Although the succession ceremony hadn't been held, Tsunade had already simply transferred her power and then happily left work.
She really left work.
She even lured Shizune, a member of the Hokage's bodyguard team, to the casino and splurged there.
She didn't care about Natsume's feelings at all.
"Lord Hokage."
As he walked along, Natsume kept nodding in greeting.
But he also noticed the problem.
People weren't loyal enough, or rather, they didn't show enough awe.
This was because his prestige was still far less than Tsunade's.
To be more precise, it was less than any Hokage's, including Minato Namikaze.
Minato had made great achievements in the Third Great Ninja War and saved many ninjas' lives.
Although Natsume had been on missions in recent years, the impact of his deeds was far from enough.
Water Release[b]Water Release[/b] combined with Sage Mode[b]Sage Mode[/b] sounded really cool.
However, most people didn't have an intuitive understanding of his strength.
Moreover, he was young, so it was natural for people to look down on him.
Even if he was really powerful, how powerful could he be?
"I've got to stir things up."
Sitting on the Hokage's soft chair, Natsume stroked his chin and pondered silently.
Exposing his strength directly would seem a bit stupid.
It would be best if someone came to provoke him on their own initiative, then he could be forced to take action and gain some destiny value. That would be perfect.
"I wonder what the Hokage (Danzo Shimura) is up to recently?"
Natsume knew that Danzo Shimura was in Sunagakure Village because he had contributed destiny value a year ago.
And it was with Rasa and Gaara, a total of ninety points.
It was easy to guess.
It should be that Danzo had provided a Sealing Technique[b]Sealing Technique[/b] for sealing the tailed beasts to help Gaara strengthen his seal and reduce his rampages.
In return, Danzo had settled in Sunagakure Village.
In fact, although Danzo Shimura's battle records were rather poor and he was constantly suppressed by Hiruzen Sarutobi in Konoha Village, in another ninja village, he would definitely be treated as an honored guest. Just showing a little of his skills could have a great effect.
Sunagakure Village was comparable to Kiri and was at the bottom among the Five Great Villages.
Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku, had become a sleepless man and a panda-eyed man because of the sealing problem.
As soon as he fell asleep, Shukaku would go on a rampage.
And Rasa, in order to test the stability of the Jinchuriki, liked to stage assassination attempts on Gaara for no reason.
It was quite absurd.
It was already quite lucky that Gaara didn't become a Rogue Ninja on the spot.
Now that Danzo Shimura, who was proficient in the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique[b]Sealing Technique[/b], had come, it was undoubtedly a great help.
There was a knock on the door.
Natsume looked up and said, "Come in."
The previous members of the Hokage's bodyguard team filed in.
Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and Kurenai Yuhi.
Shizune wasn't there. As she had accompanied Tsunade to the casino.
The three people who came in had different expressions.
Might Guy called out "Lord Hokage" in a loud voice, looking expectantly as if he thought there was some mission.
Kakashi Hatake stared with his dead fish eyes, looking rather listless and lacking in enthusiasm.
Only Kurenai Yuhi looked worried and preoccupied.
She could guess why Natsume had called them here. It was for a new work arrangement for them.
Generally speaking, a new Hokage doesn't usually keep the previous Hokage's team.
Especially the Hokage's bodyguard team, which is the closest organization to the Hokage.
A typical example is the Hokage's bodyguard team of the Forth Hokage[b]Forth Hokage[/b], Minato Namikaze.
Even though they could use the Flying Thunder God Technique[b]Flying Thunder God Technique[/b] together, they were driven away by Hiruzen Sarutobi and kept away from the center of power.
In Kurenai Yuhi's opinion, Shizune wouldn't be affected since she's Tsunade's apprentice.
Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy wouldn't either, as they are both powerful and have good backgrounds.
As for her, with a less impressive background and not as strong in terms of power, she would most likely become an ordinary Jonin.
Apart from status, there's also the matter of money.
On Natsume's suggestion, the Hokage Building has fully implemented the payment system.
After a comprehensive consideration of their respective strengths, Natsume gave the Hokage's bodyguard team a monthly salary of three hundred thousand Ryo.
It's actually quite a large sum.
A Class S mission starts at one million Ryo and usually takes one to two months to complete. It's extremely dangerous even for a Jonin.
Moreover, there aren't that many Class S missions available.
Take Kurenai Yuhi for example. According to official records, she has only completed fourteen Class S missions.
Most of her missions are below Class A, with rewards ranging from a few tens of thousands to a hundred thousand Ryo.
Of course, for ninjas with extraordinary strength like Minato Namikaze and the Sannin, it's different. They have quite a few Class S missions.
But this is an exception. Ninjas like Kurenai Yuhi, ordinary Jonin, are the majority.
By working at the Hokage Building, they can get a monthly salary of three hundred thousand Ryo.
In addition, they can also take on extra missions in their free time to earn some extra money.
It couldn't be more awesome for Kurenai Yuhi.
Her family won't have to worry about her all day long because of this.
She doesn't have many other expectations, like becoming the Hokage. So, her current life is already her ideal state.
"Although my teacher is no longer the Hokage, I won't change much of what she left behind," Natsume looked at them and said with a smile. "You guys continue to serve as the Hokage's bodyguard team."
"Yes! Lord Hokage! I won't let you down!" Might Guy was so excited that his eyes welled up with tears.
Kakashi Hatake gave Natsume a surprised look but didn't say anything. He just nodded.
Kurenai Yuhi was both surprised and delighted. She said gratefully, "Thank you for your trust, Lord Hokage!"
This chapter continues!
Natsume smiled.
Their reactions were quite in line with their personalities.
"Go back," Natsume waved his hand and said.
The three bowed and then turned to leave.
But the door wasn't closed.
Ino Yamanaka poked her head in and immediately locked eyes with Natsume.
She got flustered right away and pulled her head back.
A few seconds later, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Natsume said with a smile.
Ino Yamanaka pushed the door open and walked in.
She was still wearing a tight top and shorts.
But compared to three years ago, her waistline was extremely graceful, without any excess fat, fair and smooth.
"Congratulations on becoming the Hokage, Mr. Natsume!" Ino Yamanaka said sincerely.
Meanwhile, there was a subtle change in her heart.
After all, the Hokage is already extremely special in Konoha Village.
She was a bit worried that this might affect their relationship.
Not long ago, her father, Inoichi Yamanaka, reminded her that she shouldn't be too casual in front of Natsume in the future.
If she caused any trouble, it would implicate the Yamanaka clan.
"You don't have to be so restrained."
Natsume waved his hand and said, "Come here."
"Ah?"
Ino Yamanaka swallowed hard, and her heart began to race.
Could it be that Mr. Natsume is going to take advantage of his position as Hokage over me... Dad didn't teach me what to do in this situation.
She pretended to be calm and slowly stepped forward, asking, "Um... Mr. Natsume, what's the matter?"
"Don't be afraid of me just because I'm the Hokage."
Natsume stood up, gave up his seat, and smiled. "The Hokage isn't a big deal. Come and sit here."
"No... I can't!"
Ino Yamanaka was startled and quickly waved her hands.
"Why not? No one can see us."
Natsume didn't want to see a timid Ino Yamanaka.
The best way was to break the fear of the Hokage in her heart.
Ino Yamanaka widened her eyes.
That sounds so exciting!
Her face flushed red, and she didn't know what to do.
Natsume took a step forward, grabbed her wrist, and before she could react, he pressed her onto the Hokage's soft chair.
"Be obedient and don't move around."
Ino Yamanaka stopped trying to get up.
She immediately felt Natsume's warm big hand holding hers. A blush appeared on her fair face and neck, making her look extremely cute.
It's impossible for a second person to sit in the Hokage's seat.
This meant that Mr. Natsume had feelings for her.
Ino Yamanaka lowered her head, but her eyes couldn't help curving into crescent moons.
Sweetness drove away the nervousness, and she gradually relaxed.
She also returned to her previous attitude towards Natsume.
"It seems that the Hokage has a lot of work to do."
Ino Yamanaka looked at all kinds of documents on the office desk and couldn't help asking, "Will Mr. Natsume be very busy in the future?"
"Actually, it's okay."
Natsume casually picked up a document and said, "The Hokage secretary team has already dealt with them, so I just need to take a look."
"That's good."
Ino Yamanaka murmured.
In this way, the time they spent together wouldn't be reduced.
"Speaking of this."
Natsume glanced at her and asked, "Are you interested in being a Hokage's secretary?"
"Huh?"
Ino Yamanaka pointed at herself, looking extremely surprised. "Me?"
"Yeah."
Natsume said seriously, "The Yamanaka clan is good at analyzing intelligence reports. They're very suitable for being Hokage's secretaries."
Ino Yamanaka's heart skipped a beat at once.
She didn't care about being a Hokage's secretary.
But if she became a secretary, she could see Natsume every day. It was obviously a very worthwhile deal.
"Only..."
Ino Yamanaka tilted her head and said with some hesitation, "I'm young. People will talk. Then, Mr. Natsume, you..."
She didn't dare to say the rest of the words.
"Ino, I'm the Hokage."
Natsume smiled indifferently. "Who would dare to say anything about me?"
Ino Yamanaka was taken aback, and her heart started beating a little faster.
Woo, he's so cool!
"But for Ino's sake, how about this? You can be an intern secretary," Natsume thought for a moment and felt it was a bit over the top.
If Tsunade found out, there'd be a huge ruckus.
But he absolutely wouldn't accept having Uncle Hizashi Hyuga, an old man, as the secretary instead of a pretty girl.
However, Ino Yamanaka really couldn't lead the Hokage secretary team at the moment.
After Hizashi Hyuga was promoted to Hokage advisor, they had to find a reliable secretary.
Well, Kurenai Yuhi would be a good choice.
The Hokage's bodyguard team was just for show.
Shizune had also served as the Hokage's secretary during Tsunade's tenure.
Now that it was Natsume's turn, it made sense to have Kurenai Yuhi serve as the secretary part-time.
Of course, he didn't have any other intentions; it was just for the pleasure of the eyes.
"Okay!"
Hearing this, Ino Yamanaka happily agreed.
If she was just an intern secretary, there would naturally be less criticism.
And for her, the goal had already been achieved.
"Then I'll count on you from now on," Natsume said with a smile.
"No problem," Ino Yamanaka patted her chest confidently and said, "I'll do a good job!"
"I'm looking forward to your performance," Natsume looked at the smile on her face. Pretty girls were really a pleasure to look at. "I'll take you to meet Uncle Hizashi."
"Okay!"
Ino Yamanaka immediately jumped off the Hokage's seat, with a beaming smile on her face.
If Natsume wasn't watching, she'd jump for joy.
Three thousand words.
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