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"What! You saw Hinata!"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Sakura, Ino, and Tenten, who had just finished their hot spring bath, were relentlessly questioning Shikamaru and the others.

"Uh... I forgot..."

Shikamaru felt a bit awkward; he genuinely forgot.

"But speaking of which, how did Hinata know that perverted stalker?"

Kiba Inuzuka asked, confused.

"Maybe she was on a mission."

The fact that he could easily break free from their restraints indicated he wasn't simple, likely a ninja, but they didn't know how powerful he was.

"Alright, we need to think about how to pass the monthly tests from now on. We can't fall too far behind classmate Hyuga."

Neji: "..."

Having witnessed the power of the Tenseigan, he remained silent, not wanting to crush the confidence of the younger students.

"Um... Senior Neji, why do you look a bit off?"

"...It's from the hot springs. I'll be fine in a bit."

"Old man, I can't even enjoy a peaceful soak in the hot springs." Jiraiya pushed the door open. "So, what's so important about this document?"

The Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya, who had a displeased expression, and then glanced behind him. Hinata had already entered and closed the door.

"Danzō is secretly researching First Hokage's Cells..."

Jiraiya's displeased expression vanished. He knew what First Hokage's Cells were.

"...The key thing is, he's actually made some progress."

The Third Hokage handed a document to Jiraiya.

It was Danzō's autopsy report.

Jiraiya quickly finished reading the document, and then confusion and anger welled up in his heart. "The village couldn't research First Hokage's Cells, so how did Danzō manage it!?"

"How many human experiments did he... conduct!!!"

Daring to transplant First Hokage's Cells into his own body showed he had a preliminary understanding of them.

In the process, just as Jiraiya said, human experimentation was indispensable.

The Third Hokage took a deep breath. "This matter likely involves Orochimaru as well. They probably still have some connection."

Jiraiya had nothing more to say upon hearing this. His feelings towards Orochimaru were extremely complex.

"I asked you here to find Tsunade."

"Tsunade? She's willing to come back?"

"Even if we have to drag her back, we must. Jiraiya, the Shinobi World is becoming increasingly dangerous. It's too risky for her to be out there alone."

Jiraiya, having wandered outside for these past few years, knew how dangerous it was out there. He also couldn't rest easy with Tsunade out there alone.

It would be more reassuring to bring Tsunade back to the village.

"Alright, I'll leave immediately."

"Little Hinata, I've thought of another way to teach you. Once I bring your senior sister back, I'll teach you. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Senior Brother. Senior Sister Tsunade's safety is more important."

Jiraiya apologized once more before leaving the office.

"Hinata, you can help me with some documents these next few days."

Hinata looked at the tall stack of documents on the desk.

She probably only has to handle a small portion...

For the next few days, Hinata went to the Hokage building during the day and helped the Third Hokage process some documents under his guidance, only returning home in the evening.

Then, the next morning, she headed to the Hokage building again.

Other than taking some time to meet up with Naruto and the others, she hadn't gone anywhere else.

The Third Hokage watched Hinata, who was rapidly processing documents in her seat. Her cute face was filled with seriousness. Seeing such a serious expression on the face of an eight-year-old Hinata gave a very endearing impression.

This made the Third Hokage feel a sense of guilt.

Even for him, an adult, dealing with these documents was a headache, let alone for a child.

Is it too early for me to have her process documents? Should I have waited a couple more years to teach her this?

At first, it was just a fleeting thought, wanting Hinata to familiarize herself with how to handle documents.

But after guiding her for two days, he discovered that Hinata processed documents more efficiently than he did.

Furthermore, some documents were handled exceptionally well, to the point that even he couldn't find any fault with them.

Gradually, the number of documents processed by Hinata each day increased...

"Little Hinata, why don't you take a break?"

The Third Hokage hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.

"No need, Teacher. I'm almost done with the documents that came in yesterday," Hinata replied without looking up.

Watching Hinata's serious expression, the Third Hokage's guilt grew.

"These documents aren't urgent, and it wouldn't be good if you exhausted yourself."

The Third Hokage had already handled the truly urgent documents himself. These were all minor matters that simply required the Hokage's seal.

Yes, that seal was the very one Hinata was currently using.

"Uh..."

Seeing Hinata's workaholic demeanor, the Third Hokage was speechless.

He took a sip of his freshly brewed tea and let out a long sigh.

He had to admit, with Hinata's help, these past few days had been unusually peaceful.

It made him reluctant to let Hinata do anything else.

As for Hinata, she wasn't tired at all.

With her incredibly powerful spiritual energy, she could work for three years straight without sleep and still not be tired.

In fact, she found some enjoyment in processing these documents.

Although most of the documents were quite boring, Hinata could learn about Konoha's recent situation from them.

For Hinata, who didn't want to pry into others' privacy, this was a rare opportunity to gather information.

As for more sensitive matters, such as the top-secret intelligence submitted by the Anbu, the Third Hokage had no intention of entrusting them to Hinata yet.

It was understandable, after all, the Anbu was an organization that served only the Hokage, so they couldn't easily hand over the responsibility of handling Anbu intelligence to just anyone.

And so, over twenty days passed.

This day marked the date for the Ninja Academy's next test.

On this day, Hinata stopped helping the Third Hokage with his documents.

She came to a building not far from the Ninja Academy.

She wasn't the only one; the Third Hokage and the clan heads of the major families were also present.

Today, these clan heads were not just clan heads, but also like parents waiting outside an examination hall.

Among these parents, perhaps only Hyuga Hiashi was the most composed.

After all, his daughter had already graduated and had even become a disciple of the Hokage. What more could make him happy?

Inside the dimly lit room, the doors and windows were completely sealed, allowing not a single ray of sunlight to enter.

The room was spacious, enough for dozens of people to sit together without feeling crowded.

In the center of the room was a table, on which sat a crystal ball.

Currently, the crystal ball was broadcasting the events happening at the Ninja Academy from a bird's-eye view.

Hinata, sitting beside the Third Hokage, twitched her lips. No wonder she had felt something strange that day, a sense of being watched.

She had initially thought it was a proctor, but it turned out to be a "ball"!

And she had just given a live broadcast to the village's higher-ups.