The Hokage holds a very high position, but the Hokage's job is complex and tedious.
Shinsei sat at his desk, looking at the tall stack of documents, and couldn't help but sigh.
After the abolition of the Daimyo, the Hokage's status was greatly enhanced, and he became the de facto ruler of the Land of Fire. However, this also brought with it an endless stream of documents that needed to be processed.
"No, this won't do, I'll be exhausted if we keep going like this." Shinsei tapped the table. Shizune looked at him with a puzzled expression.
" Lord Hokage, are you calling for Tsunade- sensei? Tsunade- sensei instructed us not to contact her if it's about official business."
"Senior Shizune, how could you think of me like that? Please call Professor Shikaku over."
Shizune breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave. A moment later, Shikaku Nara pushed open the door and came in.
He saw the pile of documents on Shinsei's desk that was almost enough to bury a person, and his lips twitched.
" Lord Hokage, you wanted to see me?"
"Mr. Shikaku, please sit down." Shinsei pointed to the chair opposite him. "I have an idea."
Now, everything in the Land of Fire is being sent to the Hokage's office, from small things like which ditch needs repair to big things like border defense plans—it's all piled up on my desk.
"If this continues, I won't even have time to cultivate, let alone handle official business."
Shikaku sat down and nodded. "After the abolition of the Daimyo's administrative system, the Council is still in a transitional period. Many officials from the old noble families are ineffective, so these matters naturally flow to Konoha."
"So we need to separate things," Shinsei said. "Separate Konoha's military affairs from the Land of Fire's civil administration. Konoha's affairs are Konoha's affairs, and the Land of Fire are the Land of Fire."
Shikaku moment. "You mean, to set up a dedicated team to handle the political affairs of the Land of Fire?"
"A five-person team." Shinsei held up a finger. "When the Hokage is away, these five people discuss matters. Core affairs involving military matters, major diplomatic issues, and Chakra technology control must be reported to me. Other matters such as road construction, grain collection, trade, and civil disputes are handled directly by them and do not need to go through me."
My job is to correct their mistakes, not to make every little decision for them.
Shikaku nodded slightly. "Have you decided on a candidate yet?"
"You, Fujiwara Munetsugu, plus three more people," Shinsei said. " Tsunade- sensei is one of them. Although she doesn't like to interfere, she can keep things under control when something big happens."
Minato is also suitable; he's meticulous and possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique, allowing him to handle emergencies immediately. For the last person, do you have any recommendations?
Shikaku did not refuse and thought about it seriously for a while.
"If civil affairs and military affairs are to be separated, the last person should ideally not be a ninja."
I suggest that Fujiwara Munetsugu recommend someone familiar with the local people's livelihood and finances.
He has several pragmatic officials under him who came from the old daimyo era; they know more about land, taxes, and markets than we do.
"Okay." Shinsei nodded. "You should investigate the person recommended by Fujiwara Munetsugu first. If there are no problems, then finalize the deal."
Shikaku agreed, then asked, "What about Naruto? That kid's all grown up now, shouldn't he be involved in government affairs?"
Shinsei shook his head. " Naruto too young right now. It's a bit childish to let him handle the highest political affairs of the Land of Fire. Let him run around on the front lines for a while and see how people live their lives. As for politics, let him gain more experience in a few years."
Shikaku said no more and got up to leave. Shinsei waited until the door closed before standing up and stretching his back. Sitting in the chair for so long had made his old back injury feel stiff again.
He went to the window for some fresh air and saw pedestrians coming and going on the street below, the streetlights already on. Without the moon, Konoha didn't seem so dark.
He left the Hokage Building and headed towards the basement of Konoha Hospital.
The basement door was ajar, letting in a pale blue light.
Shinsei pushed open the door, the air was filled with the mixed smell of disinfectant and Chakra reagent.
On the experimental table in the very center, Hinata sat on a specially made stone chair, her eyes covered by a thin layer of white Chakra membrane, her body slightly tense.
Orochimaru stood opposite her, holding a recording scroll in his hand, his tongue unconsciously licking his lips.
The young Tsunade stood to the side, holding a glowing Byakugan in her hand, slowly channeling medical Chakra into something.
" Shinsei- chan, you've come at the perfect time." Orochimaru said without turning his head, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement, " Hinata's eyes are in a very interesting state. Part of the Byakugan I brought back from the moon is already resonating with Byakugan. To be precise, it's being absorbed by her eyes."
Shinsei walked over and bent down to look at Hinata.
Hinata sensed his approach and tilted her head, her eyes still covered, " Shinsei, I'm fine. Lord Orochimaru said it might take a little longer to take it down."
Shinsei hummed in agreement and asked Orochimaru, "Can you determine the pattern of absorption? Is it active absorption or passive rejection followed by fusion?"
Orochimaru unrolled the scroll, on which were drawn two sets of diagrams resembling meridians, with more than a dozen intersections marked in red.
"It's a fusion, but the process is very slow. Those Byakugan are like fragments, while Hinata's Byakugan is like a complete base fabric. When the fragments meet the base fabric, they will stick to it along the original pattern, like filling a gap, but the speed is too slow."
He pointed to the glowing Byakugan in Tsunade.
"Furthermore, not every Byakugan can be absorbed. Some are repelled by her pupil power and retract as soon as they get close."
Tsunade toyed with the Byakugan in her hand and added.
"From a doctor's perspective, it's a rejection reaction. We've tried to let it be absorbed naturally first. If that doesn't work, we'll consider medical assistance."
She looked at Shinsei: "You didn't come here just to look around, did you? Just tell me what you want to try."
Shinsei walked up to Hinata, slowly squatted down, and lowered his gaze to Hinata was blindfolded.
"Teacher, as you know, both the Senju Clan and Hyuga Clan originated from Otsutsuki Kaguya."
However, as time goes by, the blood in our veins has gradually become thinner.
The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan is also one of the bloodlines possessed by Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Tsunade already knew this information. She slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.
What are you trying to say?
"Teacher, do you want to live forever?"