The ceremony ended, and the sky slowly darkened.
Outside the Hokage Building, the cheering crowds finally dispersed. The streets returned to a peaceful quiet. As the villagers headed home, lights flickered on one by one across Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, however, a single lamp still burned.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already headed back to his estate to enjoy his "retirement." Jiraiya had wandered off to who-knows-where—probably sneaking into a local izakaya.
That left only three people in the massive office.
Tsunade slumped behind the Hokage desk, sinking deep into her chair. She rested her forehead against one hand with a vacant stare. Her other hand gripped a thick stack of paperwork.
"Haa..."
She let out a heavy sigh.
Thud!
She slammed the documents down on the desk. "Are you kidding me? These are all trivial matters! How am I supposed to finish all this?!"
"Lady Tsunade, you just took office. It's normal to have a backlog," Shizune said, stepping forward with a strained but comforting smile. "We can just handle them one by one..."
Seeing Tsunade return to the village and accept the Hokage hat had finally put Shizune's mind at ease. But she still had a lingering fear... 'What if Tsunade threw in the towel and dragged her back to wandering the ninja world?'
"One by one?!" Tsunade snapped, glaring at her...."Look at this pile! Border patrol schedules. Consumable loss reports for the weapons depot. Even applications for infrastructure maintenance need the Hokage's personal approval?!"
"Does the Hokage really do this every single day? This is ridiculous!"
Shizune shrank back, desperately maintaining her smile. "Perhaps... that's just the nature of the job. Besides, didn't Lord Third always—"
"That's exactly why he aged so fast!" Tsunade interrupted crossly. She threw herself back into her chair, chest heaving with indignation, and vigorously rubbed her temples. "What a pain..."
Across the room, Tejima Shinichi closed the last scroll in his hands and placed it on top of his finished pile. He looked up at Tsunade.
"She's right. A Kage shouldn't waste their energy on trivialities. We need to gradually delegate routine administrative processes."
Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Delegate? How would that work?"
"Set up specialized departments for daily affairs with standard procedures," Shinichi explained calmly.
"They can approve routine paperwork directly and only report anomalies or monthly summaries to you. The Hokage should only review the key reports. This would cut your workload by more than half."
"By half?" Tsunade's eyes sparkled. It was an irresistible thought. "That could work."
The deep irritability vanished from her face, replaced by sudden seriousness. She pointed at him.
"Shinichi, draft me a detailed plan. You know I only took this job for your sake!"
Shizune rubbed her forehead, exasperated. The way Tsunade talked, you'd think being Hokage was some miserable, shameful chore.
A faint smile touched Shinichi's lips. "Of course, Sister Tsunade," he said. "The sooner these administrative reforms happen, the better. It'll make things much easier for me when I eventually take that seat."
Before Tsunade could respond, his smile vanished. He turned toward the window, gazing out at the pitch-black night. When he spoke again, his voice was heavy.
"It's completely dark now. It's time to put our plan into action."
Tsunade sobered instantly. "Yes, it is." A flash of worry crossed her eyes. "But Shinichi... do you really plan to go alone? You don't want any backup?"
Shinichi shook his head. "No need," he replied steadily. "Don't you trust my strength?"
Tsunade fell silent. Slowly, her tense shoulders relaxed. After the sheer power Shinichi had displayed recently, she had no real reason to worry.
Standing off to the side, Shizune pursed her lips. As Tsunade's most trusted confidant, she knew exactly what this duo were planning tonight.
A purge of political dissenters.
"In that case, I'll follow your lead," Tsunade finally nodded, a cold glint surfaced in her eyes.
She paused, tapping the desk thoughtfully. A strange look crossed her face. "Honestly... I still find it hard to believe...Danzo actually keeps a diary? Where on earth did you dig up that kind of intel?"
Shinichi smoothly sidestepped the question. "Everyone has a weakness. His is arrogance. He trusts his own secrecy and control so much that he leaves his true plans on paper, entirely convinced no one can reach them."
"A diary…" Tsunade clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Anyone who writes down all their villainous thoughts in a little notebook can't be right in the head."
A silent understanding passed between them. They glanced at each other across the desk and, almost simultaneously, voiced the exact same thought.
"Pathetic!"
Shizune let out a polite cough. As a strictly trained ninja, the very concept of keeping a diary went against every rule of shinobi conduct.
It was a physical record—undeniable, black-and-white evidence. Why would any ninja, let alone one operating at the highest levels of the shadows, commit their true thoughts to paper?
Shinichi didn't linger on the joke. He stood up. "Then I'll head out."
"I'll strike the secret cell laboratory Danzo established on the village outskirts. If I make enough noise, it'll draw him out. I'll leave the search of his estate to you, Sister Tsunade."
Tsunade's expression darkened instantly. Just the mention of the cell lab made her blood boil. To think Danzo dared to use her grandfather's remains for his twisted experiments... he had crossed every possible line.
"Go," she ordered, her voice cold and hard. "Draw him out. I'll handle the rest."
Shinichi nodded. A second later, he vanished from the office.
Tsunade stared at the empty space where he'd just been standing, the burning anger on her face unfading.
"Shizune."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
"Immediately mobilize the Anbu that are under my direct command." She paused, the cold glint returning to her eyes. "Have them stand by covertly near this building."
She leaned forward. "The moment Danzo Shimura leaves the village, lead the Anbu and blockade the Shimura compound. Find the evidence of his treason!"
Her tone left no room for hesitation. "And tell them—without my explicit orders, no one makes a move. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor to Konoha!"
Shizune straightened her back, her expression deadly solemn. "Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
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