Yoruha looked at Shizune and Tsunade, who were both wearing expressions of curiosity and gossip, feeling a bit helpless. He knew that explaining further would only make them more convinced that he had some sort of relationship with Yugito Nii. "But now she's been captured by the Akatsuki. They're definitely going to extract the Tailed Beast from her, so she's probably already dead."
Tsunade thought for a moment, then looked up at Yoruha. "You say you have nothing to do with her, yet you know her. Why don't you go to the Hidden Cloud Village for the rescue mission this time?" Yoruha was taken aback. "Me, go to rescue the Hidden Cloud Village?"
Tsunade nodded. "Although we've had some conflicts with the Hidden Cloud Village before, those have been resolved. Besides, with Orochimaru summoning the First Hokage, we in the Leaf Village are in no position to argue. Also, I hope you can rescue Yugito Nii. She's a nice girl, and if something develops between you two, I'd be quite pleased." Yoruha remained silent.
Tsunade assumed Yoruha's silence was agreement. She became even more convinced that Yoruha had a connection with Yugito Nii. The two had met three years ago, and it seemed Yoruha had a liking for older women.
Who knows what happened between them three years ago? Of course, Tsunade didn't think too much of it, considering Yoruha was only 12 back then. Yoruha's silence was because he didn't want to explain; the more he explained, the more Tsunade would misunderstand.
Yet, he didn't realize that by not explaining, Tsunade's imagination ran wild. Tsunade was very concerned about Yoruha's future, but she didn't mind whether he married someone from the village or outside. Given Yoruha's current strength, it didn't matter if the girl was from inside or outside the village.
Tsunade's only worry was that Yoruha might not like women, which was her biggest concern. Now that she saw Yoruha did like women, it was a relief. Tsunade looked at Yoruha and said, "Yoruha, I'm assigning you an S-rank mission to assist the Hidden Cloud Village in rescuing their Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
Yoruha didn't refuse. To him, it was just a chance to travel and earn some extra money. Seeing Yoruha agree without hesitation, Tsunade was even more convinced that Yoruha liked Yugito Nii. Yoruha wasn't aware of Tsunade's thoughts.
Of course, if he wanted to know, he could simply extend his senses. With his current abilities, he could know the thoughts of every living being on the planet. But Yoruha wouldn't do such a thing, nor did he want to.
Privacy is a very personal matter, and he didn't want to invade others' minds. Yoruha himself didn't want anyone invading his mind either. After taking the mission order signed by Tsunade, Yoruha disappeared from the Hokage's office.
After Yoruha vanished, Tsunade leaned back in her chair, smiling as she mused, "I didn't expect this kid to like that kind of woman. No wonder he has no interest in Tanako Hon or Ino Yamanaka. Yugito Nii, not bad, she's got some character." Tsunade had met Yugito Nii a few times during her travels in the ninja world.
She thought Yugito Nii was very beautiful, with a great figure, and most importantly, she had a head of flowing blonde hair.
Based on several missions, Yugito Nii is quite impressive. Tsunade has already considered Yugito Nii as Yoruha's future wife. This role is extremely important, not at all inferior to the wife of the Hokage, and perhaps even more significant due to Yoruha's unique status.
Precisely because of Yoruha's formidable strength, Tsunade doesn't mind whether his future wife is from the Leaf Village or not. After receiving Tsunade's signed order, Yoruha appeared at the gates of the Hidden Cloud Village. Looking at the rugged village entrance, Yoruha nodded, "As expected, it matches their personality, quite bold indeed."
It was also evident that the Hidden Cloud Village was wealthy; the words "Hidden Cloud Village" were painted in gold. Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Leaf Village isn't the richest. In terms of wealth, the Hidden Cloud Village is the richest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, while the Leaf Village and the Hidden Stone Village are on the same level.
Despite the Hidden Cloud Village seeming to have many brutes, as if they wouldn't develop their economy, the Land of Lightning, where the Hidden Cloud Village is located, is the wealthiest among the Five Great Nations, naturally providing ample funding to the Hidden Cloud Village. Yoruha's sudden appearance aroused the vigilance of the Hidden Cloud Village's gate guards. "Who are you? Please state your identity."
Although they were wary of Yoruha, the gate-guarding ninja did not attack him. If he wasn't an enemy, wouldn't that be a misunderstanding? Watching the burly men walking towards him, with their tanned skin and muscular builds full of power, Yoruha, standing before them, seemed somewhat pale in comparison. Even though Yoruha wasn't particularly fair-skinned, he appeared almost glowing white next to them.
Yoruha took out the signed order from Tsunade and said, "The Hokage sent me to resolve your village's problem." The two Hidden Cloud Village ninjas cautiously glanced at Tsunade's signed order and widened their eyes. They immediately apologized, "Sorry, Mr. Yoruha, I'll take you to see Lord Raikage."
The reason the two Hidden Cloud Village ninjas were so respectful was that they had witnessed firsthand how terrifying Hashirama was. The entire strength of the Hidden Cloud Village had been deployed at the time, but the ninjas who were always considered very powerful seemed like three-year-olds in front of the First Hokage. They had no fighting chance, and fortunately, the First Hokage's goal was to capture the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
If he had truly intended to destroy the Hidden Cloud Village, no one at that time could have stopped him. At that moment, these later generations finally understood how terrifying the legendary God of Shinobi was. It was unimaginable how their ancestors from the Hidden Cloud Village had contended with such a ninja decades ago. At that moment, they were immensely grateful for the human flaw of mortality, that no matter how powerful a human is, their lifespan is limited.
Even such a powerful First Hokage died in his fifties, even earlier than most people, sparing them from facing such a formidable ninja. After entering the Hidden Cloud Village, Yoruha saw several mountains opposite the village that had been shattered.
"Those mountains must have been affected by the battle back then, right?" Yoruha asked. The ninja escorting Yoruha to see the Raikage looked at the flattened peaks and smiled wryly, "Yes, the battle was too intense back then. Your village's First Hokage was incredibly strong."
The ninja answering Yoruha spoke of the First Hokage with awe in his eyes. The impression Hashirama left on them a few days ago was too profound. They now realized how terrifying the God of Shinobi was, not something that could be fully described with just a few lines in a history book.