The sky had barely lightened, and the secretary's office was already bustling with activity.
Unlike Natsume, who worked effortlessly, they had plenty to manage.
In a way, they were now the true administrators of Konoha Village.
Natsume didn't interfere at all—he only glanced at the results when necessary.
"Kurenai Yuhi."
Konan knocked and walked in.
Previously, she always wore her classic Akatsuki outfit—tight long pants and a backless top under the black Akatsuki coat.
But now that she was the Hokage's secretary, she couldn't dress like that anymore.
She had changed into a tailored blazer and pencil skirt, almost identical to Kurenai Yuhi's outfit.
"The preparations for Obito Uchiha's execution are complete," Konan reported in a calm tone.
Even though she had become the Hokage's secretary, her personality wouldn't change.
After meeting with Kurenai Yuhi yesterday, she had been assigned to handle the matter regarding Obito Uchiha.
At first, Konan hadn't known who he was until she saw him.
It turned out he was actually the mysterious Madara Uchiha.
Obito showed no reaction upon noticing her arrival, appearing lifeless.
Because he had seen Rin Nohara.
Under Natsume's instructions, she had already learned the full truth from him.
Facing Minato Namikaze's death, Rin could never forgive him.
Devastated, Obito only wanted to die.
Konan didn't understand, nor did she bother trying.
She only needed to complete her duties as a secretary.
"You've done well," Kurenai Yuhi said, lifting her gaze, her crimson lips parting slightly.
Knowing Konan's identity, she didn't act like a superior but rather an equal.
Besides, considering how beautiful Konan was, who knew what kind of personal relationship she shared with Natsume?
"It's fine," Konan replied. "Not at all tiring."
Though it had only been a day, she was already intrigued by Konoha's unique administrative system.
Her role as a secretary held more authority than she'd expected.
"Please deliver this document to Hokage-sama," Kurenai Yuhi said, picking up her pen, writing a few lines, then closing the file and handing it to Konan.
Konan accepted the document and turned to leave.
As she opened the door, she ran into Ino Yamanaka again.
"Ino Yamanaka, good morning!" Ino greeted cheerfully.
Though cold, Konan wasn't unkind. She was capable, attractive, and quickly earned recognition from others in the secretary's office.
"Mm," Konan murmured, giving a slight nod to the blonde beauty. "Good morning."
After greeting each other, the two passed in the hallway.
Standing in the corridor, Konan briefly glanced left and right before heading toward the Hokage's office.
As she passed the Hokage Bodyguards' Office, she glanced inside instinctively.
Nagato sat quietly at his desk, focused intently on the computer screen, lost in thought at times.
The others around him didn't disturb him.
Konan exhaled in slight relief.
The environment within the Hokage Building was better than she had imagined.
As outsiders, they hadn't faced any discrimination.
That was probably thanks to Natsume.
After all, he followed an offline system. Everyone had their own responsibilities and everyone's interests were safeguarded, which made power struggles unnecessary.
Arriving at the Hokage's office, Konan knocked on the door. Soon she got a response.
She pushed open the door and frowned instinctively. An unpleasant odor lingered in the air. She couldn't place its source.
Konan looked toward Natsume. He sat stiffly in the Hokage's chair. Standing nearby was Mabo, with white hair and dark skin, dressed as a secretary. Konan had met her yesterday. They both worked as secretaries, sharing equal status.
Yet now, Mabo had flushed cheeks, as though tipsy—even her dark complexion couldn't hide it.
"Hokage-sama," Konan said, pushing aside her confusion as she stepped forward and placed the documents on the Hokage's desk.
Suddenly, she noticed shallow, hurried breathing.
"Thank you."
Natsume said flatly.
Konan shook herself out of it, realizing what was going on. Stepping back slowly, she said, "Hokage-sama, if there's nothing else to attend to, I'll take my leave first."
Natsume gave the documents a glance before waving dismissively.
Konan turned and left. After closing the door behind her, she let out a deep breath. This behavior felt completely off from her usual image of him. Behaving recklessly with Samui right there in the office was absurd.
After a moment, Konan shook her head. Whatever Natsume did wasn't her concern.
Heading back to the secretary's office, she resumed her work.
After Konan left, Yugito Nii appeared, accompanied by two young girls—Karin and Tayuya.
With things finally settling down, Natsume intended to give them cover identities to enter Konoha and carry out missions. They were the perfect age to pass as newly graduated Genin.
Leaving them to waste time in the Fire Country's Metropolis wasn't ideal—they might as well get some training in. The path of a ninja was undoubtedly tough, but it did promote growth. Of course, Natsume would make sure they got special treatment.
"Brother!"
Karin burst through the door excitedly. Natsume nearly jumped out of his seat. Samui, who was sipping water, choked violently.
"Don't you have any sense? You can't just barge in like that!" Natsume snapped, slightly annoyed.
"I just missed my brother, that's all," Karin mumbled, lowering her head slightly embarrassed. In front of others, she often acted wild and defiant—but she never wanted to upset Natsume.
"Nauseating!"
Tayuya wrinkled her nose and cursed under her breath, irritated. She'd smelled it enough times to recognize the stench in the air. She'd encountered it before. Karin, too excited to see Natsume, hadn't noticed.
"You two will be entering Konoha as ninja trainees." Natsume instantly reacted, sealing off the space with [chakra], mainly to prevent Karin from asking too many questions.
He waved his hand. Mabo quickly handed them each a Konoha forehead protector.
Karin beamed as she put hers on. Tayuya pouted faintly, but didn't protest.
Natsume chuckled at the sight.
As for their teammates, he had decided to assign Hinata Hyuga to their team. The main reason was that Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki currently didn't require additional teammates. Putting all three of them on one team would just be excessive.
With Hinata now wielding the Tenseigan, including Karin and Tayuya shouldn't be an issue. Besides, both were far from weak and wouldn't burden the team.
"Yugito, lead them to meet Hinata and help everyone become acquainted."
The appointed team leader was none other than Yugito Nii. Though she worked as a secretary, there was only one task she could truly handle. Now that Samui and Mabo had joined, there was no longer a need for her to overexert herself. Allowing her to lead a mission team could double as a chance to relax occasionally.
After they left, Samui revealed her presence. She had been hiding under the table the whole time. Now, she could resume her duties.
Samui stepped forward and sat in the Hokage's chair. Mabo looked down and noticed traces of blood, which made her face redden further.
Time moved on. It wasn't long before the afternoon arrived.
Natsume left the Hokage's office, leaving Mabo to look after Samui. He had narrowly avoided a dangerous predicament.
In the Fire Country's Metropolis, the moment Natsume appeared, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki embraced him tightly. He had come specifically today to ask her to fully revive Rin Nohara. To accomplish this, he would have to pay a steep price.
After relentless discussions with Kaguya day and night, the matter was finally settled.
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