Chapter 239 I Never Expected a Smooth Life

This mission was like the rare time she could take out of her busy schedule. She rushed to the Sand Village like the wind, and then hurried back to Konoha like the wind.

The conversation that night ended with only a half-hearted answer.

Glancing at the morning Haruko walking next to him, Hatake Kakashi asked casually, "How did you know that the Kazekage's wife would be in danger? It's like you knew it in advance."

Haruko smiled at him, "I guessed."

It was as if he knew too much and she was too lazy to find excuses to fool him.

"..."

Hatake Kakashi fell silent, staring ahead as he walked, exuding an air of unhappiness for no reason.

Taking advantage of her height to bring his stinky face into her field of vision, Tsunade turned a corner and walked from the other side of Haruko between the two of them, deliberately pushing aside the sulking Hatake Kakashi.

"A brat is a brat, not considerate at all. No wonder no girl likes him."

Being squeezed by her, Kakashi Hatake looked at her expressionlessly, "I saw Tsunade-senpai pestering her with questions when we were in the Sand Village."

Tsunade's proud expression froze, and the next second she turned angry and looked at him with her hands on her hips, "What a pervert, eavesdropping on our conversation!"

“…You said that in the living room.”

"Then you are eavesdropping too!"

He suddenly recalled that Minato Namikaze had quietly told him not to reason with girls. Facing Tsunade's relentless slander, Kakashi Hatake once again understood the secret that his teacher had learned from his own actions.

Seeing that he was speechless, Tsunade laughed victoriously.

Haruko leaned in silently to remind her, "All the information gathered on this mission is with Kakashi."

As the leading jonin who had to return to report as the mission leader, Tsunade's laughter suddenly stopped. Seeing that the victory role had been completely reversed, Hatake Kakashi looked like he was enjoying the show and struggled to maintain his self-esteem as an adult.

She extended her hand unceremoniously, "I will reluctantly help you deliver the information."

Having completely lost the Sannin filter for her, Hatake Kakashi wordlessly took out the scroll from his bag and handed it to her.

After quickly taking the scroll from him, Tsunade left while muttering that she would go drink after completing the task. Haruko, who heard it clearly, really couldn't understand why the adorable little blond girl grew up to become a gambling and alcoholic.

"What's your next plan?" Hatake Kakashi's voice brought her back to her senses.

Haruko was surprised that he was agreed to be brought along this time, and from the sound of his voice, it seemed that he would continue to participate in her future plans.

Haruko had no choice but to change the subject, "Doesn't Kakashi need to go on a new mission?"

"I'm not in such a hurry."

Noticing that she was speeding up, Hatake Kakashi quickened his pace as well, knowing that he couldn't get anything out of her, so he brought up another matter while they were alone.

"Are you feeling well?"

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden? I'm fine."

"I heard everything." Seeing her confused expression, Hatake Kakashi felt a surge of anger in his heart, "You have been coughing in the middle of the night for several days, and the cough is very severe."

Perhaps she didn't expect to be discovered by him, Haruko opened her mouth and her expression gradually became strange.

"Kakashi...you really are eavesdropping."

"…I happened to hear it when I came back from investigating in the middle of the night."

Still skeptical of his "coincidence", Haruko explained in a few words, "It's just a cold. The temperature difference between day and night in the Sand Village is quite large. Kakashi don't worry."

"Uchiha Haruko."

Hatake Kakashi looked at her solemnly for a few seconds, read out her full name, and then, when Haruko was stunned, he said word by word: "Your body is your own."

The sharp words were mixed with concern that could not be concealed, which was a hidden anger at her lack of concern for her health.

"I know, thank you for worrying about me." Haruko felt a warm current flowing through her heart, and she added coaxingly, "Kakashi is so nice!"

Unexpectedly, Hatake Kakashi followed up her words and asked, "Is it good enough that you want to thank me?"

"Of course!"

"Then take me with you when you make the next plan."

After chatting for a long time, they were back to square one. Haruko didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she stopped and said, "Kakashi, do you want to come home with me?"

"what?"

At her eye signal, Hatake Kakashi looked around, only to realize that he had unknowingly followed her to the Uchiha territory.

I don't know how many times I was glad that I was wearing a mask so that others couldn't see my embarrassment.

Hatake Kakashi coughed lightly, and before leaving, he reminded her again: "Remember to take me with you."

Watching his hurried and embarrassed back, Haruko could no longer hold back her laughter.

All the joy seemed to be paving the way for the dark clouds that followed. After returning home, Uchiha Fugaku, who was sitting in the room waiting for her, had a serious expression on his face.

During the time she was away, the Hyuga clan was in turmoil. The Hyuga clan, which had been listed as a key participant in the peaceful reform, had constant conflicts between the main family and the branch family. Originally, there were only some minor frictions until an incident occurred that shocked both inside and outside the clan.

One of the branch family members looked at the young master of the main family with murderous intent, which was sensed by the elders of the main family. They directly used the caged bird to destroy his brain nerves, causing him to die on the spot.

There was not even any buffer or chance, as if the main family was waiting for this opportunity to make an example of someone and warn all the branch family members that even with the reforms ordered by the Hokage, their lives were still firmly in the hands of the main family.

For the sake of Hyuga's external image, the main family convicted him of betraying Hyuga during the subsequent trial, and escalated the dispute between the main family and the branch family into a matter of loyalty to the entire Hyuga clan.

"How could this happen..." Haruko looked at him in disbelief, really not understanding how things could have developed to this point.

Uchiha Fugaku slowly picked up the teacup, looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky, and spoke softly: "This is an internal matter of the Hyuga clan, outsiders cannot interfere."

After he finished speaking, he took a sip of tea, the bitter liquid swirling in his mouth, "Politics is like this, it looks dignified on the outside, but the darkness is actually inside."

The sound of the teacup hitting the table echoed in the room, heavy and long.

Haruko gritted her teeth and clenched her clasped hands to try to suppress her anger, but she couldn't do it no matter what she did.

Before this, she had fought on the battlefield and was accustomed to seeing people fighting each other. She thought that such cruelty had reached the limit, but she never imagined that political killings would be even more cold-blooded and ruthless.

In this world where even children have to learn to go to the battlefield from a young age, there are actually people who treat the lives of soldiers as worthless and throw them away on the political chessboard with contempt.

Instead of dying heroically in the flames of war, they became victims of internal strife in peacetime.

At this moment, she finally understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had ascended the throne of Hokage with high spirits, had gradually become indecisive during his long political career.

The situation is already complicated and will fall into a bottomless abyss if one is not careful.

"The caged bird is the heritage of the Hyuga clan. Others cannot interfere or break it. Unless they voluntarily abolish the caged bird, no matter how much they are persuaded, there will still be inequality within the Hyuga clan."

I also know this truth, but Haruko used to be optimistic, thinking that equality could be achieved through reform and persuasion. Now it seems that she really had naive illusions about those politicians.

Haruko took a deep breath, "I know, leave the rest to me, Uchiha has done his best."

Since gentle means will only embolden them, let's learn from their attitude and use their means to threaten them to take the path of equality.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at her deeply, "Have you decided?"

"Ah."

She stood up, completely shedding her usual gentleness, revealing a solemn and murderous aura, like a blade in the cold wind, sharp and hard.

He watched her walk to the door with the corner of his eye, and Uchiha Fugaku lowered his eyes, as if they had already reached some kind of tacit understanding and there was no need for further words.

"Then go ahead, this road won't be easy."

Haruko stopped at the door, her figure outlined by the light coming in from outside, looking stern and determined.

“I never expect to be flat.”

***

After solving Hinata's problem, it's almost the end. I feel like this volume is so busy. Haruko has endless things to do hahaha_(:3」∠)_

There are too many words to thank you for the gifts, so I put them in the author's words. Thank you very much for your firm support during the author's low period! If it weren't for the encouragement of the little cuties, the author really wouldn't have started over so quickly. Thank you very much!

Because the author has to update new chapters while revising previous ones, there may not be many updates. I hope my dears will understand!

Finally, I wish everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival! A small spoiler: the Kakashi content in the final stage is very high???