Chapter 10

"That's the situation, as I've described."

In a house in the civilian district of Konoha, Xia Yan calmly spoke to the old man in front of him.

This house looked very rustic, completely at odds with the current popular decor in Konoha, and staying here gave one a sense of history.

It was said that this place was once established during the heyday of the Senju clan, and even as the Senju clan declined, it was still preserved.

However, Xia Yan did not like coming here at all; everything here made him feel a sense of decay.

It even gave him the feeling that people were immersed in the past glory of the Senju clan, unwilling to face reality.

It was sad, but it also matched the reality of the old man in front of him.

Unfortunately, there was no choice. After every mission, he either had to submit intelligence or report here.

This time it was the latter, and he had to report everything in detail, whether it was about the affairs within the Anbu or the mission he had carried out.

In the end, he was also a spy.

He had already told everything about his mission, from encountering Kakuzu to what he had said to Kakashi in the end.

"You did well."

The old man seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Xia Yan's words, and after a long while, he nodded seriously.

"However, the traces were a bit heavy. Although the relationship between the Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage is somewhat distant, he is still the grandson of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"But I have also heard that the Fourth Hokage is not having an easy time, and the Anbu are all completely under Sarutobi Hiruzen's command.

"Considering all factors, your actions were a bit bold, but it can be seen as a well-intentioned reminder.

"After all, in the face of interests, there is not much rationality or gratitude."

Xia Yan couldn't help but nod slightly at these words. Although he didn't like this old man who was always reminiscing about the past and constantly instilling the idea of the Senju clan, he had to admit that the old man's mind was sometimes very clear.

In the face of interests, there is indeed not much rationality or gratitude.

Perhaps Minato still had some such thoughts, as his position as Hokage was directly promoted by Sarutobi Hiruzen after he abandoned Orochimaru.

He could not help but feel grateful, and he was not familiar with the work of the Hokage. Moreover, he was chosen very hastily and had not cultivated his own base of support.

Therefore, he did not and dared not take any actions, but instead followed the arrangements of the Third Hokage.

Minato was honest, but Sarutobi Hiruzen's interest group might not think so.

An interest group is never just one person. Sarutobi Hiruzen is indeed the leader of this interest group, but his job is to coordinate the interests of the entire group.

He also needs to secure enough benefits for his interest group to continue to gain the support of the entire group.

In short, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't think that a Kakashi entering the Anbu is a big deal, his interest group might not see it that way. To them, it is a signal, a signal that the Fourth Hokage wants to reclaim control over the Anbu.

Therefore, the Anbu is still relatively hostile to Kakashi, which led to some subsequent events.

"Alright, that's all for today." The elder did not intend to continue: "For now, keep a certain distance from Kakashi, but don't become distant. I believe you know what to do."

"Yes, Elder." Xia Yan smiled and nodded, then stood up: "Then, I'll take my leave."

"Go ahead." The elder picked up his teacup and took a sip, then said calmly: "By the way, I had someone send you a gift. You can take a look at it."

"Yes, Elder." Xia Yan smiled and nodded again, then slowly walked out.

He gently closed the door and left without looking back. He remembered the elder's words, but only remembered them.

There were significant differences between the two of them, even though their goals were somewhat similar, they were not entirely the same.

But Xia Yan was still grateful for the elder's guidance and upbringing. Although Xia Yan had a system, if it weren't for a relatively stable environment, he wouldn't have gotten to where he is now.

"I still need to think carefully about what to do next.

Kakashi has already entered the Anbu, so I need to consider some things.

And what is the gift the elder mentioned?"

......

"Hokage-sama, the situation is roughly as I described."

In the Hokage's office, Kakashi knelt on one knee and recounted the mission he and Xia Yan had carried out.

However, his report still concealed some things, such as the words Xia Yan had said to him, which he kept to himself and did not fully disclose in the report.

"You don't have to call me 'Hokage-sama,' just 'sensei' is fine."

Minato frowned slightly at Kakashi's report but quickly smiled warmly.

"Never mind, I didn't expect your first mission to be so challenging."

"Yes, Xia Yan said that we couldn't deal with that guy." Kakashi lowered his head, his voice very cold: "But we completed it."

"Xia Yan, by the way, he is still your classmate. You should learn from him in the future." Minato smiled and said: "Alright, you can go rest now."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stood up, hesitated for a moment, then took out a scroll and handed it to Minato: "This is the detailed report of the mission. I'll take my leave now."

After saying this, Kakashi did not give Minato a chance to speak and turned to leave.

Minato was somewhat puzzled. Didn't Kakashi just recount everything? Why did he still need to hand over a report? Isn't that redundant?

However, Minato picked up the report without showing any emotion. He had noticed something in Kakashi's report.

According to the normal Anbu procedure, shouldn't he first familiarize himself with the intelligence and then learn some necessary things before starting a mission?

Minato had not been to the Anbu, but that didn't mean he didn't understand the Anbu's procedures, especially after becoming Hokage, he learned even more.

Actually, Minato had speculated that the Anbu might think Kakashi's combat ability was so strong that it was better to put him directly into battle rather than have him learn the procedures.

However, Kakashi's somewhat abnormal behavior just now made Minato feel that he needed to think more, such as reading the report Kakashi gave him.

Thinking of this, Minato opened the report. As he read, his expression changed slightly.

When he finished reading, he quickly closed the scroll, and his expression became very strange.

After a long while, he sighed slightly: "This is indeed a gift..."

......