In the aftermath of the scandal, Kirigakure chose not to make it public. Under the arrangement of Master Genji, a high-level meeting was convened, followed by orders for Yagura to take charge at the front lines, oversee the withdrawal of troops, and lead a delegation to Konoha for peace talks.
The war ended abruptly, leaving Kirigakure's shinobi bewildered.
To them, the war had started inexplicably and ended just as suddenly. Yagura, armed with his new authority, swiftly took command and oversaw the phased retreat of their forces.
As Kirigakure's troops withdrew, Konoha's forces also began pulling back in phases, including members of the Uchiha clan.
The end of the war should have been a cause for celebration. However, the Uchiha couldn't bring themselves to rejoice; instead, they were frustrated.
They had just been informed they were next in line for rotation, yet before they could even withdraw, the war was over. Many in the Uchiha clan were seething.
Apart from Orochimaru, who remained stationed with a small force along the coastline, the rest of the shinobi returned to Konoha.
Only after the peace talks between Konoha and Kirigakure were concluded would Orochimaru and his group leave their posts—a necessary precaution.
Orochimaru was unhappy with this arrangement, particularly since it was he who had to stay, not Jiraiya.
To make matters worse, Jiraiya, upon learning he could return to the village to rest, didn't hesitate to flaunt this fact in Orochimaru's face.
With the war officially over, Konoha gradually returned to its lively state. Unfortunately, Konoha's shinobi had little time to relax.
The backlog of missions and requests accumulated during the war required a significant number of shinobi to handle them.
Fortunately, Konoha had a large pool of capable shinobi.
While those who had directly participated in frontline battles could begin their rotations for rest, others not from the main battlefield were assigned to tackle the surge of missions.
Unluckily, Takuya and Minato were among the latter group.
"What is this? I thought I'd finally get some time to rest," Takuya muttered, glaring at the scrolls on the table. He was tempted to kick Tsunade out for delivering such bad news.
Sensing Takuya's discontent, Tsunade quickly swallowed her mouthful of food and explained, "The old man is planning to retire soon and wants me to prepare to take over as Hokage."
Has he lost his mind? Takuya thought.
Taking over as Hokage at a time ? While the wars with Sunagakure and Kirigakure had ended, Iwagakure was already showing signs of unrest and could attack Konoha at any moment.
Clearly, the Third Hokage was looking to pass the buck.
A glint of amusement flashed in Tsunade's eyes. She wasn't foolish enough to step into a role where she'd be the scapegoat during such turbulent times.
She argued that the transition should only happen when everything had stabilized, as leadership changes during chaos could destabilize the village further.
In the end, the Third Hokage was convinced.
"Then what's with this mission?"
Refusing the Third Hokage's proposal to step down early and sending me out on a mission are two entirely different things, Takuya thought.
Tsunade continued eating as she explained, "The village has already prepared for Iwagakure's unrest. Several shinobi have been dispatched to gather intelligence. One of our senior operatives uncovered critical information but was discovered and now needs extraction."
"Senior operative? Who is it?"
Tsunade's tone carried a hint of respect, rare for her, which piqued Takuya's curiosity. Besides Hatake Sakumo, was there anyone else she regarded so highly?
"It's Maruboshi Kosuke."
Maruboshi Kosuke—the eternal Genin of Konoha. Unlike Might Duy, Kosuke willingly remained a Genin, despite his skills.
He was an unassuming older man who always carried cooking utensils, looking nothing like a shinobi.
After finishing her meal, Tsunade placed her chopsticks down with satisfaction and patted her slightly rounded belly.
"This mission was initially meant for someone else, but with the ANBU restructuring and the addition of a new ministerial position, I had to recruit Sakumo. So, you and Minato will take this one instead."
Wait—why was he feeling pity for someone else when he was being dragged into this himself? Takuya scolded himself for his misplaced sympathy.
Seeing his reluctance, Tsunade crossed her arms and said, "If you don't want to go, you can switch places with Sakumo. I'm sure he'd be happy to take this mission instead."
Takuya immediately accepted the mission.