"
Yoichi reached Mito's hand, acting pitifully in her eyes.
"Injustice? Tell me, what happened?"
Mito raised an eyebrow, her curiosity had been piqued by this seemingly profound subject.
She found out that Yoichi had won against a Hyūga's Chūnin in a sparring match according to the reports given by an ANBU operative on her side.
That was truly something special yet Yoichi's asking for help from her, a strange development she didn't know.
"So, here's what happened..."
Yoichi spoke, explaining the meeting with Hiruzen and what was the result which made Mito's eyebrows twitch in disbelief.
Although Yoichi's description of said affairs was concise, Mito couldn't comprehend this child's disgruntled expression.
"Say, Yoichi-kun... Aren't you a little bit unreasonable? Hiruzen provided you with a good reward and yet you liked to retaliate for this so-called injustice?"
Mito rubbed her temples, truly unable to grasp Yoichi's rebellious thoughts.
"Can I ask you a simple question, Mito-sama? What is the foundation between the client and the shinobi?"
Yoichi stared at Mito, intently defining his defense.
"That would be trust, why?" Mito replied.
"That's right, trust. At the start, we trusted each other. That I'll do my task to be a bait for that operation and he'll provide me compensation. Now, I risked my life and almost lost my life. Yet there is still no gracious reward!"
Yoichi voiced out his complaints, truly adamant to fight for his privileges.
"But you agreed with this operation, right? Moreover, Hiruzen can't simply give you a forbidden technique like that, there an iron-fisted policies and rules for these kinds of harmful jutsu."
Mito was inwardly horrified when she perceived Yoichi's outrage, comforting him by patting his hands gently.
"Is that really the case? Then what about the Will of Fire? Has that also been entirely dismissed? Trust must be paid with integrity for their words!"
"If they couldn't find any foreign intruders, then that displays their incompetence and complacency at managing the village as a Hokage!"
Yoichi scowled with each remark slicing through the masquerade of the current affairs of Konoha.
Hearing this, Mito fell silent.
Will of Fire was a spiritual heritage founded by her husband, Hashirama Senju. In these ideals of peace and love, it was deeply centered on the fight to protect and pass these ideals of peace into future generations.
But now, Yoichi's expressive opinions rang in Mito's mind.
Why would a person accept these faiths if those in authority haven't provided proof for what they preach?
"You are what you say."
Instead of abiding by the agreements, the authorities are simply providing a quick and easy way just to control or invalidate a shinobi's rightful reward.
"Hahaha! You wasteful pieces of human trash dared to anger him!"
Pulled back into her consciousness, the Nine-Tailed Fox couldn't help but throw a contemptuous remark.
"Nine-Tailed Fox, do you have any relation or remembrance of this kid?"
Mito felt extremely puzzled by the Nine-Tailed Fox's seemingly close connection with Yoichi even though it was only the second time he saw the child.
"What do you know, human? I know him from top to bottom! That guy is headstrong and will actually do what he said, especially since he was a part of that wretched and hateful clan!"
Kurama huffed with sheer arrogance, eventually letting Mito return to reality.
Once she went back, Mito's eyes were thoughtful as she looked at Yoichi with an inquisitive and perplexed expression.
"I'll address it seriously, alright? So be patient and don't be too reckless. I know you're feeling indignant but you should understand their present circumstances. I can give you the Flying Thunder God Technique when this event reaches its conclusion."
Mito conceded quickly, mainly thankful for the timely assistance of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the child's defiant mindset.
"No. You're not even involved, Mito-san. This matter should be his fault, not yours!" Yoichi responded.
"Because it's my husband's hardship. I won't let anyone destroy his efforts with this underhanded demeanor!"
Mito's eyes became resolute, showing her authority as the First Hokage's wife and the Matriarch of the Senju Clan.
"... I understand. Thank you for trying to solve my predicament, I'll take my leave."
Soon, Yoichi departed with a logical conclusion in his mind.
Right now, the itch for revenge has not faded but his inner self has found peace and does not pursue the topic any longer.
What Yoichi's plan earlier was to use and capitalize on his stardom. Then, he has to create rumors about the injustice he suffered from the mission 6 months ago.
This plan was truly shady and lethal since the public's perception of the Hokage and his officials would be tarnished in an instant.
Like swallowing an acidic solution, even if they managed to salvage the situation, they had to provide a statement and properly lower themselves in Yoichi's position.
Regardless, all of it was thrown out of the window thanks to Mito's integrity and promise to him.
*Flick!*
"Yes, Mito-sama."
With a flick of fingers, an ANBU operative appeared, kneeling with reverence.
"Call Hiruzen for me. Notify him that I'll have to converse about something serious." Mito conveyed her order.
Therefore, once the Anbu heard it, he left in an instant, bearing Mito's plea as an important assignment.
'That child... He has a bit of political flair. Who told me that Yoichi wasn't a scheming brat?' Mito thought.
"Achoo! Did somebody talk behind my back?! That must be Jiraiya or... Yoichi." Tsunade rubbed under her nose, practicing diligently in another courtyard possessed by her.
Soon enough, she went inside as the cold breeze and dusky twilight began to shed their encroaching stillness once more.
...
...
...
"Hokage-sama!"
Once the message reached Hiruzen's ears, he hustled into the Senju Compound. A little rushed in each step brimming with gait and elegance as he eventually went inside to see Mito's silhouette with a hint of complexity and reminiscence.
The beautiful Matriarch of the Senju Clan was still graceful yet the traces of time could be seen in her profile, continuing to be a steady figure as a last bastion of the most popular clan.
"Greetings, Mito-sama," Hiruzen responded, doffing his hat.
"Sit down, you are now the Hokage so be dignified and tactful. It appears that you still have a lot on your plate. I won't waste your time and continue with our discussion." Mito glanced at Hiruzen, feeling solemn and serious.
The yellow light of the incandescent light streaked over the two. For a while, the atmosphere became silent until Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Mito sighed and directly said, "As you can see, Yoichi sought me out after my advice and gave me all the details of your meeting earlier."
"Now, I've concluded that you must provide him with what he wished in the first place."
Upon hearing it, Hiruzen frowned and was stupefied before he recovered quickly.
"Isn't that unbelievably excessive? He's simply a child asking for the Forbidden Jutsu without any clue of its dangers. His achievements were also superficial to obtain a Jutsu higher than that."
After taking a deep breath, he grumbled with a hint of discontent.
"Do you know what his plan is to make you feel irritated and stressed? That child wanted to manipulate the public and create rumors about his injustice that he suffered from you!"
Mito rubbed her temples, another one who remained adamant as she discerned Hiruzen's displeasure.
"But..." Hiruzen cupped his chin. "We could entirely remove that impertinent brat's gossip with a simple release of my announcement. This isn't a big deal."
"What about the Uchiha Clan? If they heard these hearsays even without any prior evidence, they would fight against you and make your everyday life troublesome!" Mito exclaimed.
Hiruzen fell silent as the imagination of Kohaku along with the Uchiha Clan banging on his office door made him grimace in utter helplessness.
"Offer him the Eight Inner Gates or... Brace yourself from this quagmire. I'll tell you something, this trifling matter can be circumvented by a few settlements before it's too late."
Mito let out a soft sigh, softening her gaze. This matter should be easy to deal with but the terrifying political finesse of the child left other people speechless.
Like a domino effect, these puny troubles can result in something big, a disorderly affair Hiruzen did not want.
"... I'll heed your words, Mito-sama."
Therefore, Hiruzen stood up and took his hat, leaving in defeat as his flickering shadow perfectly portrayed his current state of mind.
"I expect this case to be concluded. After all, it concerns the stability of the village my husband fought for."
All alone, Mito shook her head and returned to her room. As a result, the negotiation with Hiruzen became successful. However, the underlying tension between him and Yoichi began to germinate into a sapling.
A sapling that could define the next years to come with an unknown outcome.
________________
(Current Progress)
[Realm: Muscle Tempering Stage]
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Perfection) 48/1000]
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 250/300]
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 247/300]
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 1/500]
[Secret Technique: Face Changing (Small Success) 0/300]
[Tickets: 1 Prismatic, 0 Gold, 0 Silver.]
[Attributes]
「Charm: 11」
「Soul Power: 12」
____________
Senior Brother TwinLoongs, thank you for the power stones! I appreciate it so much!
Thanks, everyone! Add the fanfic to your collections and comment if you like to do it! Anyways, see ya! XDD!