I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 111 - : Minato, It Wasn’t Me Who Set You Up!

"Uh-huh, your house was a bit old and run-down, so I did a little renovation. No need to thank me!"

"Uh..." Kyoichi's face was expressionless.

Do I look like I believe you?

Tsunade coughed awkwardly.

Well, it was a bit hard to make that sound convincing, but she looked around and didn't see any obvious flaws in her story.

Kyoichi sighed.

"This pond... its shape is a bit too much of a coincidence."

"Good point..."

Tsunade examined it closely, then nodded in agreement. "I'll be more careful next time."

"There's going to be a next time?"

Kyoichi was stunned.

Tsunade wasn't even trying to hide her shamelessness.

But...

He didn't bother to argue.

Although he inherited his predecessor's memories, he didn't have much attachment to the courtyard itself. Rebuilding it wasn't a big deal—he was just surprised by Tsunade's ability to smash walls and cause such destruction.

He went inside and saw that, thankfully, the interior remained largely the same.

"So, Shizune, what really happened?"

"Tsunade-sama and Kushina-sama—"

"Ahem, nothing much. Just a little accident while teaching some techniques, and, uh, the courtyard collapsed."

Tsunade softly interrupted, trying to gloss over the truth.

Kyoichi turned back around, silent once more.

His house was fine, but from this angle, he could see the neighbor's house had been completely rebuilt. It was just...

Brutal!

Tsunade probably racked up more debt again.

But...

Kushina?

Kyoichi had almost forgotten about this descendant of the Uzumaki clan. It seemed Tsunade had returned to teach her techniques like the Yin Seal.

But if you taught her the Strength of a Hundred Technique...

Isn't this setting up Minato for disaster?

Kyoichi silently lit a candle for Minato in his mind and then let go of the issue with the house.

After all, compensation was Tsunade's problem, not his.

Tsunade glanced at Shizune.

Shizune, understanding the cue, left without lingering. Kyoichi then took a look at some of Tsunade's recent notes and asked, "Tsunade-nee, have you succeeded with the forbidden technique?"

"Pretty much. This time I called you back for two reasons: one, to teach you the forbidden technique, and two, because I have an idea I need your help with. I've already spoken to the old man, and he agreed."

Tsunade sat down, her expression turning serious.

This was business.

Kyoichi nodded, signaling her to continue.

"I read the reports of your performance on the eastern front. I won't dwell on the praise, but I was wondering if your tactics could be shared with the ANBU, to make their techniques more diverse."

Tsunade said.

Kyoichi thought for a moment.

That wasn't really a problem, but he started to feel a bit uneasy as he considered her proposal.

The ANBU...

If it were just sharing tactics, why would he need to come back?

The way Tsunade phrased it made it sound suspiciously like she wanted him to take over the ANBU.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I'd like you to train a group of ANBU members. If it works well, we can expand it further, and you might eventually be responsible for planning and managing the ANBU."

Tsunade got straight to the point.

Kyoichi was stunned for a moment.

So that was it.

The ANBU!

The ANBU units in every village wield considerable power. In Konoha, while they might not be as influential as the Hokage, the ANBU handle many external affairs. Danzo used to oversee the ANBU, but his power had been curbed in recent years, prompting him to establish his own Root organization.

However...

If Kyoichi became the head of the ANBU, it would be up to him to decide whether or not to supply talent to the Root.

The key point was...

This seemed like an opportunity to milk the system a bit...

After all, most of the people who qualify for the ANBU are top talents. Even characters like Kakashi and Itachi had served in the ANBU.

But...

He quickly realized that he still had his own team to train.

That was a bit of a dilemma.

"You don't need to worry too much. For now, it's just an experiment. If it goes well, we can expand it later."

Tsunade understood his hesitation—

Asuma and his teammates were the issue.

While they were already stronger than many Chūnin, they still weren't quite at ANBU level.

So...

At this point, Kyoichi couldn't fully take over the ANBU.

"What is the Third Hokage's stance on this?" Kyoichi asked after a moment of thought.

Tsunade was silent for a moment before saying, "He plans to step down and head to the front lines to assist Jiraiya."

Step down?

Now?

Kyoichi paused for a few seconds, then rubbed his temples, saying, "Isn't he worried that leaving now might destabilize the situation at the front?"

"This is the perfect time. You've just secured the eastern front, and I haven't been idle either."

Tsunade said confidently, a sense of pride in her voice. "I've returned to the operating room! Not only that, but I've also drafted a preliminary plan for your psychological therapy techniques."

"Oh..."

"Huh??" Tsunade was dumbfounded by his reaction.

Oh?

Couldn't he show a bit more excitement?

She had, after all, overcome a tremendous challenge!

She pouted.

"Did you really overcome it properly?"

"Sort of. I've resolved many of my issues. There's still a bit of discomfort, but it's nothing that affects my performance in surgery."

Tsunade explained.

Psychological illnesses are often tied to mental blocks. Once those are cleared, healing naturally follows.

She didn't elaborate on how she managed it, and seeing this, Kyoichi didn't press further.

But he was genuinely pleased that Tsunade had worked through her issues.

"Here, learn this technique."

Tsunade handed him a scroll.

Then, she looked at her necklace and said, "I once thought about giving this necklace to you, but recently I realized I should keep it. I need to carry their hopes and fulfill my role as the Hokage!"

"They'll see it. Maybe one day, you'll even get to see them again."

Kyoichi nodded.

Thank goodness you didn't give it to me!

That necklace is too heavy—I can't bear it.

Tsunade remained silent for a moment, then shook her head. "I'd rather not. I wouldn't even know how to face them if we met again. And that kind of technique... you must never touch it!"

"I know. I'm not interested in that jutsu."

Kyoichi stretched lazily.

Edo Tensei.

Sure, it was useful, but it was also a double-edged sword. Kabuto resurrected so many powerful figures, yet almost all of them broke free from his control.

In the end, it was practically a dream-fulfillment technique.

Seeing that even Orochimaru had given up on it, why would he take the risk to study it?

Instead, his thoughts turned to the matter of the ANBU.

In truth, Konoha's ANBU already practiced many of these tactics, but most operated based on "experience" rather than a structured system.

In simple terms, they lacked a guiding framework.

Kyoichi thought for a moment. The ANBU of this era...

There seemed to be quite a few talented individuals.

"I'd like to see the roster first."

Kyoichi set the scroll aside.

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Creation Rebirth was certainly worth learning, but it wasn't urgent. What needed immediate attention was the ANBU training—

With the war raging on, there was no time to waste!

"I've prepared it in advance."

Tsunade pulled out a list.

This was something only the Hokage had the right to see, but the Third Hokage had already handed over everything to her. In all but name, Tsunade was acting as the Hokage.

Even now, the house was filled with documents brought over from the Hokage's office.

Kyoichi took the list.

Konoha's ANBU had about seventy members, divided into four squads, with the Root being one of them.

The list Tsunade had included fifty-three names under the Third Hokage's command.

First up—

Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

The current commander of the ANBU. His wife was a squad captain, and both were part of the combat units.

"The Third Hokage is really hard on his own children."

Kyoichi sighed softly.

Both of them were strong, but in the anime, they died after the Third Great Ninja War.

He had speculated about it before.

The most likely scenario was during the year when the Kirigakure tried to kidnap Hinata. As a Jonin who specialized in Earth Release, facing Lightning Release ninja would indeed be difficult.

"That's why I need your help. It's not that I don't trust them, but ANBU missions are extremely dangerous. They've served long enough—they deserve a chance to live a normal life."

Tsunade said.

Kyoichi was at a loss for words.

So the dangerous tasks go to me?

Isn't that just throwing me under the bus?

He continued to flip through the list. When he came across a particular name, his eyes paused for a moment.

Kohinata Mukai.

This person...

"The Kohinata clan is a distant branch of the Hyuga clan. Mukai hasn't been in the ANBU for long. Although he doesn't have the Byakugan, his performance in training has been excellent. He's a promising talent."

Tsunade explained.

"Alright. His squad has just been reorganized. Let's designate it as the special training unit."

"Okay..."

Seeing Kyoichi agree, Tsunade thought for a moment and added, "If you don't want to take on the role of ANBU commander, that's fine. We can always promote someone else later."

"If there's a suitable candidate, I'd rather let them take the position."

Kyoichi chuckled. "My appearance is too noticeable. ANBU members are best when they look as ordinary as possible."

A young man, silver hair, from Konoha.

Not exactly a low-profile look.

"That's a good point!"

Tsunade pondered for a while and eventually nodded.

Having a distinct appearance meant that wearing a mask would barely help—completely defeating the purpose of staying hidden.

"Let's include Asuma and his team in the special training. Training one squad is training, but training two or three squads isn't much different."

"No problem..."

---

The Next Day...

Forest of Death.

Three squads gathered.

Asuma's team and Might Guy's team, and the most special group—Kohinata Mukai's team—stood out with their masks of Owl, Cat, Dog, and Hawk.

"I'll call you four Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta for now. Alpha will be the team leader. The rest of you can sort out your roles."

Kyoichi instructed.

Asuma and his teammates had been out of the Academy for several months. They weren't completely ignorant. One look at the masks, and they knew these were ANBU members.

Why was their teacher training the ANBU with them?

That's intense!

While they were mulling this over, Kohinata Mukai was also observing Kyoichi—since he was the youngest, he had been assigned the "Delta" role.

Kanda Kyoichi.

Of course, they had heard of him, especially the stories of how he led his team to dismantle two of the Kirigakure's strongholds.

"Kyoichi-sensei, what are we going to practice?"

"First, tell me—how much do you know about my tactics?"

In truth, Kyoichi wasn't a complete expert on these strategies. After all, in his previous life, he had only been an elementary school trainee teacher and had never deeply studied these things.

However...

After putting them into practice once, teaching these young ninjas would not be a problem.

"Swift and decisive combat."

Kohinata Mukai spoke up first—there had been private discussions within the ANBU, and their understanding was not much less than Shisui's team.

"Not bad. Speed is crucial. But how do you measure up against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

"Uh..." Mukai shook his head.

"Speed is important, but the most critical factor isn't just strength."

The "Owl" mask spoke up.

Kyoichi glanced over.

Of course, he knew who it was.

An old acquaintance—Gekko Hayate.

This old fox...

Had he attended a lecture before? And now he was showing off?

"Alright then, why don't you demonstrate?"

Gekko Hayate was technically the squad leader, but the squad had recently suffered heavy losses, and most of its members were newly recruited or reassigned. Mukai himself was a fresh addition.

"Uh... ahem, you're joking, Kyoichi-sama. I'm not qualified for that!"

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