Chapter 81: I Came to Keep My Sister-in-Law Company! The Unapologetic Homeland Man!

Shimura Danzo clings to minor issues of attitude.

Even if Itachi punish Luo Fu for this reason, Itachi’ll only earn a reputation for being petty and lacking any tolerance.

In contrast, Hiruzen Sarutobi cuts straight to the heart of the matter—the mission itself—which is truly the decisive move.

During the journey back to Konoha, Luo Fu wasn’t merely concerned with Konoha’s situation.

Luo Fu was fully aware that the Sand Village had already elevated Yagura to the status of a hero.

For now, unless Yagura, unable to contain herself, actively seeks revenge against the Sand Village, her identity within the Akatsuki poses no risk of exposure.

Even if Luo Fu now claims he personally killed Yagura, Konoha has no way to verify it.

After all, even the Sand Village itself has enshrined Yagura as a martyr hero—could Konoha possibly hold any other view?

The only dispute between the two sides is over who exactly killed Yagura.

Previously, Luo Fu had indeed considered bringing Yagura back to Konoha, but due to complications with Konan and the Akatsuki, she found a better destination.

Luo Fu naturally wouldn’t reveal Yagura’s existence at this moment.

“Yagura is dead. While carrying out my mission to eliminate her, I was ambushed by Kirigakure ninja. During my battle with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Yagura was gravely wounded by their attacks—before I could finish her off, she succumbed to her injuries!”

Luo Fu’s account is completely unfalsifiable—unless Yagura herself suddenly appears.

After all, everything Luo Fu said is true.

Yagura was indeed gravely wounded during the Kirigakure ambush.

By the time Luo Fu eliminated four of the Seven Swordsmen and drove off the remaining Kirigakure ninja, Yagura was already at her last breath.

Had Luo Fu not used his own blood to transform her, Yagura would have died for certain.

Kirigakure likely has already concluded that Yagura is dead.

“According to protocol, since Yagura of the Burning Release is dead, where is her body? Hand it over,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said, his eyes flashing.

Although Hiruzen harbored some doubts about Luo Fu’s claim that Yagura died from her wounds, he was more inclined to believe this version.

After intelligence analysis, Konoha’s conclusion closely matched Luo Fu’s account.

This means that, barring any unforeseen developments, the likelihood of Luo Fu lying is extremely low.

“I’m sorry,” Luo Fu said, spreading his hands in a gesture of frankness. “After confirming Yagura’s death, to avoid complications and attract more Kirigakure ninja, and since my sealing scrolls could only seal four swords, I couldn’t bring back Yagura’s body.”

“Then what about her head?” Hiruzen smiled inwardly, but his expression grew even darker.

“Destroyed!”

“So Itachi have no direct evidence proving Yagura is dead, correct?” Hiruzen smiled faintly.

His words instantly lit up the eyes of everyone except Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze.

Luo Fu’s mission was to kill Yagura, yet he has no direct proof she’s dead—this mission could therefore be classified as a failure.

This effectively erases one S-rank mission from Luo Fu’s record.

In any ninja village, mission completion records are the standard for promotion and rewards.

Luo Fu hadn’t expected Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tactics to be this crude.

Though Hiruzen might be slightly better than Danzo, who only knows intrigue, or than Mitokado En and Tonomi Koharu, who rely solely on seniority,

the complexity of Luo Fu’s mission was undeniable.

Even if he lacks direct proof of Yagura’s death, his solo confrontation with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist is an indisputable fact.

Four of the Seven Swordsmen died at Luo Fu’s hands, and four of the Seven Ninja Tools were sealed and brought back—this alone qualifies as multiple S-rank mission completions on his record.

“Correct,” Luo Fu said, glancing at Hiruzen. “I currently have no evidence proving Yagura is dead.”

“Then this mission is considered void!” Hiruzen sighed, feigning regret over Luo Fu’s lost S-rank record, but then added sharply: “Without proof of Yagura’s death, your mission is only temporarily concluded—not completed. Itachi have no objection, do Itachi?”

“Temporarily concluded” is a special classification.

For example, the legendary “White Fang of Konoha,” Shibi Aburame, had a rule among other villages: encountering him didn’t count as mission failure.

Yet such missions could never be marked as completed, leading to the unique status of “temporarily concluded.”

Besides encountering overwhelming enemies with explicit rules allowing mission abandonment, another case is when circumstances force a mission to be halted mid-execution.

Some missions, once paused, can never be resumed—these are also marked as “temporarily concluded.”

Temporarily concluded missions may still receive rewards and promotions depending on circumstances.

But given Konoha’s high command’s hostility and suspicion toward the Uchiha, Luo Fu’s temporarily concluded mission will simply be buried—no reward, no promotion.

After a long, meaningful look at Hiruzen, Luo Fu nodded. “It’s meaningless.”

“Good!” Hiruzen said, as if he’d finally outmaneuvered Luo Fu. “Since Itachi eliminated four of the Seven Swordsmen, we’ll credit Itachi with one completed S-rank mission.”

“Thank Itachi, Third Hokage.”

“Wait,” Hiruzen waved his hand. “Since fighting the Seven Swordsmen wasn’t part of your original mission, Itachi must surrender the spoils. Don’t misunderstand—we won’t keep the swords. For peace, we’ll return them to Kirigakure!”

Luo Fu nearly laughed aloud at Hiruzen’s sheer audacity.

What kind of ridiculous excuse is this? Does that mean spontaneous encounters in the ninja world don’t count?

After regaining his past memories, Luo Fu knew Hiruzen and the Konoha F4 were accustomed to appeasement.

But previously, lacking the power to object, and since appeasement hadn’t directly harmed him, he simply pretended not to notice.

Now, Hiruzen thinks he can simply invoke “peace” to force Luo Fu to surrender four swords for free—he’s dreaming.

“Third Hokage, Itachi’re saying I should surrender my spoils without compensation, correct?” Luo Fu countered sharply.

“I said don’t misunderstand,” Hiruzen frowned. “Konoha suffered heavy losses in this war—we can’t endure more. To secure peace with Kirigakure, surrendering these four swords is for the village’s sake.”

Luo Fu remained unmoved. “So I’m supposed to surrender my spoils without compensation, correct?”

“Insolent!” Danzo slammed his fist on the table. “Don’t forget Itachi’re a Konoha ninja! Are Itachi willing to sacrifice more lives just to protect your personal gain?”

“Cough, cough…” Minato cleared his throat. “I understand the elders’ intentions for peace, but demanding Luo Fu hand over four swords outright is inappropriate. How about this: each sword counts as one S-rank mission credit?”

Before he finished, Danzo cut him off rudely: “No! Four swords may be precious to Kirigakure, but to Konoha, they’re worth less than one S-rank mission, let alone four!”

“Then what’s your suggestion, Danzo?” Minato’s face darkened as he glared at Danzo.

“As a ninja, sacrificing for the village is natural! How dare Itachi bargain with the village for personal gain? Is your will of fire meant to drag the entire village into war for your selfish interests?” Danzo grew increasingly agitated, bordering on rage.

“So Danzo, Itachi mean that simply invoking ‘for the village’ justifies stripping any ninja of everything?” Luo Fu smirked. “I risked my life to kill four Swordsmen, yet Itachi call that natural?”

“How dare Itachi!” Danzo glared at Luo Fu. “Are Itachi questioning me? Itachi’re truly an evil Uchiha.”

“Enough!” Minato finally snapped. “If peace and the village require Uchiha Luo Fu to surrender four swords, then as Hokage, I must compensate him appropriately for his sacrifice!”

“What about the Will of Fire? Are we now only concerned with profit, abandoning the Will of Fire?”

Minato took a deep breath, suppressing his fury. “Danzo, the Will of Fire doesn’t apply here. Otherwise, will we one day refuse to pay ninja stipends just by shouting ‘for the village’ and ‘for the Will of Fire’?”

“Enough, stop arguing,” Hiruzen interjected. “Minato, don’t misunderstand—Danzo didn’t mean it that way. Even the Will of Fire must not harm ninja compensation.”

With clear displeasure, Hiruzen turned to Luo Fu. “Luo Fu, what compensation would Itachi demand from the village in exchange for these four swords? I know they’re your spoils, but for the village’s sake, I hope Itachi’ll make some sacrifice. Though I’m no longer Hokage, I remain Hokage Advisor and elder—I won’t steal your spoils!”

Before Luo Fu could answer,

Uchiha Fugaku’s voice rang clearly through the Hokage’s office door.

“Thank Itachi, Elder Sarutobi, but no need. As a ninja, sacrificing for the village is only natural!”

The door swung open, and Uchiha Fugaku strode into the office.

After bowing respectfully to Minato and the Konoha F4, he turned to Luo Fu. “Luo Fu, as an Uchiha, are Itachi willing to abandon the clan’s honor? Hand the four swords over to the village. If Itachi have any demands, as clan head, I’ll fulfill them.”

Fugaku’s move was so astonishing, it left Luo Fu genuinely stunned.

Even Luo Fu couldn’t help thinking: the Uchiha’s annihilation was truly deserved.

With a clan head like this—blindly groveling to Konoha’s elite, utterly lacking moral clarity—even without being killed by Sasuke, the Uchiha’s fate would’ve been just as grim.

Known as the “Evil Eye,” Fugaku was submissive to Konoha’s leadership but maintained his authority within the clan.

This stark duality made Luo Fu suspect Fugaku had been under a genjutsu like Tsukuyomi since long ago—how could a Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan be this weak?

Seeing Luo Fu hesitate, Fugaku frowned. “Luo Fu, don’t Itachi trust your own clan head? Hand the swords over. Whatever Itachi want, I’ll give Itachi as clan head.”

As he spoke, Fugaku added meaningfully: “Just like your chakra blade.”

A flash of cold fury crossed Luo Fu’s eyes.

Fugaku was clearly leveraging the chakra blade as blackmail. Initially, when Luo Fu tricked Fugaku into forging a chakra blade from pure chakra metal, he’d felt a pang of guilt and even considered changing the night of the massacre.

But now, with Fugaku threatening him over that blade, Luo Fu’s remaining emotional ties to the Uchiha had dissolved entirely into cold calculation.

Interest is pure exchange; sentiment is not.

Unfortunately, Fugaku had misjudged Luo Fu completely.

In Luo Fu’s mind, interest and sentiment are utterly separate. Once Fugaku adopted the posture of transaction, all past sentiment vanished.

Moreover, within the Uchiha clan, Luo Fu had received little support due to his mediocre talent.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have targeted Katō Dan’s Spirit Transformation technique—or even considered becoming his disciple.

Before Luo Fu rose to prominence, support would’ve been a lifeline. But now, after he awakened the Mangekyō, any attempt at recruitment is merely icing on the cake.

The Uchiha missed their only chance to offer true support.

Though Fugaku sacrificed heavily to forge Luo Fu a chakra blade after learning of his Mangekyō, to Luo Fu—who possesses a shared space—it’s no longer valuable.

Put bluntly, with his abilities, even a regular sword or kunai would serve him just as well.

Ultimately, Luo Fu’s power doesn’t come from the chakra blade—it stems from the abilities he shares with the Demon Luo Fu.

His near-immortal demon body, transformed by chakra into the astonishing Star Breathing technique.

For Luo Fu, a mere chakra blade is utterly dispensable.

Having it is nice; not having it merely makes his combat efficiency slightly less convenient.

Fugaku, believing he’d made a great sacrifice by crafting a chakra blade, thinks he can control Luo Fu—he knows nothing about him.

From the start, Luo Fu was never brainwashed by hollow, hypocritical ideals of the Will of Fire. His earlier compliance was merely due to lacking the power to defy them.

When an ordinary person suddenly gains immense power,

on day one, they become a righteous superhero; on day two, they become a self-centered patriot; by day three, they stop eating beef.

Because of the cultivation methods from the outsider Luo Fu—methods for refining the heart—Luo Fu’s true nature was unbound; he felt little affection or attachment to the Hidden Leaf, and such a dark, decaying, filthy village did not deserve to have Luo Fu as its guardian.

But neither would Luo Fu choose the path of pure malice and moral decay embodied by Bu Chieniu.

Thus, a true countryman—unbound in nature, neither good nor evil, acting solely according to his own will—became Luo Fu’s first choice.

Had he awakened his past-life memories before witnessing the darkness of the ninja world, Luo Fu’s ideals might have leaned toward becoming a justice hero.

But without the heart-refining and nature-cultivating methods brought by the outsider Luo Fu, he who suddenly gained immense power within the shared space would inevitably sink bit by bit into the realm of Bu Chieniu’s malevolence.

Having witnessed the darkness of the ninja world, Luo Fu believed becoming a countryman was his true path.

It was not that the countryman’s unbound, malicious nature was what Luo Fu sought; quite the opposite—the countryman’s state of unashamedly embracing inner desires without sinking into absolute evil was the best way to navigate the ninja world.

Luo Fu cast a long, deep look at Uchiha Fuyaku, and in his heart he sighed: a clan leader who could not even protect his own kin, who resorted to profit-driven exchanges to achieve his goals—Uchiha deserved annihilation.

Ultimately, it was the ninja of this world themselves who had serious mental flaws.

“Since Brother Fuyaku says so, then fine!” Luo Fu’s solemn expression suddenly transformed into a brilliant smile.

Aside from Minato Namikaze, seated on the Hokage’s chair, who suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of dread, everyone else breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Their manipulation of Luo Fu was merely instinctual: one reason was his Uchiha lineage, and the other was how rapidly his power had grown—so fast it left the Leaf F4 feeling unable to control or even balance him.

This deliberate provocation of Luo Fu's bottom line was more like a loyalty test.

Though the path had been winding, since Luo Fu had compromised after Uchiha Fuyaku’s appearance, it meant that controlling Luo Fu was not impossible.

Unfortunately, though Minato Namikaze had a gut feeling of dread, no one imagined that this loyalty test had caused Luo Fu to sever, once and for all, the last shred of emotional bond between himself and the Hidden Leaf.

Under the watchful eyes of the Leaf F4, Uchiha Fuyaku, and Minato Namikaze,

Luo Fu casually pulled out four sealed scrolls.

“These four sealed scrolls are the four ninja swords.”

Luo Fu had no intention of handing them over to the village; he placed them directly before Uchiha Fuyaku.

Uchiha Fuyaku, unaware that this gesture signified the end of any emotional ties between Luo Fu and the Uchiha clan—leaving only cold transactions—smiled foolishly as he accepted the four scrolls.

He then respectfully carried them to the Third Hokage and said, “Elder Sarutobi, these four swords are entrusted to Itachi. May their return to the Hidden Mist Village bring peace to our own.”

At that moment, Luo Fu was truly speechless.

In his view, Uchiha Fuyaku was beyond mere stupidity.

The legitimate Fourth Hokage sat right behind the Hokage’s desk, yet Uchiha Fuyaku, in this humble setting, chose to present the four swords to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Did Uchiha Fuyaku truly not understand the principle that when the emperor changes, so do his ministers? Minato Namikaze was the true Hokage now.

Especially since Minato Namikaze was isolated and weak—instead of offering timely support, Fuyaku acted like a sycophant, kissing Sarutobi Hiruzen’s ass. Wasn’t this a direct slap in Minato’s face?

At that moment, Luo Fu sighed again: to have such a clan leader—Uchiha’s annihilation was entirely deserved.

As Uchiha clan leader, he didn’t even understand the most basic principle of choosing sides. His flattery toward the Leaf F4, who harbored deep hostility toward the Uchiha, would achieve nothing.

No one would think he acted out of nostalgia; quite the opposite—in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind, Fuyaku’s actions might appear as mockery: a deliberate humiliation of the fallen Hokage before the eyes of the new one, even an attempt to sow discord between Sarutobi and Minato.

His intentions were murderous.

On the seemingly gloomy face of Danzo Shimura, a faint twitch passed, then he regarded Minato Namikaze and Sarutobi Hiruzen with a sly smile.

Minato Namikaze wore a smile on his face, but careful observation revealed his awkwardness.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, without taking the sealed scrolls from Uchiha Fuyaku, frowned as he smoked his pipe and said to Minato, “Namikaze, Itachi are the Hokage now. These four swords are yours. Quickly negotiate a peace treaty with the Hidden Mist—the village can barely hold on.”

“Rest assured, Third Hokage, I will,” Minato Namikaze forced a smile.

Luo Fu nearly laughed out loud at this awkward scene.

How fascinating!! Absolutely fascinating!!

He had just witnessed such a bizarre drama in the Hokage’s office.

Because of Uchiha Fuyaku’s idiotic actions, the atmosphere between the Fourth Hokage and the Leaf F4 instantly turned awkward.

One had to admit: had Luo Fu not known Fuyaku was truly an idiot, even he, having witnessed everything, might have suspected Fuyaku was a pure troublemaker.

Deliberately bowing respectfully to the Third Hokage before the Fourth’s eyes, and presenting the four sealed scrolls containing the ninja swords directly to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

This man’s actions showed utter contempt for the Leaf F4 and trampled the Fourth Hokage’s dignity underfoot.

“Fuyaku!” Mizumon En cautiously glanced at his companions and Minato Namikaze before speaking: “We will re-evaluate Luo Fu’s mission records. For now, please take Luo Fu back to your quarters. He has just returned; he may rest for a while.”

“Yes!” Uchiha Fuyaku, like a loyal dog, bowed deeply to the Leaf F4 and Minato Namikaze before leaving the Hokage’s office with Luo Fu.

The Leaf F4’s perception of Uchiha Fuyaku would only change after the betrayals of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Sasuke.

At the very least, Luo Fu himself would never, even if placed in the position of the Leaf’s high command, believe Fuyaku truly revered the leadership or was loyal to them.

His actions and intentions were completely opposite: inwardly hoping the Uchiha would be accepted by the village, yet his behavior resembled nothing more than exploiting his Uchiha lineage to recklessly stir conflict among the leadership.

Even though Luo Fu, due to his status and power, had never witnessed Fuyaku’s antics before, he could imagine such behavior—clearly designed to provoke suspicion of manipulation—had occurred far more than once.

After all, the Uchiha were a renowned clan, a powerful lineage with a thousand years of heritage; surely the Leaf should have had at least a few allied clans.

Even Qin Hui had three close friends—but what of the Uchiha? Though normally, after graduation, most Uchiha joined the Police Force rather than the Hokage’s direct command, the ninja world had endured three great wars in just decades.

Each war, due to differing mission needs, required cooperation among clans.

For instance, Uchiha Obito’s team included Kiba Hatake of the Hatake clan and Yamanaka Rin.

Without Uchiha Fuyaku’s blunders, the bonds forged among comrades alone would have earned the Uchiha some goodwill from other clans.

At the very least, when oppressed, someone might have spoken up for them.

But the Uchiha had no one at all—this was the kind of bond forged in life-and-death trials.

Under such circumstances, for the Uchiha to be utterly despised by the entire village—Uchiha Fuyaku, as clan leader, was entirely to blame.

Leaving the Hokage Tower,

Soon, Luo Fu and Uchiha Fuyaku arrived at the current Uchiha clan compound.

Before the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha compound had not been in the village’s corner; quite the opposite—as founding elders of the Hidden Leaf, their compound lay at the village’s core, barely a short distance from the Hokage Tower.

Upon returning to the clan compound, Uchiha Fuyaku immediately brought Luo Fu to his home.

“Luo Fu, Itachi were far too impulsive today,”

Seeing a guest, Uchiha Miki, the clan leader’s wife, kindly brought two cups of hot tea and several plates of tea snacks for Luo Fu and Uchiha Fuyaku.

One had to admit: Uchiha Miki was a rare virtuous wife and devoted mother—gentle, charming, and flawless in appearance; at the very least, she perfectly matched Luo Fu’s tastes.

Having resolved to become a countryman, Luo Fu would never suppress his inner desires.

Of course, with the heart-refining and nature-cultivating methods brought by the outsider Luo Fu, he would not sink into desire and become a pervert like Bu Chieniu.

At least for now, his feelings toward Uchiha Miki were merely admiration for a beautiful woman—he had no thoughts of becoming Cao Cao.

As for the future, that would depend on Uchiha Fuyaku’s next antics.

“What does the clan leader mean?” Luo Fu feigned confusion.

Unaware, however, that Uchiha Miki had sharply noticed the glance Luo Fu cast over her body; her cheeks flushed slightly, and she developed a slight aversion toward him.

Uchiha Fuyaku felt nothing of this. In his own home, this trusted younger cousin—whom he had even gone so far as to forge weapons from pure chakra metal to win over—had already set his sights on his wife.

Frowning, Uchiha Fuyaku feigned displeasure: “Luo Fu, didn’t I already tell Itachi? Itachi don’t need to be so formal. In private, just call me Brother Fuyaku.”

“Alright, Brother Fuyaku,” Luo Fu smiled slightly, as if flattered, then turned to Uchiha Miki: “Sister Miki!”

Uchiha Miki felt as if she’d swallowed a fly. She forced a stiff smile at Luo Fu.

After nodding to Luo Fu, Uchiha Miki gently caressed her visibly swollen abdomen and said, “Darling, I’m not feeling well. Itachi and… Itachi and Luo Fu talk for a while.”

Uchiha Fuyaku unconsciously showed a flicker of concern, yet still maintained his clan leader’s dignity, nodding: “Be careful. If Itachi’re unwell, I’ll take Itachi to the hospital later.”

“No need for such trouble—I’ll just rest,” Uchiha Miki said. Her “unwellness” was merely an excuse to avoid being alone with Luo Fu.

Luo Fu, however, chimed in: “Brother Fuyaku, Itachi’re our Uchiha clan leader, and to me Itachi’re like a brother. Since Itachi’re so busy, why don’t I accompany Sister Miki to the hospital?”

Uchiha Miki instinctively opened her mouth to refuse.

But Uchiha Fuyaku’s eyes lit up.

He was eager to win over this younger cousin who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Though he constantly made blunders, one had to admit: in terms of understanding, Fuyaku was correct.

True, stable relationships were not based on pure transactions, but on emotional bonds.

This was the Hokage faction’s specialty; having absorbed it by osmosis, Fuyaku knew how to do it—unfortunately, he always applied correct methods in the wrong contexts.

For instance, earlier in the Hokage Tower, had Minato Namikaze not been present, Fuyaku’s gesture of presenting the sealed scrolls to the retired Third Hokage might have earned him a sliver of goodwill from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

(End of Chapter)