After Neji graduated, he began with D-rank missions, just like every other genin.
Thanks to the booming development of Konoha's industry, commerce, and agriculture, the demand for labor had reached new heights. Consequently, the village had a mountain of D-rank tasks piled up.
"Here are your missions for today."
Nara Sōsai took a D-rank scroll from the wall and handed it to Might Guy.
Might Guy opened it with fiery enthusiasm. That enthusiasm quickly fizzled out. He looked at Neji, Tenten, and Lee with pity.
Tenten rubbed her arms. "That look from Guy-sensei is terrifying!"
Rock Lee: "Agreed." His eyes flicked to Neji beside him, and his tone instantly shifted. "But no hardship can defeat me!"
Might Guy heard Lee's words. His heart swelled with emotion. He patted Lee's shoulder heavily. "That's my student!"
Soon enough, Rock Lee's expression changed too.
Might Guy led them to the largest farm outside Konoha's walls. Of course, the farm was under Danzō's management. Danzō, aching all over from two years of running business operations, had returned to the village to recuperate for a while.
He personally escorted Might Guy's team to the biggest pigpen. Immediately, a symphony of pungent smells assaulted their nostrils.
"Look at this pig," Danzō said, his voice full of pride. "Plump and white." This vast farming base was entirely his creation.
Tenten stared at the large black pig Danzō was pointing at, at a loss for how to respond to the elder.
Might Guy scratched his head. "It's definitely… black and fat."
Tenten: "…"
Neji: "…"
Danzō gave Might Guy a flat look. "Be careful when you coax it out later." This black pig was Danzō's prized breed—tender, fatty, yet with a pleasant chewiness. Its temper, of course, was also not ordinary.
It was a gift Danzō was preparing for Tsukimi Heshu, seeing as the New Year was approaching again.
"Don't worry." It was just a pig. Rock Lee and Might Guy were brimming with confidence.
Half an hour later, the black pig was chasing Lee and Guy around the field in a chaotic scramble. Danzō's face darkened. Were these people here to help or to cause trouble? It wasn't that Guy couldn't handle the pig; the mission explicitly stated no harm could come to it.
Thus, the days after Neji's graduation slipped by in the chaotic daily life with his teammates.
Heshu, counting the days, also began putting Itachi to work.
"Teacher, today's documents are reviewed." Itachi bore no complaints, though his time with his little brother had lessened somewhat.
Heshu was very satisfied with Itachi's efficiency. The lightened dark circles under Nara Sōsai's eyes also spoke volumes about his approval. The shrewd man had already discerned the Hokage's intention.
"Good. Go home and eat," Heshu said to Itachi with a kindly expression. He was, after all, an undercover agent. This village needed someone who genuinely loved it to lead.
'Isn't it just because you're lazy and want to retire ASAP?' The system cut straight to the point.
Heshu: "…" Some things didn't need to be stated outright.
Nara Sōsai saw Heshu's plan and agreed that Itachi Uchiha was an excellent choice. His sensitivity to administrative affairs, his personal strength, his love and sense of responsibility for the village—all marked him as a qualified Hokage successor. Aside from his little brother obsession.
In short, as long as Sasuke Uchiha didn't stir up trouble, Itachi Uchiha would be a fine Hokage heir. As for why the Hokage, so young, was already selecting a successor, Nara Sōsai understood better than anyone. Because he and the Hokage shared the same desire—retirement!
Currently, neither of them could retire. If Heshu retired, the villagers wouldn't allow it. If he retired, Heshu wouldn't allow it.
"Ah." Nara Sōsai sighed.
Heshu took the art of slacking off to the extreme. Sometimes, on a whim, he wouldn't go to the Hokage Office at all. He'd just have Itachi bring the documents to his home for review. Itachi's reviews needed Heshu's final approval. That was the mandatory procedure.
Therefore, as Itachi's shadow, Sasuke was also forced to come along, though Sasuke was highly resistant to entering Heshu's house. He'd always felt that apart from the housekeeper, no one in that home was normal. Naruto's persistently excessive enthusiasm towards him was a headache.
"Sasuke!"
The sound of Sasuke's voice was all it took. Naruto, who had been lazing in bed, shot up with his sleep cap still on and ran barefoot into the living room.
Sasuke felt his scalp prickle the moment he heard Naruto.
Sure enough, Naruto immediately threw an arm around Sasuke's neck, beaming. "Sasuke! I never thought you'd come!"
Sasuke muttered under his breath, "You think I wanted to?" If not for Nii-san, he'd never set foot here.
Hanzō had cut fruit and prepared snacks, placing them on the table. Sasuke thanked him politely. It was clear: aside from Heshu and Naruto, Sasuke was willing to be decent to anyone else in the world.
Itachi focused intently on reviewing documents. Left to his own devices, Sasuke grew bored. Naruto, with a strange grin, dragged Sasuke into his study.
"What?" Sasuke's face was sour.
Naruto crouched on the floor, pried up a floor tile, and revealed a hidden compartment. Now Sasuke was a little curious.
"You made this?"
Naruto shook a finger, mysteriously. "This should be Heshu-nee's!"
Tsukimi Heshu? Sasuke's interest grew. "What's inside?"
Naruto's smile was cryptic. "Dunno. Wanna explore together?"
That gave Sasuke pause. But his curiosity was impossible to suppress. He nodded with difficulty.
Naruto carefully lifted the mysterious box out and placed it on the floor. They opened it together, hearts pounding. After all, Tsukimi Heshu wasn't just the village's Hokage; he was an idol across the entire ninja world. That, Sasuke couldn't deny. He, too, was curious. How could Tsukimi Heshu be so powerful? Receive so much praise? Could this box hold Heshu's secret?
Books appeared before their eyes. Sasuke's eyes lit up. Maybe it really was as he thought—Heshu's secret method. They spread the books out one by one. The titles made Sasuke and Naruto's eyes gleam.
The Secret of a Successful Ninja, One Hundred Ways to Become Famous in the Ninja World, Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Ninja World Idol…
For an entire day, aside from mealtimes, the two diligently absorbed knowledge from the books. When dusk came and Sasuke and Itachi took their leave, an unprecedented light shone in Sasuke's eyes. Heshu even began to suspect they'd been up to something unspeakable in that room.
When Heshu went to the study later to find something, he felt the loosened floor tile over the compartment. His eyes widened. Connecting Naruto and Sasuke's strange behavior and the fact they'd holed up in the room all day… Heshu sensed disaster.
For heaven's sake, those weren't proper books at all!
The Secret of a Successful Ninja was actually The Secret to Being a Chick Magnet.
One Hundred Ways to Become Famous in the Ninja World was actually One Hundred Ways to Hook Up with Beauties Everywhere.
Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Ninja World Idol was actually Step-by-Step Guide to Making Beauties Yearn for You.
Heshu: "…" He hoped the impact wouldn't be too great.
The cold winter arrived.
Orochimaru's laboratory welcomed a new addition—Kaguya Kimimaro. As everyone knew, Orochimaru was the master of stumbling upon treasures. Running into a bloodline limit user while casually out searching for research materials was a common occurrence for him.
Orochimaru was very satisfied with Kimimaro. Moreover, from Kimimaro's blood, he actually detected genes identical to those of the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon. This sent Orochimaru into a frenzy. He plunged into researching a cure for Kimimaro's bloodline illness. Without Ōtsutsuki blood, he might have been helpless against such a disease. But with it, while slightly tricky, it wasn't without leads.
When the New Year arrived, Orochimaru gifted Heshu his new research results—a significant leap forward for modern science in the ninja world. While praising him, Heshu didn't forget to urge Orochimaru to keep progressing.
The best New Year's gift was undoubtedly Danzō's black pork. Incredibly delicious, leaving a lasting impression. Heshu held an open-air barbecue feast, inviting everyone he knew. It was wildly lively.
While some welcomed the New Year with joy, others lurked in the shadows, growing impatient.
"Too slow," Obito said in a cave, closing his eyes. The lively scene of Konoha replayed in his mind. Heshu's smile made him restless.
Black Zetsu said nothing. What was this? It had lurked patiently for millennia without impatience. And Obito was already getting antsy after such a short time?
"We need to speed up the tailed beast capture." Obito opened his eyes, his crimson Sharingan spinning.
Black Zetsu was startled. "Don't be hasty." It had schemed for a thousand years. If Obito messed up now, it would be devastating.
Obito's eyes turned to him, a silent question.
"The Akatsuki isn't under our control yet. Being too hasty is no good," Black Zetsu explained.
Obito glanced at him and said nothing. Capturing the tailed beasts relied mainly on Akatsuki. Yet Akatsuki's Tsukimi Hanataki, Nagato, and Konan were no fools. The slightest misstep could give them leverage. Obito forced down his restless heart. At the very least, they had to wait until Tsukimi Hanataki was dealt with. Obito's gaze grew darker. Hanataki's power was too uncontrollable. The only leverage over her was Heshu. Obito could only place his hope of killing Hanataki on Heshu. Throughout this, Heshu absolutely must not learn that Hanataki was actually her sister.
Sitting in the dark underground, Obito planned the future.
Konoha's New Year passed.
Spring arrived, and all things revived.
A small figure appeared before Konoha's main gate. A girl with pink hair wore a clean smile, her brow full of spirit. She looked up at the wooden plaque hanging high above, the characters for "Konoha" inscribed upon it. Her gaze was firm, filled with nostalgia.
"Konoha," she murmured. "I, Haruno Sakura, am back."
This was Haruno Sakura, returning from her training journey with Tsunade. Facing graduation soon, Heshu had recalled her. After all, the future Team 7 couldn't be missing a member, could it?
Sakura stepped through Konoha's gates. The familiar streets unfolded before her. Listening to the familiar clamor, she looked up at the massive Hokage Rock. Traveling and training with Lady Tsunade, she had seen many places in the ninja world and heard countless praises for the Hokage. This had helped her, once lost, find her own direction.
She would become Konoha's number one medical ninja
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