"Shōta is off today, saying he has a headache," Tsunade replied to Kawakaze nonchalantly as she carefully examined Nagato.
"You're the Medical-nin. Aren't you going to check on him?" Kawakaze teased, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Obviously, he's just messing with you, you idiot Hokage."
The two began bantering, their camaraderie lightening the mood. Kawakaze knew full well that with the heavy workload, Shōta deserved a day off now and then.
"You're just in time. Help me with the paperwork," Tsunade said, shoving a stack of documents toward Kawakaze.
"Nagato, you can go home. Minato and the others are back, so they're probably waiting for you."
Kawakaze was momentarily caught off guard by her.
Nagato, having finished Tsunade's brief check, nodded eagerly. "Okay, Sensei's wife," he replied before hurrying out.
He didn't look back once. He was far too eager to reunite with his friends to notice Kawakaze's look of exasperation.
What an ungrateful brat, Kawakaze thought with a sneer, though his expression quickly shifted to one of resignation.
Sighing, he resigned himself to Shōta's vacant role, reluctantly pulling a chair closer to Tsunade.
"Pig breeder Kimura is applying to expand his breeding grounds and is requesting land."
"The orphanage is requesting funding for repairs."
"The village in the south is applying for a new water canal."
...
Kawakaze's head spun as he stared at the endless stack of livelihood documents. And this, he realized, was just a fraction of the responsibilities the Hokage had to handle.
A thought popped into his mind: This forced Hokage life can be for anyone else, thank you very much.
"What do you think?" Tsunade asked, catching his expression. She gave him a sideways glance, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "When you were pushing for me to become Hokage, did you think about this part?"
"It's pretty good," Kawakaze replied through gritted teeth, forcing himself to keep going through the paperwork. "It's all for the village."
"That's very noble of you," she said, rolling her eyes. "But after a while, I'll let you take over. You seem so enthusiastic."
"There's no need for that!" Kawakaze replied quickly, straightening up. "I'm not interested in being Hokage. You should train Nawaki or Minato for the role. When they're old enough, let them take over."
He hastily deflected, hoping to dodge the metaphorical kunai aimed at him. Staying at home with his wife and children sounded far better than sitting behind this desk.
"You're dreaming," Tsunade snapped, her face darkening. "They're just kids. You expect me to carry this burden for years while you do nothing?"
Before Kawakaze could come up with another excuse, Tsunade raised her hand and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Let's discuss it again, then. Have you arranged everything for the Yuki Clan?" Kawakaze rubbed his head, quickly changing the subject.
"Well, I've arranged a plot of land," Tsunade said.
"I've also given them some funding so they can officially settle in Konoha."
Tsunade was very satisfied with the Yuki Clan's attitude. They asked for what they needed but never made excessive demands. They had also cooperated fully with the registration of their ninja.
"That's good. Their population isn't large right now," Kawakaze remarked. "We can have trusted clans get in touch with them more often. In a few years, Konoha will have completely assimilated this Kekkei Genkai."
Kawakaze spoke his mind, though it came across as a bit opportunistic. Still, it was a practical and efficient way for the Yuki Clan to integrate into Konoha.
"Don't worry, I've already asked the Uchiha to get in touch," Tsunade replied. "They're both outstanding bloodlines, so they should get along."
Tsunade hadn't thought of that idea herself—it was Shōta's suggestion. This made her increasingly satisfied with Shōta's judgment.
"Fugaku Uchiha just agreed?" Kawakaze asked, still finding it a bit unbelievable.
In his opinion, the idea of the Uchiha bloodline spreading outside the clan would be something Fugaku would struggle to accept. After all, how could it be fair for Uchiha men to marry others' sisters but forbid outsiders from pursuing Uchiha women?
"I've already spoken with Fugaku about this," Tsunade said.
"I've already discussed this with Fugaku," Tsunade said.
"He mentioned that only the Uchiha can teach the Sharingan. But as for Ice Release, once the Kekkei Genkai is awakened, its techniques can be learned by others."
Tsunade had somewhat simplified Fugaku's original words.
"That really is a good plan," Kawakaze remarked with a quiet laugh. Fugaku was becoming increasingly cunning in his thinking.
In this scenario, after the marriage, if a child of the Yuki Clan awakened the Sharingan, they would have to turn to the Uchiha to learn how to use it. The initiative would still remain firmly in Fugaku's hands.
"Can you really expect someone to stay a good person if they spend too much time with you?" Tsunade teased Kawakaze. She had no problem with Fugaku's approach—after all, the Uchiha were now her most dependable allies.
"You're putting words in people's mouths," Kawakaze replied with a smile. "I didn't go on this trip for nothing. Guess what I got from Kirigakure?"
Tsunade looked at him curiously. "Right, I forgot to ask before you brought it up. Was this trip to Kirigakure smooth?"
She had seen Nagato return safely and noticed that Kawakaze was unharmed. It hadn't occurred to her to ask earlier, but now his words had piqued her interest.
"It's nothing, just killing the Mizukage," Kawakaze said nonchalantly, his expression neutral as if it were no big deal.
"What?! Why are you so reckless?!" Tsunade exclaimed, standing up in surprise. She wasn't afraid of war, but that didn't mean she wanted to provoke one. She had assumed Kawakaze had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to simply rescue Nagato.
"It's fine, don't worry," Kawakaze reassured her. "Kirigakure can't thank me enough. They even gave me a lot of things."
He took Tsunade's hand and gently pulled her back down into her seat.
Tsunade looked at him, puzzled. She couldn't understand why Kirigakure would thank him for killing their Mizukage.
"The Mizukage was controlled by the Mangekyō Sharingan," Kawakaze said.
"I suspect that Madara Uchiha didn't die in the first place. He caused the current situation in Kirigakure by controlling the Mizukage. Don't you think Kirigakure should thank me?"
This was the first time Kawakaze had mentioned Madara Uchiha to Tsunade. It seemed like a good opportunity, as in the past, he had refrained from bringing it up, fearing Tsunade might worry or disbelieve him. After all, Madara was said to have died at the hands of Hashirama Senju, a fact every Konoha ninja knew.
"How is that possible? Didn't he die at the hands of my grandfather?" Tsunade asked, her reaction exactly as Kawakaze had anticipated.
She was well aware of Madara's immense power and his dissatisfaction with Konoha. If that old monster were still alive, how could he not have targeted Konoha by now?
"I can't explain this to you right now," Kawakaze said. "But I suspect he faked his death. I can't think of anyone else who fits the description—someone with both the Mangekyō Sharingan and the ability to manipulate a Kage and an entire village."
Kawakaze couldn't rely on knowledge from the original work and had to support his argument with logical reasoning instead.
"Then Konoha has to be on guard," Tsunade said after a moment of thought. She decided it was better to believe and prepare than to dismiss the possibility entirely. Madara Uchiha was a ninja as powerful as her grandfather.
"We should be cautious, but there's no need to worry too much," Kawakaze replied. "If he's still alive, he must be seriously injured. Otherwise, why would he have remained inactive for so many years?"
Hearing this reasonable argument, Tsunade slowly calmed down. Still, the weight of the news left her unsettled.
The idea of Madara Uchiha running rampant in Konoha someday felt like a heavy burden. If that day ever came, what kind of devastation would Konoha face?