Half a month after parting with Itachi, Hatake Satoru sat in his office, resting his cheek on his hand.
Biwa Juzo, true to his role under the Mizukage, adapted to his work faster than anyone else.
Though he complained a lot, his habit of making plans helped keep things organized for Hozuki Mangetsu.
Shisui was great in many ways, but his overly easygoing nature meant he was too lenient with Hozuki Mangetsu.
Watching the busy Anbu, Satoru saw them filling his desk with various documents.
Hatake Satoru slammed down on the table with a loud "thud," his head hitting it.
On the table were some cards covered in stickers from his recent visits to the hot springs and water park.
"I've done all the fun stuff, and finished everything I needed to do."
"Ah—I'm so bored!"
Hatake Satoru slumped on the table for a second, then suddenly sat up straight as if something just occurred to him.
With a long stride, he jumped off the table and dashed toward the Mizukage's office.
With a loud crash, the pile of papers on the desk scattered everywhere.
The nearby Anbu exchanged looks, then lowered their heads as if resigning to their fate and started cleaning up.
In the end, they knew it would always be up to them to tidy up after Hatake Satoru. He barely ever came back to deal with the paperwork.
Most of the time, he just had Shisui clean up his mess.
"How boring, so I'm done!"
"I'm going out to play!"
Hatake Satoru dashed through the small door into the Mizukage's office, clapped his hands on the desk, and wore a big, bright smile.
"Eh—!?"
Hozuki Mangetsu and Biwa Juzo, standing nearby, froze for a moment, confused as they looked at this guy who seemed to have come straight from the hospital.
They both asked in unison.
Shisui, standing to the side, pushed up his sunglasses. Compared to their big reaction, he already expected something like this.
But then again, when you think about it, how could Hatake Satoru ever just sit still and work in a high position?
"Yep! I'm all done here!"
"I've collected all the stickers from the water park and hot springs, so my work's done. Shisui, you can handle it from here!"
"That's all!"
Hatake Satoru's every move, including his smile and hand gestures, screamed like a successful resignation from an overworked office worker.
Biwa Juzo stared at Hatake Satoru in disbelief.
Is he serious?
He really built this place up and then just walked out.
I thought Hozuki Mangetsu was just a puppet Mizukage, but it seems like he really left the job to this kid.
"I got it, I'll pack up and leave with the boss!"
Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes lit up, and he stood up from his chair.
"You're not going anywhere! You're the Mizukage now!"
"Don't make it seem like nobody wants the job!"
Biwa Juzo and Shisui each grabbed one of Hozuki Mangetsu's arms and forced him back into his chair.
Hozuki Mangetsu struggled, wanting to argue a little more, but Hatake Satoru flicked his forehead.
"Stay here and do your job—!"
"Well, who knows? Maybe I'll come back to check on your work someday. If you mess up, I'll beat you up~"
Hozuki Mangetsu winced and rubbed his forehead, leaning back in the chair.
"I know, I know..."
Hatake Satoru straightened up and thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"Ah, right, I also need to take Kimimaro, who's been staying at your house with your brother."
"Having him stay at your place isn't very convenient, so he'll just come with me!"
Hozuki Mangetsu almost said he'd rather have Kimimaro, but the words got stuck in his throat as he was met with two stern glares.
"Anyway, if anything comes up, just have Shisui contact me with a crow."
"But don't let him start expanding his 'business.' You already have enough, right?"
Hatake Satoru's eyes landed right on Shisui.
Shisui swallowed hard, a little embarrassed, and quickly looked away.
Back when he was still in the Uchiha clan grounds, he used to keep a few crows, but since he was always out on missions, he only raised a few for fun.
Now that most of the work in Kirigakure Village happened inside the village, and he had both time and space, he ended up raising a whole group of them.
After leaving the Mizukage's office, Hatake Satoru headed to Hozuki Mangetsu's house to look for the two kids.
As soon as he slid open the front door, he was met with a scene straight out of a horror story.
A head was flying straight at him, looking super aggressive, and Suigetsu was screaming his lungs out mid-air.
"Waaaahhhh!!"
"I'm gonna crash into him!!"
What the heck was this?!
Even someone like Hatake Satoru, who'd seen all kinds of things and thought he couldn't be surprised anymore, was thrown off by the flying head.
He reached out and caught Suigetsu's head with one hand.
With a splat, the head turned into a puddle of water in Satoru's hand, dripping through his fingers.
Kimimaro stood in the hallway, looking unsure of what to do, with Suigetsu's headless body standing right next to him.
"You two sure have some… interesting toys."
Hatake Satoru looked at the kids, not sure what to say.
"That's not a toy! I'm just practicing my Hydrification Jutsu with Kimimaro!"
The water on the floor slid across the ground, reconnected with the neck, and formed Suigetsu's head again.
Suigetsu quickly grabbed his water bottle and gulped down a few sips, arguing back at Satoru with a pouty look.
He might be a kid, but the way he refused to admit it looked just like Sasuke when he was little.
Kimimaro's face clearly said, "Yeah, I think this is dumb too, but he asked me, so I had to do it."
"Yeah yeah, just practice."
"Anyway, I actually came to talk to you, Kimimaro."
"I'm going on a trip around the Five Great Nations. Want to come see the world with me?"
"You've been locked up in that underground prison your whole life, haven't really seen anything, right?"
Hatake Satoru squatted down by the doorway and pinched Kimimaro's cheek.
The little guy seemed to be living pretty well at the Hozuki house—his face felt much softer than it had when they first rescued him.
Kimimaro rubbed his face against Satoru's palm, clearly enjoying it.
Suigetsu blinked his long white lashes in confusion on the side.
To Kimimaro, Hatake Satoru and Shisui were the ones who had saved him from that dungeon. Emotionally, he felt much closer to them.
Suigetsu was a fun playmate, sure, but if Hatake Satoru was calling for him, that meant someone he owed was asking for his help.
Being needed.
As soon as Kimimaro thought about that, he straightened up and answered with no hesitation:
"Yes! I want to go with you."
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