Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade lay sprawled over the desk, utterly exhausted, her face full of despair.
She was really worn out these days.
If she'd known that organizing a celebration would be more tiring than going to war, she never would've agreed to it in the first place.
And this was just the beginning.
Looking at the mountain of densely stacked documents on her desk, Tsunade felt a chill run down her spine.
What made her feel even worse was the heavy burden of responsibility and expectations hidden behind everyone's hopeful eyes.
The moment she put on the Hokage's robe, a wave of immense pressure crashed down on her, almost suffocating her.
She truly didn't see what was so great about being Hokage. Honestly, it was pure torture.
After a long while, she finally sat up and asked Minato, who was helping sort documents beside her, "Where's your brother? Where the hell did he go?"
Without Shin by her side, she just couldn't relax.
Minato barely held back a laugh and explained, "He is with the daimyō right now."
"Didn't Orochimaru already get the money? What's he still doing with the daimyō?" Tsunade huffed angrily. "Tell him to get over here right now. Otherwise, he's sleeping on the floor tonight!"
"Pfft~~" Minato couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
The next second, realizing the sudden drop in air pressure, he immediately clamped his mouth shut with both hands, though his body kept shaking uncontrollably.
"You've got guts now, huh?" Tsunade growled, grabbing him and roughly rubbing his face with both hands. She finally let go after a good while.
Seeing Minato's face contorted in pain, she felt her mood significantly improve.
"Well? What are you waiting for?"
Upon hearing her scolding, Minato immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared on the spot.
Yeah, no way he was going to mess with her right now.
Not long after, Shin and Minato appeared in the Hokage's office.
Seeing Tsunade glaring at him angrily, Shin almost laughed and asked, "What's wrong with you today, Hokage-sama?"
"You've got a lot of nerve to ask that!" Tsunade pointed at the piles of documents on her desk, almost tearfully. "Do you see all this?"
"And this is just the paperwork. There's way more to actually deal with."
"It's all your fault, you just had to make me Hokage."
Shin walked behind her and began massaging her shoulders, smiling as he helped her relax. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer."
As he continued, Tsunade's body gradually relaxed. She leaned back in her chair, eyes half-closed. "You got a plan?"
Shin nodded. "As Hokage, your job is to steer the ship. As long as the supervision is solid, you shouldn't be afraid to delegate."
"Let others handle the tasks. There's no need to micromanage everything and make yourself look busier than you are."
"And you don't need to feel any pressure. I'll be handling everything with you."
At his words, a sly smile tugged at the corner of Tsunade's lips.
This was exactly what she had been waiting for him to say.
Minato, who caught that moment out of the corner of his eye, couldn't help but think: Well damn.
Looks like there really was always someone who could keep someone else in check.
His all-powerful brother was completely wrapped around Tsunade's finger.
But he also knew it was because Shin was willing.
One was happy to dish it out, the other happy to take it, he'd better just sit back and enjoy the show.
"So, I don't have to sleep on the floor tonight, right?" Shin teased, sensing Tsunade's mood shift.
Her face instantly turned bright red. She snapped, "Minato's still here! Watch your mouth!"
Minato quickly shut his eyes, covered his ears, and chanted like a monk, "Hear no nothing, see no nothing, I know nothing!"
Shin chuckled, clearly amused. "Kushina's still waiting for you. You've been working hard lately, go spend the next few days with her."
"You got it!" Before the words were even fully out, Minato had vanished again.
Watching the spot Minato had disappeared from, Shin said, "Tsunade, just hang in there for ten years. After that, we'll make him take over for you, and we'll retire and live the good life."
The two of them looked at each other, and then burst into laughter together.
Just as Minato met up with Kushina, he inexplicably felt a chill down his spine, as if a bad omen had crept up on him.
"Is someone plotting against me?"
---
The next day, the daimyō departed from Konoha, and he was in excellent spirits.
Over the past few days, he had talked extensively, very extensively, with Orochimaru.
Especially after learning that their research could keep people healthy and even extend their lifespan, he couldn't help but ask about all the details.
People who sat at the peak of power all tended to share one flaw: they desperately wanted to live longer.
And if immortality were possible? Even better.
The daimyō didn't even bother to hide his desire.
After multiple discussions and a thorough tour of the research facility, confirming the feasibility of Orochimaru's work, the daimyō finally went to Tsunade. Once she confirmed that she was fully backing Orochimaru's research, he became extraordinarily generous.
Right in front of Shin, the supervising officer, the daimyō doubled the annual funding given to Konoha.
The additional half was earmarked as a special research fund.
And the daimyō repeatedly emphasized: this special fund must not be diverted for any other use, it was to be used exclusively for life-extension research.
Naturally, both Shin and Orochimaru agreed wholeheartedly and said there was no pressure at all.
In truth, while the goal of immortality was still far off and they had only just found a general direction, keeping someone healthy and extending their life by 10 to 15 years was child's play for them. They said they'd already achieved results.
As long as the daimyō could see ongoing progress and believe the research was advancing, or better yet, experience the benefits himself, he'd be willing to pour in as much money as needed.
Did you really think Shin and Orochimaru were willing to waste their time babysitting the daimyō out of goodwill?
Was he even worthy of that?
But now that he was footing the bill, of course, he had to be treated like a VIP.
As a gesture of appreciation, Tsunade didn't hold back either. She immediately assembled a personal escort team of four jonin to serve as the daimyō's close protection squad.
After the daimyō left, she wasted no time and convened the first high-level meeting since officially becoming the Fourth Hokage.
The very first thing she did was dissolve Root.
The existence of that organization was problematic to begin with, and Danzō, its leader, had used extremely twisted methods to exercise absolute control and brainwashing over his subordinates.
As Hokage, she had absolutely no intention of allowing that kind of thing to continue.
Naturally, the process encountered zero resistance, Root had already been dismantled by Shin a long time ago and was just barely clinging on.
Once Root was officially disbanded, Tsunade laid out a Five-Year Plan:
Over the next five years, Konoha would cease all offensive military operations and focus on developing its economy, technology, and education, with top priority given to nurturing the next generation of ninjas.
She also redefined the responsibilities of each department and appointed new heads to all major divisions.
First up: the ANBU.
The full name of the ANBU was the "Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai," Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, originally established by the Second Hokage.
ANBU members were ninjas selected from across the village. Their main tasks included protecting the Hokage, preventing external threats, conducting reconnaissance, and carrying out assassinations.
They wore white animal-themed masks during missions, and both their operations and identities were highly classified.
The ANBU had always been under direct command of the Hokage, and no one else had the authority to deploy them.