Konoha 64, January.

In the cold winter season, everything is dormant, and it has been two years since the fourth ninja war that laid a new pattern in the ninja world.

Perhaps the war consumed too much of the strength of the major powers, and in the past two years, the major powers seem to have entered a period of relatively peaceful development. Although it has been heard that at the junction of the country of ghosts and the country of earth, the ninjas of the two countries will still clash from time to time, but it is only a skirmish, and it is not worth talking about on the table.

On the surface, the ninja world is calm, and every major war will usher in years or even more than ten years of peace, as if it has become a tradition in the ninja world. However, everyone knows that this is just a sign before the storm.

The friction between the big countries has been reduced, but the behind-the-scenes control of the big countries over the small countries has become an arena for the wars of various countries.

Taking the opportunity of seizing the fruits of the victory of the Fourth Ninja World War, the penetration of the Oni Country into the small countries became more rapid, and the small western countries of the Ninja Continent were basically led by the Oni Country, and gradually formed a trend of alliance countries.

The original aristocracy in the country has been suppressed by force, and the voice that can be made is getting smaller and smaller. In the long run, it is only a matter of time before these small countries become the purse of the country of ghosts. Anyone with a discerning eye can see this.

As the land and population of the Oni Country's 'encroachment' are getting bigger and bigger, the two big countries in the western part of the continent, the Wind Country and the Earth Country, can only turn a blind eye to this, even if the various actions of the Oni Country have drastically reduced the number of tasks entrusted by the Ninja Village, the two countries of the Terroir are only holding a passable posture and avoiding a head-on conflict with the Oni Country.

After all, the first time the military troops and garrison troops of the Ghost Country entered these small countries were to use the black industry of this country and the bandit forces hidden in the country to suppress them with thunderous and bloody means.

Accepting the rule of the Oni Country means that the country can enjoy the protection of the Oni Nation Garrison at all times, and there is no need for an existence like the Ninja Village to solve their problems for them. If it weren't for the more adequate financial support provided by the daimyo of the two countries, there might have been problems with the normal operation of the ninja village.

Shikaku stood in the Hokage's office.

Even after two years, the working environment here is still the same as in the past, with a mountain of paperwork on the desk, which can never be finished, and a fifth-generation Hokage Tsunade who is constantly busy.

This is already the norm in the Hokage's office.

Although as the Hokage's Tsunade, he can assign the work of handling documents to the rest of the senior management to complete it together. After all, with so many documents, if you really have to deal with it alone, you have to spend at least a dozen hours a day in the Hokage's office, and occasionally have to work all night.

But the rest of the high-level Tsunade is not trustworthy, especially the two who are advisers, and they are very vigilant existences. If the Hokage's power is divided between the two advisors, maybe the other party will backstab him in the backhand.

The wrong experience of the teacher's ape flying and slashing is vivid.

Therefore, Tsunade will only assign a small number of tasks to Shikaku, the trusted leader of the upper ninja squad, and occasionally assign some documents for Hinata Hinata Hizo, who is among the high-level elders, to deal with on his behalf. But most of the time, it's Tsunade who handles it alone.

It's really too busy to do it, so I'll use the shadow clone technique to make an emergency.

Standing in front of the desk, Shikaku didn't say a word, and even if there was something important to report, he would quietly wait for Tsunade to finish his work before explaining.

After going on like this for more than ten minutes, Tsunade temporarily broke away from the bitterness of work and shifted his gaze to Shikaku.

Even after two years, Lu Jiu, who is already middle-aged, has not changed much, at most the beard on his chin has grown a little longer, and he has improved his motivation a little.

The ninjas of the Nara clan, in addition to the secret art of the family family, have two distinctive characteristics. One is lazy and not motivated to do anything. One is smart, people of this clan generally have a high IQ.

The ninjas of this clan can hold the position of the ninja squad leader on Konoha from beginning to end, and it is not in vain.

At least in terms of work attitude, even Tsunade can rarely find anything wrong with Shikaku.

"Good work, Hokage-sama."

"Isn't that a daily job? Don't worry, physically, I'm just like a young man, and this amount of work is not enough for me."

Tsunade stretched and let out a long breath. For some of Shikaku's concerns, Tsunade disagreed.

She is the top medical ninja in the ninja world, and naturally knows how to maintain her body, although at her age, her physical fitness has basically reached the limit, and it is impossible to increase any more, but relying on her own medical ninjutsu, even if she reaches the age of sixty, the decline in strength is almost negligible.

After all, the dark wounds she left in her body when she was young have already been slowly removed through the usual maintenance and continuous care. In terms of physique, he is more robust than most young ninjas today.

It seems that a lot of work, for her, will not cause any load on the body, as long as you pay more attention to the combination of work and rest.

"Speaking of which, did you come to me for something at this time?" Tsunade asked instead. There are two things."

Lu Jiu said. Tsunade didn't speak, took a sip of tea, and listened quietly.

"The first thing is that the dark part that was secretly cultivated in the last batch has reached the qualification standard, and you can try to cultivate a new batch of dark parts."

Because he gave advice to Tsunade two years ago and provided this idea, now the dark part under Tsunade is divided into two parts: light and dark.

On the bright side, the dark department is commanded by the chief and deputy ministers, and there are six squad leaders, twenty-four squad leaders, and seventy-two team members. These people have the lowest strength and are also medium ninja. The six squad leaders are all elites in the upper ninja, and more than half of the twenty-four squad leaders are also upper ninja or special upper ninja. These ninjas gathered under the command of Tsunade are already a very powerful force.

Compared with the reign of the three generations of Hokage, the scale and strength of the dark department have been significantly improved.

And this is also the condition that Tsunade naturally obtained from his advisors and ninjas after becoming the Hokage.

In addition to this, there is also the dark part that was secretly cultivated two years ago.

These shadows are not counted in the original statistical list of the shadows, but are recorded on a separate list, and only Tsunade and Shikahisa are eligible to watch.

This team, which is located in the deeper dark part, has now cultivated a total of more than 270 people. Because there is no strong rule in the ninja level, even the lower ninja can be incorporated in, so there are more people.

Most of them are mainly in the middle ninja, and the lower ninja with individual talents is also absorbed, and finally there are several upper ninjas, as the leader of this dark team.

The strength of this dark force is obviously inferior to the dark part on the bright side. On the bright side, there are twenty ninjas just gathered together, not to mention, the gathered ninjas are all excellent ninjas in the same level. However, the biggest role of this dark part is the direct strength of the strong outline hand, and when there is a problem in the bright side and the dark part, it can quickly replace the upper position, and always let the dark part of the body carry out a virtuous cycle. Instead of being hit and immediately falling into a state of standstill.

Due to the defection of Kakashi and Asami Masumi and others, Tsunade and Shikaku are very cautious about recruiting ninjas into the shadows.

Ninjas who have the slightest flaw, or who have 'vacancies' on their resumes, will not be admitted. Even their family, relatives, and friends will be investigated 360 degrees without dead ends, and they will only be admitted after confirming that there are no problems in all aspects.

This is also a strict method taken by Tsunade in order to protect Konoha." Oh, have they finished their training?"

"Yes, because they don't have to worry about life, they don't have to toil for long and meaningless tasks, their only task is to train and then become stronger. Occasionally, through the mission channel here, actual combat is carried out. In addition, Hokage-sama, you have opened up a lot of ninjutsu and secret arts to them, so the ninjas who join in are growing very fast......"

Shikaku gave an affirmative tone. I couldn't help but smile on my face.

These ninjas who are admitted to the city already have a good foundation, plus Tsunade spares no effort to provide all kinds of ninjutsu and secret arts, as well as all kinds of resources, so they don't have to worry about life, they are in actual combat in addition to cultivation, if this can't grow rapidly, then it's too much to say.

It can be said that the effect of this plan is much better than expected. But Tsunade showed a sad face.

"That's true, but we can only do it on a small scale, and the Oni no Kuni military is fully implementing such a policy...... Whether it's the ninjutsu and secret arts resources that can be provided, or the money and time, Konoha can't compare with it."

"Take your time step by step. The country of ghosts also began to become stronger after completing the primitive accumulation."

"Of course I know that. Is there enough money over there? How many people can be admitted in the next batch?"

Tsunade shook his head and asked the question.

"With Hokage-sama's secret funding, the funds can continue to turnover, as for the number of people admitted to the next batch, judging from the report, there are a total of one hundred and sixty-one people without problems, but I suggest that thirty of them can be admitted on the basis of merit."

I would like to absorb all of them at once, but it will be very troublesome to deal with the problem of venue and instructors.

Absorb newcomers, but instead of giving them ninjutsu and secret arts, they can directly study it themselves. If that's the case, it's just behind closed doors, and it won't go long at all.

Therefore, mastering the resources of education is the real key. Each shinobi is responsible for several newcomers, and elite training is carried out in the form of small classes, so that the resources invested in it can quickly become the strength of the ninjas themselves.

"Thirty people? Including the previously trained personnel, there are almost 300 people...... It seems that there is still some distance from the goal of 500 people."

This transformation speed is not slow, not to mention, these are all direct subordinates who can be trusted, so Tsunade can't pick out from them.

"At present, the dark department has grown more than once, and it can solve a lot of problems for Hokage-sama. It's just that the advisors and ninjas may have noticed the movement here......"

Lu Jiu pondered.

It was fine at first, but with the increase in personnel and the requisition of the site, it is absolutely impossible to hide from the eyes of some people.

"It's not possible, it's that they've found out. Just yesterday, those two old things, as well as a few ninja representatives led by the Ape Fei clan, came to me to discuss this matter."

Tsunade smiled coldly. Lu Jiu was taken aback.

"Don't worry, I'm still the Hokage after all, and they're just protesting. What I can't do, I'll let the next generation do. Anyway, those two old things, I guess they won't stay in the position of advisors for long."

It is already a blatant curse on the two advisers to retire quickly.

"That being said, it could have been even worse without two advisors in the middle."

Shikahisa thought about this question.

The existence of the advisor was originally to lubricate the relationship between the root and the Hokage.

But now Root has withdrawn from the front stage and can no longer touch the position of Hokage.

Then, the existence of the advisor is to lubricate the relationship between the Hokage and the ninja. Without a lubricant like a consultant, things could go bad. After all, there is still a lot of power, and it is not in the hands of the Hokage.

"Even without them lubricating in the middle, it's pretty much the same. As for the Hyuga clan, ......"

Tsunade pressed his brow with a headache.

Although it was her one vote, Hinata Hinata pushed him to the stage of the high-level. This is also an unprecedented decision.

Because a wealthy family like the Hyuga clan ascended to such a high position, it would further strengthen the strength of the clan, making the gap between them and ordinary ninja clans wider and wider.

But how does Hinata Hinata feedback? At every meeting, he only had two sentences – the advisor was right.

Hokage-sama was right.

This not only made Tsunade helpless, but it is estimated that the consultant's side also felt laughing and crying about it.

When it comes to not offending people, even the advisors who used to be the grass between the roots and the Hokage have to bow down.

Although this is already a traditional practice of the Hyuga family.

But Tsunade still hopes that Hinata, the new high-level executive, can do something bigger, instead of being like a dead fish, even if it is fried in a pan, it is estimated that it will not move.

"Forget it, let's not talk about these headaches. What's the second thing?" Tsunade shifted the subject away from thinking about the bad things about the Hyuga family.

"It's an invitation from the Oni Country."

From the document in his hand, Lu Jiu took out a delicate letter with a gilded aster flower on it.

"Invitations? Even if you want to hold another joint Zhongnin exam, this time is a little too early."

Tsunade said.

Now that the New Year has just passed, not to mention the high-level leaders of various countries, even ninjas have begun to take vacations and reunite with their families.

And only she, the Hokage, would be busy with endless work at such a time. By the way, pull Lu Jiu, the head of the upper ninja squad, together.

"It's not the middle ninja exam, but we are invited to Konoha and the country of fire to participate in the sixteen-year-old coming-of-age ceremony of the witch of the country of demons."

"Oni no Kuni Maiden?" Tsunade looked in a trance. Lu Jiu nodded, and sighed in an inexplicable tone:

"Speaking of which, the country of ghosts seems to be a theocratic state."" ......" Tsunade smiled wryly.

After Lu Jiu mentioned it, he suddenly remembered that there was such a thing.

For a long time, because the country of ghosts gives people the prominent impression of strong military power, people ignore the fact that it is essentially a theocratic state.

"Is it a shrine maiden's coming-of-age ceremony? That is, to send a messenger over ......" Tsunade calmed down.

Although the relationship with the country of ghosts is not good, the diplomatic thing is like this.

During the hostilities, when she took up the position of the fifth Hokage, the country of demons also sent an emissary to prepare a generous gift to congratulate her.

At least in terms of etiquette, it is necessary to be impeccable, to show the strength of a great country, rather than grasping some things.

"Lu Jiu, then I'll trouble you to go over then."

There is only one shrine maiden in the main vein of the Oni Country, and that is the current shrine maiden Shion. In other words, it is the land of fire, and the status of the other party is equivalent to that of the daimyo.

The coming-of-age ceremony of the king of a country should send a sufficient number of people to participate.

It's also a good choice...... But when he thought of the relationship between Jiraiya and the country of ghosts, Tsunade felt that sending him over was likely to cause an accident, and it would be the best choice to let the more stable deer pass for a long time.

"I see."

Shikaku didn't refuse, and probably could guess that Tsunade would leave this matter to himself.

Except for the Hokage\ advisors, these high-level people who can't move around without permission, who are qualified, and the contradiction with the country of ghosts is too great. There is no contradiction, and the identity is a little worse, and it seems that it is not paid enough attention.

And the ninja who is in line with his status and will not cause conflict with the country of ghosts, among Konoha, he is the only one who is the leader of the ninja squad.

"I'm in trouble." Tsunade nodded, and then thought of something: "By the way, don't let Naruto's stinky boy know about this, if he does, he will probably run to the country of ghosts noisily......"

◎

"Your Highness Ziyuan, please don't do this, your actions will make us embarrassed."

In one of the side halls of the shrine, it seems that it has been renovated and renovated many times compared to the past, and it looks more spacious and bright.

The wooden floor is smooth and bright, and it seems that you can see the reflection of people from above.

Although some places can be seen to have modern decorations, most of the places still retain the ancient style.

At this time, the shrine maiden in the side hall is teaching the main lineage witch Shion, about some precautions in the coming-of-age ceremony.

For example, the most basic walking posture will definitely have strict specifications.

Originally, these things should be a good foundation from an early age, rather than waiting until this time to learn.

But unlike the main lineage witch of the previous generation, Shion's personality is too capricious, and with the favor of the Minister of War, the witch who usually teaches Shion etiquette and norms can only turn a blind eye.

But this time the situation is different, it is a coming-of-age ceremony that is only once in the witch's life, and she must not let her guard down.

Holding the completion ceremony means that Shion has reached adulthood, is a veritable monarch of the Ghost Country, and is no longer a mascot in name only.

Theoretically, as long as the coming-of-age ceremony is over, you can control the various decrees of the Oni Country.

But on the other hand, if you are too contaminated with the breath of the world, the power of the shrine maiden will become impure.

It doesn't matter if the witch of the branch vein is there, but as the witch of the main vein, she must keep the power of the witch pure to suppress the most powerful monster, the dragon. Once the power of the main vein witch is no longer pure, there will really be a problem.

Therefore, the coming-of-age ceremony of the witch of the main line of the Oni Country is more symbolic than practical. Even if he has the ability to hold power, he will not interfere too much in human affairs.

With the torii gate as the boundary, the inner world is ruled by the shrine maiden, and the outer world is governed by the military and government of the Oni no Kuni, and if necessary, it can be reported to the shrine maiden of the main line.

"Don't stop me! Coming-of-age ceremonies, let it hell then!" Shion stretched out her hand towards the door of the side hall with all her might, looking like she wanted to regain her freedom.

On her body, several shrine maidens are like pendants, constantly obstructing her from moving forward, asking her to stay and learn the various etiquette norms necessary for the coming-of-age ceremony.

After all, the day of the coming-of-age ceremony is not far away, and there is not enough time in the first place, if this highness is allowed to come again, it will definitely make the envoys of various countries laugh, thinking that the witch of the ghost country is just a vexatious child.

Although it is true that it is a child, if it is not true that they have felt a huge amount of pure power from Ziyuan, as a branch witch, they will even really wonder if the previous Maitreya witch is holding the wrong fetus.

This kind of self-willed personality is not at all like the main lineage witches of previous generations.

Willful, brutal, playful, delicious, half-hearted when practicing witches, either dozing off, or wanting to eat snacks, always thinking about running to the 'world'.

What kind of big words do you still shout in your mouth, 'How can you really transcend the world without experiencing the prosperity of the world'......

Didn't you make an excuse for your playfulness and deliciousness in the end? It's just an excuse that just sounds good.

"We won't let you out of here, Your Highness Aster! I'm going to let you stay and learn the etiquette of a lady!"

"Don't! If this kind of bird doesn't poop again, I'll die of boredom!"

It's a pity that a person's strength is always limited, and these witches are extremely determined willpower, so they won't let go of anything.

In the end, the lone Shion was defeated, and was honestly pressed into the side hall by the witches, and was forced to accept etiquette learning.

About two hours had passed, and an older shrine maiden entered the side hall where she had learned the etiquette.

Come to a stop in front of the curtain, which is a place for asters to rest.

"It's been a hard afternoon of study, Your Highness Aster. The old body knows that His Highness does not like this kind of long and boring etiquette study, but next is the important day for His Highness to receive the coming-of-age ceremony, and he must not be rude in front of the envoys of various countries at that time. Well, when the coming-of-age ceremony is over, His Highness will be able to regain his freedom."

There was no sound coming from inside.

On the bed, you can only see the figure of a girl lying on her side.

The old witch sighed, knowing that Shion was angry with herself, and she didn't want to pay attention to these cumbersome etiquette.

However, considering that this year's main vein witch is slightly different, and the country of ghosts has also undergone huge changes, she will turn a blind eye to some of the behaviors of the witch that are not in line with the witch.

"Since His Highness has rested, then, as long as His Highness can promise the old body, he will study here in peace for the past few days, and the old body will not bother."

However, this time on the bed behind the curtain, the girl still didn't make any sound. Your Highness?" The old shrine maiden hesitated for a moment, and tried to call out.

Finally realizing that something was wrong, the old shrine maiden quickly stepped forward and lifted the curtain with the agility of an old man, and saw the girl lying on her side on the bed.

The girl is wearing a shrine maiden costume, but there is no trace of popularity on the whole person, like a doll placed here.

The old witch goddess's feelings changed slightly, and she sealed it with one hand." Solution!"

The shrine maiden on the bed immediately turned into a puff of black smoke and disappeared into the air.

On the bed where the girl was lying on her side, only a palm-sized scarecrow with a red rope remained, which seemed to be silently mocking her.

The old witch's face suddenly darkened.◎"Go to the land of ghosts?"

Shikamaru, who came back from outside in the evening, was told about it by his father Lujiu as soon as he returned home.

Shikamaru, who is already sixteen years old, is not only taller, but his body is also a little stronger than before, but under the wrapping of clothes, he can't see it at all. But that kind of mature and stable temperament compared to peers cannot be faked.

In the past two years, although he often complained about the busyness of his tasks and the hard work of cultivation, teaching Naruto was a constant headache every week...... But in the end, I gritted my teeth and persevered.

In a simple sentence, he thinks that his current strength can easily defeat himself when he was chasing Sasuke three years ago.

With this kind of impressive results, it can be regarded as fruitful.

Despite the energy and time spent on it, he is often exhausted. The days of leisure are also gone.

However, he has just come back, and he is about to be ordered to go to the country of ghosts, is this too intensive for his oppression?

It's true that he doesn't reject the work of ninjas anymore, but he can't squeeze his body like this, right?

Sensing Shikamaru's resentful gaze, Shikaku also knew that Shikamaru might be wrong, so he said, "Don't worry, although it's a mission, I'll go with it. And it's not any troublesome diplomatic work, it should be said that it's a trip at public expense."

"This kind of good thing, Dad, will you come to me?" Shikamaru looked at Shikaku with suspicion. Can you have a little more faith in me as a father?"

Lu Jiu complained. Well, the specific thing is ......"

"The shrine maidens of the Oni Country are going to hold a coming-of-age ceremony in a week, and all countries will be invited to attend, and Konoha is among them. Hokage-sama has entrusted this matter to me, and I will choose the messengers who will participate in the coming-of-age ceremony held by the shrine maidens of the Oni Country."

Shikaku's answer calmed Shikamaru's mind.

In this case, it is indeed not a trouble, except for the fact that it is not good to travel long distances, and it is not an exaggeration to evaluate such a public expense as a tour.

He was afraid that he would go to the country of ghosts to carry out some extremely troublesome diplomacy, and then not only his body but also his head would be affected.

He's just a sixteen-year-old kid, and he can't withstand the pressure of a collision between countries, it's too heavy.

"Then the personnel you decide ......"

"There are more than a dozen people in total, you are one of them, and I am also considering the rest. The departure time is early the day after tomorrow, and on the way, I will rush with the messengers of the Daimyo's Mansion and arrive in the country of Oni a few days early."

"Well, then I'm fine, and I just want to relax a little lately. By the way, Ino and Dingji can also bring them."

"As long as you get their consent, there's no problem on my side. As for Naruto's side, I don't think I need to say you know what to do."

"Of course, if he knew, he wouldn't have to turn the sky upside down......" Shikamaru scratched his head and nodded, which was kind of agreed.

Although it was not good to hide this behavior from his friends, because of Sakura's matter, he couldn't judge what kind of reaction Naruto would have after learning about it.

Therefore, I had to hide this matter for the time being, and wait until the limelight passed, and then explain it to Naruto.

It's better to let him come to the matter of getting in touch with the 'companion' of the past.