Living Seal

The next two days passed peacefully.

There was nothing going on in the village. The Lord Hokage Senju Clan was peaceful and quiet. Nawaki had left the village again to take care of his clansmen who were training in Wood Release elsewhere. Tsunade continued to immerse herself in medical research at the hospital, practically living there.

Tsunade was obsessed with the study of Medical Ninjutsu; Jiraiya refused Jiraiya's invitation to gamble.

Jiraiya was so frightened that his eyes widened. He rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if Tsunade was some bastard using Transformation Jutsu to play a trick on him.

Then, Tsunade punched him, sending him flying through the window and crashing headfirst into a large tree next to the hospital wall.

However, he didn't take it to heart and instead left leisurely, taking his two disciples Yahiko and Konan, for a stroll in the village. The three of them relaxed together, gradually easing their grief. Time is the best medicine to heal all wounds.

After rushing back from outside, Fugaku met with the Lord Hokage privately once more. When he left the Hokage Building, he still had a stern face, showing no emotion, but his steps were much heavier.

Although Taiseki was thrown in, the lake of Konoha did not ripple much.

The matter of Madara Uchiha is only kept in the hearts of a few people; it's not the right time to talk about it yet. Some things are best left unsaid for now.

So.

Konoha remained peaceful and tranquil, with people walking shoulder to shoulder in the streets and alleys.

The headquarters of the Anbu.

Katsuki sat at her desk, frowning as she made a 'living seal'. Her large seal kept stamping, and a box of bright red ink was emptied in no time.

The Anbu Chief has a lot on his plate!

Even with the dedicated help of Hiruzen's eldest son, a learned and capable deputy, Katsuki still accumulated a mountain of official duties that required his personal attention after a period of carefree living.

"Alas! The good days are over! These days are truly unbearable..."

With its right hand constantly stamping documents and its left hand switching between them, the six clones reviewed each document and report, only handing them over to the main body for stamping after confirming they were correct.

"Lord Commander, these are also matters that require your personal attention."

Hiruzen's eldest son, carrying a large stack of documents, kicked open the door with his toes and sauntered in.

"What?! Again?"

"No way?"

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

Before the real Katsuki behind the table could speak, the Shadow Clone who were helping with the work started wailing, each one looking mournful and wilted like eggplants after a frost!

The Shadow Clone and the original body have the same personality. Apart from knowing that they are clones, they are no different in any other way. However, once the Shadow Clone are separated, their interactions and actions differ, and their reactions are also different. For example, now, although the clones are complaining, their behaviors are all different.

"Please rest assured, Lord Commander, this is the last one. Once these are taken care of, there are no other important matters to bother you for the time being." Hiruzen's eldest son smiled and gently placed the document on the table.

"Qinghai, thank you for your hard work."

"You flatter me. This is all I can do." Hiruzen's eldest son smiled, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes.

As the eldest son of the Third Hokage, he was once full of ambition and dreamed of becoming a master like his father and making a name for himself in the Shinobi World.

However, things in this world rarely go as planned, and dreams are ultimately just like flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water—desirable but unattainable. His talent is limited, and no matter how hard he practices, he can never reach the top level.

Disheartened, he simply took up clerical work.

Seeing Hiruzen's eldest son still standing at the table, Katsuki put down the seal and looked at his capable deputy with a puzzled expression.

"Qinghai, is there anything else?"

"Sir, um... I've heard people say the Anbu is going to be reorganized, is that true?"

After much hesitation, Hiruzen's eldest son finally asked the question.

"I thought something big had happened, just for this?" Katsuki shook his head. "That's right, the Anbu needs some changes. I talked to the Lord Hokage yesterday. The Anbu is too bloated right now, it's time to lighten the load. We're going to redefine their responsibilities and transfer some people to Root."

"The Root? Should the Root be expanded?"

Hiruzen's eldest son's eyes widened.

"Yes, the Lord Hokage's idea is for Minato to be the one to set up the Minato, while we Anbu fill the gaps. Root will then be part of the Root, with only Root and Anbu," Katsuki said with a smile.

He wholeheartedly supported this matter. It was truly gratifying that Danzo Minato Danzo one to stay put, and now that Minato had completely severed Danzo's foundation, there was no need to worry about that old man causing trouble anymore.

As for reforming the Anbu, Katsuki had long harbored this idea, and now with the Hokage's support, it was only a matter of going with the flow.

As for transferring the power of the Anbu to the Root, he didn't care; less trouble would actually make things easier for him.

"Knock knock!"

"Come in."

With Katsuki's permission, the Hokage's direct Anbu from the Anbu pushed open the door and entered. Hiruzen's eldest son stepped aside a few paces to make room.

"Lord Katsuki, the Lord Hokage requests your presence for a meeting."

The Anbu treated Hiruzen's eldest son was standing to the side, as if he were invisible, merely conveying Orochimaru's orders, and bowed respectfully.

"I understand, I'll be right there." Katsuki nodded casually and waved away the ANBU Anbu.

The door creaked shut.

"Qinghai, since you asked about it today, you might as well come with me. The Anbu is undergoing reforms. How should it be reformed? What should it look like? I need someone to help me with some advice. Talking with the Lord Hokage yesterday left me dizzy. I honestly feel like I have no talent in this area."

Katsuki patted the table, inviting Hiruzen's eldest son to join him.

"Can I go? The Lord Hokage only wants to see you..."

"Alright, stop dawdling. You know Orochimaru, and even if you're not familiar with Minato, you've probably seen him. Let's go together. No one will blame you. Even if someone says something bad, I can take the blame for you. Just go." Without waiting for a reply, Katsuki pulled Hiruzen's eldest son along.

Before leaving, Katsuki summoned another Shadow Clone, picked up the seal on the table, and continued working. The sound of stamping could be heard even through the door.

"Let's go, let's go. Hopefully, by the time we get back, the work here will be finished."

Leave the Root Base and choose the shortest route to get to the Hokage Building as quickly as possible.

To accommodate Hiruzen's eldest son's speed, Katsuki didn't disappear in a flash on Lightning Flash Turn, but followed Hiruzen's eldest son as if taking a leisurely stroll.

Soon, the Hokage Building came into view.