The Hokage, having traveled here, of course he'd unify the ninja world!

Chapter 433 Germination

Konoha Training Ground.

"You saw your senior sister and didn't even greet her? Sasuke, that's so disrespectful!"

Karin, hands on her hips, scolded Sasuke.

Sasuke was so angry his face turned blue, but he just couldn't bring himself to call out.

"Karin, you..."

"Call me Senior Sister!"

"Sasuke is a man of his word! And you've already changed your mind so quickly!?"

Sasuke's face was very ugly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally steeled himself and spoke:

"Senior Sister! When is Master coming?"

Karin raised her head, extremely proud!

She patted Sasuke's shoulder in an old-fashioned manner:

"Junior brother, Master told us to come and wait, so we must be patient and not be impatient, understand?"

Sasuke shrugged, his face full of frustration.

Hinata, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Naruto laughed heartily: "Karin is older than you, Sasuke, what's wrong with you calling her 'senior sister'?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes; Naruto had no idea how he felt.

Why are you holding Hinata's hand the whole time?

Sasuke pointed to Naruto and Hinata's hands; it turned out the two had been holding hands the whole time.

As soon as he spoke, Hinata's face turned red instantly, and she panicked, wanting to let go of Naruto's hand.

But Naruto grabbed it tightly.

He remembered what Chiyo had said: Hinata's first attempt to let go wasn't really about letting go.

As expected, after Naruto gripped Hinata's hand tightly, Hinata stopped struggling.

Those who resigned themselves to their fate turned their heads away, while those who blushed remained silent.

They're teammates anyway, so what if they saw it? It's Naruto who won't let go.

"Hmph, I'm willing, it's none of your business, hehehe."

Naruto made a smug face at Sasuke.

Although he's a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to matters of the heart, he listens to Qianyao very well.

With his recent companionship and holding her hand, Hinata's mood has visibly improved.

Moreover, when Naruto holds Hinata's hand, he feels a vague sense of joy.

This was a feeling he had never experienced before.

He liked it very much.

Naruto was happy to use Chiyo's orders as a mandate, since Hinata was willing and so was he.

At this point, Sasuke didn't know whether Naruto had finally figured things out or was just pretending not to.

Sasuke, frustrated by the lack of answers and misunderstandings, could only sulk.

The strong are always lonely, yeah.

Sasuke could only console himself with this thought.

"Master has arrived!" Karin suddenly exclaimed.

While Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata were still looking around, Karin had already accurately looked in the direction of Chiyo.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw Chiyo approaching.

"Karin, your perception is even farther than the Byakugan?"

"Hehe, I'm awesome, right?"

Karin was quite proud of her useful skills.

After all, even the master praised him.

Sasuke felt a bit bitter. Whether it was combat strength, functionality, chakra, or Karin, Karin completely overwhelmed Sasuke.

Keep in mind that they are the same age, or even classmates.

Sasuke, being a strong-willed individual, was naturally somewhat sullen.

"What's wrong? You seem downcast."

As soon as Chiyo arrived, he noticed Sasuke's low mood.

"Nothing. Master, what is our mission this time?"

Sasuke was embarrassed to say that it was because he was not as strong as Karin, and that Naruto was also getting along very well with Hinata.

Chiyo's gaze shifted left and right, glancing at Karin, who looked smug, and then at Naruto and Hinata holding hands.

She probably understood Sasuke's feelings.

Hinata noticed Chiyo's gaze shifting towards her and tried to release Naruto's hand.

Instead, Naruto gripped Hinata's hand tightly and then raised it up.

It means, Hokage, look, I'm holding Hinata's hand properly.

Hinata's face was completely flushed, as if it were steaming.

Naruto, however, seemed to be trying to take credit.

Chiyo closed his eyes briefly and nodded at Naruto, indicating that he had seen it.

Then they didn't mention it at all, lest Hinata actually faint.

"Our mission this time is..."

"Lord Hokage..." Inuichi's voice suddenly echoed in Chiyo's mind.

He paused for a moment before remembering that Konoha Village had already set up a teleportation array.

This is the voice of Yamanaka Inoichi.

"What is it?" Qian Yao wondered to himself.

"Kimimaro's squad is back, but Kimimaro must be seriously injured."

Qian Yao's expression hardened: "I'll go take a look right away."

Karin and the others were still waiting for Chiyo's reply when they noticed that Chiyo had suddenly stopped moving.

A moment later, Qianyao instructed, "This mission is in a small border country. You go ahead first. I have some things to attend to and will catch up with you later."

"This is a mission scroll."

As Qianyao spoke, he stuffed the mission scroll into Karin's hand, making it clear that Karin would lead the team.

Then Qianyao's figure quickly disappeared.

Karin sensed that Chiyo was leaving very quickly and was slightly puzzled as to what was in such a hurry.

However, now that Chiyo is the Hokage, he does get into trouble quite often.

Karin shook her head. This time she was leading the team herself, so she had to perform well!

She opened the scroll and began to browse.

"Alright! Let me see the mission!"

"This mission is to eliminate a criminal syndicate in a small country."

"With our strength, it's more than enough, but the round trip takes a long time, and with the mission time, it will take one to one and a half months."

"Everyone should be prepared to sleep outdoors for extended periods."

"Check your equipment and supplies now. Assemble at the East Gate in half an hour!"

Karin recited out all the necessary information in a very professional manner.

Once they were on the mission, the three of them proved to be quite reliable, and they discussed what each of them should bring.

Then they all dispersed to go back and prepare.

……

Orochimaru's laboratory.

Kimimaro was already unconscious when he was brought back.

"...After using the Dance of the Early Fern, he vomited blood and fell into a coma. He was not injured before."

"After drinking a small amount of the water of life, the vomiting of blood worsened."

Haku quickly explained the situation to Orochimaru, adding:

"This must be what Lord Senyou mentioned, Kimimaro's bloodline disease."

While listening, Orochimaru quickly placed Kimimaro on the bed and plugged in various testing devices.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. You can go now. We'll call you if anything happens."

Orochimaru waved his hand, dismissing them.

Bai could only get in the way here, so he had no choice but to leave.

He had just walked out when he ran into Qian Yao coming in.

"Lord Senyou, Kimimaro's bloodline disease has flared up, and Lord Orochimaru is currently conducting examinations."

Although he was very worried about Kimimaro, Haku calmly and quickly reported the situation.

Chiyo knew that Haku and Kimimaro had a good relationship, so he gently patted Haku's head.

"Don't worry, Orochimaru is here and Tsunade is here too, Kimimaro will be fine."

"I already told Orochimaru about Kimimaro's bloodline disease; this is just a matter of time."

"I understand, Lord Qianyao." Hearing Qianyao's words, Bai felt a little better.

"I'll call you if I need anything. You can go now."

"Yes."

……