Chapter 289: Spy Incident

As the sky gradually darkened and the wind and snow became stronger, an incandescent lamp was lit in the pavilion, and this long-awaited gathering was still going on.

Ye Shan didn't eat much of his favorite dishes, but drank a lot of wine. At this time, his eyes were already heavy and his face was as red as a date. He lit a cigarette and sighed, "Unconsciously, Konoha's 37 years are about to come to an end. There are more and more new faces in the village in recent years. The older generation of ninjas have retired. I don't know if it's good or bad."

The career of a ninja is very short. Ordinary ninjas only have a few decades of glory. Once many people reach the age of 40, the sequelae of overdrawing their bodies when they were young will show a blowout posture, especially for the elite Chunin and above. After all, it is still very difficult for the human body to control chakra. The number of cell divisions is limited and determined by genes. After reaching a certain number of times, people will inevitably age quickly. It is not surprising that they can't get out of bed when they wake up one night. Many elite old men who have experienced the Second Ninja World War and the Third Ninja World War have retired in recent years. In order to maintain the number of Jonin groups, Yeshan has issued a document to lower the selection standards, which indirectly led to a discount in the strength of the village.

Uchiha Fugaku took a sip from his teacup and said, "It can't be helped. Time is the fairest thing. It gives everyone the same feelings. Even a ninja as strong as the first generation can't break free from the shackles of time. The new generation needs fertile soil to grow. Fortunately, the ninja world is currently at peace, so there are many opportunities for them. There is no need to worry for the time being."

Ye Shan did not comment, took a puff of cigarette, turned around and asked Uchiha Keiji: "Brother, you are the oldest and have relatively more experience. What do you think of the current renewal of the village?"

Uchiha Keiji pondered for a moment and said cautiously, "I don't think we need to worry too much about the combat power. I still remember that when Sarutobi Hiruzen came to power, the village was in a state of transition. Most of the elites who participated in the construction of the village are old, and the new generation of ninjas have not yet grown up, but we still won the war and maintained the honor of Konohagakure. Now that Yeshan is in charge and many powerful families obey our orders, it is not an exaggeration to say that our position is as stable as Mount Tai."

Namikaze Minato listened with a smile on his face, his mind unconsciously flying back home. The weather was cold, and he didn't know whether Kushina had put on more clothes or what she had for dinner.

Ye Shan knocked on the table to call back the distracted Minato, and joked: "What are you thinking about so intently? If you are worried about Kushina, I suggest you go back immediately to avoid having your ears twisted."

Namikaze Minato laughed and said, "You are becoming more and more evil. Kushina is very gentle and never makes things difficult for me. Besides, my position in the family is so high that I have the final say. I am not a henpecked man!"

With a sparkle in his eyes, Ye Shan smiled and said, "Who in Konoha Village doesn't know about Kushina's violent temper? The reputation of the blood-red pepper was earned with her own fists, not boasted by others. Minato, if you have any difficulties, just tell me, and I, the Hokage, will take care of it for you!"

Uzumaki Kushina, that is a strange woman who dared to burn the beard of the Third Hokage. Even Yeshan was bullied by her. Theoretically, she is the treasure of the town and village. Last year, a young man cursed her behind his back because of trivial matters at work, and was chased by Kushina to the street and beaten. The Anbu and the Security Department who came after hearing the noise stood by and dared not say a word, and even had to applaud. In the end, the victim reported it to Yeshan, what could he do? He just laughed and passed it by, and then adjusted the victim's job position.

By the way, the three-tailed beast captured by the Uchiha clan will soon be sealed into the body of a boy named Xingchen. This is also the second tailed beast that Konohagakure has after the nine-tailed beast. After the formation of the Jinchūriki, the strength of the village will undoubtedly be further improved.

Uchiha Hoshi is the grandson of Uchiha Shita, and the leader of the new generation of the Uchiha clan's great elders. He has a noble status and pure blood. At a young age, he has already awakened two magatama and is unanimously considered to be a strong contender for the position of clan leader. Of course, Uchiha Fugaku doesn't take him seriously at all. With the powerful external aid of Hayama, as long as Uchiha Itachi himself doesn't let down, it will be a piece of cake for their family to achieve the third consecutive succession of clan leaders.

Just as Minato Namikaze was about to make a verbal counterattack, a man came up the path outside the pavilion, holding a light in his hand. His entire body was hidden in the darkness, so his face could not be seen clearly.

Uchiha Keiji went out to greet them, feeling somewhat unhappy. He had repeatedly warned their superiors not to allow anyone to come and disturb them, so where did this blind guy come from to mess things up?

Before he walked in, Uchiha Keiji was about to glare and rebuke him, but when he saw the other person's fiery red hair, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva, a slight smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Why are you here so late at night?"

The man snorted coldly, unceremoniously pushed aside the powerful people in the village, walked straight into the pavilion, looked around and sneered: "Hokages are so elegant! Gathering here on a snowy day to drink and enjoy the scenery, are you all free?"

Ye Shan laughed and winked at Minato, telling him to handle it himself.

Namikaze Minato scratched his head, and quickly moved forward to help the visitor sit down. He pounded his shoulders with both hands very consciously, and said, "Why are you here so late at night? The snow is slippery, what if you get bumped into something?"

The person who came was Uzumaki Kushina. She sat on the chair with a frown on her face and looked at Ye Shan with reproach in her eyes: "Hokage, is there anything important to discuss?"

Ye Shan waved his hand and said without hesitation: "Today Fugaku returns to the village, and we haven't gathered for a long time, so we have a meal here. Have you eaten? Do you want some more food?"

Kushina looked at the guilty Hayama and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing and said, "I just came out for a stroll because I have nothing to do. You guys are so busy that you don't see anyone on weekdays, so it's only natural for you to get together and drink some wine."

Namikaze Minato was bolder and said with a smile: "See? Our wife is so virtuous. There are only a few such virtuous women in the whole Konoha!"

"Don't be so proud, we'll settle our accounts when we get back!"

Minato's face turned bitter, and he said with a turn of his eyes: "Just now, Ye Shan complained about the name Naruto, and seemed a little dissatisfied."

He is trying to shift the blame to someone else and find a heavyweight to take the blame.

As expected, Kushina's eyebrows were raised, and her eyes were aggressive: "Hokage-sama seems to have crossed the line. It's not enough for you to control the heavens and the earth, do you also want to control what the children of ordinary people are called?"

Ye Shan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly explained: "That's not what I meant. Uzumaki Naruto is a good name, easy to pronounce, and it sounds like a rare and outstanding name!"

"Then you are favoring boys over girls!"

"what?"

Ye Shan was very worried and kept winking at Minato, hoping that he could stand up, but Minato was not stupid, so how could he take the initiative to get into trouble.

Just when Yeshan was in a dilemma, the caring person Nara Shikaku hurried over. There were a lot of snowflakes accumulated on his clothes, and he was so hasty that he didn't even open the umbrella.

Ye Shan was overjoyed. He stood up and walked outside the pavilion. The cold weather made him shiver unconsciously. He did not say anything, but just stared at the other person with a questioning look.

Nara Shikaku bowed, looked around to see if there were any outsiders, and said softly, "The Konoha border garrison sent an urgent document, saying that they captured a Mist Ninja from the Land of Water last night."

The capture of an enemy ninja is definitely not a small matter, but there is no need to report it to the Hokage himself. Generally speaking, it is enough to report it to the head of the Anbu. As for whether to kill or judge, there are rules to follow.

Ye Shan frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"The identity of the captured Mist Ninja is very special. He claims to be a spy sent to the Land of Water more than ten years ago, but he is affiliated with the Root. Their relevant documents have been destroyed. No one except the deceased Shimura Danzo can prove the authenticity of his identity."

After a pause, Nara Shikaku took off his coat and pretended to put it on the Hokage, but was stopped by Hayama. He continued, "After being captured, he was very calm and insisted that he had something important to report to you. He claimed that it was related to the situation in the ninja world!"

Spy, Water Country, big event, these words connected together, instantly sobered Ye Shan up a lot. He bent down and picked up snowflakes from the ground to wipe his face, dispelling the remaining drunkenness, and slowly asked: "Where is the person?"

"He is currently detained at the border station. The situation is urgent and they dare not deal with it on their own."

Ye Shan nodded, turned and walked into the pavilion, looked at Namikaze Minato, then looked at Uzumaki Kushina, and said: "There is an urgent mission, you have heard it, maybe I have to trouble Minato to go there in person."

Namikaze Minato looked serious and said, "It's just my job. Hokage, please be patient. I can bring the person back to Konoha in an hour at most!"

The Flying Thunder God Technique is known as the fastest in the ninja world. As long as the pre-arranged coordinates are locked, it is a piece of cake to travel hundreds of kilometers in an instant. The Konoha Village is about thousands of kilometers away from the border, and it is definitely impossible to cross it all at once. It is necessary to stop and take a breath to find the correct coordinates, so one hour is just enough.

Ye Shan patted Minato with satisfaction and asked with a smile: "Does Kushina have any opinions?"

Kushina snorted and said, "Since it concerns the village, I naturally have no objection. It's just that it's snowing heavily outside and I'm worried."

"Then it's settled. Without further ado, Minato, you should leave now and make sure to bring the person back safely!"

"Yes!"

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the plum trees in the courtyard were bent under the weight. Only a few plum blossoms remained upright, proudly emitting fragrance, adding a bit of color to the bleak world.