After his clones completed their tasks and vanished one by one, a bored Aoki Yoru strolled back to Konoha.
Konoha Village.
The entrance was as bustling as ever.
As the recognized center of the Ninja World, the flow of merchant caravans, Ninjas on missions, and visitors drawn by its reputation was endless.
Especially after Tsunade took office as Hokage, patients with incurable diseases from all over the Ninja World flocked to Konoha, bringing along families, guards, and servants. Thus, the streets at the Village entrance were several times busier than usual.
At the gate, the two "guardian deities," Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, were still on duty—one maintaining order while the other looked down to tally the entry and exit records.
Aoki Yoru greeted them, and after verifying his identity, he headed toward the Hokage Building.
Just as he reached the Hokage Office and was about to knock, he heard a commotion inside. He stopped abruptly and turned to retreat back down the hallway.
Bang!
"Enough! I am the Hokage. Can I not even decide this matter?"
"Tsunade, you're being too headstrong! Everything in Konoha has had its rules set since Hiruzen's time; everything has its laws. If you change them recklessly, it will only shake the Village's foundation!"
"Humph! Shake the foundation? I think it's shaking your own interests!"
"Regardless, we will not agree to this."
Homura Mitokado's voice was as cold and hard as iron. "Hiruzen established the position of Advisor back then precisely to prevent the Hokage from acting recklessly based on personal whims!"
"This is not good for Konoha. Think it over!"
After saying their piece, the two pushed open the door and unexpectedly ran into Aoki Yoru standing at the entrance. Their eyes flickered for a moment, clearly not expecting him to be there.
The two didn't say much; they simply gave a slight nod in greeting and left the corridor directly.
Aoki Yoru didn't mind them and walked straight in.
Tsunade was sitting in her chair, fuming. Her knuckles were white from clenching her fists, and her chest was still heaving slightly.
Seeing Aoki Yoru walk in, a look of surprise appeared on her face. She asked in confusion, "Didn't you leave the Village for something? Why are you back so soon? Based on your tone last time, I thought it would take at least half a year."
Aoki Yoru gave an embarrassed smile. Indeed, he had been a bit willful lately; while everyone else was busy cleaning up the mess, he was the only one who could leave the Village for personal matters.
This was only because Tsunade was quite tolerant of him. Anyone else, even the Third Hokage, wouldn't have agreed.
"Things went smoothly, so I finished quickly."
With that, Aoki Yoru took out a scroll and handed it to her. "This is the mission report for this time."
Tsunade took it and opened it. Her previously livid face softened, and she nodded with satisfaction. "I was right to give this mission to you. It was completed perfectly."
"Since the hand-off is done, I'll be going now." Aoki Yoru turned to leave without another word.
"Wait a moment."
Aoki Yoru stopped and looked at Tsunade in confusion. He had just returned; surely she wouldn't give him another mission already.
Tsunade straightened her posture, and her expression became serious. "I just had an argument with those two old fogies. You should have heard it all, right?"
Aoki Yoru nodded. It was so loud the whole floor could hear it.
Then, Tsunade said through gritted teeth, "I've been reorganizing the Village's affairs lately, but I've discovered too many shady dealings."
"All of Konoha's powerful departments are filled with members of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans and their allies. All key positions are occupied by them."
"The Anbu is dominated by the Sarutobi clan, and they often give half-hearted compliance to my orders. The only squad I can truly command right now is the one led by Yamato."
"Especially the Mission Department and the Logistics Department. I've looked into them recently, and many of the accounts are unclear."
Tsunade took a deep breath and said with righteous indignation, "I originally wanted to conduct a major audit to clear up the accounts."
"But I was stopped by those two old fogies. They called it 'Teacher Sarutobi's policy' and claimed that rash changes would cause instability in the Village. Those hateful parasites."
"Even though I am the Hokage, as long as those departments don't cooperate, the truth will never be uncovered."
"They're trying to show you who's boss!" Aoki Yoru couldn't help but mutter.
"New king, new court." A new Hokage taking office would certainly want to settle old scores, clear out the previous administration's officials, and install their own people.
The Third Hokage had been in power for about forty years. All key positions were held by his friends and old acquaintances. He had turned a blind eye to various forms of corruption, as he relied on these people to govern Konoha.
Now that a new Hokage was in office, they didn't want to lose their status. They were terrified that Tsunade would dig into the past and settle accounts with them.
So, led by the two Advisors, they united to give the new Hokage a "show of strength."
A Ninja's ears are extremely sensitive. Although Aoki Yoru had muttered quietly, Tsunade heard him clearly.
She glanced at Aoki Yoru in surprise. She hadn't expected him to see through it so thoroughly, hitting the nail right on the head.
To put it bluntly, most Ninjas in Konoha aren't politically savvy. They would just think it was a disagreement in political philosophy between her and the two Advisors, or perhaps the Third Hokage.
"I didn't expect your political intuition to be so sharp. You hit the nail on the head," Tsunade praised.
Aoki Yoru waved his hand and said modestly, "You flatter me. All the struggles in this world, in the end, are nothing more than a contest for power and interests."
Hearing this, Tsunade froze for a moment, pondering the words.
After a long while, she slowly raised her head and stared at Aoki Yoru with bright eyes. "Not only are you a genius in Ninjutsu, but you're also a genius in politics."
Before Aoki Yoru could be modest, she said directly, "In that case, I plan to appoint you to oversee the Mission Department and simultaneously serve as the Head of the Logistics Department."
"Huh?"
Aoki Yoru tilted his head, not expecting Tsunade to pull this move.
This was a huge trap. Since ancient times, departments managing money and grain have been bottomless pits. Anyone trying to conduct a thorough investigation should be prepared for "mysterious warehouse fires."
This was a massive abyss of a trap; whoever jumped in would surely die.
"No, Lady Tsunade, how old am I? I can't shoulder such a heavy burden. Please, spare me!"
Tsunade then smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth. "I believe in you. You possess a political wisdom that others lack. You will surely handle it perfectly."
At this moment, Aoki Yoru wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to run his mouth? Now he was falling into a deep pit.
If he really took the job, he'd have to sleep with one eye open, constantly on guard against assassination.
"Isn't there Senior Jiraiya? If that's not enough, there's Kakashi-sensei and Senior Shizune. If all else fails, send Yui and Kenta as informants. And then there's the Nara Clan; they're so smart."
"Humph! Don't even mention Jiraiya. He's been brainwashed by Mount Myōboku."
Mentioning Jiraiya made Tsunade angry. He had dragged her back to be Hokage, only to pat his butt and leave, saying he was taking Naruto out for training.
Looking at Tsunade's expression, Aoki Yoru couldn't help but criticize Jiraiya in his mind. 'Don't you like Tsunade? Why aren't you by her side when she's facing difficulties? Instead, you go out looking for some "Child of Prophecy" nonsense. No wonder Kato Dan stole her away back then.'