She gently brushed the petals from Tsubasa's shoulder with her fingertips, smiling as she said, "Father in heaven would probably rather see you sitting in the Hokage's office reviewing documents than standing on ruins wielding a sword. I'm going to look after Little Tsunade; she's too naughty." Tsubasa looked up at her and noticed cherry blossoms falling into her hair like scattered diamonds. He suddenly remembered how, as a child, he always thought his senior sister's eyes were like a lake reflecting the starry sky; now he understood that it was because her eyes held a gentleness he could never learn.
"Okay, Senior Sister, you can go now," he said in a low voice.
Watching her walk away and then take Little Tsunade's hand and walk back to him, Tsubasa also took Tsunade's other small hand. Cherry blossoms piled up at the three of them, forming a soft carpet at their feet. The villagers in the distance whispered among themselves, watching the "senior brother and sister" who were seven years apart, speculating whether a happy event was approaching for the Senju Clan. Only they themselves knew that the two could never be together.
Only Little Tsunade was being obediently led by Biwako and Tsubasa, as docile as a little animal whose fur had been stroked, watching the handsome and charming Hokage holding her hand and chuckling happily.
Higher up on the Hokage Rock, the statue of the First overlooked everything, a smile playing on his lips. A gust of wind swept up the last cherry blossom, brushing past the Tsubasa hairpin newly pinned to Ten'y's hair—the one Biwako had just given him, saying, "So you won't always look like a wild man with your hair down." The boy touched the warm, smooth jade hairpin, suddenly realizing that perhaps iron will and gentleness weren't as irreconcilable as he'd thought. Now, the entire Shinobi World was at peace, and Konoha, free from war, needed a gentle and tolerant Hokage. He had zero tolerance for anything that violated his principles. Besides, he particularly disliked dealing with those tedious matters.
As autumn drew to a close, a light drizzle fell over Tsubasa Konoha at the far end of the long table in the Hokage's office, his fingers tapping absently on the surface. The fourteen high-ranking officials of Konoha, both civil and military, sat around him in a fan shape. Tsubasa slowly began to speak, "Konoha is now on the right track, thriving like the rising sun. As long as we continue to work step by step, there shouldn't be any major problems. I've gathered everyone here today because I have a major decision to discuss with you. I wish to step down and make way for a more capable person to become Hokage."
These words startled Uchiha Tomioki his Gunbai- patterned sleeve swept across the inkstone, and Shikaboshi Nara's abacus beads rolled wildly. Just as the boy uttered the words "abdicate and yield to a worthy successor," a muffled clap of thunder rolled past the window, causing the copper bells under the eaves to ring erratically.
"What did you say?" Senju Tenpuku dropped the candied fruit in his hand onto the tatami mat. The round fruit bounced around everyone's feet, but no one paid any attention to it. Hyuga Tensei's Byakuya widened his Byakugan, and the veins on his temples throbbed. " Lord Hokage, are you testing us?" Only Mito Uzumaki sat there calmly and composedly.
Uchiha Tomioki his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his Gunbai -shaped sleeve sweeping over Masataka Hatake's fruit plate. "Abdicate? Do you think the Hokage is a child's play?" Uchiha Chiri, standing behind him, quickly held down the clan leader, but accidentally knocked over a teacup, the scalding matcha staining the tablecloth with a deep green smudge. Tora Inuzuka's Ninja Dog sensed its master's anxiety and whimpered.
"Could it be that the Anbu made a mistake?" Akira Senju leaned forward and asked suspiciously, "Or is there some gossip from other ninja villages? You're only 13 years old! You're doing a great job, why are you stepping down..." "Enough!" Shikaboshi Nara pushed back his chair, his fingers rapidly clicking on prayer beads. " Lord Hokage, are you aware that during your tenure, Konoha's economy and mission volume increased dozens of times? The barrier's strength could withstand the impact of Tailed Beast? And now you say you're leaving—" He suddenly choked up, his Adam's apple bobbing as he couldn't speak.
Tsubasa gazed at the maple leaves outside the window, bent askew by the rain, his fingertips tracing Hokage Hokage emblem on his hat. A rare stubbornness appeared on the thirteen-year-old's face. "I've already managed Konoha very well. As long as everyone doesn't cause trouble, there won't be any major problems. I haven't trained for almost a year, and my Spiritual Power hasn't increased in a long time. If I want to advance further..." He suddenly clenched his fist, the dark light crackling between his fingers, "... I must go to Shikkotsu Forest for seclusion."
Tsubasa's father, Senju Tenpuku, suddenly stood up, adopting a punching stance: "Are you going to desert? You're already invincible, why are you still training?!" "Exactly!" Masataka Hatake finally picked up the candied fruit, but crushed it to pieces. "If you leave, won't those bald monks from Sunagakure cause trouble again? Then another war will break out."
"How about this—" Shikaboshi Nara suddenly clapped his hands after careful consideration, the clinking of his bracelet beads startling everyone. "We'll give you several secretaries. You'll continue as Hokage, and the administrative affairs will be handled by the fourteen of us and the secretaries you choose, without affecting your training. Major decisions will be sealed until you return to the village to make them, or we can decide by vote. How about that?" He pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose. "Consider it... giving outstanding juniors an opportunity to gain experience?"
Hōō Aiko frowned: "You mean we should all listen to the secretary?" "It's better than the village falling apart!" Asuka Nobumoto interjected, "Didn't the Second also let his disciples manage Konoha back then?" Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent—after all, Danzo's fate was still on file.
Tsubasa stared at Shikaboshi Nara's knuckles, which were white with tension, and suddenly remembered that for the past six months, every time he went to train, this middle-aged man would be blocking the door with an account book. The Kakkō flickered in his eyes several times, and the young man suddenly smiled and said, "Then let's establish the Hokage Cabinet. I require five secretaries, but I hereby issue three warnings—"
He held up a finger. "First, do not collude with cabinet secretaries. Everything they handle must be documented. They can handle minor matters themselves, but major decisions must be discussed with the higher-ups. Second, every time I return to the village, I will assign tasks to everyone and personally review your performance and the villagers' feedback. Third..." His dark pupils swept over the crowd, "If anyone dares to abuse their power for personal gain, or do anything that harms others for their own benefit—I'll nail them to the Hokage Rock and dry them into jerky."
The meeting room was so quiet you could hear the autumn rain tapping on the windowpanes. Someone swallowed hard, then all fourteen people bowed deeply, their foreheads touching the tatami mat. "We obey the Lord Hokage's command!"
Looking at the rows of heads bobbing before him, Tsubasa suddenly remembered the graffiti the children had drawn on the wall when he passed the Ninja Academy that morning—he was riding on a colorful cloud, his sword transformed into a lollipop. The boy chuckled softly, "Meeting adjourned. Within three days, I want to see the nomination list for the Secretariat placed in the Hokage's office."
The rain outside the window had stopped sometime earlier, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, gilding the top of his head. Shikaboshi Nara secretly looked up and saw the silhouette of the boy standing by the window, suddenly realizing that this young Hokage's thoughts were always unpredictable. But in the end, things would unfold according to his plans. In the distance, the children of Konoha chased each other across the street, unaware that the thunderclap in the meeting room had quietly etched a new political landscape into Konoha.