I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Konoha

Perhaps I will spend the rest of my life there.

With a lingering look at the familiar surroundings, and then at the towering Cloud Pavilion beside her, Terumi Mei let out a subtle sigh.

Chapter 330 Father and Daughter Reunite

Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village)

When Yun Ting returned here, he saw a scene that was even more prosperous than before.

With the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Land of Fire became the sole overlord of the ninja world. After acquiring a large amount of resources from the other four countries, Konoha Village, which is now the de facto capital of the country, naturally ushered in a period of rapid development.

So much so that Mei Terumi, who followed along with somewhat complicated thoughts, was momentarily stunned when she witnessed Konoha.

More than five years ago, when Yun Ting got married, she came to Konoha once as the representative of Kirigakure and was already very impressed.

Looking at it now, we find that Konoha has undergone tremendous changes in just a few years.

"Losing to such a formidable opponent is perfectly normal," Mei Terumi remarked.

"Lord Mizukage, please get some rest." At this moment, Yun Ting spoke up from the side. "Ritsuko, go and arrange accommodations for Lord Mizukage."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ritsuko Yamanaka, who had already arrived, nodded to Mei Terumi after speaking.

"This is troublesome." Mei Terumi, who now knew her true identity, calmly accepted everything.

After that, Ritsuko Yamanaka left with Mei Terumi.

Meanwhile, Yun Ting was also busy in the Hokage's office, dealing with the numerous matters that had arisen after the great war, when the territory had expanded from the Land of Fire to the Five Great Nations, with the assistance of Nara Shikaku and a group of secretaries.

a long time.

Having finally finished all his work, Yun Ting, who now had a thorough understanding of the current ninja world, rubbed his temples and said to Nara Shikaku beside him:

"Let's stop our expansion here for now. We'll digest the five kingdoms of Thunder, Wind, Earth, Water, and Iron first, and then deal with the rest of the smaller ones."

Although Konoha had achieved a complete military victory over the five great nations, trying to digest this territory, which was three or four times larger than the Land of Fire, was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

Governing after a war is far more troublesome than governing during a war.

Although Konoha has cultivated a large number of talents over the years, it has reached its limit in managing the five countries.

To avoid the awkward situation of having occupied territory but not having enough people to govern it, Yun Ting and his group decided to slow down their expansion.

In any case, without the four great nations and the Land of Iron, the other nations combined pose no threat to Konoha.

Furthermore, having just finished four world wars, they invaded other countries, making their actions rather unseemly.

Let's wait a while.

It won't be long before we can consolidate our control over the five newly conquered ninja kingdoms and establish effective rule, and then conquer the entire ninja world in one fell swoop.

"That's all for now. Everyone, go and get some rest after get off work."

Finally, after saying goodbye to Nara Shikaku and the others, Yun Ting left the Hokage Building.

When they returned home, Maki, who had been waiting for a long time, came running over happily with her short legs and threw herself into Yunting's arms. She kissed Yunting's face again and again, and finally, after she was satisfied, she said, "Father, welcome home!"

Yun Ting pulled Maki into his arms with one hand and pinched his daughter's small nose with the other, smiling as he asked, "Maki, have you been listening to Shizune-neechan while you've been at home?"

“Of course!” Maki nodded proudly. “I’ve always been very well-behaved! Not only that, but I also did a great job during the attack on Konoha! Grandpa Sarutobi, Uncle Shikaku, and Aunt Ritsuko can all vouch for me!”…

"So proud, are you?" Yun Ting's brows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Even if there were danger, Konoha has so many ninjas. How could it be your turn, a little brat who hasn't even finished the Ninja Academy? Luckily, nothing happened to you. But even so, your mother already knows about this. She's said she'll give you a piece of her mind when she gets back."

As he spoke, Yun Ting lightly patted Maki's bottom a few times as a warning.

"But I really did a lot for Konoha! Even Grandpa Sarutobi praised me!" Maki pouted, somewhat unwilling.

"That's because you encountered your own great-grandfather. If he hadn't shown mercy back then, would you still be standing here now?"

Yunting already knew the entire course of World War I after the village inquired with relevant personnel and summarized the events.

Having also mastered Wood Release, he naturally knew that Maki's half-baked Wood Release was no match for Hashirama Senju.

Even if the latter is in the state of Edo Tensei (reincarnation).

Ultimately, it was the stimulation from Maki's Wood Release that caused her to lose her will, but she was still affected by Hashirama Senju's restraint, which awakened her instinctive reactions.

Otherwise, no matter how talented Maki is, she wouldn't be here.

Therefore, upon returning home, Yun Ting immediately put a tight headband on Maki to prevent her from becoming arrogant and haughty.

Faced with Yun Ting's serious and earnest instruction, Maki's face fell, and she could only obediently nod and admit her mistake.

Fortunately, Hashirama Senju arrived just then to ease the tension, saying, "Maki is quite a remarkable child. Both her temperament and ninja talent are the best I've ever seen. I must say, Yunting, you and Tsunade have a wonderful daughter!"

"Maki is indeed very good!" Yun Ting praised his daughter without reservation.

This instantly filled Maki with joy.

"That's why Tsunade and I have high expectations for her, hoping she can face her problems squarely along the way." Then, Yun Ting rubbed Maki's head and explained.

However, he also understood that today was a rare day for family reunion.

Knowing that his daughter had already taken his words to heart, he didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he returned to his original demeanor and asked with a smile:

"Maki, how have you been with your great-grandfather these days? You haven't been naughty or made him angry, have you?"

"Of course not!" Maki immediately regained her energy and said, "These past few days I've taken my great-grandfather to see many places in Konoha, and taught him a lot of new things. He had a great time!"

"That's right! Luckily, Maki is here, allowing this old fogey to learn about many new things of this era and acquire a lot of new knowledge. Especially gambling... cough cough~~"

As Hashirama Senju was about to excitedly recount how his gambling skills had greatly improved under Maki's tutelage, he suddenly noticed the look in Maki's eyes as she glared at him. Realizing what was happening, he quickly stopped talking and coughed to cover up his earlier words.

He almost forgot that Maki had repeatedly reminded him not to tell Yunting about the gambling.

so close!

I almost let it slip.

Hashirama Senju breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Maki's heart was pounding, and she almost wanted to pounce on him. The tense little face of Maki, who had been covering her great-grandfather's mouth, finally relaxed.

Yun Ting noticed this scene out of the corner of his eye, and although he found it amusing, he ultimately kept quiet about it.

Chapter 331 Maki's Great Adventure

Hashirama Senju, Kumogawa Senju, and Maki Senju—this Senju family, spanning four generations, chatted for quite some time afterward.

Finally, Hashirama Senju said with relief, "Yun Ting, we are very relieved that Konoha has been handed over to you. Now that the war is over and there are no longer any obstacles to the unification of Konoha, we, as the dead, are very fortunate to be able to return to Konoha. We have seen what we needed to see and done what we needed to do. It is time for us to leave."

Although he still longed for Konoha, Hashirama Senju, knowing that the boundary between the living and the dead must be clearly separated, chose to return to the Underworld.

Upon hearing this, before Yun Ting could say anything, Maki rushed over and hugged Senju Hashirama with tears in her eyes, hoping he wouldn't leave.

During this time, she experienced a different kind of family affection than that of her parents for the first time. In particular, her great-grandfather shared the same character and hobbies as her, and they got along very well together. Naturally, she was reluctant to be separated from him forever.

Hashirama Senju patted Maki's head affectionately.

Although he was also very reluctant to part with his great-granddaughter Maki, he had to abide by the rules regarding life and death.

Yun Ting was not surprised by Hashirama Senju's choice to return to the Underworld, nor would he try to stop him.

However, he still advised, "Before returning to the Underworld, Grandfather, you should see Tsunade first. When I mentioned it to her before, she really wanted to catch up with you."

"Tsunade," Hashirama Senju said, clearly missing his granddaughter. "Let's see her one last time. When will she be back?"

"In a few more days. Tsunade is currently dealing with the aftermath of the events in the Land of Wind, and she'll be back soon. Grandfather, you should spend more time with Maki during this time."

In the end, Yun Ting gave Maki a look.

He wouldn't do something that would allow Hashirama Senju to remain forever.

But as a father, he could manage to let Maki spend more time with him.

Otherwise, he could have used Thunder God Technique to get to Tsunade's side right now and immediately brought her back to Konoha without wasting any time.

Although she was still reluctant to accept the reality that her great-grandfather was about to leave, since her father had already said so, Maki could only cherish the time she had with him in the future.

However, in her heart, as she experienced the pain of parting forever for the first time, a thought involuntarily arose.

'If we could summon our great-grandfather back again later...'

The thought of the Impure World Reincarnation technique used by Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from Konoha, made Maki's big eyes light up.

Having tasted the pain of the forbidden technique's backlash, Orochimaru was captured by Hashirama Senju and imprisoned in a secret room beneath the Hokage Building, unable to move under layers of seals.

Yun Ting was utterly disgusted by Orochimaru, whom he couldn't kill no matter what he did.

Therefore, when he received the news that Orochimaru had been captured alive, he specifically instructed the village not to take his life, but to wait until he returned to deal with it.

However, until now, due to numerous matters, Yun Ting has not had time to see the other party, who is not very important at the moment.

As a result, an uninvited guest met him first.

Since learning that her great-grandfather was about to leave this world, Maki, who is precocious but still a child at heart, has outwardly accepted reality, but inwardly she still thinks about doing the impossible.

Her first choice was naturally the Impure World Reincarnation technique, which she had used to summon Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju before, and could use again to summon them later.

When Konoha was attacked, Sarutobi heard from her grandfather and the Konoha ninja that the village's Impure World Reincarnation technique was not perfect and was completed by a rogue ninja named Orochimaru.

Knowing that her father would never teach her the Impure World Reincarnation technique, Maki did not set her sights on the forbidden techniques in the village.

Instead, Orochimaru, who possessed the Impure World Reincarnation technique, took his place.

She had inadvertently seen Orochimaru when the Konoha ninjas imprisoned him in the Hokage Building.

Coincidentally, I used to really enjoy being around my father.

Although he often plays alone because of his father's work.

However, because of this, she is very familiar with everything in the Hokage Building. When she has nothing to do, she wanders around here and there. And because she is the daughter of the Hokage, she will not be punished even if she goes to secret locations.

There was only one secret room that could imprison Orochimaru.

With this in mind, Maki made many preparations in private.

Then, on a dark and stormy night, she finally managed to quietly climb over her own courtyard wall and sneak towards the Hokage Building.

It was Maki's first time undertaking such a dangerous mission, and she was very nervous the whole way.

But she is, after all, the daughter of Yun Ting and Tsunade.