"Shizune-senpai, why aren't you with Tsunade-sama today?" Kitazawa suddenly realized something and asked, curious.
"She went to see the Third Hokage. She should be asking him some things," Shizune replied.
"I see." Kitazawa rubbed his chin. He remembered how long ago Sarutobi Hiruzen said that after retiring he wanted to teach at the Ninja Academy. Maybe invite him to teach the Advanced Class?
Kitazawa was already busy, and after rolling out the new combat-focused training he'd be even busier. Going out on a mission and losing ten days to half a month was normal. What if one day he, Kōsuke Maruboshi, and Kakashi all couldn't make it back in time to teach?
He figured it was worth talking to Hiruzen about it.
Conveniently, he was also about to meet the conditions for training Five Release Great Combo Technique—namely, getting all five chakra nature transformations to a proficient level. He was only missing Fire Release now; he just needed to take first place in this month's new practical exam.
If Hiruzen became an Academy teacher, picking his brain would get way easier.
9:00 a.m.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane entered the conference room before Tsunade. Their seats flanked the Hokage's chair on the left and right, signaling their elevated status.
A moment later, Tsunade pushed the door open and walked in unhurriedly.
"Hokage-sama." The jōnin all stood in unison and greeted her.
"The jōnin meeting begins now," Tsunade said crisply as she sat. "First: the establishment of the Hokage Secretariat."
"The Hokage Secretariat?" Koharu asked at once. "How is that different from a Hokage's secretary?"
"It's a department devoted to handling Konoha's day-to-day affairs for the Hokage," Tsunade replied with a glance her way.
Koharu felt somewhat relieved. Turning "the secretary" from one person into a department effectively diffused power. She'd worried the secretary role would eat into the authority she and Homura held as advisors. Now it didn't seem so threatening.
"The Hokage Secretariat will have four leads and nine members," Tsunade announced directly. "The list is as follows: Nara Shikaku, Shizune, Uchiha Itachi, Kitazawa, Hyūga Hisa … Inuzuka Yuki."
The room immediately buzzed at the list. Homura and Koharu, in particular, looked rattled and uncertain.
Shikaku becoming a lead was within expectations. But seeing Uchiha Itachi and Hyūga Hisa on the list made them uneasy. Since Uchiha Kagami, this would be the second time an Uchiha sat among Konoha's top ranks. For the Hyūga, it was the first time anyone from their clan reached a position like the Hokage Secretariat.
They didn't care much about the other clans, but the Uchiha and Hyūga were simply too powerful. With a new "Hokage Secretariat" in play, they weren't sure they could suppress them anymore.
A bad feeling took root in both advisors' hearts: was this Secretariat aimed directly at them—to carve away the advisors' authority?
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the Uchiha to nominate Itachi. In his view, Itachi was still too young.
He mused. Clearly, the Uchiha were aiming for the Hokage's seat. With Itachi's strength plus this Secretariat title, he was already half a Hokage candidate. In theory, he really could become the next Hokage. Even if he didn't, he'd at least become part of Konoha's high command—later serving as a major boost to Sasuke's bid for the Hokage after that. In short, the Uchiha were running a double-insurance plan.
Still, the Secretariat list really was fair. Aside from himself, the twelve secretaries included eight clan representatives and four civilian jōnin. Pretty much the same distribution as the eight Anbu operatives Kitazawa had picked.
The jōnin were shocked because the list included Uchiha and Hyūga—something unseen in the Hiruzen or Minato eras. But most of them were satisfied overall: each of the major clans got a slot, and non-clan shinobi had four—about a third altogether, which wasn't small.
"The Secretariat's lead is Nara Shikaku," Tsunade added with a faint smile, flicking a glance at Kitazawa. "His title will be Hokage Advisor."
"What?" Koharu shot to her feet. Homura, though less explosive, was equally incredulous. The other jōnin were surprised as well. Shikaku himself felt like a pie had fallen from the sky.
A Hokage Secretary and a Hokage Advisor were two different positions entirely. If a secretary was attached to the Hokage, an advisor could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Hokage.
"I don't agree!" Koharu said immediately.
Shikaku's eyes narrowed. With his intellect, he figured out her reason in an instant: a power struggle, plain and simple. His new advisor role would affect Koharu and Homura's standing. But he wasn't going to back down—whether for his own advancement or for the Ino–Shika–Chō clans behind him. Besides, Tsunade had handed him the chance; turning it down would cost him the new Hokage's trust.
"How can you equate a Hokage secretary with a Hokage advisor?" Koharu pressed. "Tsunade, this decision isn't reasonable."
"It's just a difference in title," Tsunade said evenly. "Since you disagree, we'll put it to a vote."
"No!" Koharu refused without thinking. The Secretariat had already spread benefits broadly to the clans and jōnin; the outcome would be predictable—and not the one she wanted.
"If that won't do and this won't do—are you the Hokage?" Tsunade cut her a glance, voice dropping. "I am the Hokage."
A chill ran down Koharu's spine. There was something terrifying in Tsunade's eyes.
"Vote," Tsunade said, ignoring her. "Those in favor of Advisor Koharu's proposal, raise your hand."
Silence fell over the room. A few jōnin friendly with Koharu started to lift their hands, but after a look around, hesitated and set them down. Even if they raised their hands, they couldn't change the result—and they'd only paint targets on their backs. Better not to vote at all.
Koharu stood there shaking with anger. Tsunade could have called, "Raise your hand if you agree to Shikaku becoming advisor," but she chose this wording instead—clearly to humiliate her.
"Koharu." Homura shot her a look and shook his head. However great an advisor's power was, it couldn't contend with all of Konoha's jōnin. Push this further and they'd only come off worse.
Koharu understood—but she couldn't stomach it. Tsunade was their junior. How dare she ignore them just because she wore the hat? Even Hiruzen wouldn't have done that.
"Any other issues?" Tsunade asked, looking her way.
"…" Koharu trembled and could only shake her head.
"Then we continue." Tsunade took in her reaction and felt a flicker of satisfaction. No wonder the old man loved saying "I am the Hokage." In Konoha, that line really was unbeatable.
"Second: the Konoha Police Department will expand," Tsunade went on. "Fugaku will take charge of recruiting. Any shinobi may participate in the exam."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said, standing. They'd agreed to this earlier, so he accepted it calmly.
The clan heads had already caught some wind of this and weren't surprised. Only the non-clan jōnin were stunned—was this really the Uchiha? Willing to open the Police Department to outsiders?
Kitazawa could only say: one hard lesson is enough. The Uchiha had been too proud in the past; clinging to the Police Department had been their undoing. But times had changed. The blows from Danzō, Shisui's death, and the relocation of their compound had taught them the meaning of humiliation.
Without Tsunade, they would have exploded under long-term suppression and marched toward the Night of the Massacre. But thanks to Kitazawa's butterfly effect, Tsunade was Hokage and Danzō was already in the Pure Land. The Uchiha suddenly had a golden opportunity. What harm in lowering their stance?
Homura and Koharu exchanged a look. They both sensed Konoha's power structure shifting. The Uchiha were likely returning to the center of power, and Danzō's life's work had gone to waste.
They had planned to object, but the clan heads' calm faces made them start—maybe they were the only ones out of the loop. A chill crept over them.
"Third: Kitazawa will serve as our representative, with Shikaku handling negotiations, to receive the Kirigakure emissary delegation," Tsunade announced after a beat.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa answered at once.
More than a few jōnin took note: it was the first time they'd heard Kitazawa call Tsunade "sensei" instead of "-sama." No doubt about it—Kitazawa had formally become her student. His status would rise accordingly.
Given his astonishing strength, some jōnin immediately pegged him as the next Hokage; among his peers, no one could really match him. Kakashi, Asuma, and Might Guy all came up short.
"Fourth: we will publicly reveal that Naruto is Minato's son," Tsunade said, her tone firm.
"What?" The jōnin were shocked all over again.
"Tsunade!" Koharu couldn't help herself. "You're disregarding Naruto's safety!"
"If Konoha can't even protect Naruto, do we deserve to be one of the Five Great Villages?" Tsunade shot back.
"But Naruto is also—" Koharu stopped halfway. The fact that Naruto was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki wasn't for too many ears; she'd only meant to remind Tsunade.
"Always hedging and second-guessing—does that befit a Hokage Advisor?" Tsunade snorted. "All in favor, raise your hand!"
Hands went up all around, especially from those close to Minato—Uchiha Fugaku, Aburame Shibi, and others were particularly enthusiastic.
"…" Koharu sat down, hollow-eyed. The contrast with the earlier vote couldn't have been starker.
One item followed another, though the rest had little to do with Kitazawa. Tsunade was a lot more decisive than Hiruzen; in under two hours, she wrapped the meeting. Kitazawa had thought it would eat up half the day and end around noon. A Hokage like this would clearly be popular.
When the meeting ended, Kitazawa left with Yakushi Nono, Yakushi Kabuto, and the others. He planned to go see Haku.
Meanwhile, Homura and Koharu returned to their office.
"We can't let Tsunade keep acting so willfully!" The more Koharu thought about it, the angrier she felt—partly because Tsunade had humiliated her at the meeting, partly because the advisors' authority had been undercut.
"Tsunade's reputation is soaring right now. We shouldn't confront her head-on," Homura said, the calmer of the two.
"Let's go to Hiruzen!" Koharu's eyes lit up. She spoke sharply.
"That's actually a good idea," Homura nodded. "He's only just retired and still carries weight. If he speaks up, he can rein Tsunade in."
"Let's go!" Koharu strode out. Homura followed.
They arrived at the Sarutobi compound quickly. Hiruzen was fishing by a pond. Seeing them, he paused, already guessing why they'd come—Tsunade had visited him that morning to ask a few questions.
"You're living the life, Hiruzen," Koharu noted the empty bucket and said dryly. "Your old comrades aren't having it so easy."
"What's going on?" Hiruzen asked calmly.
"It's your favorite student!" Koharu said, displeased. "She actually brought the Uchiha and Hyūga into Konoha's leadership!"
Hiruzen looked mildly surprised—he didn't know the meeting's specifics; Tsunade hadn't briefed him in advance.
"Seems you don't know what Tsunade did," Homura said, and relayed the meeting's events, including the decision to reveal Naruto's parentage.
"That does sound like Tsunade," Hiruzen chuckled, sighing. "I can see our teacher's shadow in her."
"A teacher is a teacher; Tsunade is Tsunade," Koharu snorted. "She's nowhere near the teacher."
"So what exactly are you worried about?" Hiruzen frowned. "That Tsunade can't keep the Uchiha and Hyūga in check? That other villages will target Naruto? Or that your authority is affected?"
"Obviously the first two!" Koharu answered at once.
"She's only just taken office—how do you know she can't handle it?" Hiruzen countered.
"I…" Koharu faltered, suddenly realizing how much her old comrade had changed.
"I understand what you want to say," Hiruzen shook his head. "But I'm no longer the Hokage."
"So you really won't interfere?" Koharu looked disappointed.
"Tsunade's moves are risky," Homura added. "She should have discussed them with us first."
"I said I'm not the Hokage. I can't interfere," Hiruzen turned back to the water. "Think about what happened to Danzō."
Homura and Koharu froze. Danzō's death hadn't been in their calculations. In their view he had rendered service to Konoha, and death was too much. But Tsunade wasn't Hiruzen—she acted decisively.
Konoha Hospital.
Kitazawa met with Haku.
"I gave him a full exam. Aside from a bit of malnutrition, there's nothing wrong," Yakushi Nono said.
"Good." Kitazawa turned to Haku. "Have you learned any Ice Release jutsu?"
"No," Haku hesitated two seconds. "I only used it once by accident."
"You've got talent for both Water and Ice. Learn them together," Kitazawa said after a thought. "I don't know Ice Release myself, but I can give you some ideas."
[Current Mission: Help Haku learn three Ice Release jutsu.]
[Mission Reward: Ice Release.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's heart skipped—nice reward, straight to Ice Release. But the task wasn't easy. Haku didn't know any Ice Release techniques yet; he'd have to feel it out. At best, Kitazawa could speed things up using what he remembered from the original story. The bigger problem was Haku's current foundation—basically nonexistent.
Still, Ice Release was great. At the very least, free popsicles in summer.
Ahem.
Kitazawa accepted at once.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Haku said.
"Start from the basics—chakra extraction," Kitazawa instructed. "Kabuto, teach him."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto nodded.
Kitazawa didn't linger. Leaving the hospital, he headed back toward the Academy.
Not long after lunch, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Kitazawa looked up—and saw Konan. She wore the black Akatsuki cloak; it covered her completely, leaving only her heeled boots visible. They were open-toe; the black polish on her toenails stood out starkly against her pale skin.
"That outfit draws too much attention in Konoha. From now on, wear this," Kitazawa said, taking out an Anbu vest and a white cloak.
Anbu had two looks: just the vest, or the vest with a white cloak over it.
"In Konoha, you'll use Anbu credentials as cover—but you follow my orders, and you'll go on missions if I say so," Kitazawa stood and said, voice firm.
Konan heard the non-negotiable note and nodded. At this point, healing Nagato's legs mattered most.
"Get changed," Kitazawa said, stepping out of his office.
Konan slipped out of the black cloak. Underneath she wore a zip-back halter top and light-purple fitted pants. Her flat midriff was bare, a ring gleaming at her navel. After she donned the Anbu vest and white cloak and put on the Anbu mask, her aura shifted—no longer cool, but mysterious.