Hokage Building.
Tsunade sat in her seat, sipping tea with a satisfied smile.
Ever since she delegated her authority, the stack of paperwork requiring her approval had drastically shrunk. Arriving at eight in the morning, she could wrap up the departments tasks by nine, leaving the rest of the day to leisurely slack off.
âToday is a good dayâeverything I wish for comes true. I can openly goof off again!â
âThis is what being Hokage is about! Those fools who took on every single task, slaving away day and nightâhow could they call themselves Hokage?â
Tsunade felt she had finally grasped the essence of being Hokage.
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
A knock came at the door.
Tsunade immediately grabbed a file and spread it open in front of her.
"Enter!"
At her command, Kakashi stepped inside.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Oh, Kakashi!" Tsunade looked up, feigning sheâd been interrupted from work. "Howâs it going lately?"
"Reporting to Tsunade-sama, Iâve mainly been guiding Sasukeâs training. No other missions for now." Kakashi replied. With Tsunadeâs leadership stabilizing, the initial backlog of missions had disappeared.
Everything was running smoothly now, allowing elite shinobi like Kakashi to wander the village freely again.
"How is Sasukeâs progress?" Tsunade asked, feigning interest.
If Sasukeâs surname werenât Uchiha, who knew if Tsunade would even remember who he was.
To Konoha, the name Uchiha carried immense weight.
As long as Sasuke lived, the clan was not truly extinct.
If Sasuke werenât so young, Tsunade wouldâve already paired him with a dozen women, letting him stay home and produce heirs. A decade or two of that, and a new Uchiha clan would rise as part of Konoha again.
"Sasukeâs working hard. His control over Chidori is solid now."
After answering, Kakashi paused before asking, "Tsunade-sama, the ANBU urgently summoned me earlier. May I know the reason?"
âCould it be about Shizune? But using the ANBU for personal matters seems a bit excessive...â
The thought of finally escaping bachelorhood and enjoying nights of bliss made Kakashi feel invigorated.
"This is a diplomatic document from Sunagakure. They plan to send Gaara of the Sand, Temari, and Kankuro to Konoha as a gesture of goodwill between our villages. Gaara is the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, so if they come, I want you to keep an eye on him."
Considering the shinobi in the village capable of facing the One-Tail, aside from herself and Jiraiya, there werenât many suitable candidates.
This mission involved Konohaâs diplomatic relations with Sunagakure. The team leader needed not only formidable strength but also significant renown.
After careful consideration, Tsunade had settled on Kakashi.
"Sunagakure?"
Realizing it wasnât about Shizune, Kakashi frowned slightly before assessing the risks.
Kankuro and Temari were negligibleâtheir strength was at most Chunin level. To Kakashi, they were little more than wooden dummies. If they caused trouble, he could eliminate them effortlessly.
But Gaara was another matter.
Though the One-Tail wasnât as fearsome as the Nine-Tails, its infamy was well-known across the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Any shinobi of notable standing knew that Sunaâs Tailed Beast was the most vicious of them all.
Shukakuâs frequent rampages in Sunagakure made it an unofficial ally of the other four villages. If not for its indiscriminate hostility, the other villages might have supplied Shukaku with resources just to weaken Sunaâs strength over time.
"Tsunade-sama, Iâm afraid I alone might not be enough to handle the One-Tail." Kakashi declined.
Closing the file and setting it aside, Tsunade crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on Kakashiâs left eye.
"Kakashi, donât underestimate the power of that eye. Even if youâre not a true Uchiha, thatâs a MangekyÅ Sharinganâa weapon that can dominate Tailed Beasts!"
"According to my grandfather, Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha could command the Nine-Tails like a dog with just a glance from his MangekyÅ. Even if youâre not that strong, controlling the One-Tail should be childâs play!"
Kakashi fell silent.
Tsunadeâs words were encouraging, and he wished he had that kind of power.
Just being able to intimidate a Tailed Beast with a glance would be enough. He didnât need to command the Nine-Tails like a dogâjust suppress it slightly.
But he knew his limits.
His eyeâs ability seemed space-related, and its genjutsu was only slightly stronger than the standard three-tomoe Sharingan.
Expecting to subdue the One-Tail with a single glance was pure fantasy.
Seeing Kakashiâs hesitation, Tsunade suddenly slammed the desk.
"Fine! Iâll assign someone else to assist youâYamato. You know him, and his Wood Release is highly effective against Tailed Beasts. That should suffice, right?"
If Yamato was involved, then there was no problem.
"Understood, Hokage-sama. I accept this mission."
"Excellent! Thatâs the spirit of a true Konoha shinobi!" Tsunade praised before scribbling a few lines on a document and handing it to Kakashi.
"This is your mission assignment, temporarily rated as A-rank. After completion, it will be reassessed based on the situation. Any issues?"
Kakashi skimmed the document, then looked up. "No issues, Tsunade-sama. Anything else? If not, Iâll take my leave."
âYou can go now!â Tsunade thought.
Still, something about Kakashiâs expression felt off.
As an experienced shinobi, Tsunade was adept at reading people.
Kakashiâs hesitation suggested he had something to say.
Since she hadnât summoned him recently, the only connection was yesterdayâs conversation with Kamizuki Hikari about Shizuneâs marriage. Could it be...?
Thinking this, Tsunade tapped the desk to regain Kakashiâs attention.
"Kakashi, your father Sakumo was my friend. Now that official matters are settled, letâs discuss something personal, shall we?" As she spoke, Tsunade studied Kakashiâs face intently.
She needed to confirm her suspicions through his micro-expressions.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. Iâve considered this before, but never found the right opportunity, so itâs been delayed."
Nervousness, excitement, uneaseâthese emotions flickered across Kakashiâs face. Combined with his response, Tsunade was now 90% certain.
"Kakashi, have you seen Kamizuki Hikari recently?"
Kakashi lowered his head slightly. "Yes. Last night, Hikari slept at my place."
Tsunade understood.
âSo it was you, Hikari.â
âYou finished asking about this, yet didnât report back to me. If I werenât so sharp, who knows what Kakashi would be thinking right now!â
Mentally, she added another black mark to Hikariâs record.
"Kakashi, did Hikari mention my thoughts on this matter? And what are your own feelings?"
This concerned Shizuneâs future, so Tsunade set aside Hikariâs mistake for now and focused on Kakashiâs answer.
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