"Minato, what do you want with me? And just so we're clear, don't ask me to go on some mission or anything. You know my strength is terrible."
It was high noon, and Julian had been hoping to take a nice nap.
In this shinobi world without the internet, there was no TikTok, no Pokémon Glory, or anything like that to play.
Sure, he had handheld game consoles, but he'd long grown tired of those too.
So the only way Julian could pass the time... was by sleeping.
And yet, before he could even lie down, an ANBU showed up at his door with a single sentence: "Hokage-sama requests your presence."
Looking at Minato, who was already the Hokage yet still worked himself like a dog every single day, Julian truly had no idea what the point of being a Hokage even was.
He was already the village chief. Couldn't he just find a smart person to handle all those documents?
Being a hands-off boss was clearly something Julian excelled at much more.
Thinking along these lines, Julian's mind couldn't help but think of Ella.
'Hmm, it's probably been almost fifty years since we last met. She's likely long since gotten married by now.'
Lost in his wandering thoughts, Julian failed to notice that Minato had already put down the paperwork in his hands.
Just as Minato was about to speak, he noticed Julian's obviously absent-minded expression.
He was left rather speechless.
'You were talking to me just a few seconds ago. How did you start daydreaming already?'
"Julian, e back to us."
Minato rapped his knuckles on the desk, though it clearly didn't do anything to pull Julian's spirit back.
"Gen~"
Just as Minato was about to call out to Julian again, a white Gengar emerged from Julian's shadow.
The moment he saw Julian's Summoned Beast, Minato's pupils suddenly contracted.
Very few things could make the Fourth Hokage this wary.
And this wasn't Minato's first time seeing Gengar.
The first time he saw Gengar was when Sunagakure had sent people to assassinate Julian.
The result, of course, was failure.
And the price Sunagakure paid for that failure was thousands of shinobis at the front lines dying in a single night—each and every one of them strangling themselves to death with their own hands.
Such a horrifying and inexplicable scene of death had forced Sunagakure to withdraw from the Third Great Ninja War and humiliatingly seek peace with Konoha.
And Julian, the instigator behind it all, joyfully received the moniker "White Demon."
After all, Gengar was white.
This title Julian earned in the shinobi world made quite a few of his Pokémon jealous.
Why did Gengar get all the attention?
Arcanine: "Wouldn't 'Mad Dog' work just fine?"
Moltres: "How about 'Flame Bird'? That's good too."
Steelix: "'Big Stick' isn't a bad option either."
Julian: "Get lost, all of you."
That had been Gengar's first appearance, and it had left an extremely deep impression on Minato.
Moreover, Minato had the distinct feeling that if this Gengar wanted to kill him, it would be effortless.
Or rather...
Any one of Julian's Summoned Beasts could easily kill him—the Fourth Hokage and the Yellow Flash of the Shinobi World.
Of course, if it were Pokémon like Aggron, Tyranitar, or Steelix, he could at least stick to the principle of 'if I can't win, I'll run.
"Gen~"
Gengar winked at Minato before giving Julian an exaggerated lick.
The still daydreaming Julian immediately felt a numbing sensation shoot from his spine all the way to the top of his head.
"Gehehe~"
Gengar covered its mouth and snickered at its paralyzed Trainer.
Shaking uncontrollably, Julian fumbled a Cheri Berry out of his pocket. And after curing the paralysis, he grabbed Gengar, squeezed and kneaded it into a ball, and then—
Crash!
He smashed it through the window and hurled it straight out.
Minato's face darkened.
That's my office window!'
Konoha's finances were already stretched thin—even a mosquito's worth of money was still money.
And even as Hokage, he hadn't been paid in several months.
"Minato, what exactly did you want with me? If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Watching Gengar quickly float back and grin at him again, Julian shot it a vicious glare.
"The graduating class from the Ninja Academy has finished their studies. Any interest in being the leader of a Genin team?" Minato asked.
Julian was someone he had picked up in the forest.
Yeah, that was literally the case.
Upon first arriving in the shinobi world, Julian had gotten pletely lost in a vast forest, and by sheer coincidence, was found by Minato, who was returning from a mission.
A few years later, Minato became the Fourth Hokage, and Julian had also bee a figure who struck terror across the world.
After Julian made a name for himself, every major shinobi village secretly investigated him.
After all, his appearance had been far too sudden.
At first, they thought he was a super-genius secretly cultivated by Konoha.
But the investigation revealed that this guy was actually an unaffiliated powerhouse Minato had just picked up from outside.
That revelation nearly made them cough up blood.
What kind of dumb luck had Konoha stumbled into?
Not only did they keep producing powerhouses one after another, but they could even pick up a man from outside who could easily suppress even the Nine-Tails!
How were the other four great shinobi villages even supposed to survive?
"Nope," Julian shook his head. "I can't even beat you. I'd only end up ruining those kids."
Hearing that, Minato's face immediately darkened.
He wasn't sure if that statement was meant as a pliment or an insult.
Julian truly couldn't beat Minato—even with his Mega Pallet Town physique, Master-level Psychic powers, and Aura abilities.
After arriving in the shinobi world, relying on his Mega Pallet Town physique and Master level abilities, cultivating Chakra had been like a fish taking to water.
In just a few years, Julian had bee a Kage-level powerhouse.
However, whether in terms of bat awareness or raw fighting strength, he still couldn't match Minato.
That said, he was unquestionably a genuine Kage-level expert.
Most importantly... Julian's true trump card had never been himself.
It was the dozen or so Summoned Beasts under his mand, each of them absurdly and unimaginably powerful.
During the recent Nine-Tails Rampage, Minato had thought both he and his wife were done for.
Then Julian's Arcanine struck, severely injuring the Nine-Tails in a single move.
If not for the fear that killing the Nine-Tails would affect Kushina, Minato was convinced the Nine-Tails would've been obliterated on the spot.
"That kid Guy really admires you. Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?"
A certain bowl-cut figure automatically appeared in Julian's mind.
"The one he admires are Lucario and Melmetal."
The corners of Julian's mouth twitched slightly.
After accidentally witnessing a sparring match between Lucario and Melmetal, that kid had started ing over every single day asking to bee their disciple.
On a side note, all of Julian's Pokémon had now bee First-class Legendaries.
And according to Julian's analysis, the mid-to-late stage Champions corresponded to Kage-level experts in the shinobi world.
Peak Champions corresponded to Super Kage-level powerhouses like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
And First-class Legendaries corresponded to Six Paths-level beings, like Six Paths Madara.
But at the peak of First-class Legendary tier, Julian felt they would definitely surpass Six Paths Madara.
As for the Forbidden-class, it was simply another dimension altogether.
Judging purely by the world's power scaling, the Pokémon under Julian's mand were unquestionably stronger than shinobis.
And as things stood, with no Six Paths-level figures around, any random Pokémon in his possession could singlehandedly plow through all five great shinobi villages.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. By the way, I'm going to be away for a while."
"Where are you going?"
Minato quickly asked.
An existence like Julian—if he went to stroll through another village, it would absolutely trigger a diplomatic incident.
Thought the main problem was... Minato had no way of restraining him.
"Home."
"I probably won't be back for a long time. Minato, take care of yourself."
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