On the second floor corridor outside the villa.
"Brother, this looks great."
Yiji placed the crystal in the air, emitting beautiful colorful light.
Asuka, who was only three years old, was immediately attracted by the beautiful light emitted by the crystal.
"so beautiful."
Asuka looked at the transparent crystal in his sister Yiji's hand with excitement, his eyes eager to get the crystal. It was the first time he saw such a beautiful thing.
"Actually, brother, crystal represents family love that will never fade."
Yi Ji put down the crystal in her hand and told her brother Asuka serious nonsense.
"Never fade...family affection?"
Although Feiniao didn't know what was going on inside, he thought it was awesome.
Seeing what Asuka wanted, Yiji asked seriously: "Do you want it, brother?"
"Yes, I want it. How about I exchange the snacks my dad bought for Yiji?"
Asuka said.
With that said, he was going to bring his treasured snacks and exchange them with Yiji.
"I'm not interested in snacks."
Yi Ji replied lightly.
Asuka was immediately disappointed.
"But your parents gave you a lot of New Year's money a while ago, right?"
Yiji changed the topic and asked casually.
"New Year's money?"
Asuka tilted his head in confusion, then remembered something and took out a wad of banknotes from his pocket.
Each one is a paper note with a face value of 10,000 taels. There are more than 20 in total, all of which are brand new.
This is already a huge sum of money for a child over three years old.
"Is that all?"
"No, there is still a lot in the piggy bank, which my parents gave me in the past. Yiji, do you like this kind of thing that can't be eaten or played with?"
Asuka thinks his sister Yiji is very strange.
What is the appeal of this kind of waste paper that seems inedible and inoperable?
However, Asuka also knew that if he wanted to get the sparkling crystal in his sister Yiji's hand, he would have to exchange it with the so-called lucky money.
"If you give me all those, I will give you this crystal."
"OK."
Asuka nodded obediently, ran into the room, and took out his golden lucky cat piggy bank.
There were not only a large number of 10,000 taels of banknotes in it, but also a lot of coins, so Feiniao walked over with great difficulty holding the piggy bank.
Taking out the money inside, Yi Ji roughly counted it and found that it should exceed one million taels.
"Come on, brother, sign the contract."
Yi Ji took out a piece of white paper full of words and a signature pen.
"contract?"
Asuka's face was filled with questions.
What is the contract? I can only recognize some of the words on the white paper, but I don't recognize most of them.
The only words he could recognize and write were his own name and a very few simple fonts.
I always feel that the content above is unclear.
"Just sign your name here, and this bright, beautiful crystal will be yours."
Shining... beautiful... When she thought of this, Asuka took the signature pen handed over by Ichiji without hesitation, and crookedly signed the name 'Uchiha Asuka' in the corresponding position.
"Brother, this crystal belongs to you from now on. The crystal represents the brother-sister relationship between the two of us that will never fade. You must keep it in mind."
"Yes, I understand, Ichiji."
Feiniao took the crystal that emitted beautiful light, held it happily, and ran to play by himself.
Ichiji watched Asuka holding the crystal and throwing it away. She curled her lips slightly, picked up the contract and the piggy bank and walked towards her room.
On the other side, Asuka happily ran to the study room with the crystal in hand.
"Daddy, daddy."
Pushing open the study door, the birds began to call.
There is a desktop computer in front of Shiraishi, as well as several books and scrolls, and he is sorting out the recently obtained information.
When he heard the cry of the flying bird, he put down his work and turned to look at him.
"What's wrong, Asuka?"
He held the bird in his arms and sat on his lap.
"Look at this, it's so shiny and beautiful!"
Asuka showed the crystal to Shiraishi, as if he was showing off his treasure.
"So Asuka, you like this kind of thing."
Shiraishi smiled unexpectedly.
Girls like this kind of shiny things more.
"Yes, this is called a crystal. Ichiji gave it to me."
Asuka said.
"That's it, Yiji really likes you."
Shiraishi smiled, happy for the harmony between the brother and sister.
Although the crystal in Feiniao's hand is only a cheap crystal worth one hundred taels, it is not a rare and valuable item.
But this represents Yiji's respect for her brother Asuka, and it is not something that can be simply measured in money.
"Yeah, I just took some useless scrap paper, and Ichiji gave me the crystal."
Asuka nodded.
"Waste paper?"
"It's just New Year's money."
Asuka looked at his father Shiraishi and smiled innocently.
"...Asuka, tell me honestly, how much did you give to Ichi?"
Shiraishi felt that the smile on his face could no longer be maintained, and he had a bad feeling in his heart.
"Oh, everything. I gave all the New Year's money to Yiji. Yiji said that this crystal represents the brother-sister relationship between me and her that will never fade."
Asuka puffed out her chest with pride.
"..."
Then the brother-sister relationship between you is really cheap. What kind of nonsense did Liuli teach Yiji? Shiraishi complained in his heart.
"Dad, what's wrong with you?"
"nothing."
Shiraishi shook his head.
It seems that it will be necessary in the future to let Feiniao know about coins in advance.
Otherwise, Yiji might deceive all his new year's money and pocket money in the future.
"Dad, let's go out and build a snowman."
Asuka said again at this time.
He jumped down from Bai Shi's arms and took Bai Shi's hand.
Shiraishi thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
The New Year has not passed long yet, and the seasonal weather is still a bit cold.
The weather was not exactly clear, but the milky white sky and the fine snowfall made it appear brighter.
The courtyard was filled with deep snow. Lei Mingwan lay lazily in the pet house with his head exposed. He occasionally shook his head to shake off the snow on his head and horn.
There are heating stoves inside and outside the pet house, so Lei Mingwan will not feel cold in this weather.
It lazily licked the paw of one forelimb, moving like a little black dog, while looking at Bai Shi who was building a snowman with Asuka in the courtyard.
"What a peaceful scene."
It was just a sentiment. Rather than fighting, Lei Mingwan preferred to lie in one place motionless and bask in the sun, watching the scenery and the changing scenes of time.
But he also knows that such peaceful days do not always exist.
Therefore, it cherishes the peaceful time now.
Because before long, I might have to go out and cause a scene.
"Yeah?"
A childish and cold voice sounded in his ears, causing Lei Mingwan's body to tremble subconsciously.
It turned its head and saw a girl about the same age as Asuka.
She had two braids on her head, wore cold-proof clothes, and held a heavy book in her arms.
The name of the book is "On How to Quickly Earn the First Pot of Gold in Life".
"Miss, what are you doing here?"
Lei Mingwan knew that Yiji could not use common sense to understand.
He was born with chakra close to the tailed beast level, as well as the three Magatama Sharingan eyes. He can only be described with the word 'monster'.
Although he was unable to control the power within his body due to his young age and was sealed by Shiraishi using a sealing technique, Raimemaru still felt that Kazuhime was a dangerous person.
Not only the level of power, but also another level, which is also very scary.
"I've finished all my snacks, do you still have some here?"
"..."
For Thunder Maru, Ichiki's bad behavior of ignoring its wishes and snatching its snacks and territory was more dangerous than her own strength.
Just like its evil father.
Sure enough, they are father and daughter.
Next time the pet house should be built smaller.
However, if the pet house is built small, it cannot store many delicious snacks inside, nor can it roll around in the pet house.
"Let me tell you first, I don't have much here. Really, why do they all come to my place to get something to eat?"
Raimeimaru complained and took the initiative to make way for Kazuki to have space to lie down, read a book and eat snacks.
◎
Kirigakure Village, inside the Mizukage Building.
Yagura opened the door and saw the Third Mizukage working in the office.
Although he was sitting upright and working, the wrinkles and fatigue between his eyebrows could not be concealed.
Yagura can clearly feel that aging.
The willpower and strength of the third generation are declining.
Many things have been beyond our capabilities, allowing the daimyos and nobles of the Kingdom of Water to take advantage of the situation, allowing the Blood Mist Sect in the village to gradually grow. Now, it is no longer a matter of whether to eradicate it, but that we must have the determination of a strong man to cut off his wrist. Completely wipe those people out of the village.
The wrong countermeasures were taken at the wrong time, and the development funds of Kirigakure Village have been restricted by the daimyo and nobles of the Water Kingdom. This situation did not happen overnight, but was a premeditated plan by the daimyo and the nobles. .
"Is it Yagura?"
The third Mizukage asked without raising his head.
"it's me."
"What happened again?"
"Konoha's Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato sent a letter, hoping to establish good diplomatic relations with our Kirigakure."
Yagura walked towards the Third Mizukage, took out an official letter sent from Konoha from his arms, and placed it in front of the Third Mizukage.
"Let's put this matter aside for now."
The Third Mizukage didn't even glance at the letter.
The newly appointed Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, needs enough political achievements to give himself a voice in Konoha, but Kirigakure is too busy taking care of himself right now, and has no time to establish any diplomatic relations with Konoha.
What's more, Kirigakure's internal situation must not be known to other villages.
There is a serious disagreement among Kirigakure's top management, and they must maintain a consistent rhythm on the surface so that outsiders cannot see any flaws.
Establishing good diplomatic relations with Konoha at this time is definitely not a good thing for Kirigakure.
"Yes. However, the Third Generation Master also needs to write a letter to reply, so as not to let Konoha see any flaws."
"Of course I understand this."
How to reply to Konoha without any flaws being discovered, the Third Mizukage already had a draft, and there was no need for Yagura to point fingers.
"In addition, regarding the selection of the Fourth Mizukage, the calls in the village have become louder and louder recently. Please be prepared for this."
Yagura lowered his head and said this in a very calm tone.
The Third Mizukage paused, sighed, and nodded helplessly.
No matter how much pressure he exerted with Mizukage's power, he was already at this age and it was indeed time to give in to Mizukage's position.
"Try to delay it as long as possible, I still need a little time."
"yes."
After Yagura said these things, he left the office.
No matter how much the Third Mizukage delays, the candidate for the Fourth Mizukage must be determined within this year.
"Snowing."
Walking in the corridor of the Mizukage Building, Yagura stopped and stood by the window, looking at the snow falling outside, and suddenly sighed.
"Yes. But thanks to the snow, the smell of blood in the village has been somewhat washed away."
Behind Yagura, a ninja wearing Kirigakure Anbu costume stood there at some point.
Although she wore a mask on her face, judging from her figure and voice, she was a young woman.
Yagura nodded silently.
Only then will the bloody smell in Kirigakure Village be somewhat covered up, allowing people to breathe clean and refreshing air.
"Speaking of which, the third generation's health has been getting worse and worse recently. He often falls asleep alone in the office without realizing it."
The female ANBU said intentionally or unintentionally.
"After all, I am getting old and lack the vigor of my youth. This is natural. It seems that the secrecy practiced by the second-generation Demon King Genzuki is not necessarily a bad thing. Thanks to this, the villages in Konoha are more aware of Kirigakure today. They don’t understand much.”
Yagura sighed.
"It seems that the candidate for the fourth Mizukage is not far away."
The female ANBU nodded as if she understood something.
This also means that Kirigakure will soon face a bloody battle that affects the entire village, and it is estimated that the entire Water Kingdom will also be affected.
"Before that, we must remove the remaining hidden dangers to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan. Let me handle the third generation, and leave other high-level movements to your people."
"yes."
"Is there any movement over there at Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Ghost?"
Compared to the rest of the top brass, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the wielder of the Great Sword Shark Muscle, Suikoyama Fugu Oni, is one of the most troublesome people.
The other seven Ninja Swordsmen are entangled under his hands, and they have great power in the Kirigakure Village.
The female ANBU thought for a moment and replied: "His behavior has been a bit strange recently. He seems to be in contact with some unidentified ninjas."
"Unidentified ninja?"
Yagura frowned.
"That's right."
"Can't identify those people?"
"No. According to the informant's information, the Xiguashan Pufferfish Ghost is very cautious. The mysterious ninja who comes into contact with the Xiguashan Pufferfish Ghost is also very cautious."
"Continuing to follow up, I must know which side of the mysterious ninjas are in contact with the Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Ghost."
"I see."
"Go down. Next I am going to announce the selection of the Fourth Mizukage."
"So fast?"
"No, it's just to be completed within this year. To prevent the Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish from jumping over the wall, we need to stabilize him first. Before dealing with the Blood Mist Sect, I still need to make some preparations."
Yagura said.
The female ANBU understood and disappeared from behind Yagura.
◎
Because the Anbu power of Konoha is tilting towards the pregnant Kyuubi Jinchuriki Uzumaki Kushina, many jounin are also trying to reduce the chance of going out to stabilize the defense of Konoha Village.
Based on this situation, Shiraishi temporarily gave up the purpose of using Takigakure to contain Konoha.
Now the attention of Konoha's top management is focused on Uzumaki Kushina. Before the other party gives birth successfully, Shiraishi does not need to worry about Konoha attacking him.
Spring passes and summer solstice passes, and the time comes to June.
Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki, who was living in a single-family villa, couldn't hide her belly. Everyone knew that she was pregnant with a fresh little life.
Kushina, who was able to go out a while ago, was gradually restricted from going out as her belly grew bigger.
Around her residence, there were five ANBU classes and a total of twenty elite ninjas to protect her personal safety.
Among the twenty elite Anbu, there are many powerful jounin like Kakashi, and the rest are also outstanding chuunin and special jounin, mastering special ninjutsu.
It is not an easy task for a protective force of this level to break in and threaten Kushina's own safety.
Twenty elite Anbu, even if they mobilized an elite force of 500 chuunin, might not be able to capture it.
What's more, the last line of defense is Konoha's fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato himself.
A ninja with a yellow flash name.
Its speed is better than the Fourth Raikage, the second fastest in the ninja world.
Even if they defeated the Fourth Raikage and his adopted brother the Eight-Tails Jinchuuriki, Rabbi, head-on, with such a ninja as the last line of defense to protect Kushina's ANBU, they didn't think anyone could break in.
Twenty ANBU ninjas took turns lurking around the mansion.
The ANBU team led by Kakashi is in charge during the day, and other ANBU will take over at night.
In order to facilitate their work, Konoha's senior management rented several apartments in apartments near Kushina's residence for these ANBU to live temporarily. Even when they are resting, if an emergency situation arises, they can quickly rush to the scene to protect Kushina. Sinai's safety.
It can be said that the high-rise buildings surround this place so airtight that no one can find an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Coupled with the Fourth Hokage himself, it can be said to be foolproof.
When performing the protection mission, Kakashi felt very bored, but as an ANBU, Kakashi still carried out this mission seriously with a 100% attitude.
As for the rest of the ANBU, their expressions couldn't be seen because they were wearing masks, but Kakashi could feel that their expressions were somewhat relaxed.
There's nothing you can do about it, because just staring at every move around you for several months without any abnormalities, and repeating the same thing for more than a hundred days, even an ANBU ninja will find it very boring.
Kakashi often barely managed to cheer up and get into a state of serious work.
However, they all know that protecting the Jinchuriki is the highest level task equivalent to protecting the Hokage. To the village, the Jinchuriki is of great significance. So I didn’t complain, I just felt a little boring.
In order to pass the boring time, some ANBU ninjas would buy some playing cards to pass the boring time while working.
There are also ANBU ninjas who complete their work meticulously. As long as it is a task, they will never get bored.
When Kakashi is bored, he just reads books and hone his thunder attribute chakra, making his thunder attribute chakra more piercing power, and strives to use the power of Thunder Release, Chidori and White Fang Sword Technique. Go up a level.
"Hey, Kakashi, there's still one missing for the card game here. Do you want to come over and make up the number?"
A tall ANBU ninja came over and asked.
Because Kakashi's hair and White Teeth sword are so iconic, even if he is called by a code name, others can tell at a glance that this is Hatake Kakashi who inherited the White Teeth sword technique from Konoha.
A genius who can develop A-level lightning escape ninjutsu by himself before the age of twelve.
And after joining ANBU, he started at the level of squad leader, and it was not difficult to become a squad leader a few years later.
Maybe he will become the youngest ANBU captain in Konoha.
"No, I'm reading a book."
Kakashi was lying on the roof of the villa, staring at the book in his hand, but he was also observing every move around him out of the corner of his eye.
Multitasking is not a difficult task for Kakashi.
Many ninjas in ANBU can also do this.
Otherwise, these ANBU ninjas would have been caught and severely reprimanded by their superiors while they were playing cards to kill time.
After all, the ninjas who can join the ANBU are all the elites in the village and have special talents that ordinary people do not have.
"Okay then, I'm going to find someone else."
When Kakashi refused, the other party did not force him and instead invited other ANBU.
Within a few minutes, a shadow covered Kakashi's head. Kakashi closed the book and saw a smiling face that was not particularly serious, a bit carefree.
"Jiraiya-sama, why are you here?"
It was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin of Konoha, who came here.
The other Anbu glanced here, but they didn't make any move.
There are not many Konoha ninjas who can approach this place at will, and Jiraiya, one of the three ninjas, happens to be one of them.
The other party is the disciple of the Third Hokage, the mentor of the Fourth Hokage, and a Konoha ninja who will never betray the interests of the village.
"Before you leave, come here to visit Minato's unborn child."
Jiraiya replied.
"leave?"
Kakashi was confused.
"Well, let's go out and do something."
Although Jiraiya spoke in an understatement, Kakashi felt that what Jiraiya was going to do was not simple.
Among the three ninjas, Jiraiya is the best at gathering information.
It may seem like she has a rough nerve, but she is actually more delicate than many women and can notice some things that ordinary people cannot notice.
Kakashi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
"I think you're a little bored here, so I brought you some gifts. You can accept them without ceremony. Although there are still some immature parts and it's not ready for release, it's my hard work."
"?"
Kakashi tilted his head and looked at Jiraiya, not quite understanding what Jiraiya said.
Jiraiya mysteriously took out a book bound with needlework from his arms. There were graffiti of cartoon men and women on the cover, as well as pink hearts.
The name of the book is "Make Out in Heaven".
Making out heaven? in love? Kakashi pondered in his mind.
"Kakashi, this is the book that men should really read. After reading it, remember to write a 5,000-word testimonial. Then, I will withdraw first."
Placing the book solemnly in Kakashi's hand, Jiraiya disappeared from the rooftop.
"I'm not interested in love..."
Kakashi muttered.
Having said that, it is a good choice to pass the time. As for the 5,000-word testimonial, that is too exaggerated.
So, Kakashi opened the first page of the book.
At that moment, Kakashi felt like he had opened the door to a new world.
