Busy

Becoming Hokage is a dream come true for many, but Shuichi currently only has one feeling: busy, extremely busy.

From the second day after he Hokage Position, he moved to the village's assigned housing for the Hokage —a small, dilapidated Villa below the Hokage Rock and next to the Hokage Building.

He still has his luxurious Villa, but he can enjoy it much less often now. Most of the time, he enjoys his top-class residence all by himself, which is incredibly satisfying.

The reason for this is that the Hokage's house involves many secrets of the village, including the entrance to the Anbu Base, the storage of all Ninjutsu and secret techniques, and the switches for various Barrier throughout the village, which must be guarded by the Hokage himself.

At the same time, this position made it convenient for all ninjas to report at any time, and also allowed the Anbu to provide "protection," effectively turning him into a public figure.

The Third Hokage was thus able to return to his clan's territory, where his living conditions were far better than before.

The Hokage is required to lead by example and maintain a simple lifestyle, while no one cares how luxuriously the Ninja Clan build their homes...

After inspecting the entire house and noting down all the important details, Shuichi moved in immediately.

The plans for future internal renovations have to be put on hold for now. He's only just taken office, so he needs to appear as dutiful as possible.

The advantage is that he will be in charge of the Scroll of Seals, and all kinds of secret Ninjutsu will be no secret to him.

The secret files accumulated by Konoha over the years can... or rather, need to be reviewed as soon as possible, and we must have a thorough understanding of all aspects of the intelligence.

Even with his fast thinking speed, it would take him quite a while to process so much information.

More importantly, with the help of the Third Hokage, he gained a comprehensive understanding of the village's operational system.

The first to be affected are the mission system and the economic system, as these are related to the livelihood of all ninjas. Mission quotas are also an important indicator of a village's strength during peacetime.

The Hokage must select the most suitable teams to carry out the corresponding missions and maximize the efficiency of human resources utilization. Therefore, he must have a clear understanding of the information of all active ninjas.

This is the most troublesome problem for the new Hokage. It's like a school principal having to remember the names, special skills, and family situations of thousands of students. Most people couldn't handle such a complicated situation.

After understanding how the village operates, the ninja's combat strength, training, promotion, and retirement are also of paramount importance.

The Ninja Academy is currently in the middle of its semester, Shuichi hasn't even had a chance to visit it. After taking over, he immediately handed over the Anbu affairs to the Third Hokage.

This aspect is relatively easy. Acquaintances like Mokui and Shisui have already been promoted to squad leader level. The major reshuffle in the first half of the year brought in many young newcomers, making it quite easy for Shuichi to take control. He can easily mobilize most of the manpower in no time.

"Call..."

In the office, Shuichi quickly signed the last document of the day, tidied it up, and had it taken away.

The table was empty; it didn't look like Tsunade and Kakashi would be busy in the future.

This is entirely due to his current high energy and vigor, coupled with the knowledge and perspective accumulated over two lifetimes, making him exceptionally efficient in handling government affairs.

"Haha, you've really impressed me."

The Third Hokage sat on the other side, and seeing him finish his work, chuckled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so capable in administration as well."

"You flatter me. Your guidance and experience were a great help." Shuichi said politely, put his hands behind his head, leaned back in his chair, and unconsciously stretched.

"Actually, you could arrange for a dedicated assistant; that would make things much easier," the Third Hokage suggested.

Shuichi responded, "I've thought about that, but I can't find a suitable candidate right now. There are many things in the village that I'm not familiar with yet. Let's talk about it when a suitable person comes along."

Most of the people he trusts are skilled killers with exceptional combat potential, so it would be a waste to have them handle tedious and busy clerical work.

My ideal candidate is Bai; he's patient, has a good personality, and a perfect appearance, but unfortunately, he's too young right now.

Shuichi planned to wait until the other person's ninja skills were honed to perfection before transferring him to be the Hokage's assistant in a few years.

Otherwise, if you find someone you're not satisfied with and then replace them after a while, wouldn't that be deliberately hurting their self-esteem?

Just as the two were chatting, an Anbu rushed in to report, "Lord Hokage, Third Lord, secret information has been sent back to the village. It's news about Lord Jiraiya."

"Have the Intelligence Department crack it and submit it as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the intelligence, the decryption task was personally taken over by the newly appointed head of the Intelligence Department Morino Ibiki.

Not long after, the bald, burly man with a scar on his face arrived and handed a piece of paper to Shuichi.

Shuichi quickly scanned all the content and then handed it to the Third Hokage for review, mentally assessing how the Akatsuki Organization would act in the future.

Jiraiya entered Amegakure and immediately began speaking with Hanzo.

This Demi-God had already tried every possible excuse to avoid it—although he couldn't afford to offend the entire Konoha, you can't force him to do anything...

However, Jiraiya immediately revealed that he wanted to discuss the Rinnegan with him, and the other party immediately became restless. For many years, he had sent his subordinates to keep a 24/7 watch, and even an iron man couldn't withstand it. It was inevitable that his subordinates would secretly harbor resentment.

If we can resolve the potential retaliation from the Rinnegan, at least we won't have to live in constant fear anymore.

Seeing Hanzo's behavior, Jiraiya found it hard to believe that the person before him was the Demi-God who had once rendered even the Sannin helpless.

So when they met, he used a trick, pretending that Danzo had recently been attacked by the Rinnegan and was seriously injured. Therefore, Konoha had specially sent him to the Land of Rain so that the two sides could exchange information.

As a result, Hanzo thought that Danzo had no hope of becoming Hokage and was also frightened by Nagato's blow, so he told Konoha about their collaboration back then.

This was perfect; Hanzo remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

Without knowing that Nagato and the other two were trained by Jiraiya, he first recounted in detail his battles to eliminate "rebellious" forces.

Yahiko died, Rinnegan Nagato) was injured, and then Yahiko unleashed astonishing power, forcing Nagato to retreat. Afterwards, he and the blue-haired woman Konan, went into hiding, their whereabouts unknown for years.

Unexpectedly, they suddenly attacked Danzo. Now it seems that the two sides do have a basis for cooperation, and eliminating Nagato and the others is imperative.

"How so..."

Jiraiya, emerging from Amegakure, was filled with mixed emotions. Standing alone in the rain, he looked desolate. The Child of Prophecy had fallen into hatred, and his guidance seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Regardless of Danzo's personal motives, his actions weakened the Land of Rain. The more miserable a small country is internally, the more beneficial it is to a larger country. The beneficiaries are Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Nagato's actions were quite normal in the Shinobi World; he sought revenge after his comrades were killed, and there was nothing wrong with that.

But he himself came from Konoha, and the disciples he once taught have become unstable time bombs secretly retaliating against the village. So, is taking action to eliminate the threat the only option...?

"Why!"

The Third Hokage sighed slightly. Jiraiya's actions were actually very similar to his own; he was definitely an excellent disciple who had inherited his Ninja Way.

But that kindness turned into the murder of Danzo, leaving even him speechless.

"Shuichi, perhaps I am a derelict Hokage..." The Third Hokage's face showed some self-reproach.

"Please don't say that. Konoha's current situation is inseparable from your dedication," Shuichi said, trying to comfort her.

"The village now has so many excellent ninjas, and has been invincible for years, growing stronger and stronger. It simply couldn't be more successful. If it's really as you say, what will the Kage of the other villages think?"

"The Ninja World is always full of surprises, and sometimes facing difficult situations is unavoidable. I believe that Jiraiya- senpai will make the right decision."

"Besides, I'm here. I won't let anything that threatens the village get away with it!"

After hearing his words, the gloom on the Third Hokage's face gradually dissipated, replaced by a gentle smile.

He had indeed found a trustworthy next generation, Will of Fire would continue to be passed down, fully living up to the Second Hokage's dying wish.

Regarding Nagato, the murderer who possesses the Rinnegan, the two decided after discussion that Jiraiya should continue to gather information and send it back to the village as soon as possible.

At the same time, a small number of skilled scouts will be deployed to keep an eye on Orochimaru. Once they track down the enemy's whereabouts, they will definitely avenge Elder Danzo!

Now that we've covered that topic, things will be easier to discuss next.

Having become familiar with the village's daily operations, the new Hokage naturally couldn't overlook the issue of the Ninja Academy. The importance of cultivating fresh blood couldn't be ignored; the number of talented individuals was directly related to the future of the ninja village...

The current system at the Ninja Academy requires students to enroll at age 6, complete six years of study, take the Genin graduation exam, and then be Jonin instructors for a final assessment.

The percentage of students who pass each year is not high, but the guidance they receive is far superior to that during wartime. Konoha now has enough Jonin to equip each squad with one.

Shuichi took out the list of all the students in the Ninja Academy and looked through it. He certainly couldn't pay attention to all of them, so he mainly observed the strongest class in each grade, which basically contained the potential students who could officially Genin.

"..."

"Fourth-year top student Neji Hyuga, Tenten's ranking is also quite high, Rock Lee's academic performance is at the bottom, but his performance in actual combat is outstanding..."

"The strongest third-year student is still Sasuke Uchiha, followed by Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, and others..."

Unfortunately, Shuichi only knows the Konoha 12 right now; he's relatively unfamiliar with the other less outstanding members, and he can't really tell them apart just by looking at the list.

When he got to the very end of the third-year list, he was speechless. Pointing to a name, he said to the Third Hokage, "Naruto's grades are terrible. Won't the teachers have something to say about him?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was also somewhat embarrassed. If it weren't for Naruto's blond hair and closed eyes, probably no one would believe that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

His academic performance was absolutely terrible; in actual combat, his only outstanding skill was physical fitness. He won by relentlessly harassing his opponent and exhausting their stamina with his haphazard, all-out punches.

The elderly teacher, unaware of Naruto's identity, was naturally quite displeased, but he guessed that Naruto must have been someone with connections; otherwise, he would have already swapped with a top student from another class.

For someone who is about to retire, the best approach is to let things cool down.

"I am indeed a little worried. Naruto is always careless and sloppy in his work."

Despite the immense potential of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, consistently ranking last in performance inevitably leads to feelings of inferiority.

The Third Hokage asked with a headache, "From now on, try to take care of him as much as possible. Aren't you always known for your resourcefulness? Do you have any solutions?"

Shuichi was puzzled that the Third Hokage regarded him as a genius of ideas, but the issue of Jinchuriki had to be taken seriously. In addition, the other party was the son of a hero, and the responsibility of Hokage did not allow him to back down.

After a moment's thought, he smiled slightly and said, "Leave it to me. I know how to nurture him. Are there any other outstanding students among this group?"

Shuichi was asking about geniuses who could be recruited into the Hokage lineage, and the Third Hokage quickly gave an unexpected suggestion. "Besides Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga, this little girl Haruno Sakura is an extremely outstanding prospect."

"Exceptionally intelligent, hardworking, and resolute, if he had been born into a prominent family, he probably wouldn't be much less Sasuke Uchiha..."

"No way!" Shuichi thought in surprise. Could the Third Hokage's judgment really be that accurate?

In the original story, during her time at the Ninja Academy, Sakura was a theoretically gifted but infatuated girl who even strived for love when she became Genin. How come her character seems so different now...?

He quickly found Sakura's detailed information, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw it. "A precocious girl who lost her father shortly after birth and was raised by her mother with great difficulty, how come she looks so much like the heroine in a novel!"

Because of the Butterfly Effect by Shuichi's arrival, Sakura's father was killed during the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

The family lost its main source of income, and the orphaned mother and children struggled to survive with village subsidies.

Upon entering the Ninja Academy, she immediately became the teachers' favorite student; this self-reliant girl who isn't a fangirl is surprisingly formidable...