The next day, Lin Yu returned to Konoha with a cheerful stride. As for Itachi, he remained in the Land of Rain, as Itachi was supposed to head to the Hidden Cloud Village as Akatsuki's Vermilion Bird.
However, Itachi hadn't betrayed the village, and being away for too long would arouse suspicion. Since Itachi was merely a genin, Lin Yu had to accept a D-rank mission for him: farming, with a duration of half a month.
The Hokage was one of their own, so such matters were easy to manipulate!
"So, in the end, you're still the one going to the Hidden Cloud?"
Minato Namikaze sighed, covering his face. After all that circling around, wasn't it still Lin Yu who was going? Was that necessary!
Lin Yu coughed, his face unblushing, "There was a slight situation. I went back and thought about it carefully. Contributing to Konoha is everyone's responsibility!"
He didn't really want to, but unfortunately, the cameo character, Shinno, had disrupted Lin Yu's plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered going to the Hidden Cloud Village.
However, Lin Yu wouldn't place all his hopes on Shinno's "hobbies." He was always a proactive person. Searching for someone across the entire ninja world was difficult, but for certain things that could burrow underground, it was quite easy.
"Sigh!"
Minato Namikaze sighed again. Lin Yu's words were just for listening; believing them meant you lost. If he truly cared about Konoha, why wasn't he already a jonin, not even accepting A-rank or S-rank missions!
Contributing to Konoha, everyone's responsibility! Bah!
"Minato, you look so downcast. Could it be related to... that?"
"That what?" Minato Namikaze looked puzzled. He was worried about many things now. Which aspect was Senior Lin Yu referring to?
Lin Yu felt it would be embarrassing to say it directly, so he euphemistically said, "It's that unspeakable difficulty that men have, except for me!"
"Unspeakable difficulty?"
Minato Namikaze pondered for a moment. He thought about how his private stash had been completely emptied, leaving him short of cash. As the Fourth Hokage, this was indeed an unspeakable difficulty.
Thinking about his difficult days recently, Minato Namikaze nodded, "Indeed, life has become quite unbearable!"
Minato Namikaze trusted Lin Yu a lot, otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken his mind.
"Really nothing left?"
"Not a single bit!"
Lin Yu felt the wording was a bit off; it should have been "a single drop," but it was probably close enough.
"Minato, you need to take better care of yourself in the future, eat more good food. I can't help you with this kind of thing either!"
Lin Yu said earnestly. Perhaps he should ask Orochimaru to research some "health-preserving" pills to benefit the ninja world, starting with the Hokage!
Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze's face grew even more bitter!
"Alas, I have to hand it over every day. This kind of life is unbearable!"
Thinking about having to hand over money every day, forcing him to get paid daily from the finance department, Minato Namikaze truly regretted marrying so early!
Before and after marriage, they were like two different people!
"Every day?! How terrible!"
Lin Yu "understood" Minato Namikaze's words again, showing an expression of "take care of yourself."
"Yes, this life is too tiring. Senior Lin Yu, can you..."
"No! This kind of thing can only be solved by yourself!" Lin Yu refused decisively!
Minato Namikaze had intended to say: "Can't you give me some salary, enough for me to treat myself a few times outside?"
He never expected Senior Lin Yu to be as stingy as ever, so incredibly stingy!
After the idle chat ended, they both fell silent for a moment.
Minato Namikaze said, "Do you need any support?"
"Of course! What if the Hidden Cloud Village bullies me?"
Minato Namikaze's expression became solemn. "If they dare to do that, I will definitely send an army to crush them!"
"Send an army to support me?"
"No!"
Minato Namikaze shook his head. "If they dare to bully Senior Lin Yu, I think I can directly take over the Hidden Cloud Village!"
"The army is for appeasing the civilians and searching for any stragglers!"
"Do you really think so?" Lin Yu saw Minato Namikaze nod, and then said, "Then should I really let them bully me a little?"
Minato Namikaze pondered for a long time, then shook his head. "Not yet. Konoha doesn't have enough personnel, its foundation isn't strong enough, and its internal conflicts haven't been resolved yet."
Minato Namikaze added, "If we're going to do it, we must strike a decisive blow. I don't want to install a puppet to control the Hidden Cloud Village."
Lin Yu casually flipped through the documents and said, "You people, I really don't understand. What's the point of fighting and invading?"
"This is the fame and fortune that worldly people are susceptible to, and I am no exception."
Minato Namikaze said frankly, "My current wish is to lead Konoha to prosperity and strength, becoming the number one village in the ninja world."
"Actually, I also believe invasion is a lesser strategy. If we could become friendly allies, with the Five Great Nations, or even the hundred nations of the ninja world, coexisting peacefully, that would be the superior strategy."
Lin Yu said, "But the hundred nations are all different. How can we make them abide by what is right and wrong?"
"Abide by the same law, follow the same principles!" Minato Namikaze's eyes burned with passion. As for whose law to abide by, of course, it would be their law!
As long as there was the same law and the same ideology, the world would be unified, and the ninja world would eventually be united.
Lin Yu didn't expect that Minato Namikaze's self-realization was quite similar to what he had used to deceive Obito. Indeed, they were all members of my Eternal Organization, good children!
"Alright, stop dreaming. The ninja world is still in turmoil."
Minato Namikaze pouted, then as if he had thought of something, he said to Lin Yu, "I almost forgot, lately there have been many strange puppets appearing in the Land of Fire. They seem to be looking for someone."
"Puppets? What does that have to do with me?" Lin Yu had no interest in puppeteers. The strongest puppeteer in the ninja world was currently helping him draft appliance designs!
"It's just that these puppets are very strange, unlike ordinary puppets. They are not controlled by chakra threads, and their clothing is peculiar, like the style of ancient clans."
Minato Namikaze said, "I wanted to ask Senior Lin Yu if he knew anything about this, as these puppets have caused some trouble in the towns of the Land of Fire."
"Are there any puppet corpses?"
Lin Yu had a guess in his heart, but he wasn't entirely sure. After all, at this point in time, the person in question was only around Naruto's age. Could they have started dating so quickly?!
Minato Namikaze took a scroll from his drawer, formed a hand seal, and a puppet's wreckage appeared on the ground.
Lin Yu stared at it for a long time, then looked at Minato Namikaze with a somber expression and said, "I don't recognize it!"
How could he recognize it just by looking at the clothes? The ninja world had so many different styles of clothing. Lin Yu only had a general understanding of the attire of the Five Great Nations.
"Is that so? My apologies."
Minato Namikaze was not disappointed. This was a minor matter. The important matter now was Lin Yu's mission to the Hidden Cloud. If something went wrong, he might really have to take over the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Senior Lin Yu, please be gentle!"
"Minato, I will!"
Lin Yu secretly thought: It's not me who will be rough. At most, I'll go get some small money for Kushina, and maybe find a maid to bring back...