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By then, it would be someone else's turn to feel disgusted by Orochimaru.
After thinking about it that way, Kazuki felt much more at ease and couldn't be bothered to remind Orochimaru anymore.
If the man himself didn't think there was anything wrong with his appearance or behavior, and didn't feel uncomfortable about it, then trying to correct him would only make Kazuki feel worse.
Whether he looked like a man, a woman, or something in between—it was Orochimaru's own choice.
Regardless of whether Ōnoki was personally stationed at the border camp, Kazuki had already achieved his goal.
To prevent any surprise attacks from the Tsuchikage, once Kazuki returned to camp he immediately had a message sent to Shikaku.
He informed him that Ōnoki was now at the border. This way, Shikaku would understand why Kazuki needed to stay at the forward camp for a longer period.
As for all the troublesome matters back in the village… Shikaku would just have to shoulder them.
The mere thought of Nara Shikaku sitting in the Hokage's office with a bitter expression on his face, forced to deal with one headache after another, made Kazuki day brighten a little bit.
So even you, Shikaku, have finally met your day?
Weren't you the one who loved slacking off and hated dealing with trouble?
Well, now all the trouble belongs to you. Enjoy it to your heart's content.
A new wave of fighting had broken out once again. Under Orochimaru's command, squad after squad left the camp, advancing toward the Land of Earth's border from both the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.
Upon discovering this development, Ōnoki, who was stationed at the camp, reacted immediately.
Iwagakure also dispatched its own forces, and the two sides began engaging in repeated skirmishes.
The scale of the battles was carefully kept within certain limits—neither side allowed the conflict to escalate dramatically, but neither was willing to back down either.
They traded blows back and forth in a tense, controlled dance of violence.
Kazuki remained in the camp and chose to stay completely hands-off. Internal camp affairs were left to Fugaku and Hiashi, external military operations were handled by Orochimaru, and village affairs were being managed by Nara Shikaku.
The feeling of openly slacking off like this was simply wonderful.
With nothing urgent to do, Kazuki spent his time day dreaming aorund in the camp.
Back in Konoha, inside the Hokage's office building, Shikaku was having a miserable time. Every single day brought a mountain of messy problems that he had to deal with. For someone who hated trouble and loved to slack off, each day felt like pure torture.
To make matters worse, Kazuki had sent word that Ōnoki was personally stationed at the border camp. At this point, even if Kazuki wanted to return to the village, Shikaku wouldn't dare let him come back.
With Ōnoki holding down the border camp, Kazuki had to remain there as well to prevent any sudden strikes.
After thinking it through, Shikaku realized he had been thoroughly trapped.
Not by Kazuki—but by that old bastard Ōnoki.
Damn it!
You old fool, why aren't you staying put in Iwagakure? Why aren't you commanding the battlefield in the Land of Waterfalls? What the hell are you doing at the border camp?
If you hadn't shown up, Kazuki would have had to come back to the village!
Now look at this mess.
Everything has fallen into my hands.
Fortunately, Shikaku was a crafty man. He immediately dragged Homura into the fray as reinforcement.
You were once part of the so-called "F4" group. Handling all kinds of official business is exactly what you're good at.
Since you're so skilled at it, then make yourself useful and help me carry this burden.
I refuse to suffer alone.
After considering the invitation for a moment, Homura agreed.
He had already accepted his fate and given up any grand ambitions. Since he couldn't go back to the way things were, he might as well use his abilities to help as much as he could. As for everything else, he no longer wanted to think about it.
Whether the Third Hokage was willing to accept this new reality or not was no longer his concern.
He was getting old. He couldn't handle any more turmoil.
Even if he didn't think about himself, he had to think about his clan and his descendants. If he caused any more trouble, the entire family and the next generation might suffer the consequences.
The fact that Kazuki hadn't started any "cleaning" yet didn't mean he couldn't or wouldn't do so in the future.
If you behave yourself, everyone will be fine. But if you still harbor any sneaky little ideas, don't blame me for being ruthless.
After telling Izumi to go and rest, Kazuki got dressed and stepped out of the command tent. He stretched lazily.
Glancing up at the gloomy sky, he knew that, barring any surprises, there would be another heavy snowfall before spring arrived.
"I hope Iwagakure can endure it."
Iwagakure's current situation was even worse than Sunagakure's. At least Sunagakure had managed to purchase a large amount of supplies that could sustain them for quite some time. But Iwagakure… they were already completely broke and empty-handed.
Konoha's spies embedded within the Land of Earth had already sent back reports.
The daimyo had begun forcibly collecting supplies from the citizens of the Land of Earth, intending to use this method to support Iwagakure's war effort.
If they didn't do this, Iwagakure would soon run out of usable supplies entirely.
At that point, there would be no need to continue fighting—they could simply wait for surrender.
Severe shortages of supplies combined with harsh winter weather… it was going to be a brutal time for Iwagakure.
Ōnoki was probably close to tearing his own scalp off in frustration by now.
The mere thought of the old Tsuchikage losing his mind made Kazuki grin with schadenfreude.
"Lord Advisor."
At that moment, an ANBU member arrived at the command tent, escorting an ordinary civilian.
"Sir, this man was loitering around the camp perimeter. When we caught him, he claimed someone had hired him to deliver a letter. So we knocked him out and brought him here."
"Where's the letter?"
The ANBU ninja quickly handed the letter over to Kazuki.
Kazuki opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside.
"I thought you people would keep hiding forever."
After scanning the contents of the letter, Kazuki muttered something that left the ANBU ninja completely confused.
After confirming that the handwriting was genuine, Kazuki instructed the ANBU:
"Let the man go. He really was just hired to deliver the letter. Also, bring Naruto here."
"Yes, sir."
The ANBU operative left with the civilian and went to fetch Naruto.
Before long, a yawning Naruto was dragged over.
"What the heck? Dragging someone out of bed so early in the morning…"
Naruto was full of grievances. He had been on night patrol duty the previous evening and had only managed to sleep for less than two hours before being woken up.
Holding back a belly full of morning grumpiness and unable to vent it, Naruto could only turn his frustration into pure sulking.
"Come here."
Kazuki crooked his finger at Naruto.
Naruto instantly became much more alert. He rubbed his face and followed Kazuki into the command tent.
Kazuki motioned for the ANBU ninja to wait outside.
His expression turned serious. "Naruto, can I trust you?"
"Huh?"
Naruto blinked in surprise, then nodded instinctively. "Of course you can trust me, Lord Advisor!"
"Good. I have a very important mission to give you. This mission will require you to separate from your teammates for some time. Are you willing to accept it?"
A very important mission that he would have to carry out alone, separated from his teammates.
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up with excitement. But a moment later, his happiness dimmed slightly because he didn't really want to leave Sakura.
Still… it was a very important mission. He couldn't bear to turn it down.
Seeing Naruto's hesitation, Kazuki continued to tempt him:
"This mission is extremely important to the village. If you successfully complete it, you will become a hero of the village."
"Really?"
Ever since learning about his father's great achievements, Naruto had gained a new dream.
In addition to becoming Hokage, he now also wanted to become someone like his father—strong, reliable, someone who could protect the village and be recognized as its hero.
Now, the opportunity had finally arrived.