Inside the Kazekage's Office, Anya sat at the Kazekage's seat, staring blankly at the mountain of documents piled around her. She muttered in disbelief, "This is what you have to deal with every day? You say you're swamped and busy, yet why are there still so many left?"
Mabui rolled her eyes and said, "Impossible to finish, utterly impossible. Do you know how much needs handling each day? Some things require me to look up references, some I need to consult the elders about, even some tiny matters get reported upwards—and the result is that work piles up day by day, growing more and more."
"Oh, got it. Then go play, leave these to me," Anya readily volunteered.
"Seriously?" Mabui's eyes lit up immediately.
Anya nodded firmly.
"Yay!" Mabui cheered loudly and ran off without even glancing back.
Half a day later, outside Sunagakure Village, the endless desert stretched far into the horizon, covered with rolling sand dunes. Golden sand danced together with the wind, creating shimmering patterns of light and shadow on the sand's surface. Two figures rode across it on two sand bikes, gliding like surfers upon ocean waves, their laughter echoing through the air.
Having already finished all official duties, Anya gazed happily from afar at Tantian and Mabui playing joyfully, suddenly feeling an urge stirring within him. Without any obvious motion, carried by a gentle breeze, his figure drifted swiftly toward theirs as though blown by the wind itself.
"Mind if I join? Sasori should've built three bikes, right?"
The two girls looked at him in surprise—Tantian and Mabui.
Mabui blurted out directly, "You never cared when I invited you before, so why now want to join in?"
Tantian tried reasoning, "Sister Mabui, maybe he just saw us having fun and wanted to give it a try."
"He's not that kind of person," Mabui knew Anya well. He'd never wasted time on stuff like this before—even helping her with village paperwork was...
Wait, only half a day had passed.
Realization dawned, and she eyed him suspiciously. "Aren't you supposed to be stuck in the office finishing paperwork by now?"
With both hands casually in his pockets, Anya replied, "Already done."
"How could that be? How long has it even been?" Mabui couldn't believe him at all.
Anya smiled slightly. "It's true. Lend me a bike to play with. Once we return, you'll understand."
Still partly doubtful, Mabui muttered, "Fine..."
The duo became a trio, and soon the desert winds picked up stronger than before. Riding the gusts through the dunes truly felt like leaving all troubles behind, each rush bringing exhilaration as sand sprayed past.
Golden sands sparkled under the sun, each grain shining like gold. Endless waves of sand surged forward, rising and falling rhythmically like ocean swells. Each golden wave exploded midair at its peak height, while the three of them reveled in the thrill and joy this ride provided.
After playing, Tantian and Mabui collapsed onto the sand, completely drained but beaming with satisfaction. Anya sat nearby, handing each a bottle of water.
"Thanks."
"Anya, you seem... different this time," said Mabui with a hint of curiosity.
"Oh? How so?" asked Anya indifferently.
"It's hard to explain. You've become more ordinary, yet somehow more unpredictable."
It didn't make much sense, but somehow that's exactly how Mabui felt.
Anya smiled brightly and replied, "I've been lingering between life and death for years, so naturally I've gained new understandings of life. Before, I always felt time was tight—I wished I could finish everything I wanted in a single day and constantly thought about what came next. Now, I no longer bother with all that. Enjoying life and living in the moment actually feels pretty good."
Tenten didn't get what Anya meant and teased, "Brother Kurotsuchi, you may look young, but you sure sound like an old man."
"Haha, yeah. Out of the three of us, Mabui definitely looks the oldest," laughed Anya playfully.
Mabui, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up like a panther pouncing on its prey and lunged at Anya, threatening, "Dare say I'm old? Just watch me bite you to death!"
Helpless against the sudden attack, Anya fell over immediately and protested, "Hey, you weren't this violent before."
"Hmph, it's your fault!" Mabui pinned Anya by the shoulders and looked around mischievously for a spot to bite.
Tenten watched with wide eyes, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Anya gave in and said, "There's a kid here too—you shouldn't set a bad example for her."
Only then did Mabui realize how intimate their position appeared. Her face flushed red, and she let go with a cold humph before sulking off to the side.
After all, aging really is a woman's worst enemy.
Tenten covered her eyes with her hands but left a small gap and said teasingly, "Oh come on, I'm not a kid anymore. Continue, don't worry about me. If anything, I'll just pretend not to see."
Things only seemed worse with her comment, and Mabui sighed helplessly, "Tenten, don't talk nonsense. We're not like that."
"Our relationship is completely innocent—like just plain water," Anya added with a nod.
Tenten, unwilling to argue further, simply replied, "Whatever you say… must be right then."
Upon returning, Mabui rushed straight into the Kazekage's Office. After retrieving the documents modified by Anya, she found they were indeed already completed exactly as he had claimed.
"How did you manage this?" A wave of admiration welled up inside her.
Anya responded casually, "What's so difficult about that? It's just stamping—just do it a bit faster."
Realizing the truth, Mabui flipped through the documents again, letting out an ironic laugh filled with anger, "So you didn't even read these files? You just stamped them all with the official seal using the Kage technique?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I did," admitted Anya straightforwardly.
Fury burned in Mabui's eyes, and her chakra started to spill out uncontrollably.
"Calm down."
Anya said evenly, without showing any concern, "These Documents aren't as important as you imagine. As one of the legendary Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure Village has largely solidified its internal order. Unless large-scale battles occur, the contents of these Documents don't require discussion. When there's a policy from above, there are always countermeasures from below. Even if a policy has flaws, the people below will always find ways around it. As a Kage, controlling the general direction is sufficient. No wonder you're so busy and exhausted doing everything yourself."
After hearing Anya's words, Mabui's anger slightly subsided, but she still disagreed, saying, "However, if you approve everything like this, contradictions within the Documents might cause huge conflicts."
Without caring, Anya replied, "It's normal for conflicts to exist within a Village. If there are conflicts, let them resolve it themselves. As long as it doesn't endanger the Village, everything else is trivial."
Mabui could really take a page from Tsunade's book. If she ever became Hokage, she'd probably approve all those Documents with her eyes closed too!
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