Natsume planted a light kiss on Hinata Hyuga's cheek before getting up and changing clothes.
He left the room.
Samui, who was sitting at the office desk, immediately looked toward him.
"You take care of her. When she wakes up, let her take a bath."
Natsume gestured toward the sleeping Hinata Hyuga.
"Yes, Master."
Samui replied at once.
Even though they had acted first, she knew Hinata Hyuga was different.
As the Hokage's officially wedded wife, her position was far above theirs.
Natsume vanished without a trace.
When he reappeared, it was at the residence arranged for ninja from other villages attending the wedding.
"What… Hokage-sama."
Chojuro's wariness instantly shifted to respectful courtesy.
In the original story, he went on to become the next Mizukage.
It came down to power—admittedly, it wasn't particularly impressive.
Much like Leg Shadow Kurotsuchi—neither particularly outstanding nor top-tier.
But you couldn't hold that against them.
When you thought about it, there was no one in their generation stronger than them.
That had changed now, though.
At least within Mist Village, there were a few more suitable candidates than Chojuro.
Such as Zabuza Momochi.
Granted, he wasn't exactly young anymore.
Still, he could hold things together for a while until younger generations matured.
"The reason Natsume was concerned about Mist Village's leadership succession was that he hoped Mei Terumī would retire sooner."
"She's inside."
Chojuro stepped aside.
Natsume knocked on the door, and upon receiving permission, entered.
Mei was working.
Seeing him, she greeted coolly, "Hokage-sama, leaving your love nest to come here?"
Natsume sensed some sarcasm in her tone.
Although he had thoroughly worn her out two days ago, given Mei's personality, she wouldn't accept things easily.
Letting her vent a little, Natsume didn't think much of it.
"Why aren't you resting properly?"
He walked closer, glancing at the documents on the table, which gave him a headache.
"…"
Mei shot him a glare and said, "Mist isn't as simple as Konoha."
"You should take after me."
Natsume walked behind her and extended both hands, gently massaging her soft, smooth shoulders.
"There just aren't many capable people in Mist Village."
Mei let out a sigh.
Previously, Natsume had given her some materials regarding Konoha's administrative structure.
She followed suit by establishing a secretary group to help with management.
However, the results fell short of expectations.
First, because Mist lacked talent.
Second, Mist's affairs were far more complex than Konoha's.
Natsume didn't know what to say after hearing this.
Issues like talent shortages require long-term solutions.
After a pause, he asked, "Have you visited the Ninja Academy in Konoha yet?"
Mei shook her head.
Like others, she still held traditional views of the Ninja Academy, believing it only trained ordinary Genin.
"You've actually fallen into a misconception."
Natsume smiled slightly and said, "Why do you insist on having powerful ninja as secretaries?"
Mei hesitated slightly.
It's just a tradition.
If ordinary ninjas were put in charge of ninja affairs, wouldn't that lead to problems?
But upon reconsideration, there was some truth to it.
Someone who possesses both great strength and the ability to manage a ninja village—such individuals are exceedingly rare.
If these responsibilities were separated, things would be comparatively much better.
"When will you be leaving?"
Natsume continued giving her a shoulder rub, his hands now reaching her collarbone. "Before you leave, why not visit the Ninja Academy?"
"I originally planned to leave today," Mei Terumī mused. "But now that you mention it, I really should take a look."
As she spoke, she frowned slightly.
This guy's hands were getting more and more bold.
She was wearing an off-the-shoulder tube top dress.
How convenient for him.
"If you have nothing else to do, come with me."
Mei caught his wrist and asked.
They'd been busy making plans these past few days, so she hadn't been in the mood lately.
Right now, she was more interested in checking out the Ninja Academy.
Natsume stopped fooling around when he saw her reaction.
"Sure, I'll personally show you around."
"Thank you."
Mei stood and leaned forward, her crimson lips conveying genuine sincerity.
A few minutes later, the two left their residence and arrived at the Ninja Academy.
"This big?"
Mei looked somewhat shocked.
From what she remembered, Konoha's Ninja Academy wasn't all that different from Kiri's.
But this one was at least ten times bigger.
She couldn't understand.
After all, without enough students, having such a large campus seemed meaningless.
"Come with me."
Natsume didn't explain much; seeing it yourself was always more convincing.
He took Mei through every grade level, from elementary to high school classes.
At first, it seemed no different from previous Ninja Academies they'd seen.
They taught the Three Basic Body Techniques and various foundational ninja knowledge.
But by the time they reached the middle and high school levels, Mei's expression remained one of shock.
Now, she finally understood what Natsume had meant earlier.
Dividing responsibilities among ninjas significantly boosted efficiency.
If this idea had come from Sunagakure, Mei would've been highly skeptical.
But Konoha's strength alone proved the feasibility of this system.
"Could I get more specific documents?"
"Oh..."
Mei lifted her gaze to Natsume, her eyes betraying a hint of uncertainty.
Honestly speaking, allowing her to tour the school alone was already very generous.
But just watching didn't allow for a deep understanding of many aspects.
"Sure."
Natsume didn't mind.
In the ninja world, power always held absolute sway.
Unless the Mist Village could produce an ultimate powerhouse stronger than Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
But how likely was that?
Absolutely impossible.
A great deal of a ninja's strength was dictated by bloodline.
Without Kekkei Genkai, the upper limit would only reach someone like Orochimaru or Jiraiya.
It was brutally unfair.
Even if Natsume wanted to change it, he wouldn't know where to begin.
After completing the tour and acquiring the documents, Mei left feeling satisfied.
When they came, they had walked all the way from the Mist Village.
Now on their return trip, Natsume didn't mind giving them a ride.
The reveal of the [Flying Thunder God Technique] had left the Mist ninjas worried and uneasy—except for Mei Terumī.
Because this jutsu was simply overpowered.
Especially since its user himself was practically unbeatable.
Which meant he could stage a surprise attack on their village whenever he pleased.
After seeing off the group from the Mist Village, Natsume headed to the residence where the Sand ninjas were staying.
As expected, they would be departing today as well.
"Hokage-sama."
Temari stood up and greeted him.
"I came to see you off."
Natsume waved dismissively with a smile. "Might as well save you all the walk."
"Thank you."
Temari already knew about his [Flying Thunder God Technique].
And Natsume no longer saw any reason to hide it.
There was no point in hiding it anymore.
"Hokage-sama."
Temari hesitated slightly before speaking again. "About what I mentioned earlier—I've made my decision clear now."
"What are your plans?"
Natsume knew exactly what she meant—marriage.
"I still wish to choose you."
Temari said solemnly, her expression firm.
This was the best course of action.
For Sunagakure's future, she was willing to make personal sacrifices.
...
Natsume hadn't expected to be buried by his own doing.
But given how she'd put it, he couldn't exactly refuse.
"We'll talk more about this next time."
Right now, now that he had several confidantes, he wasn't in any particular rush with Temari.
"Mm."
Temari inwardly exhaled in relief.
Deep down, she didn't want things to move too quickly either.
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