Sunlight poured through the Hokage Tower's upper floors as Uchiha Soren, new robe and all, arrived looking suspiciously refreshed for a man who had "worked" three days straight.
He pushed the office door open — and immediately froze.
Another desk had appeared.
This one occupied by a serene, breathtaking woman in a dark kimono, her long red hair tied into a gentle side ponytail as she leafed through paperwork with peaceful diligence.
Uzumaki Minako.
She rose the moment she saw him.
"Hokage-sama."
Then, with a glint in her eyes, she glanced at the woman sitting opposite her and added, "What brings the Hokage to the office in person?"
Across the room, Uzumaki Mito's pen snapped in half.
"Minako, stop trying to escape overtime and finish your work."
The tower was drowning in documents — reconstruction budgets, damage requests, mission reports, payment claims, disaster relief proposals — endless waves crashing through Mito's hands every hour.
While the Hokage…
Did absolutely nothing.
Not a single mission order signed, not a single policy circulated.
He had delegated literally everything.
Minako bowed and made to leave, but—
"…Wait."
Mito shoved a thick file in Soren's hands.
"Tomorrow is the Ninja Academy graduation. This is the roster. Look."
Soren sipped his tea leisurely as he flipped it open.
"We need supervising jōnin for each graduating class," Mito explained tightly.
"The Hokage should appear at the ceremony and explain the meaning of the Will of Fire."
Soren nodded.
"Bring Lord Shikaku here to coordinate jōnin assignments with you. You two know them far better than I do."
Mito blinked at how easily he shifted everything onto her shoulders.
"As for the ceremony, I'll send a shadow clone. Minako can accompany it."
Minako bowed once more.
Mito ground her teeth but couldn't argue. Soren's choices were reasonable — infuriatingly so.
Then Soren tapped four names on the roster.
"I'll take these four as my personal students."
Mito leaned forward — and almost choked.
"…Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Biruhō, and Katō Dan?"
"Why not any from the Ino–Shika–Chō trio? Or at least one from our clan? Also, four is unusual. Don't discard them if you find their talent lacking."
Soren smiled lazily.
"Relax. I know what I'm doing. If someone tries to contest my choice, I'll be even more motivated to keep them."
He glanced sideways at her.
"Why don't you take an apprentice too, Secretary Mito? Then we can see whose teaching is better."
The table shook.
Mito had slammed her palm down hard enough to rattle the window frames.
"Are you suggesting the Hokage personally do this work?"
"To be clear, Hokage-sama," she continued, "a four-man squad — one leader, three members — is the basic unit for B-rank and above. You can't just be vanishing from the village for days. Other nations will—"
Soren raised a hand calmly.
"I'm not going to antagonize other countries. But if they pick a fight with us… I'll respond decisively."
His voice dropped.
"Blood and bone pave the path to supremacy — but only when provoked."
Mito stared quietly. There was no madness in his words — just a cold, rational certainty.
Soren tapped one more name.
"Also… I want Tsunade to become my apprentice."
Silence.
Then—
Mito's entire posture changed.
"No."
Her voice was clipped, sharp.
"Tsunade is the Senju heir. We cannot risk her life unnecessarily."
Soren met her gaze steadily.
"Mito… even Hashirama died in battle. If Tsunade is to be a shinobi, she will face blood eventually."
Mito's jaw tightened.
"Can you guarantee nothing will happen to her?"
The room stilled.
Minako stopped breathing.
Soren gave the smallest smile.
"Don't look at me like that. If I'm unhappy, the Senju will be unhappy too."
He lifted a kunai — a marked Flying Thunder God kunai.
Mito's eyes narrowed.
"I want your help, Secretary Mito. Add a chakra-warning seal to this. If danger approaches, if anyone touches it — it alerts both of us instantly."
Mito inhaled sharply.
She realized something.
A kunai that allowed instantaneous Hokage intervention…
Stronger than any barrier.
Stronger than any protocol.
And far safer for Tsunade.
In that moment, she understood the painful truth:
She had no choice.
Once a child becomes a shinobi, the world gives no guarantees.
Mito could not always shield Tsunade.
The one person who could arrive in a heartbeat — anywhere, anytime — was Soren.
She bowed her head.
"…I will take responsibility for the seal."
Minako bowed as well, her graceful motion catching Soren's eye. He smiled faintly as he helped Mito back up, warmth flickering between their hands despite themselves.
The Hokage Office, for the first time in hours, felt calm.
But only because—
They realized there were decisions they simply couldn't refuse.
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