"If you want, you can have him join the Anbu," Shinho offered thoughtfully.
"No need for that," Samui quickly shook her head. "He's too impatient. Training in the regular ninja forces is good for him."
"Alright."
Shinho didn't insist. After enjoying the massage for a little longer, he finally said, "That's enough for today."
"Yes."
Samui withdrew her hands.
Shinho stood up and returned to his seat.
Picking up his pen, he began writing out his next plan.
It was time to ascend the throne.
The title of "Daimyō" was a term unique to japan and the old feudal system, and he didn't quite like it. He planned to change it to "Emperor."
That title was far more fitting for his status.
After all, the entire Shinobi World had already been unified.
Beyond the imperial title, the governing system would be modelled after 'the Three Departments and Six Ministries' from the Sui and Tang Dynasties of his past life.[1]
"Summon Konan," Shinho said as he finished writing and rolled up the scroll.
"Yes."
Samui gave a slight bow before turning and leaving the office.
A knock sounded at the door.
Konan pushed it open and stepped inside.
The moment she saw Shinho, she was momentarily stunned.
She noticed something different about him, but she quickly suppressed her curiosity and walked up to him.
"This is for you."
Shinho handed her the scroll.
"Yes."
Konan opened it and took a glance and her heart trembled.
It was finally happening.
The true unification of the Shinobi World.
"Has Nagato been busy lately?"
Shinho observed Konan.
Her light blue-purple hair was tied up in a bun, with a paper flower tucked on the right side.
She was wearing a form-fitting business suit that subtly accentuated her graceful curves.
Beneath her tight skirt, her long legs were clad in black stockings, and her high heels made her appear even taller.
"Not relally."
Konan had already gotten used to his gaze and answered calmly without changing her expression.
"I have a task for him," Shinho said: "We're going to exterminate some Bandits."
Konan instinctively looked at him, slightly puzzled.
"Due to various reasons which weren't well within our control, bandits, rogues, and wandering ninjas have become rampant across the Shinobi World," Shinho explained. "These unstable factors will threaten both peace and economic development of our world, so they need to be cleaned up."
Konan's pupils shrank.
Why hadn't the previous ninja villages thought of this?
No— it wasn't that they hadn't thought of it.
It was partly because they needed these problems to persist for mission requests to continue their villages, but also because the world was too large for a singular village to spend all their resources into ridding the world of unstable factors, not with other villages waiting for a gap in ther system to exploit their weakness.
But the Shinho at the moment didn't have to care about that.
The world was unified and he had a far more profitable strategy to keep the various villages floating, and that being commerce.
Konan pressed her lips together, looking at Shinho, her heart stirring with emotion.
"Have Nagato lead the Ninth Division for this task," Shinho said with a smile. "Go and inform him."
"Yes!"
Konan took a deep breath and said, "Nagato will definitely be pleased."
"What about you?"
Shinho locked eyes with her.
"…Me too."
Konan froze for two seconds before averting her gaze.
For some reason, she felt a momentary sense of panic.
"When peace is fully achieved in the Shinobi World, what does Sister Konan plan to do?"
Shinho observed her reaction. Finally, a breakthrough.
Konan was momentarily lost in thought.
She had never considered this question before.
"…I will continue being the Hokage's secretary," she finally said after a brief silence.
"Is that so?"
Shinho reached out his hand and said, "Then let's continue working together."
Konan hesitated before placing her hand in his.
The warmth that passed between them made her heart tremble slightly.
"Your nails look nice," Shinho said, noticing the orange nail polish on her slender fingers.
"If you like it, I can help paint yours," Konan said as she pulled her hand back.
"I'll pass."
Shinho immediately shook his head.
"I have other colors too," Konan said, a faint smirk playing at her lips.
Is color even the issue here?!
Shinho held back his urge to retort and firmly said, "I really don't need it."
Konan looked disappointed.
"You can leave now," Shinho said with a light cough.
He was worried that if she stayed any longer, she might actually try to push some nail polish onto him.
The Hokage's office fell quiet once again.
Shinho suddenly thought of the Three Serpent Princesses.
Since he had gone into seclusion, and given that his residence was inconvenient for them, he had sent them back to Ryūchi Cave.
Biting his thumb, he performed the Summoning Technique.
Poof!
With a puff of smoke, a petite figure appeared.
It was Ichikishima-hime.
Since she had returned to Ryūchi Cave, she was now dressed in a traditional white kimono.
"Master!"
The moment she saw Shinho, Ichikishima-hime immediately flew into his arms.
They had been apart for an entire month and she had missed him dearly.
"Master, you look even more handsome now!"
She examined him up and down, visibly astonished.
"How are things at Mount Myōboku?"
Shinho pinched her cheek and asked.
"Very quiet."
Ichikishima-hime answered, "There was just one discussion last time."
"I see…"
Shinho fell into thought.
By the time he snapped out of it, he noticed that Ichikishima-hime was fidgeting restlessly.
Her big, bright eyes shimmered with a light, and her legs, wrapped in white stockings, kept shifting.
"…"
Shinho gave her a glare.
Was she a vacuum cleaner in her past life?
"Master…"
Ichikishima-hime called out pitifully.
"Alright, but you can't disturb my work. Understood?"
Shinho said, leaning in and giving a gentle bite to her neck.
"Understood!"
Ichikishima-hime immediately jumped down and knelt on the floor.
Her adorable face puffed up like a chipmunk hoarding food.
Shinho exhaled and turned his attention back to his desk.
Preparing for his ascension to the throne would take time.
Having just advanced to a Gu Immortal, Shinho wanted to test his power.
And he already had a target in mind.
The Moon.
It was time to reclaim the Tenseigan and remove the Caged Bird Seal once and for all.
Shinho had once promised Neji that he would abolish the cursed seal system and he couldn't go back on his word.
The only troublesome part was how the Hyūga Clan's main family would react.
Or more accurately, Hinata.
As for Hiashi Hyūga, Shinho didn't care about his opinion.
Hinata would likely agree.
But he still intended to ask her in advance.
The Hokage's office remained quiet except for a few faint noises.
Hmmm, calling Hinata over right now would be inappropriate.
Shinho stroked his chin in thought.
His body was now in his conscious control, allowing him to control all of its reactions.
It was as if he had a permanently active Yin Seal.
Shinho looked down at Ichikishima-hime, who was working quite hard.
With a thought, he picked her up.
With a hand wrapped around her waist, he set her down.
Fifteen minutes later, Ichikishima-hime had completely lost control of her expression, her eyes rolling back as became a drooling mess.
Watching her trembling body, Shinho couldn't help but marvel, his body was now powerful in all aspects, lacking in nothing.
After placing Ichikishima-hime in the lounge behind the bookshelf to recover, Shinho headed for the door.
"Hokage-sama."
Yūgao Uzuki immediately bowed in greeting.
"Where is Hinata? Is she in City of Fire?"
Shinho asked.
"Yes, she's currently in the City of Fire."
Yūgao confirmed.
"I'm leaving for a while. No one is to enter my office until I return."
Shinho shut the door behind him.
"Yes."
Yūgao responded firmly.
…
The journey from City of Fire to Konoha took some time.
But now that Shinho had become a Rank Six Gu Immortal, such a distance was insignificant for him.
Fixed Immortal Travel Gu!
Shinho's body vanished from where he stood.
A moment later, he reappeared inside the royal palace.
Although City of Fire had undergone extensive renovations, the palace remained untouched.
That had been Shinho's order.
He wanted to personally oversee its redesign, to make it something with a touch of his past life's architectural style.
After confirming Hinata's location, he left the palace.
Walking through the bustling streets, he looked up.
In the distance, he could faintly see Kurama, the Nine-Tails, sleeping soundly on a vast plain outside City of Fire.
Shinho retracted his gaze.
Soon, he arrived at the headquarters of Hinata's First Division.
Through the window, he saw Hinata sitting at her desk, busy writing something.
With 5,000 ninja under her command, her workload was immense.
Shinho stroked his chin.
Maybe he should assign two people to help her.
Karin and her mother, perhaps?
With that thought, he knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Hinata lifted her head and responded.
Click.
The door opened.
"Shinho-kun?!"
The moment Hinata saw him, she couldn't help but stand up and run toward him.
"Did you miss me?"
Shinho reached out and patted her head.
"…Yes."
Hinata's cheeks flushed red as she softly admitted it.
"You're still shy as ever."
Shinho teased, watching her blushing face.
Hinata felt even more embarrassed, her face burning hot.
"We'll resume our training later," Shinho said with a smile. "But first, I need to discuss something with you."
Training?
Hinata's entire neck turned pink.
She didn't even hear the second half of his sentence as her mind was filled with thoughts of "training."
"Hinata?"
Shinho lightly tapped her forehead.
"Focus."
"S-Sorry…"
Hinata apologized awkwardly, quickly banishing the distracting thoughts from her mind.
"Come here."
Shinho sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside him.
Hinata studied him for a moment.
Something was different about him.
Without hesitation, she walked over and sat beside him.
"Hinata, do you want to go to the Moon?"
Shinho asked after a brief pause.
"…Eh?"
Hinata's face now showed pure bewilderment.
The Moon…?
That high up? Could they even get there?
And why?
"Do you know who the Hyūga Clan's ancestors were?"
Shinho gently held her relatively small hand and asked casually.
"I… don't know."
Hinata shook her head.
"Your ancestors are on the Moon."
Shinho pointed toward the sky.
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