"Phew, I thought... Never mind, my mistake. I was just making assumptions." Makiya slapped his forehead and reached out to stuff the various pills and prescriptions back into his robes.
Swoosh!
A golden flash flickered. Makiya felt a blur before his eyes, and his hand grasped empty air. The pile of medicine bottles and prescriptions had vanished.
What was that? So fast. Where are the meds? Where are the formulas?
'Good grief, that was totally "Back-home Minato." These conceptual gods are truly terrifying.'
"Ahem, well... Kushina asked me to bring this to you." Minato handed a unique scroll to Makiya. "It's the sealing technique you asked her for before. It took her quite a while to find it."
The scroll was made of sturdy material with a classical, ancient style. The crest of the Uzumaki clan was printed on the front. Its framework was slightly damaged, and one could almost smell the scent of gunpowder and war lingering on it.
It was clearly an old artifact, an authentic piece from the past.
But that wasn't the point!
Makiya stared at Minato's innocent face. "Those medicines I just had..."
"Ahem, the Mist Village's movements lately have been very strange." Minato's eyes drifted as he pulled Makiya down to sit on a pile of scrolls on the sofa, picking up an intelligence report from the table.
"No... Minato, the ingredients for those pills are extremely rare. I barely have any stock left, and you just..."
"The Uchiha suffered heavy losses this time. Their leader, Fugaku, was seriously injured, and even Shisui nearly died in battle," Minato continued.
Hearing this, Makiya immediately pushed the matter of the little pills to the back of his mind. He could make more of those whenever he wanted—he could even eat them like candy if he felt like it.
However, he had to keep up appearances. Only by acting like those medicines were incredibly valuable would Minato truly cherish them.
Turning to the business at hand, Makiya quickly shifted into a serious state, taking the document to read it carefully.
Currently, the forces responsible for resisting the Mist Village were primarily composed of members from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. Because the two clans were secretly competing with each other, they had built separate bases, though they weren't far apart.
As Konoha withdrew from other war fronts, more ninjas from other clans were being sent to support the front lines, leading to a trend of the two bases merging.
The one that had suffered the attack was the frontline base dominated by the Uchiha.
According to reports from the Hyuga and other ninjas, there were only two enemies. One could perform a massive secret technique that repelled all ninjutsu and tools in an instant, and he possessed the ability to fly.
The other person's characteristics were even more obvious—he could use Wood Style.
'Madara Uchiha has finally shown himself.' Makiya knew exactly what was going on. After Madara disappeared, he had likely been hiding in some corner of the Land of Water to stir up trouble. As for the one who could 'repel all ninjutsu,' that was likely the Deva Path puppet controlled by Nagato.
"The war was going smoothly before, and the Mist ninjas were retreating steadily, so I didn't appoint a supreme commander. But things are different now." Minato said earnestly, "The front line is dangerous. The two clans are fighting their own battles, the other clans have no structure, and the civilian ninjas are just following the big families. Once they face a setback, it's easy for a total collapse to occur. We need a powerful ninja to lead everything and stabilize the defense line."
Having said that, Minato stared intently at Makiya, his eyes practically screaming the words 'You should be the commander.'
"Me?" Makiya shook his head. "No way. I'm too young. You can assign me to act alone or investigate the attackers in secret, but forget about leading an army."
Makiya didn't want the job of a commander. He was the type of person who took his responsibilities seriously once he accepted them, and being a commander involved far too many headaches. It was no different from being in prison; he wouldn't do it even if it killed him.
Kindness doesn't lead armies, and over-generosity doesn't manage wealth. The lives of countless people would be resting on his shoulders. A single wrong move could result in the deaths of many fellow villagers. Anyone with a modicum of morality would feel immense psychological pressure. It required powerful will and conviction. Makiya might have been capable, but he had no interest in torturing himself.
"Ambition has nothing to do with age." Minato handed Makiya a cup of tea. "You have enough strength, enough fame, and enough status. Serving as commander is well within your capabilities. Routine matters will be handled by the think tank and the Nara clan. You only need to make decisions on major issues. Trust me, it's very easy."
"Usually, when someone uses that tone, it's a sign of trouble." Makiya spread his hands. "The relationship between the Uchiha and the Nara has always been a bit strained. I wouldn't be able to get along with them."
Speaking of which, Makiya was partially responsible for Konoha's lack of commanders. He had killed Orochimaru, Jiraiya had been lured away by news of the Soul Society, and since Minato had become Hokage, there was naturally no one else available.
Minato gave a bitter smile. "I can't exactly lead the army myself. I wouldn't mind, but the enemy Mizukage hasn't moved yet. I can't show my hand too early."
Makiya chuckled. "The current Hokage doesn't need to go, but a former Hokage can."
"You mean Lord Hiruzen?" Minato's mouth twitched. On second thought, it was actually feasible.
Hiruzen was known as the strongest Hokage and the Professor of Shinobi, possessing the strongest summoning beast. Although he was up there in years, he was far from being a senile old man. According to the Will of Fire taught in the academy, it was indeed time for him to burn for the sake of the village.
"That actually seems possible. I'll go discuss it with Lord Hiruzen." Minato looked thoughtful. "Oh, by the way, the Anbu just reported that one of the Sannin, Tsunade, has returned to the village?"
"You're quite well-informed." Makiya nodded. "She's back. She's off doing girl things right now, but she'll come to see you later."
Makiya often used strange vocabulary, which Minato chose to ignore. His eyes lit up. "Lady Tsunade once served as a frontline commander. Could she perhaps..."
"Don't even think about it." Makiya waved him off. "Don't you know about her hemophobia? She can't even step onto a battlefield."
Under Makiya's auxiliary treatment, Tsunade's hemophobia had improved significantly. At the very least, she wouldn't start trembling and collapse at the sight of blood anymore. Previously, even changing a menstrual pad felt like a trip to the gates of hell for her.
"I forgot about that." Minato scratched his head. As things stood, he could only let the Third Hokage carry out the Will of Fire.
With business concluded, Minato stared at Makiya's forehead, gesturing at his own head. "Makiya, is there something on your forehead that you forgot to wipe off?"
"It's not dirt; it's a new jutsu I'm developing." Makiya gave a mysterious smile. "It's still in the early stages. I'll show you once it's finished. It'll definitely give you a shock."
"Oh? A new jutsu!" Minato was immediately interested. "What kind is it? What does it look like? I assume it's a physical enhancement type?"
Minato was also a fan of developing new techniques and was very curious about Makiya's words. "Coincidentally, I've been researching a jutsu lately called the Hurricane Bolt Spiral Flash Circular Super Dance Howl Stage Three..."
"Stop, stop, stop." Makiya crossed his arms. "Minato, has anyone ever told you that you really have no talent for naming things?"
"Really? I think it sounds quite cool."
Their chat lasted barely five minutes before Minato sat back in the Hokage's chair, burying himself in the pile of documents once more.
Makiya shook his head. What was the point of being the Hokage if you had to live like this?
Having too much responsibility isn't always a good thing. Minato had just taken office and wanted to oversee everything personally. Once he became a seasoned veteran of the workplace, he would understand that delegating power could be quite comfortable, and subordinates were often more than happy to do the work. The only thing he needed to do was keep his eyes sharp.
Makiya was very concerned about Madara Uchiha's movements. Since the village needed to investigate the attackers' intel anyway, Minato issued the mission, and Makiya accepted it directly, planning to depart the following day.
Meanwhile, Minato went to Hiruzen Sarutobi's manor to begin his persuasion.
When Minato first brought it up, Hiruzen had refused. But once Minato invoked the Will of Fire, Hiruzen had no choice but to agree. He didn't actually mind sacrificing himself for the village; he just grumbled about the youngsters working an old man like him so hard.
Makiya flew east on his sword, heading straight for the coastline of the Land of Fire.
Makiya hadn't intended to tell Tsunade about the Wood Style ninja, but her connections in the village were extensive, and she learned the news almost at the same time he did.
Having searched for a Wood Style user for so long, Tsunade naturally wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. She intended to go to the battlefield with Makiya for the investigation, but she grew grumpy when he refused her.
Eventually, she came to her senses. With her hemophobia still not fully cured, a reckless trip to the battlefield would only burden her comrades. She chose to stay in Konoha and wait for Makiya's return.
Before he left, Tsunade stared at Makiya for a long time, making him quite confused. Finally, under his somewhat alarmed gaze, she reached into the deep valley between her breasts and pulled out a green crystal pendant, tying it around Makiya's neck with her own hands.
"..." Makiya remained silent.
'Sis, if you want me dead, just say so. There's no need to be so subtle.'
Sometimes, you just have to believe in metaphysics. Makiya once had his right eyelid twitch and proceeded to hit the hard pity on several game banners, had his research papers rejected, and had his equipment broken by a junior the night before a clinical experiment. In short, his good luck was never reliable, but his bad luck was always spot on.
Makiya knew Tsunade gave him the First Hokage's necklace because she wanted him to be safe, which also meant he had truly secured a significant place in her heart.
But looking at the people who had worn this necklace in the original story—Nawaki died after stepping on a simple paper bomb trap; Dan Kato was ambushed and had his internal organs ripped out. Only the child of destiny, Naruto, could barely withstand the curse and survive by a hair's breadth.
This necklace was cursed!
However, he couldn't refuse the beauty's kindness. Makiya grinned and lowered his head, letting Tsunade's arms wrap around his neck as she fastened the necklace.
"Come back alive." Tsunade kissed Makiya gently on the forehead, the warmth of her lips lingering for a brief moment.
"I will... definitely."
A cold breeze blew across his face. The further east he went, the more moisture filled the air. Makiya sat on his golden flying sword, touching the spot where he had been kissed, an unnatural smile appearing on his face.
While the thrills from that Erotica World were certainly exciting, the occasional warmth of genuine affection was also worth savoring.
Accelerating forward, the long coastline appeared in Makiya's vision. Within his spiritual perception, numerous traces of active ninja activity began to emerge ahead.