Regarding Kamishiro's upcoming mission arrangements, the Third Hokage didn't provide a definitive answer.
In reality, the Hokage himself hadn't fully figured out what to do with him yet.
After the Land of Lightning mission, Hagoromo could no longer be treated as an ordinary ninja. He had become a powerful weapon in every practical sense.
Given his recent performance, his competence as a ninja was beyond doubt. His sheer combat strength, coupled with his potential for future growth, had reached a point where the Hokage had no choice but to take him extremely seriously.
While his immediate next steps were undecided, the Hokage already had a final destination in mind for him: in the future, Hagoromo would become the personal guard to the Fourth Hokage.
Although the Third Hokage still hadn't finalized his candidate for the Fourth, he already had a strong preference.
If it were based purely on strength, Konoha had several individuals qualified to become Hokage. But factoring in all the other necessary qualities beyond combat power, one specific person already stood head and shoulders above the rest.
And placing Hagoromo by the future Hokage's side felt like a necessity to the Third Hokage.
In a certain sense, Hagoromo shared a distinct similarity with Orochimaru. This similarity didn't lie in their personalities—Hagoromo was nowhere near that gloomy—but rather in their behavioral patterns.
Thinking about it carefully, both of them held an attitude toward Konoha that... well, calling it alienation was going too far, but there were definitely moments where they seemed completely out of tune with the rest of the village.
They were both independent operators.
It wasn't that they lacked ideas; it was that they were too full of their own ideas. In Hagoromo's case, he would complete any mission assigned to him, but his execution always fundamentally deviated from standard ninja procedures. Furthermore, getting a read on his true inner thoughts was incredibly difficult.
This inherent instability could trigger an unforeseen incident at any given moment. The Hokage simply couldn't afford to ignore it.
Meanwhile, Hagoromo had already walked out of the Hokage building. He was currently busy brainstorming how to politely decline if the Hokage decided to award him a cheesy title like "Top Ten Outstanding Youths of the Land of Fire" or "Konoha's Model Worker."
He was completely oblivious to the fact that the Hokage was already evaluating his potential to evolve into a rogue element.
Because of Hagoromo's actions, the death of the Third Raikage had made Kushina famous across the ninja world, but it had also brought him a fair share of trouble.
This trouble wasn't just the impending vengeance of the Hidden Cloud. To a certain subset of people in Konoha, the phrase Kushina's disciple wasn't a vague reference to an unknown entity; it specifically pointed to a ninja named Hagoromo.
Was his low-profile ninja lifestyle gone forever?
He wasn't just being paranoid. On his way to the Hokage building earlier, he noticed that to some ninjas, he had already evolved from "Hagoromo" to "Hagoromo-sama."
This was not a good sign.
Although the Hokage hadn't explicitly mentioned it just now, Hagoromo personally estimated that he was going to be officially promoted to Jonin very soon...
And it would be a direct, fast-tracked promotion, just like his previous ones.
If the successful assassination of the Raikage ever truly went public, it would be more than enough to elevate the White Yaksha into a legendary hero.
Because the Raikage's death would serve as the definitive turning point of the Third Great Ninja War. After this mission, Konoha's entire perception of this young ninja would fundamentally change.
He could become the Blade of Konoha... But considering the sheer risk of him accidentally cutting himself or the village, the hilt of that blade absolutely had to be held in the hands of the future Hokage.
Lost in these random thoughts after leaving the Hokage building, Hagoromo made a beeline straight for Kushina's house.
Unexpectedly, just as he reached her front door, he saw Kushina and Minato walking out.
Prior to this, Kushina had no idea Hagoromo was executing such a high-stakes mission. It wasn't until she heard the rumor that "the Raikage died at the hands of Kushina's disciple" that she realized what massive trouble he had gotten himself into.
And she had been worried absolutely sick.
Her first reaction, naturally, was sheer terror for his safety. As for feeling happy that her competitive wish had been fulfilled? She hadn't felt a single ounce of joy.
Although she constantly reminded herself that Hagoromo was a smart, resourceful kid, no one could guarantee survival in that kind of hopeless situation.
Then, the moment she opened the door, she saw a perfectly alive and kicking Hagoromo standing right in front of her.
"Kushina-sen..." He barely raised his hand to greet her before her eyes widened into a fierce glare.
Kushina instantly lunged at him. Without saying a word, she began aggressively patting and smacking him all over.
...Okay, she was mostly smacking him right on his fresh wounds.
And the sheer force of her slaps made him grit his teeth and wince repeatedly.
But the general intent behind her actions was clearly to check if he was missing any arms or legs.
Thankfully, he wasn't.
Then, Hagoromo got scared.
"Wait! Kushina-sensei!"
"I refuse to engage in large-scale physical contact with other people!"
"Watch your image, your boyfriend is watching from behind you!"
And then, Kushina pulled him into a sudden, bone-crushing hug. He was completely caught off guard.
Minato just stood behind them, smiling. He completely understood this emotion—the relief of reuniting after a near-death scare.
Paying absolutely zero mind to Hagoromo's personal boundaries, Kushina got her fill of the hug, released him, slapped him hard on the shoulder, and asked:
"So?"
"So what?"
Hagoromo always prided himself on being the intellectual type, but even he experienced moments of complete bewilderment.
"So, is the Third Raikage really dead?"
"..."
That topic change gave him whiplash. Are you already done being emotional?
"Oh, he's dead... I even brought the corpse back," Hagoromo said.
"What? You brought the Raikage's corpse back? Where is it?"
"Probably over at the Intelligence Division or the Interrogation Squad by now."
Before Hagoromo could even finish his sentence, Kushina completely abandoned the beloved disciple she had been terrified for just three minutes prior, and bolted down the street in a mad rush.
"Kushina, what's wrong?" Minato quickly called after her.
"I'm going to see what the Raikage looks like with my own eyes..." she shouted back without even turning her head.
Hagoromo and Minato stared at each other in silence.
It was only then that Hagoromo realized Kushina actually had a personal grudge against the Raikage. Years ago, struggling to control the Eight-Tails, the Hidden Cloud sought to utilize the Uzumaki clan's natural ability to suppress Tailed Beast chakra. Thus, they orchestrated Kushina's kidnapping.
Which, in turn, set the stage for Minato's heroic rescue.
So the Raikage was unequivocally Kushina's enemy. Though morally speaking, considering how things played out, Minato probably owed the guy a stick of incense at his grave.
"Kushina... despite how she's acting right now, she was incredibly worried about you, Hagoromo," Minato said earnestly, not running off after Kushina.
He probably felt obligated to salvage her image as a proper mentor.
"I know," Hagoromo said, rubbing his aching face while turning to look in the direction Kushina had disappeared.
How could he not know?
During that brief contact, he had clearly felt her body trembling slightly.
Perhaps his unilateral, self-decided actions hadn't actually brought her any happiness at all.
Was this just another form of the oppressive violence known as "I did this for your own good"?
In the midst of a Great Ninja War, nothing was more important than simply staying alive.
And for those who couldn't plunge into the depths of the battlefield themselves, nothing was more important than hearing the news that the people close to them were still breathing.
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