The sun had yet to reach its peak, and the air was still cool and refreshing.
With the return of the shinobi from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure to Konoha, the Fourth Shinobi World War had officially come to an end.
While Shinho was too busy to free up his hands, the Hokage Building remained a whirlwind of activity, with people coming and going, each occupied with their own tasks.
…
Hokage Assistant's Office;
"Lord Shikaku!"
A young shinobi rushed into the Hokage Assistant's Office, clutching a letter.
"What is it?"
Shikaku instinctively lifted his head and asked.
Beside him, Mitarashi Anko also glanced curiously at the young shinobi.
Mikoto had just returned to the village that morning, so she had yet to resume work.
"A reply from Sunagakure!"
The young shinobi said excitedly.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure was the last one remaining.
Its decision would determine Konoha's next course of action.
"Give it to me."
Shikaku stood up, took the envelope, and immediately opened it.
"What does it say?"
Anko asked eagerly.
"They agreed to our conditions."
Shikaku took a deep breath and answered.
"Just like that? They surrendered so easily?"
Anko clicked her tongue in disbelief.
"They have no backbone at all."
"You only show backbone when you have a chance of winning."
Shikaku chuckled, "And we are unbeatable."
"That's true."
Anko suddenly raised a finger and asked, "Is Sunagakure the first of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to surrender without a fight?"
Shikaku was momentarily stunned.
Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed the case.
Since the establishment of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they had always been in a state of both cooperation and competition.
But surrendering without a fight? That had never happened before.
After all, the power dynamics between the five villages had never been so overwhelmingly one-sided in the past.
"It really is."
Shikaku closed the letter and asked, "Have all the other smaller villages responded?"
"Give me a moment."
Anko grabbed a stack of envelopes from the table and began counting them.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku sat back down and continued his work.
He was preparing the framework for the Konoha Summit, which would take place in a month.
This was a summit that would impact the entire Shinobi World.
As the host, Konoha could not afford any mistakes, any misstep could turn into an international embarrassment.
The pressure on Shikaku was immense.
The last time such a meeting was held was during the First Kage Summit, convened by Senju Hashirama.
But the nature of the Konoha Summit was completely different from the Kage Summit.
The former signified absolute dominance.
The latter was merely a negotiation.
Truth be told, Shikaku preferred Shinho's approach.
Senju Hashirama had been far too idealistic.
The moment he died, war resumed, and his efforts ultimately failed to achieve his desired peace.
…
"One village hasn't responded yet!"
Anko suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh?"
Shikaku was equally interested.
At this point, Konoha was at its peak, wherever it went, nations bowed in submission.
Even the Five Great Shinobi Villages had already surrendered.
Which small ninja village was bold enough to remain silent?
"Hoshigakure from the Land of Bears."
Anko answered.
Shikaku pondered for a moment, recalling Hoshigakure's history.
Roughly two hundred years ago, a meteorite had crashed into the Land of Bears.
A group of shinobi discovered that it could be used for training, leading to the founding of Hoshigakure.
According to the unwritten rules of the Shinobi World, only the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were permitted to be called Kage.
Yet, Hoshigakure's leaders still referred to themselves as Hoshikage.
This spoke volumes about their confidence, or rather, their arrogance.
Due to its remote location, the Five Great Shinobi Villages never bothered taking action over something as trivial as a title.
But what was unexpected was their outright refusal to comply with Konoha's demands.
"Who is the current leader of Hoshigakure?"
Shikaku asked.
"The Third Hoshikage died recently in an accident. Currently, a shinobi named Akahoshi is acting as the provisional Hoshikage."
Anko quickly flipped through a file and read out the information.
Although Hoshigakure was small, Konoha still kept track of significant events in all the shinobi villages.
An accident?
Shikaku's instincts told him something was off.
However, it was up to Shinho to decide how to proceed.
"Anko, go inform the Hokage."
Shikaku said with a smile.
"Got it!"
Anko stood up enthusiastically.
She made her way to the Hokage's Office, but upon arrival, Uzuki Yugao informed her that Shinho was not there and that any urgent matters should be brought to the Hokage's Secretarial Office.
Anko changed course and headed for the Hokage's Secretarial Office.
She knocked on the door.
Moments later, the door opened.
Standing before her was Samui.
Anko was momentarily stunned.
Samui had changed into a formal secretary outfit, and her tight-fitting blazer barely contained her figure. Combined with black stockings, the overall effect was stunning, to say the least.
Simply dangerous.
Mitarashi Anko took a single glance and immediately felt challenged.
This woman had an even better figure than she did.
"What is it?"
Konan didn't even lift her head as she asked.
"It's about Hoshigakure."
Anko snapped back to reality and explained, "They have refused Konoha's conditions."
She was long accustomed to Konan's cold demeanor.
It wasn't personal, Konan was like this with everyone.
"Refused?"
Konan paused momentarily before responding, "I will inform the Hokage."
"Alright, I'm leaving then. See you."
Anko waved casually and left.
Their personalities were vastly different, so they never mingled longer than necessary.
"Mabui."
Konan instructed, "Gather all available information on Hoshigakure and deliver it to the Hokage's office tomorrow."
"Understood."
Mabui responded efficiently.
"Samui."
Konan turned to the voluptuous secretary, "Finish compiling the shinobi roster as soon as possible."
"Yes."
Samui nodded and closed the door.
She sat down, her tight skirt pressing against the chair, accentuating her curves.
With the Five Great Shinobi Villages now under Konoha's rule, in theory, all shinobi belonged to Konoha.
Her job was to compile a registry of every shinobi.
While the task seemed simple, it was incredibly tedious.
Especially since this was her first time working as a secretary, and there was much she still wasn't familiar with.
But she had no choice.
For the sake of Kumogakure's shinobi, she had to do this and do it perfectly.
After all, Shinho had left an immense psychological shadow in her heart.
She never wanted to witness that kind of devastation again.
…
As the sun reached its peak, it slowly descended, transforming into a fiery evening glow.
Shizune stretched, letting out a sigh of relief.
She had been working non-stop since morning, leaving her utterly exhausted.
Meanwhile, a certain someone had been taking it easy.
Shizune huffed lightly.
Going to pick up Tsunade? That was no reason to take an entire day off.
She didn't even need to think, she knew exactly what those two were doing at home.
And honestly… she was a little jealous.
With that thought in mind, Shizune couldn't wait to leave the office.
…
Konoha's Main Street;
The villagers were still buzzing with excitement, discussing Konoha's overwhelming victory in the war.
Shizune listened to their exaggerated chatter and couldn't help but smile.
When she arrived at the Senju Clan Residence, she took out her key, just about to unlock the door—
Then, she heard a familiar sound from inside.
She froze.
No way… are they seriously this bold?
Shizune hesitated before pressing her ear against the door.
The voices became clearer.
Within seconds, her face turned bright red.
Creak.
The door opened on its own.
Shizune jumped in shock.
As she looked up, she was greeted by the smirk of Shinho—
And Tsunade, her face flushed, her eyes hazy with lingering desire.
They were so caught up in the moment, they hadn't even noticed her.
Or rather—
They had noticed but chose to ignore her.
Shizune stood frozen in place, her body going weak as she watched Tsunade wriggling like an octopus in Shinho's arms.
"Close the door."
Shinho said calmly, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"O-Oh."
Shizune snapped out of her daze.
She stepped into the hall and locked the door behind her.
"Welcome home, Shinune-nee."
Shinho casually greeted her, both hands wrapped around Tsunade's waist.
"..."
Shizune opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, then forced out two words:
"Thank you?!"
"Shizune-nee, you're really adorable."
Shinho chuckled.
Shizune froze for a second, then glared at him, annoyed.
She took a deep breath and bent down to change her shoes.
Shinho openly admired the sight before him.
Her tight-fitting blazer clung precariously to her figure due to gravity.
Her long, slender legs tensed up, the black stockings shimmering slightly under the warm indoor light.
As she lifted her foot, her stocking-clad toes slipped out of her high heels.
Shinho felt an invigorating rush.
Tsunade immediately narrowed her eyes, amidst muffled grunts, her hands unconsciously tightening their grip, leaving shallow red marks on his back.
"You two, enough already!"
Shizune finally couldn't take it anymore and blurted out.
"S-Shizune…"
Tsunade turned her head, her expression constantly morphing as she asked with a sultry smile between breaths.
"Are you perhaps, jealous?"
"I am not!"
Shizune instantly denied it.
"O-Oh? Is that so?"
Tsunade licked her lips before kissing Shinho again.
With her emotions running high, she was far bolder than usual.
"..."
Shizune bit her lower lip.
She was jealous, jealous of how freely Tsunade could accept everything about this man.
"I… I'll go cook!"
Shizune hurriedly set her heels aside and made her way toward the kitchen.
"Nop, I'm cooking tonight."
Shinho grabbed her wrist and said.
"How… how are you going to cook like this?"
Shizune could feel the intensity of Tsunade's current state.
She doubted Tsunade would let Shinho off the hook anytime soon.
"Thers's always a first, no?"
Shinho countered casually.
"..."
Shizune was at a loss for words.
What was he even saying?
Did he really think Tsunade, in her current state, would let him cook in peace?
"And, you can help me."
Shinho patted Tsunade gently.
Her perfectly shaped legs lifted slightly, her arched feet tensing and pressing together, making sure not to hinder his movement.
"I… How am I supposed to help?"
Shizune stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
"To be precise, you'll be helping Sensei."
Shinho said with a grin.
"You pervert!"
Shizune immediately realized what he meant and blurted out.
"Come on, Let's not waste any time. Dinner won't cook itself."
Shinho steadily made his way toward the kitchen, taking one step at a time, accompanied by a muffled moan.
Shizune couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Her lips parted slightly, taking in a sharp breath before she finally snapped back to reality and reluctantly followed.
In the Kitchen;
Shinho freed up his hands, standing near the stovetop, releasing his primaeval essence to begin cooking from a distance.
Shizune stood beside him, supporting Tsunade. Following Shinho's instruction on kneading the mountain peaks.
She pressed her lips together, her breathing growing increasingly unsteady.
At such a close distance, she could see the small, subtle movements of Tsunade's delicate, round toes, her every twitch. She could feel her every breath, every rise and fall.
Her muscles tensed and relaxed repeatedly.
A faint, intoxicating scent filled the air.
Shizune could no longer tell whether it was coming from the food, or from somewhere else entirely.
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