Have You Ever Seen Konoha at Four in the Morning?

Hokage Residence.

Four in the morning.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose from the spacious bed. Biwako was already busy in the kitchen.

As Konoha gradually flourished, the various indicators of his body as Hokage seemed to have begun growing for a second time as well.

The most obvious signs were his unusually abundant energy and significantly increased appetite.

Sitting at the dining table, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the steaming spread of food and was quite satisfied.

Meat, eggs, and milk were all present, and the flavors were prepared just the way he liked them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took bites of rice and meat in turn. His table manners were still fairly proper, but he ate with the force of a whirlwind sweeping through fallen leaves.

"Sit down and eat with me, Biwako..."

Biwako tucked back her slightly damp hair, served herself a small bowl of porridge, and quietly sat beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, smiling as she watched him eat heartily.

The person cooking always liked diners who appreciated their food as much as Hiruzen Sarutobi did.

She was not hungry. She had gotten up to cook because, as his wife, she could not allow her husband to go without a hot meal.

Hiruzen worked so hard for the village. If she could not even manage something this small...

Biwako felt that neither the Will of Fire nor her duty as a virtuous wife would forgive her.

"Hiruzen, eat more slowly. There's plenty left..."

Biwako said with an amused smile, "Your appetite is even better than Shinnosuke's was when he was growing up. You're getting stronger too..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Biwako shot Hiruzen Sarutobi a look. Even in private, the Hokage truly had no sense of propriety.

"Is that Forbidden Technique you used to restore your body really safe?" Thinking of it, Biwako became worried again.

"It's fine. It's a fusion technique based on the Yin Seal and Teacher Tobirama's notes. It won't harm my body..." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a laugh.

For things that were hard to explain, the most convenient solution was to wave a hand and pin them on the Second Hokage.

Besides, he was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu. Was it not perfectly normal for him to know a few techniques?

Interestingly, Biwako's expression visibly relaxed when she heard the words "Yin Seal."

But when Senju Tobirama's name was mentioned, her brows unconsciously furrowed again.

"Don't be so prejudiced!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and laughed as he prepared to finish the last few eggs. "Some of Teacher Tobirama's techniques do leave a deep impression, but not all of them are like that."

Biwako naturally took the eggs from him and carefully peeled them, nodding as if she understood.

As long as he was fine, that was enough...

"By the way, Hiruzen, will this technique make you keep getting younger?" Biwako joked. "Will people say we're a young husband and an old wife someday?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

"Most likely not. Even if it does, I'll use the Yin Seal to keep myself at my physical prime."

That line of thought had nothing to do with what Biwako had said. It was about maximizing the Hokage's Authority.

For a leader, appearance and bearing were important as well, because they formed the public's most immediate first impression.

Younger was not always better. Too much was as bad as too little.

A steady, strong, mature image naturally gave people the feeling that one was dependable, experienced, and powerful.

It was the optimal answer for him.

The Yin Seal was also a technique Hiruzen Sarutobi had indeed begun trying to master.

For the Lord Hokage, whose physical limits were slowly increasing, a technique that could regulate the pathways of the chakra network and collect and store daily Chakra was simply too suitable.

It was essentially an artificial reserve energy source.

"Lady Mito adopted that child with Wood Release and named him Yamato."

"You can visit Lady Mito more often on my behalf. She is already advanced in age, and women have common topics to talk about in this regard."

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly. "If the two of you get along well, it will not only help me as Hokage, but she might even offer you some guidance!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was confident he could master the Yin Seal.

But helping Biwako master it was another matter. Who knew how much time and effort that would take...

Rather than that, it would be better to have Biwako try speaking with Mito Uzumaki...

It was killing two birds with one stone. Biwako visiting Mito was, in essence, a form of Wife Diplomacy, helping Hiruzen Sarutobi maintain good relations with Konoha's "Empress Dowager" in his stead.

And if Biwako could become a little younger because of it, Hiruzen Sarutobi would naturally be delighted.

Who would not want their wife to become prettier?

At that, Biwako's eyes lit up. She nodded and said, "I understand, Hiruzen!"

"I'm done eating." Hiruzen Sarutobi changed into a black set of everyday clothes for training.

The Hokage Hat and Haori were certainly imposing, but their wide sleeves and flowing robes really did interfere with training. He did not like wearing them in daily life.

"Let's work hard today too!"

After seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi off, Biwako happily hummed a tune as she cleaned up the dishes and prepared breakfast for Asuma and Shinnosuke as well.

About half an hour later.

Asuma emerged from his bedroom, still bleary-eyed.

He took a deep breath and vigorously rubbed his face.

After seeing how hard his father worked for the village, how could he, as his son, possibly fall behind?

Especially lately at the Ninja Academy.

Kakashi, the genius who had just enrolled, had already declared that he planned to graduate early and become an official ninja as soon as possible.

If he did not work hard, would he not be disgracing his father?

"Eh, Mother, you got up so early? What a lavish breakfast!"

"Should I go wake Father up? Or should I let him rest a little longer? He's so tired..." Asuma muttered to himself eagerly.

"Your father has already been out training for about half an hour..." Biwako said with a mischievous smile, her voice faint and eerie.

"You're the last one in the family to get up, Asuma."

"Your brother has gone to work too. He's in the Anbu, so he has to patrol the whole village."

No way!

Asuma's eyes widened into perfect circles.

The title of "the last person in the family to get up" struck him like a bolt of shame lightning, reducing him to crackling white ash. Even his hair seemed to carry the scorched smell of hopelessness.

"You're still a child, and you're growing..."

"Just eat well, sleep well, and train seriously. Don't compare yourself to your father and brother..." Biwako said with a smile.

Asuma nodded reluctantly.

Who would have thought that the Hiruzen Household was packed with early-rising heroes?

However, another thought rose in his heart.

Hmph, even if he could not compare to Father, could he not at least surpass his classmates at the Ninja Academy?

He would spread the story of how hard his father worked throughout the academy and put pressure on everyone!

Just imagining his classmates' expressions made Asuma feel much better, and a smile appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, within Konoha.

Standing atop a tall building.

Fine currents of electricity flowed across Hiruzen Sarutobi's body. This was his daily required training, using the special principles of Lightning Release Chakra Mode to unearth his body's hidden potential.

It was the slow, painstaking work of making steady progress every day.

As he overlooked all of Konoha, he also checked the guard posts in passing during his training.

Oh?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart stirred.

He had spotted something interesting.

Not far away, Namikaze Minato was out on a morning run, followed by a sneaky Hatake Kakashi.