Yakushi Nonō's Job

"Your tea, Lord Third."

A figure with bright yellow hair and a curvaceous figure appeared in the Hokage Office,

bringing a welcome freshness to the previously stuffy atmosphere.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took the tea and nodded,

"Nonō..."

"You're getting better and better at making tea look—cough, taste good."

Yakushi Nonō was dressed in a fitted secretary's uniform, with round glasses perched on her nose. She had a graceful figure and delicate features, exuding the poise of a mature woman.

She certainly looked like a more than capable secretary.

She stood respectfully to one side, wearing a somewhat helpless expression.

"You flatter me, Lord Third."

"This is only my second day on the job."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled without the slightest embarrassment.

"Doesn't that just prove I have a good eye? You're naturally talented at being a secretary."

Ever since he'd transmigrated, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been wondering why, as the leader of a village, he didn't even have a secretary. It was ridiculous, and hardly set a good example.

That was when he'd thought of this exceptional "Wandering Miko." As Konoha's greatest spy, Yakushi Nonō's talent for secretarial work...

Was average, of course.

The work of a spy and that of a secretary were completely different. How could anyone be good at both? Unless they were Black Widow.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had now delegated many of his duties to the Council of Elders, leaving him with far less to do. He didn't really need anyone to assist him.

He just wanted someone nearby to pour tea and help with the odd task.

Naturally, Yakushi Nonō, now a retired spy, hadn't wanted to become Sarutobi Hiruzen's secretary.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken out Danzo, freeing her from the threat of her past as a spy, and he was the Hokage.

In the end, he'd also promised to expand the Konoha Orphanage. Only then had Yakushi Nonō reluctantly agreed.

But now, seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's undisguised gaze and the strange uniform he'd insisted she wear to work,

Yakushi Nonō was beginning to think agreeing to the job might have been a mistake.

But once she'd boarded Sarutobi Hiruzen's ship, getting off wasn't so easy. As Hokage, he could make things difficult for her whenever he wanted.

After enjoying his tea and the pleasing view, Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally didn't forget the reason he'd called her in.

"How's the little guy Naruto doing with you?"

"Any trouble?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with concern.

"Naruto's a very sweet child. He's well-behaved and hardly ever cries."

Thinking of the baby she'd just adopted, a hint of tenderness crossed Yakushi Nonō's eyes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't chosen Yakushi Nonō solely because he needed a secretary.

He'd also wanted to find Naruto a home.

Though Naruto's fate seemed more or less set in stone, with plenty of troublesome old schemers keeping an eye on him,

no matter what, Naruto would almost certainly grow into a powerhouse at the peak of the Three-Star level. He'd be an extremely useful fighter in the future.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't about to pass up such a useful tool.

And Yakushi Nonō, with her overflowing maternal instincts, was the perfect adoptive mother: of impeccable background and pure-hearted. Otherwise, Danzo wouldn't have been able to manipulate her time and again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had also brought Yakushi Nonō close to him because he wanted to bind her to his side, and thus keep Naruto under control.

"From now on, Naruto will keep the Namikaze surname,"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

"You don't need to hide his background from him..."

"Just raise him like any other child."

He was far more magnanimous than the previous Third Hokage. He wouldn't resort to underhanded methods to control a Jinchuriki.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know that by now, his subordinates had already earned him a reputation for being petty.

"His parents left him an inheritance, too..."

"I'll entrust it to you for his expenses."

Namikaze Minato and his wife had been renowned shinobi in the Ninja World, so they hadn't lacked for money. They'd left behind a considerable fortune.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't about to quibble over money with a baby.

Yakushi Nonō nodded in agreement, a glint in her eyes.

The Third Hokage before her looked imposing, yet somewhat unreliable, but he acted with integrity.

She knew all about Naruto's special status. As a spy, she was well aware of how villages usually treated Jinchuriki and the methods they used to control them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't tried to control Naruto at all. He'd even asked her to adopt him. It spoke volumes about his upright character.

As for forcing her to become his secretary, that was simply a standard way of keeping watch over him. A Jinchuriki would naturally draw extra attention.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods were already quite gentle.

For a moment, Yakushi Nonō found herself warming to the Third Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked a little more about Naruto, but the boy was only a baby, and Konoha faced more pressing matters.

He picked up a report on the Cloud Ninja and began to read.

The Cloud Ninja were still conducting brazen operations along the border, and their audacity was growing. They kept harassing Konoha's border outposts, and seemed poised to station troops there in force.

Stationing troops along another country's border was an extremely provocative and dangerous act. They were practically dancing on the Third Hokage's face.

It was also a way to intimidate Konoha into backing down: if Konoha didn't want a war, it should just meekly accept their demands.

"Looks like the Fourth Raikage still thinks I'm that spineless Ninja Bear."

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't angry. If anything, he laughed.

When a war was looming, it was best for the enemy to underestimate you.

After all, Konoha's strength wasn't what it had been at its peak, when the Sannin were still around. Its top ranks were truly in a sorry state.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident he could win, but he'd need to exploit the gap in their understanding and timing. While the Fourth Raikage believed he had Sarutobi Hiruzen figured out,

he'd hit the Cloud Ninja hard.

"Pass down the orders!"

"Make preparations for our deployment as discreetly as possible!"

"Send them out in batches, and don't tell the shinobi under our command what they're going to do!"

"And crack down hard on spies in the village, especially Cloud Ninja spies!"

"I want them to have no idea we've declared war on them until they're already taking a beating!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen passed all these orders to Nara Shikaku, who knew what to do.

This time, he was determined to land a heavy blow on the Cloud Ninja as a warning to the others.

After taking care of the Cloud Ninja matter, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Jiraiya's report.

It read:

Orochimaru's whereabouts were still uncertain. He seemed to be wandering the Ninja World as well, collecting experimental subjects.

There was no news of Hiruko either. He was still quietly researching the Chimera Technique, showing no sign of making a move in the Ninja World.

However, Jiraiya had found traces of Jugo in a remote village in the Land of Fire, and was on his way to investigate.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't surprised. The missing-nin he'd picked out were all difficult to deal with. They'd evaded Konoha's pursuit for years, so they naturally wouldn't be easy to find.

Jugo and the others, on the other hand, had fixed places to live, which made them much easier to track down.

Still, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't in a hurry. With his long lifespan, he could afford to wait even until Boruto.

"Right now, we need to deal with the Cloud Ninja first."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking forward to seeing how much Space-Time Source Energy this would bring him.