After the Five Great Ninja Villages formed their alliance, they never stopped trying to send people to infiltrate Konoha and cause trouble. However, after Tsunade took office and made a series of adjustments, Konoha became practically impenetrable, making infiltration far more difficult.
Since Orochimaru took over the Barrier Department, multiple barrier points had been reinforced to prevent anyone from entering Konoha through anywhere other than the main gates.
The number of sentries at Konoha's main gate was also increased, from the original two to eight.
Of course, only two were on watch at any given time; the rest rested in guardhouses twenty meters to each side, taking turns in shifts.
However, whenever anyone arrived, all eight had to show up for inspection.
In addition to the obvious sentries, Tsunade added two concealed posts about thirty meters behind them, lying in wait and keeping watch, rotating regularly.
For people from within Konoha, leaving the village was no problem, completely free, but upon returning, they had to undergo strict inspection and verification.
As for non-Konoha people, if they had no chakra in their body, it was fine, but anyone with chakra, no matter how strong or weak, couldn't even set foot past Konoha's gate.
This work was now handled by the Guard Department, namely the Hyūga clan.
The Byakugan had a natural advantage: it could see through a person's body, observe their chakra pathways and circulation, and pinpoint their tenketsu.
So with just a glance, anyone with chakra in their body was exposed instantly.
Other ninja villages had sent people to Konoha under the pretext of visits or negotiations.
But once inside, each visitor had at least two people tailing them, 24 hours a day, never leaving their side, until they left the village.
If they did anything even slightly suspicious during this time, they'd be expelled immediately.
The most outrageous part was that they even had to pay for the "surveillance service."
Sending people to "protect" you and ensure your personal safety cost money, five thousand per person, per day.
If you didn't want to pay, then get lost, you weren't welcome in Konoha.
This wasn't because Konoha was unreasonable or wanted to close itself off, but because Konoha now had too many enemies, and with Shin and Orochimaru immersed in research and having no time to manage these matters...
Naturally, some people expressed dissatisfaction with this new rule.
For example, some merchants with chakra in their bodies, or merchants who hired ninjas as bodyguards, threatened that if Konoha didn't change the rule, they'd stop doing business with them altogether.
Since ninjas themselves didn't produce goods, many resources had to be obtained through external trade, and merchants traveled in and out frequently.
But Tsunade refused to give an inch, stating bluntly: "Konoha doesn't need your petty goods, do as you like."
The merchants were furious and tried to unite in protest.
However, after some merchants complied with the rules and received priority in trade deals, the alliance fell apart instantly.
In fact, those same merchants began cozying up to her, declaring they'd also follow the rules.
Merchants chased profit, as long as they could make money, especially more money, rules were just rules. They never intended to cause trouble anyway, so they didn't care.
And if you still had complaints, Konoha would simply assume you were suspicious, reassign your business to someone else, and send you packing.
Thus, for a full six months, Konoha remained peaceful and without incident.
During those six months, thanks to everyone working together, Konoha flourished.
And because Tsunade allocated every cent of the daimyō's funding to where it was truly needed, Konoha developed rapidly.
But this was hard on Shin.
At first, he was happy Tsunade had become Hokage, thinking that when there was work, the Hokage would handle it, and when there wasn't, he could "handle" the Hokage.
He succeeded in the latter, every night trying new things with endless enthusiasm.
But when there was work, the Hokage didn't handle it at all, she had completely slacked off, dumping all important matters onto him.
And Tsunade even justified it, saying: "I don't know how!"
Fortunately, the reforms had been carried out early and went smoothly. Now, Konoha's departments had clear divisions of responsibility, their work content was well-defined, and efficiency was extremely high.
Shin's shadow clones only needed to make occasional rounds, compare various data, and supervise the progress of certain tasks.
On normal days, departments only needed to submit routine reports and keep records. If it wasn't an important matter, it would never be pushed into the Hokage's office.
Nao had also grown increasingly skilled in her work as the Hokage assistant, handling all non-essential matters herself.
When Minato wasn't out on missions, he would come to the Hokage's office as Tsunade's second assistant. Familiar with all aspects of the job, he could effectively help Shin share the workload.
And then there was Shikashin, who managed the Administrative Department's affairs with absolute precision.
Thanks to all this, Shin didn't have to spend too much time on village affairs, and his research progress wasn't delayed in the slightest.
"..."
"..."
"..."
So... you didn't really do much after all!
Actually, Shin did do something.
Whenever a decision from the Hokage was needed, especially important ones, Tsunade would say she needed to "think it over carefully," then go home and ask Shin.
After "thinking" for one night, she would announce her decision the next day, providing fully detailed and convincing reasons.
Because her decisions were always cautious and correct, people had immense faith in her, believing the Hokage to be steady, wise, and dependable.
But only Tsunade herself knew, every decision had been thought up by Shin; she just announced them.
So what was she doing on normal days?
She was following Shin's newly designed plan for scientific training, constantly improving her medical skills, and teaching medical ninjutsu to other medical-nin.
During this process, her strength steadily increased, and with Shin's help, she continued to improve the Strength of a Hundred Seal technique.
Why was she doing this?
A Hokage must not only manage the village, but also protect it. She needs to excel in either management or strength.
After thinking for exactly 0.01 seconds, she solemnly declared she chose strength.
She even cited her grandfather as an example, saying that improving strength was the Hokage's real duty, anything that required brainwork had nothing to do with her.
Thus, in the eyes of others, this "slacker Hokage" looked like:
A great Hokage who had given everything for the village, spending vast amounts of time managing Konoha's affairs with perfect order, while also dedicating herself to intense training and medical ninjutsu practice.
On top of that, she spared no effort in cultivating medical-nin, striving to equip every ninja squad with one, reducing ninja casualties.
Which other Kage could do this?
Many had said more than once: "Lady Tsunade, if you're too tired, please rest for a while. Seeing you like this is truly heartbreaking!"
But she would always answer cheerfully, "I'm only doing what a Hokage should do. Anyone else can rest, but I can't, because I carry the entire village on my shoulders."
Everyone who heard these words couldn't help but be moved to tears.
Over the past six months, countless ninjas had been inspired by her, working themselves to the bone in training to share her burden.
Those medical-nin personally taught by her were especially driven, pushing themselves to improve.
After going home from work, they would still review the lessons she had taught during the day, and if they didn't understand something, they would gather late at night to discuss it.
Their dedication often made Tsunade feel ashamed, because after she went home, the only things she thought about were what to eat... and things not safe for work.
Looking at the growing stack of documents on her desk once again, she began to miss Minato.
Whenever he was in Konoha, she never even had to see these stacks of paperwork, she could spend all her time with Shin.
It was all Shin's fault, he'd said Minato needed to build up prestige and insisted on sending him out on a mission.
But judging by the time, that kid should be coming back soon, right?