Before officially entering the Land of Lightning, the Minato-led combined Konoha forces had already decisively defeated Kumogakure with overwhelming force.
All of Kumogakure's high-ranking officials were wiped out in this fierce battle.
Only some weaker Cloud Ninjas, like helpless minnows left without protection, were forced to surrender.
When Minato and several others joyfully delivered this exciting news to Kawaki, his reaction remained unusually calm.
He simply murmured, "I know."
Then he added, in a flat tone, "Good job. Keep it up."
Upon hearing these words, Minato and the others were instantly left puzzled.
They couldn't help thinking—what else was there to strive for? Hadn't they practically conquered the entire ninja world already?
Yet as disciples, they had always held great respect for Kawaki.
Even with doubts in their hearts, they didn't dare to question him directly, only silently nodding and replying, "Yes."
"What are you trying to prove?"
"Trying to act all superior?"
Seeing this, Tsunade muttered in annoyance beside them. This show-off really irritated her!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. When no one was looking, she sneaked a sharp pinch to Kawaki's side.
"Hiss~"
"Show me a little dignity."
Totally caught off guard, Kawaki sucked in a cold breath sharply.
He quickly pushed Tsunade's hand away, his composed mask cracking wide open.
The next moment, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Finally, Konoha's era had truly begun.
"That's more like it."
"You guys did extremely well this time."
"Just wait 'til you're back—I'll throw you a feast!"
Tsunade showered them with praise, her smile never leaving her face.
"Thank you, teacher's wife," Minato and the others hurriedly expressed their gratitude, as if Kawaki wasn't even there.
Afterward, as if suddenly remembering something, Tsunade's expression turned serious.
"The people in the Land of Lightning are tough and fierce by nature."
"Watch your limits."
"They're ordinary folks after all—don't be too harsh."
In all seriousness, she gave them some advice. Too much killing would bring serious issues during later governance.
"Don't worry, teacher's wife—we've got it under control."
Minato took Tsunade's words to heart. He himself had never been someone ruthless or cruel.
"If you say so, then I'm confident."
...
After a bit more chatter, Tsunade made sure all subsequent matters were clearly explained before ending the communication.
Minato led the Konoha forces onward toward the Land of Lightning's capital, while Tsunade and Kawaki returned to the office in such high spirits that they could've broken into song.
But Shouta was the only one who wasn't smiling. In fact, he only frowned harder.
Due to Konoha's rapid expansion recently, he'd been overwhelmed with work.
Most of it was made up of petty, mind-numbing tasks that weren't even worth bringing up to Tsunade.
It was really wearing him down—he basically lived in the Hokage's office these days.
Thinking about how there would soon be new matters related to the Land of Lightning needing handling, he felt like things couldn't get any worse.
"Don't look so glum. People might think I'm working you too hard."
Tsunade shot the annoying guy a glare, her tone was anything but polite.
"You might as well torture me for real!!"
"See that?"
"This is only one-third."
Tsunade had been fine staying silent, but once she opened her mouth, Shouta could no longer hold back.
He pointed at the waist-high stack of paperwork piled up in front of his desk and shouted loudly—which startled even Kawaki.
Wow, how much pent-up frustration does he have?
To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, Kawaki wisely chose to keep quiet and just watch.
"Hehe~"
"You can handle it, so take on more work!"
Tsunade realized immediately how wrong she was after just one glance, letting out an awkward chuckle in response.
"Cut the nonsense."
"How about I give you half?"
As he spoke, Shouta grabbed some paperwork and walked toward Tsunade's desk.
"I've got something else to do. See ya!"
Before Tsunade could say anything, Kawaki had already vanished on the spot, faster than a scared rabbit.
Staring at the spot where Kawaki disappeared, Tsunade gritted her teeth in fury.
Didn't we agree? Share the pain, share the gain?
Now he's pulling a "when trouble hits, everyone flees"?
Just wait till I get home—I'll kill you!!
Adding another mental tally against Kawaki, Tsunade had no choice but to continue dealing with Shouta.
Ultimately, under Shouta's threat to resign, she ended up stuck with three times her usual amount of work.
She really regretted opening her big mouth back then.
Now everything's perfect. The happiness she felt from Minato and the others defeating Kumogakure was shattered in an instant.
Tsunade worked hard while berating herself silently—this Hokage gig had zero prestige.
That evening, she returned home listlessly, like a part of her soul had vanished.
Only upon seeing Kawaki did she seem to regain energy, pummeling him with a flurry of playful punches.
After Kawaki promised to help handle the paperwork, Tsunade finally let go of a black-and-blue Kawaki.
Hirai and Natsuki watched helplessly, neither daring nor wanting to stop her.
In fact, Hirai chuckled silently to himself, secretly wishing Tsunade would hit even harder.
It was pure pleasure watching—just as satisfying as a top-tier visual spectacle.
The next day, when Kawaki showed up at the Hokage's office, dutifully handling paperwork, Shouta smirked with a faint air of mystery.
Everything was perfectly under control.
Even if you can calculate every faction in the Ninja World, it doesn't stop me from setting traps for you.
This chapter isn't over yet!
Please bookmark Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade:
"Hahahaha~"
Shouta could only wildly laugh inside, maintaining complete composure outwardly.
This went on for several days until Minato arrived at Kokutō, the capital of the Land of Lightning.
True to Tsunade's words, the local customs here were rough and bold, ignoring the stark power gap between both sides.
Minato summarized it into one sentence: You dare come here, I dare fight you!
The soldiers of the Land of Lightning truly embodied this phrase.
If not for his extreme self-restraint, the combined Konoha forces might've leveled the entire capital.
Thankfully, things eventually turned out okay—Minato and the others used every trick in the book.
At last, with minimal bloodshed, the Lightning Daimyō was compelled to sign and publicly declare the surrender.
On that day, the Land of Lightning fell, marking the conclusion of the two-year-long Third Great Ninja War.
It marked Konoha's incredible achievement in unifying the entire Ninja World.
Not only Konoha, but the entire Land of Fire rejoiced.
When all the expedition forces returned to Konoha, an all-night celebration would commence.
Every Konoha ninja deployed on missions longed for the day they'd return home.
They would return with the remains of their fallen comrades and share in the glory won by all.
After taking control of the Land of Lightning, Minato and his team still had matters to handle.
The aftermath work was always routine, though its implementation here was somewhat slower.
However, this was not a significant issue. With patience, Minato and his team methodically addressed each matter.
Once the envoys dispatched by the Fire Daimyō arrived, Minato and his team finally set off on their return to the village.
...
Please bookmark us: (mobile link)
Naruto: A Journey Beginning with Courting Tsunade