"Well, if you want to call it a big deal, it is quite big," Nagato said, deliberately pausing to pique everyone's curiosity.
"Oww~" Onimaru pricked up his ears and barked in dissatisfaction. It was as if he couldn't stand Nagato dragging things out.
This kid's such a buzzkill—who on earth taught him that?
Nagato coughed awkwardly, feeling even the dog's judgmental gaze on him.
"What's the matter? Just say it," Yahiko urged, unable to hold back any longer.
"Sensei killed the Mizukage," Nagato finally revealed.
Everyone's expressions shifted immediately upon hearing this. Nayuki looked worried, fearing that Kawakaze's actions might provoke a war. No one had ever heard of someone storming another village and killing their Kage.
This wasn't just a slap in Kirigakure's face—it was like sitting on top of Kirigakure and taking a shit. Even if one person could tolerate it, most certainly wouldn't.
"Sensei is too..." Minato began but trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe his shock.
"Sensei is incredible! He's quiet most of the time, but when he does make a move, it's always a big one!" Konan said, cheering happily for Kawakaze. Being young, she didn't fully grasp the implications and was simply proud of having such a powerful Sensei.
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Yahiko asked, his perspective more mature than Konan's. He understood the potential consequences of such a drastic action.
Nayuki remained silent but observed Nagato closely. It was clear he hadn't finished—there was more to the story.
"It was Kirigakure that asked Sensei to intervene," Nagato explained. "They even paid a fee. It shouldn't affect the relationship between the two villages."
Nagato's words were true but left everyone even more confused.
Are the people of Kirigakure stupid? Paying someone to kill their own village's Kage? It was incomprehensible.
"What did they hope to gain?" Nayuki asked, unable to hold back her curiosity. This kind of operation was unheard of!
If someone paid to kill Tsunade, Kawakaze would probably go so far as to scatter their ashes.
"The Mizukage was being controlled," Nagato explained. "When I saw it, it was already in its full Tailed Beast form. A huge turtle."
Nagato spread his hands wide to demonstrate the size of the beast—it was the largest turtle he had ever seen in his life.
"Then what happened?" Minato asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with interest. He couldn't help but wish he had been there himself. What a waste of an opportunity!
"Then Sensei summoned a wooden man even bigger than the turtle and killed the Three-Tailed Beast," Nagato said. "It was as easy as hitting a chicken."
His words felt insufficient to convey the shock of the scene, so he emphasized the sheer enormity of the battle.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Minato muttered, his mouth hanging open. He had seen many Tailed Beasts before, and just imagining the size of the wooden man Nagato described left him stunned.
"Kirigakure promised Sensei 200 million," Nagato continued. "I also have a bag of Kirigakure tea."
Seeing Nayuki's skeptical expression, Nagato pulled out the bag of tea that Kawakaze had tossed to him.
"This is really... incredible," Nayuki said, taking the tea from Nagato. The entire situation turned her understanding of the world upside down.
The Kage of a village reduced to someone else's puppet? It was unthinkable. Yet, it explained the outrageous policies Kirigakure had adopted recently.
"So, who controlled the Mizukage?" Nayuki asked, still grappling with the absurdity of the story.
"I don't know. Sensei said he's not sure either," Nagato replied.
In truth, Kawakaze hadn't revealed the real answer to Nagato, fearing it would burden him unnecessarily. After all, Nagato's eyes had once belonged to Madara.
"I see."
"Anyway, it's a huge blessing that you're safe and back." Nayuki set the tea leaves aside, taking a moment to compose herself. Even if something monumental had happened, it wasn't something she could afford to dwell on. If the sky were to collapse, there were still three powerful people in the family to hold it up.
"Did Sensei use Wood Release to kill the Three-Tails?" Yahiko asked, recalling the news he had heard after his return—that Kawakaze had obtained Wood Release.
"Well, that is your Sensei's wife's grandfather's Kekkei Genkai," Nayuki replied. "It's a power that once dominated the ninja world." Her answer was clear and decisive. That night, True Several Thousand Hands had shocked the entire Konoha—how could she not know about it?
"So, is Sensei now invincible in the ninja world?" Konan asked curiously. She wouldn't mind having a teacher who was considered the strongest in the world.
"Haha, something like that," Nayuki chuckled at Konan's adorable expression. She truly believed Kawakaze's current strength was worthy of the word "invincible."
The group continued to chat idly, and time passed quickly. As the sun began to set, Kawakaze and Tsunade finally wrapped up the day's documents.
"Ah~" Kawakaze stretched as he stood up. This had been the most exhausting day since his rebirth, and he wasn't pleased at all.
"That's all you've done for the day?" Tsunade teased, a playful smile on her lips. "You'd better think of how to make it up to me."
"I'll make it up to you tonight," Kawakaze replied with a mischievous grin, his eyes soft with affection.
"Screw you, let's go home." Tsunade laughed, taking the initiative to grab his hand.
"Let's go." Kawakaze snapped his fingers, and the two instantly appeared in the Hatake Clan dining hall. Their timing was impeccable—the servants had just begun serving food, and the table wasn't yet full.
"Brother-in-law!"
Nawaki had been called over by Minato and the others. Misaki and Kushina, standing nearby, also greeted the two warmly.
"Well, I heard you got beaten up?" Kawakaze asked, immediately steering the conversation in the wrong direction.
"Who said that? I was fighting for my rights," Nawaki retorted, instantly aware of the source of the claim. It had to be his sister talking behind his back.
"Haha, with that attitude of yours…" Kawakaze smirked. "You didn't lose out on that beating." He took his seat, still amused.
"That was quite a commotion this time," Sakumo remarked. He had already heard from Nayuki about Kawakaze's exploits in Kirigakure.
"It was okay, not worth mentioning." Kawakaze waved his hand dismissively, determined to polish his feigned modesty.
"But you're a son of a bitch who brags too much," Sakumo laughed, delivering a playful scolding to lighten the mood.
"Son of a bitch," Kakashi parroted, quickly picking up the bad habit.
"Say something nice! Don't corrupt the child," Nayuki said, giving Sakumo a slap on the back before turning to correct Kakashi.
"My fault, my fault." Sakumo was full of apologies, shifting the blame to his younger brother in his mind.
"'Bitch' is a curse word. Don't learn it, do you hear me?" Nayuki spoke softly to Kakashi, trying to steer him back on track.
"But Dad can say it," Kakashi couldn't understand why his dad could say it, but he couldn't.
Was Mom just being unfair?
"Dad was talking about your uncle. Who are you talking about?" Sakumo walked over to join the conversation but was met with a cold stare from Nayuki.
"You were talking about your uncle. I was talking about you," Kakashi replied, looking at Sakumo with his big, innocent eyes.
"Haha, you're reaping what you sow. What a good nephew I have," Kawakaze laughed carelessly, unconcerned since Kakashi was still young and could be taught better behavior.
"Ugh, you little brat," Sakumo grumbled, raising his hand as if to smack Kakashi's bottom.
"Come on. If the two of you had been better brothers, Kakashi wouldn't have ended up like this," Nayuki said, her eyes welling up.
Tsunade nodded in agreement, wholeheartedly siding with her sister-in-law.
The younger ones lowered their heads, giggling quietly. It had been a long time since they'd seen such a "cute" scene.
"Let's eat," Sakumo said, pinching his nose in resignation as he took the first chopsticksful of dinner.