Marriage Pressure, Strengthening the Tenseigan

Konohagakure, Hokage Office.

After returning from the Ninja Academy, Minato Namikaze had been bent over the files piled on his desk, his golden hair gleaming beneath the sunlight.

A tall figure wearing an animal mask appeared soundlessly before the desk, dressed in Anbu attire.

"Kakashi, you're here." Minato Namikaze raised his head, undisguised satisfaction in his azure eyes.

Ever since Minamoto Takuya stepped down, nearly the entire burden of the Anbu had fallen upon the shoulders of this, his finest disciple.

Although its overall efficiency perhaps could not match the smooth, well-rounded operation of Minamoto Takuya's time, the fact that Kakashi alone could keep the Anbu—this precise yet cumbersome machine—running, and even advance it in certain areas, was already no small feat.

Minato Namikaze knew full well how difficult that was.

Kakashi Hatake stood ramrod straight, maintaining the respectful posture a subordinate ought to show the Hokage.

Yet his slightly slanted shoulders, somewhat casual stance, and the hint of laziness in his sole exposed right eye all showed that he was gradually becoming the "Copy Ninja" familiar to the world.

Still, before his mentor, that innate nonchalance was restrained somewhat. He did not dare relax completely.

"Teacher, what did you call me here for?" Kakashi Hatake's voice came through the mask, carrying a trace of barely perceptible weary hoarseness.

The recent intelligence work had been like an ever-growing mountain pressing down on him. Vast quantities of information needed to be screened and verified, and every report that might affect the village's safety required his personal review and judgment.

The tedium and pressure far exceeded what he had initially expected.

At times, he could not help wondering how Senior Minamoto Takuya had managed to handle such a burden so effortlessly, even seeming to have plenty of spare time.

Minato Namikaze did