"Allowing your subordinate to establish a private guard, filled with Uchiha brats…"

"Fourth Hokage, you will regret this!"

Slam!

Homura Mitokado stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Even as he left, threats like "Write to Danzo, urge him to return immediately" and "Bring this matter to Hiruzen" could still be heard.

Minato sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "Kaigetsu-kun, why do you always antagonize Elder Homura? Every encounter leaves him fuming."

"Gentlemen may have different opinions, but they remain harmonious; small-minded people may agree outwardly, but harbor discord within~" Gojo Kaigetsu retorted nonchalantly. "Besides, I'm already showing restraint. Otherwise, the three elders might have come to blows with each other."

"Come to blows…? Tell me, how would you have managed that?"

"Oh, I call that plan 'Two Soldier Pills, Three Elder Kills.' However, given their thick skin, it probably wouldn't be very effective. I'll save it for when another village poses a significant threat."

"If Kaigetsu-kun prefers not to elaborate, then so be it."

"However… what's the deal with Guy? Were the marks on the training grounds really caused by him?"

"Of course. I tested him personally. Guy can now open the Gate of View."

"The Gate of View…"

Minato recalled the Eight Gates description in the Scroll of Seals. "If that's the case, Guy is a taijutsu prodigy."

"Give him another two years of dedicated training, and even I might struggle to react to his speed in combat."

Minato's reaction speed was among the top tier in the entire shinobi world. The limiting factor of the Flying Thunder God Technique was never the jutsu itself, but the user's reaction time. Coming from Minato, this was high praise for Might Guy...

"In that case, Kaigetsu-kun, submit a guard subsidy application, and I'll approve the highest tier for Chunin Might Guy."

"Which is… around 200,000 ryō per month?"

"There are three others," Gojo Kaigetsu corrected. The advisor's guard also included the three Uchiha youngsters.

Minato's expression turned serious. "Those Uchiha children… the oldest is only eight. This is preposterous; I cannot agree."

"How boring." Gojo Kaigetsu stretched. "Speaking of which, it's almost time for Yagura's admission to the hospital. Shall we go and greet him?"

Minato's expression softened. "Let's go."

At the gates of Konoha, Gonbee and his entourage arrived once more.

After presenting the identification Kakashi had given them during their last departure, the gate guards quickly granted them entry, not even bothering to inspect the contents of the carriage behind them.

After all, this concerned the Fourth Mizukage, a matter even Gojo Kaigetsu treated with caution.

If leaked, the news could trigger severe consequences. For instance, if Iwagakure or Kumogakure were to learn about it, they might be provoked into launching a surprise attack on Kirigakure.

While Konoha hadn't even sent aid to the nearby Uzushiogakure, they certainly wouldn't exert themselves for a newly formed ally like Kirigakure.

However, such news wouldn't sound good if it spread. It would be a slap in the face for Konoha! Slapping Konoha was slapping Minato, and slapping Minato was slapping Gojo Kaigetsu!

If some literary creators in the shinobi world caught wind of this, they might use it as inspiration, portraying Minato's administration in a negative light.

If that happened, the carefully cultivated image of a civilized and grand village would crumble.

After all, a village that wouldn't even save its allies, how civilized could it truly be?

If Obito was unaware, revealing Yagura's presence in Konoha might trigger a premature "Four-Tails Rampage," a preview of the "Nine-Tails Attack."

If the Sharingan in the Four-Tails' eyes were seen, the Uchiha's reputation would suffer another blow. The next day, Konoha's streets would be filled with propaganda from Root-

[Plot twist! The Uchiha clan is still the evil clan! The true victims are Root!]

[Case closed! The mastermind behind everything is Konoha's white-haired advisor!]

In short, maintaining secrecy was crucial.

Over the past few days, Gojo Kaigetsu had scanned Konoha thoroughly with his Six Eyes, but he hadn't detected any traces of Black Zetsu or Obito.

Gonbee waved his hand, directing the carriage towards Konoha Hospital.

The Kirigakure delegation was significantly smaller this time.

As for the reason…

It was likely because Mei Terumi had noticed that soon after his village "connected to the network," the younger ninjas had indulged in "lewd" vices, becoming hopelessly addicted. As for why there was no violence… well, Kirigakure ninjas were arguably the most violent in the shinobi world.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Gonbee had watched with trepidation, his fear growing with each passing moment.

Mei Terumi was still the same Mei Terumi, not a bit gentler despite the end of the Bloody Mist.

However, human nature was complex. Where there was oppression, there was resistance. Having witnessed the dazzling world of Konoha, Gonbee felt an increasing itch in his feet.

The journey from Kirigakure to Konoha had taken its toll on his aging body, and he longed for a good foot massage at a Konoha foot spa.

"I wonder how many more opportunities I'll have."

Gonbee sighed.

He felt a twinge of regret. He should have stubbornly refused Gojo Kaigetsu's request and stayed in Konoha as a hostage. It would have benefitted his clan back home, and he could have indulged in regular foot massages using the funds allocated by Mei Terumi.

"I must maintain good relations with Konoha. After all, Kirigakure and Konoha are allies now. I'll suggest increasing exchanges between the two villages to Mei Terumi, which will greatly increase my chances of being dispatched here."

Gonbee thought with noble righteousness.

He wasn't motivated by the foot spas; he genuinely believed that, for both personal and public reasons, Kirigakure should learn from the advanced and prosperous Konoha.

As for the possibility of introducing the advanced foot spa business model to Kirigakure… even bringing back prohibited books from Konoha resulted in intravenous injections, let alone foot spas.

From afar, Gonbee spotted Gojo Kaigetsu waving at him from the side entrance of Konoha Hospital, the Fourth Hokage by his side.

He urged his entourage to bring the carriage before Gojo Kaigetsu.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Advisor Gojo, Hokage-sama…"

"Do over! Addressing the Hokage after me? Gonbee-san, you're making things difficult for me!"

"?"

"Hokage-sama, Advisor Gojo… After receiving Mei's secret letter, we didn't delay for a moment. We loaded the Fourth Mizukage onto the carriage. He's inside now."

"Alright, I understand." Gojo Kaigetsu waved his hand dismissively. "Gonbee-san, please attend to your own matters. Leave the Fourth Mizukage to me. You can rest assured."

"Oh, right, please settle the initial treatment fees."

"Ah… right!"

Gonbee's mind was already at the foot spa. Although he felt a pang of guilt towards the unconscious Fourth Mizukage and Mei Terumi, who would know?

He took out a miniature storage scroll from his pocket and handed it to Gojo Kaigetsu, then waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to quickly leave Konoha Hospital.

Gojo Kaigetsu released his chakra to sense the contents of the scroll and nodded with satisfaction. This money was earned so easily; it felt almost unreal.

Peeking inside the carriage, he didn't see the gruesome scene he had imagined.

Yagura lay quietly on the carriage floor, his chest rising and falling at a slower-than-normal rate. If not observed carefully, one might mistake him for a corpse.

Such was the tragic life of a shinobi.

Even a Kage, when conscious, was manipulated by genjutsu at will. When unconscious, he was abandoned by his subordinates, perhaps considered less important than the girls at a foot spa…

Despite his sympathy, Gojo Kaigetsu felt no hesitation. What awaited Yagura was "life-sustaining" but "coma-inducing" treatment at Konoha Hospital, continuously draining Kirigakure's limited funds.

He would regain consciousness at crucial moments, only to fall back under the control of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

If Obito could control him, why couldn't Fugaku?

"Minato, you better be careful. Don't end up like Yagura, lying on a carriage floor while others manipulate your 'corpse.'"

"That… with Kushina and Kaigetsu-kun around, that's unlikely to happen."

Gojo Kaigetsu pulled a white cloth over Yagura, then called for two nurses to carry him into an ICU ward.

The ward was now marked with Minato's Flying Thunder God seal and equipped with various monitoring jutsu. Hyuga clan ninjas were stationed inside and outside for round-the-clock surveillance.

The entire place was a fortress, protected by layers of security.

If Black Zetsu or Obito appeared, Minato would arrive instantly, and the Konoha Military Police would be on the scene within three minutes.

And Gojo Kaigetsu himself would unleash his strongest Hollow Purple, blasting the traitor Obito away without giving Naruto any chance for a talk-no-jutsu.

In a sense, this was indeed the safest ward in the shinobi world.

A living Yagura was like a gold mine, constantly spewing coins.

"Tsk tsk, his injuries are quite severe. The flesh and chakra lost from Samehada's bites haven't been replenished."

"The most serious damage is to his soul. He's trapped in the world of genjutsu, unable to extricate himself…"

After a brief examination of Yagura's internal condition with his Six Eyes, Gojo Kaigetsu understood the situation and the reason for Yagura's eventual death in the original timeline…

The prolonged genjutsu control by Madara and Obito had caused Yagura to lose himself in the illusion, or perhaps he simply didn't want to wake up, unwilling to leave the beautiful world within his deepest heart.

Unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, Yagura was in a state of being awake but not fully conscious.

"If I hadn't intervened, Yagura might have awakened on his own. But he would have indiscriminately destroyed everything in Kirigakure, believing he was eliminating enemies in the illusion."

"Unable to differentiate between the two worlds, he would cry out, 'Mei! I truly can't tell the difference!' Then, to prevent further harm to the village he once protected, he would choose to end his own life."

"What a tragic story."

Gojo Kaigetsu sighed, while Minato beside him was utterly bewildered. Habitually dismissing the strange musings, Minato grasped the key point. "So, it's not Tsunade-sama who will be treating Yagura, but you, Kaigetsu-kun?"

Minato had assumed that having the Cloud kunoichi impersonate Tsunade was a temporary measure and that Tsunade would eventually return to keep Yagura alive.

But from what he'd just heard… Kaigetsu-kun intended to handle it himself?

Was he joking?

Did he not take the Mizukage seriously? If Minato remembered correctly, his best friend, after being promoted to Chunin, had taken a career aptitude test.

Presented before him were two certificates: a teaching license and a medical practitioner's license. Gojo Kaigetsu had passed the former, but as for the latter… it was best left unmentioned.

"Don't underestimate me, Minato. I have my own methods when it comes to treating ninjas."

Gojo Kaigetsu exuded confidence.

"Then… how do you plan to treat him?"

"That's a secret. Alright, I'll take over from here. Minato, you should head back to your office!"

"Very well."

Minato glanced suspiciously at his best friend, ultimately choosing to trust him.

First doubt, then trust – that's what made them best friends!

After Minato left, Gojo Kaigetsu lifted his blindfold, revealing his brilliant Six Eyes.

"So, Yagura, you can't distinguish between reality and illusion, huh?" Gojo Kaigetsu approached with a sinister grin.

"Then forget both options and focus on surviving!"

With that, Gojo Kaigetsu formed a single-handed seal, channeling his chakra. His lips moved slightly.

"Genjutsu: Unlimited Void!"

Invisible chakra fluctuations spread, engulfing Yagura on the bed.

Yagura's nearly flat EKG spiked dramatically, his body convulsing violently as if experiencing a seizure, before returning to stillness a moment later.

"There we go. No need to ponder reality or illusion; just focus on processing the concept of survival."

Feeling like he'd done a good deed, Gojo Kaigetsu pulled his blindfold back down, clapping his hands cheerfully.