In addition to Sunagakure, all the other hidden villages had been beaten into submission by Shiki.
With a "Golden Lion" like him guarding Konoha, no other village even dared to harbor any schemes against it. Because of that, the post-war negotiations went incredibly smoothly.
Even the already poor Hidden Sand Village had been forced to take out a pile of compensation materials.
"Even so, you guys really did great."
Shiki smiled lightly as he looked at Nara Shikaku.
"If you weren't competent, then even with me here, these negotiations wouldn't have gone this well."
It was thanks to Shikaku and the others having the courage and insight to read people and situations properly.
In negotiations like this, it wasn't just about whose fist was bigger—it also came down to the nerve and wisdom of the negotiator.
"Take Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, for example," Shiki went on lazily. "Back in the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha still agreed to unfair terms. At that time, even with the Legendary Sannin already famous and the 'White Fang of Konoha' seated in the village… so what?"
He snorted.
"Those two useless fossils didn't get even a bit of compensation back then. Complete dead weight."
Shiki's offhand ridicule might have sounded harsh, but to Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza, it actually felt oddly reassuring.
Their hearts felt lighter, and their trust in Shiki grew even deeper.
"Okay, okay! Can you two stop talking in half-finished sentences? Are you doing this on purpose just to mess with me?"
While Shiki and Nara Shikaku were busy exchanging that smug little smile, Tsunade rolled her eyes and inserted herself into the conversation with a casual wave of her hand.
She'd been standing right next to them this whole time, listening, and she couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Seriously… can't you just say it clearly from the start?
What a pain…
"Hahaha…"
Her blunt, no-nonsense attitude made Shikaku and the others chuckle. Tsunade acted like she didn't notice, then turned her eyes to Nara Shikaku as her expression suddenly shifted.
"Shikaku."
"Uh!"
Her sudden change in tone honestly made Shikaku a little nervous.
"L-Lady Tsunade, what is it?"
"Shikaku, you're already a fully-fledged Konoha elder now. You should know how to share the Hokage's responsibilities."
The words themselves were perfectly reasonable, but the moment they came out of Tsunade's mouth, Shikaku suddenly felt a prickle of unease.
"Y-Yes, of course!"
There was no helping it. After hesitating for a moment, Shikaku still nodded.
"Great!"
Tsunade's face lit up with satisfaction.
Before Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza could figure out why she was suddenly so happy, Tsunade had already ordered people to drag over a mountain of documents and dump them in front of Shikaku.
Not only that, but she also had an extra desk set up in the Hokage's office specifically for Shikaku and the others.
A few minutes later, the three of them sat in their chairs, staring at the towering pile of paperwork in front of them. Their eyelids began to twitch uncontrollably.
"L-Lady Tsunade, this…"
Shikaku still wanted to confirm it one last time.
But under Tsunade's unshakable gaze and firm nod, Shikaku could only give up on resisting and accept his fate.
"These things will be handed over to you in the future," Tsunade said cheerfully. "I'm counting on you, Shikaku."
"…"
Counting on me?
Shikaku turned his head stiffly and glanced at the practically endless sea of documents in front of him again. His face was full of despair.
The Nara clan might be known for their intelligence, but they were equally famous for being lazy.
Now asking Nara Shikaku to work this seriously… it was basically torture.
On either side of him, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza both wore the same "so this is how we die" expression.
Why?
Back when the elders had still been Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, the two of them were already half in the grave, yet they never seemed to have this much work.
So why was it that now, when it was their turn, there was suddenly so much to do?
"L-Lady Tsunade, you're not seriously planning to throw everything at us and walk away, right…?"
After all, Tsunade was still the Hokage. There was no way she would really leave everything to them… right?
"Of course that's impossible!"
Tsunade waved her hand decisively.
"Phew…"
Shikaku let out a tiny breath of relief. At least it wasn't completely on them—
But before he could finish exhaling, Tsunade added casually:
"From now on, I'll send a shadow clone to be in charge together with you. If you run into anything, just ask my shadow clone."
Using the Shadow Clone Technique alone made it easy to overlook things and cause mistakes.
But if Nara Shikaku and the others were assisting, then there wouldn't be any issues.
"…"
Silence fell. Nara Shikaku honestly didn't even know what to say anymore.
So in the end, isn't this still leaving everything to us?
What's the difference!?
Before Shikaku could say anything that sounded too much like a sob story, Tsunade briskly waved her hand and ended the conversation.
"Alright, alright, you three go through these documents properly. We'll leave you to it."
With that, Tsunade turned and prepared to leave with Shiki.
The three men instantly fixed Shiki with resentful stares, as if trying to pierce his back with their eyes alone.
"Do your best," Shiki said, entirely unfazed. "The war just ended—things will only get easier from here."
"…This is your idea of comfort?"
Still, it was… somewhat effective.
At the very least, Shikaku and the others understood that even if they were unwilling, these tasks really had to be handled by them now.
Shiki and Tsunade walked out side by side. Shizune hurried to follow after them at a trot.
"Shizune, you're the Hokage's assistant," Tsunade suddenly said, glancing back. "Stay here and help them process these documents."
"Eeeeh!?"
Shizune stared at Tsunade in disbelief.
You've got to be kidding me. You're going out to have fun and leaving me here to suffer with the paperwork!?
Right then and there, Shizune regretted ever accepting the position of Hokage's assistant.
If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I never would've taken the job… I'm going to cry…
But Tsunade was stubborn, and Shizune couldn't sway her at all. In the end, all she could do was look at Shiki with teary, pleading eyes.
In the end, it was Shiki who waved his hand and made the decision for her.
"Alright, then take today off," he said. "Starting tomorrow, you'll handle these together with Shikaku and the others."
"Y-Yes!"
Shizune nodded happily.
Even if it was just one day of rest, she already felt extremely grateful.
Since Shiki had spoken, Tsunade naturally wouldn't object. She just shrugged and, with a content Shizune at her side, left together with Shiki.
Only Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza were left behind in the Hokage's office, staring at one another with wide eyes.
"So… what now?"
"What are we supposed to do?"
Inoichi and Choza glanced at each other, then turned their eyes toward Nara Shikaku in unison. Among the three of them, it was ultimately Shikaku who made the decisions.
"What else can we do?"
Shikaku let out a helpless sigh. Even if he was unwilling, his gaze still dropped to the documents piled up in front of him.
"Since it's the Hokage's order, we finish it."
"Haah…"
"Haah…"
"What a drag..."
The three men exchanged long, synchronized sighs. But they didn't complain any further.
Soon, the Hokage's office was filled only with the sound of pages turning as Nara Shikaku and the others began to read through the documents one by one.
On the other side, at Mitokado Homura's residence—
Because Sarutobi Hiruzen had chosen not to stand behind them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura could now only cling to each other for support.
Otherwise, one-on-one, neither of them would even dare entertain the thought of going against Shiki.
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