It's Too Troublesome to be Hokage

Kazuma never expected that old monk Zhongjue would ignore his identity as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and act so decisively.

Likewise, Nara Shikadan didn't expect a B-rank jonin-level ninja to be taken out so effortlessly by the monks of the Fire Temple.

Recalling the torrent of red chakra fists from earlier, he found himself slightly regretting it—

I thought they wouldn't actually fight. After all, the Fire Temple helped establish the Guardian Ninja.

But not only did they fight… the guy went down at light speed!

Because of that early misjudgment, the quality of the mission reward dropped from B-rank to C-rank.

Sure, the [Ninja Secret Scroll] came at no cost—but Shikadan still felt like he'd taken a loss.

Lesson learned: don't rush to complete a mission. Wait it out until the last possible moment next time.

Still…

Beating up a jonin like swatting a fly—so this is the power of the Fire Temple's "Little Gundam"?

Shikadan turned to glance behind him.

The squad of Gundam monks might be even stronger than the Uchiha clan… huh?

His train of thought was interrupted.

What greeted him wasn't an intimidating force of indomitable monks—it was a field of pale faces.

The earlier barrage had drained them. Most couldn't even stand straight, let alone fight.

Shikadan mused dryly.

So the "Little Gundam" mode consumes this much chakra… good to know.

Apparently, Nara Shikano had also seen the damage.

His eyes narrowed at his old friend.

"Zhongjue, you've been acting a bit... off today. What did that Kazuma do to provoke someone as easygoing as you?"

Shikadan's ears perked up at the question. He glanced at the unusually stern abbot.

"The abbot really did lose his temper just now..."

"It's 'Kazuma', not 'Kazuma'," Zhongjue muttered.

"You've been playing too much shogi, Luye."

"Kazuma, Kazuma, whatever," Shikano waved it off. "You said he's a traitor. But he's one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas now—someone backed by the daimyo himself. I can't lay a hand on him casually."

Zhongjue sighed deeply.

"Kazuma used to be an apprentice monk here at the Fire Temple."

"But… he committed an act utterly against ethics and reason. In the end, he was expelled."

Shikano raised an eyebrow.

"Your temple actually expels people? That's a first. What did he do?"

Zhongjue's tone grew even more grave.

"He desecrated the dignity of the dead."

Shikadan's brow shot up.

Desecrating the dead? Don't tell me…

Curious, he silently called up the new [Ninja Secret Scroll] from earlier.

[Opening…]

[C-rank Technique: Shiki Kiss]

→ Description: Forbidden chakra extraction technique.

→ Effect: By kissing, the user connects oral chakra nodes to absorb non-attributed chakra from the target.

→ Evaluation: "Mana Transfer: Screenshot Wipe Mouth.JPG"

'???'

Shikadan stared blankly at the panel.

Couldn't this world come up with one ninjutsu that people wouldn't immediately want to burn in a bonfire?!

Is this how Kazuma desecrated the dead?! Through... that?!

He suddenly felt that he was out of sync with this world for a very simple reason:

He wasn't nearly perverted enough.

Meanwhile, Shikano, still visibly disturbed, hesitated before asking:

"I know this might be presumptuous… but ninjas do use techniques involving corpses. Just how far did Kazuma go?"

Zhongjue rubbed his temples.

"He dug up the graves of the Fire Temple's great monks."

"...Ah."

Shikano opened his mouth, then closed it.

He had imagined the worst-case scenario as Kazuma turning monks into puppet corpses or battlefield tools.

But digging up ancestors' graves? That exceeded expectations.

"Why didn't your Fire Temple just execute him—actually, never mind. Forget I asked."

"Does the daimyo know?"

"I highly doubt it," Zhongjue said, choosing his words carefully.

"And yet they brought him into the Twelve Guardian Ninjas…"

Shikano's frown deepened.

"What exactly is the daimyo planning?"

Zhongjue's tone sharpened.

"Shikano, remember—Kazuma is now one of the daimyo's favored agents. He represents the daimyo faction within the Guardian Ninjas."

That news hit hard.

Shikano's expression darkened further.

"I'll have to raise this with the Hokage when I return. We can't let someone like that act freely..."

But deep down, he knew it was futile.

At this point in time, the Twelve Guardian Ninja weren't a critical threat.

The attention of the Hokage and the village elders was focused on larger matters—namely, the war looming with other great nations.

Maybe after the war… the Third Hokage will have time to clean house.

Shikano's gaze drifted over to the remaining guardian ninjas standing awkwardly nearby. The Fire Temple monks had only attacked Kazuma; the others were left untouched.

He turned to them now.

"By the way, what exactly were you all doing here?"

At the question, Zhongjue's calm expression flickered.

Oh no—I forgot to ask that in the heat of the moment…

Luckily, the other Guardian Ninjas were still present.

After some pressure from Shikano, they spilled the truth like spilled beans.

"After Master Kazuma got suppressed by you… he was furious..."

"He went off to find trouble with other Konoha shinobi first..."

"The Fire Temple was just his last stop..."

"His original plan wasn't to challenge the entire Ino-Shika-Chō. He just wanted to intimidate a few chunin to inflate the daimyo's prestige..."

Shikano's eyes narrowed.

"What happened to the other Konoha ninja?"

One of the Guardian Ninjas hesitated, then said carefully:

"The injuries… weren't serious."

That was enough.

The old patriarch's tense shoulders relaxed a little.

Shikadan, standing to the side, quietly watched Kazuma—now unconscious, face swollen beyond recognition—and couldn't help but sigh.

He held grudges but picked his battles. He was reckless, but calculating.

And worst of all…

He was smart.

Shikadan shook his head in disgust.

Master Zhongjue soon had Kazuma and the remaining Guardian Ninjas formally expelled from the temple.

Nara Shikano also made the decision to return to Kyoto early.

Originally, he'd planned to slack off at the Fire Temple a little longer and rejoin the others after dinner.

But after this mess?

Better to check on Choza and Inoichi first.

Shikadan followed the old clan head, saying goodbye to the Fire Temple's monks and ending his first visit to the sacred grounds.

I'll definitely come again in the future! Even without Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, I'll create my own Gundam!

Gundam is the romance of ninjas!

They ran all the way back to Kyoto and quickly regrouped with the main force.

When they saw the state of the other Konoha shinobi, both Shikano and Shikadan finally let out a breath.

Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza were pale and scraped up—but their injuries were only superficial.

Compared to them, Sarutobi Asuma and Taketake Tonbo looked far more pitiful, black and blue all over.

Only Yuhi Kurenai, the team's only female ninja, seemed completely unscathed.

Oddly enough, Might Guy's team—which had been tasked with guarding the caravan—escaped entirely unscathed.

When cold-faced Shikano asked why...

Akimichi Choza exploded in rage.

"They poisoned the food! I've never seen such shameless ninjutsu!!"

"That's because your vigilance was too low!" Shikano snapped.

He couldn't keep a straight face anymore.

"This isn't Konoha! If they had gone a step further, you'd all be dead right now!"

Chastised by the clan head, the injured ninja all looked guilty.

Except one.

Sarutobi Asuma's fists were clenched, his eyes burning with fury.

'Kazuma… Twelve Guardian Ninja… I'll remember this.'

After a night's rest.

The next morning, the Konoha team returned to the daimyo's mansion to retrieve the previously agreed war supplies.

The goods were sealed into scrolls and loaded up.

Everyone gathered at the gates of Kyoto once again.

The journey back to Konoha had begun.

-End Chapter-

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