Hinata's lips parted slightly, her mouth dry as she gasped for fresh air. Her eyes remained tightly shut, too embarrassed to look at Shinho.
A thin layer of sweat had formed on her fair forehead.
Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks, eventually getting caught by the Konoha forehead protector around her neck.
Her expression was a mix of dazed confusion and allure, pure yet enticing, caught in a hazy state between consciousness and surrender.
Shinho couldn't help but swallow hard.
She was a beauty in a completely different sense.
Suddenly, Shinho lifted his head and locked eyes with his sister-in-law, Hanabi.
Her face instantly turned as red as Hinata's, and she spun around, fleeing in a panic.
The corner of Shinho's mouth curled into a faint smile.
Well, well, well.
Shinho withdrew his gaze, returning his attention to Hinata.
He refrained from doing anything further, not wanting her to faint again.
After waiting a few minutes, Hinata finally managed to regain some clarity.
"Hinata, congratulations for surviving today's training session."
Shinho said, his tone serious and formal.
Hinata, like a startled little rabbit, kept her head down, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
"We'll continue training when you have time tomorrow."
Shinho patted her head gently. "Go on, head back."
"Mm."
Hinata responded softly.
She cast one last glance at Shinho before turning and walking into the courtyard.
Soon, she stopped, her fingers pressing against her lips as she recalled the strange sensation from earlier. For a moment, she was utterly captivated.
Watching her figure disappear, Shinho clicked his tongue.
The feeling Hinata gave him was entirely different from Tsunade or Shizune.
And he quite liked it.
…
Shinho turned and headed toward the Hokage Tower.
Since it was just past noon, it wasn't time to go home yet.
Besides, like the blazing sun in the sky, his energy was still burning intensely.
Back in the Hokage's office, he casually set up a barrier and summoned the Three Snake Princesses.
Their true forms were snakes, and being cold-blooded creatures, they were perfect for cooling things down.
…
Hokage Secretary's Office;
Yugito Nii raised her hand and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Samui responded without even looking up.
After completing the roster work, she had taken on a new task, tallying the number of civilians.
Of course, not from Konoha, but from the other Hidden Villages.
"Samui."
Yugito entered the office and asked, "Are you here alone? Where's Mabui?"
"She's out with Konan."
Samui explained briefly, then asked, "What brings you here today? Did something happen in Kumogakure?"
"Nothing happened."
Yugito shook her head.
"Really?"
Samui's tone was cool and probing.
"Well… there is one small thing."
Yugito hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "What does Konoha plan to do with the Jinchuriki?"
"Do with them?"
Samui frowned slightly. "The Hokage hasn't mentioned anything."
"The Tailed Beasts are so important, there's no way he'll just ignore them."
Yugito's face was filled with worry.
Samui nodded.
With the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails involved, it made sense that Shinho would ensure they remained under Konoha's control.
"Let's go ask him."
After a moment's thought, Samui stood up.
"Ask him?"
Yugito's eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?!"
Facing someone like that, a man akin to a demon god, directly, felt like a death scentence for Yugito.
"You've misunderstood him."
Samui replied calmly. "As long as you don't cross his bottom line, he's actually a very tolerant."
"Are you crazy?"
Yugito asked in disbelief. "You're calling him tolerant?!"
Samui fell silent.
During her time as Hokage's secretary, she had been exposed to many of Konoha's peculiarities.
For example, their salary system.
The more she learned, the more she realized how extraordinary Shinho was.
Kumogakure losing to him seemed only natural.
"Don't you want to know how he plans to handle the Jinchuriki?"
Samui countered.
"…"
After a few seconds of internal struggle, Yugito reluctantly agreed, "Fine."
Compared to Samui and Mabui, Yugito genuinely feared Shinho Aburm.
Because she had been thoroughly beaten up by him before.
…
Samui arrived at the door of the Hokage's office.
She raised her hand and knocked, but there was no response.
"Is the Hokage not in?"
Samui asked, lifting her gaze.
"He's in."
Yugao's voice drifted from the shadows.
"Maybe he just doesn't want to see us?"
Yugito muttered, a little annoyed.
"He would've said so if that was the case."
Samui reached out and gently turned the doorknob.
Peeking through the small gap, she quickly shut the door again.
Turning her head, she took two deep breaths, her fitted suit rising and falling with the motion.
But she couldn't shake the image of that powerful, muscular body from her mind.
She hadn't expected Shinho to be playing Xu Xian in his Hokage office, and not with just one woman.
Samui had her suspicions confirmed once again.
Shinho had made them Hokage secretaries with ulterior motives.
But could they protest?
Samui bit her lip.
She felt like they were butterflies being toyed with by a cat, inevitably destined to fall into that abyss.
"Samui?"
Yugito Nii frowned in confusion.
"The Hokage is busy. We'll come back later," Samui said, her face expressionless.
"…"
Although Yugito was displeased, she didn't dare to argue.
…
Two Hours Later;
Yugao pushed open the door to the Hokage Secretary's Office. "The Hokage will see you now."
Samui's expression stiffened slightly.
Did he realize we peeked earlier?
But thinking about it carefully, with his strength, not noticing would be strange.
He definitely let her see it on purpose.
"Yugito," Samui took a deep breath, "let's go."
The two of them entered the Hokage's office.
"What brings you here?"
Shinho was in a good mood, his tone light as he asked.
After all, his body had cooled down, with much of the heat absorbed by the Snake Princesses.
"Hokage-sama," Samui got straight to the point, "how will the Jinchuriki from the other villages be handled?"
That direct?!
Yugito felt her heart tighten, and couldn't help but stal a glance at Samui.
"Well be extracting the Tailed Beasts from the jinchuriki's," Shinho said casually.
"What?!"
Samui's calm face subtly shifted.
Yugito recoiled two steps in fear.
In the shinobi world, it was common knowledge that extracting a Tailed Beast meant certain death for the Jinchuriki.
"Don't worry," Shinho said with a smile, "We can extract the taild beasts without harming the hosts."
He had previously acquired research from Mei Terumi, based on studies by Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata.
"Really?"
Yugito looked at him, full of disbelief.
"I'll say it again," Shinho remained calm, "if I wanted to kill you, I could do it now. There's no need to go through such trouble."
"You—!"
Yugito clenched her fists, glaring at him instinctively.
"Yugito."
Samui stepped in front of her, blocking her glare. "Don't be rude."
Yugito finally remembered just how terrifying the man before them was, and her body trembled slightly.
"It's normal for you not to believe me," Shinho suddenly recalled something and said, "We'll start with Killer Bee then."
Killer Bee, in the original timeline, had the Eight-Tails extracted by Madara, yet, he survived.
Because the Eight-Tails had left one of its octopus tails inside him, preserving his life.
In other words, even if the experiment failed, Killer Bee wouldn't die.
"No way!" Yugito blurted out. "Why not start with someone else?"
"Because I'm the Hokage," Shinho said with a light smile.
"…"
Yugito was furious, but she didn't dare curse him out. All she could do was breathe in and out sharply.
Shinho glanced at her, unimpressed by her outburst. Compared to Samui, she was far less composed.
"Yugito, you should head back," Samui said calmly.
Yugito bit her lip but eventually turned and left.
"Hokage-sama," Samui bowed deeply, "I apologize for Yugito's behavior just now."
As she bent down, her heavy burden caused her white shirt collar to part slightly, revealing a deep curve.
Shinho could easily see the shadow there.
Hmm, not bad.
Samui's body trembled slightly.
She could feel the heat of a gaze in her valley.
There was no doubt it was Shinho.
But she didn't shy away.
"It's fine," Shinho said truthfully. "She's kind of interesting."
Interesting?
Samui didn't quite understand that evaluation.
"This is the method I mentioned for extracting the Tailed Beasts," Shinho said, pulling out a scroll. "Read it, then hand it to the sealing squad for study."
Samui was momentarily stunned.
"Come here."
Shinho waved the scroll slightly.
Snapping out of it, Samui stepped forward, her long legs in black stockings carrying her to his desk.
She accepted the scroll, speaking seriously, "Thank you for your consideration, Hokage-sama."
It was clear he wanted her to see it first to put her mind at ease.
If he were her leader, Samui would consider Shinho an outstanding one.
Unfortunately, they were enemies.
"You're the Hokage's secretary. You have the right to read it," Shinho said casually.
Samui remained silent.
She could feel Shinho's eyes scanning her body.
This had become a regular occurrence.
"Hokage-sama, is there anything else you need?" Samui asked, storing the scroll away.
"What did you see earlier?"
Shinho's gaze landed on her face.
Samui's heart skipped a beat.
How should I answer?
"I... I didn't see anything," Samui hesitated for a few seconds before responding.
"You're not boeing honest to your Hokage," Shinho shook his head.
"…"
Samui opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Shinho beckoned her over.
Samui felt a surge of fear in her heart.
But she had no choice but to step forward.
Shinho raised his hand and gave her a light smack on her tight skirt.
Samui's body jolted, creating a visible ripple.
"This is your punishment for lying," Shinho said shamelessly.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Samui took a deep breath and said, "It was indeed my mistake."
Shinho raised an eyebrow in surprise.
This secretary is quite cooperative, isn't she?
"You may go."
Shinho waved his hand dismissively.
Samui was momentarily stunned.
She had actually prepared herself for worse, but hadn't expected something this mild.
What kind of person is this Hokage, really?
"Yes."
Samui gave a slight bow, then turned and left.
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