I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

The shop owner pointed to a little girl in the corner of the shop who was wolfing down strings of dumplings; clearly, they were all going into her stomach.

"You really can't judge a book by its cover!" Kakashi remarked. "But...this girl looks somewhat familiar."

Kakashi thought for a moment and quickly recognized him.

"It's that Mitarai family girl, isn't it? If I remember correctly, she was Orochimaru's newly recruited disciple."

Thinking about this, Kakashi understood why the other person was binge eating.

Without disturbing the other party, he left the dumpling shop with a slight regret.

However, after taking only a few steps, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulder, and a familiar voice said in his ear:

"Yo, Kakashi! Long time no see, let's have a long-awaited duel!"

"Kai, when did you get back? I heard you've been taking on a lot of missions lately," Kakashi said lazily without turning his head.

The visitor was none other than Matt Kai.

He was still wearing his ever-present green bodysuit. When Kakashi asked him a question, a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face, but he immediately reaffirmed his determination and said, "Youth doesn't allow for cowardly escape, and passion doesn't allow for empty promises. So I'm back! To prove that I'll never regret my youth!"

Kakashi didn't understand what Guy meant, and he didn't care to.

But he knew he had to agree to the other party's challenge right now, otherwise the guy would keep pestering him relentlessly.

so......

"Let's have a speed showdown! The finish line is Ichiraku Ramen. Now, begin!"

"Haha, let my youth shine!"

The day ended with this run.

.......

The next morning.

Just as Kakashi was yawning as he went to report to the Anbu, Yun Ting also arrived at the office early to begin his day as Hokage.

"Yamato, from now on you'll be working in the Anbu. I've found you a good senior colleague, remember to learn from him."

Before him, Yamato, who had once been armored but was now dressed in ANBU attire, respectfully said, "Yes, sir, Hokage."

"Then let's go." Yun Ting waved his hand and said.

After taking Yamato away from Root, he did not treat him as an experimental subject.

Although he was a member of Root, he wasn't truly brainwashed into a cold-blooded killing machine. Instead, he maintained a precious kindness in his heart throughout. Coupled with his considerable potential, he's likely to reach the level of an elite Jonin in the future, making a significant contribution to Konoha.

After extracting some blood cells from the other person for research purposes, Yun Ting sent him to the Dark Division for training, following the original route, and handed him over to Kakashi to lead.

Although these two haven't crossed paths yet, it's likely that they'll eventually spark a connection.

Yamato has left, leaving only Yunting and Ritsuko Yamanaka in the office.

After signing a document, Yun Ting handed it to Ritsuko and said, "Give this to the person in charge of the Wood Release Laboratory."

The document contains a signed consent to misappropriate funds from the Senju clan and inject them into the Wood Release Laboratory.

With Hashirama cells, Kumogawa and Tsunade cells and blood, as well as Yamato's blood cells, the Wood Release laboratory now has ample experimental materials, and it's time to officially invest funds to begin research.

As Yun Ting's confidante, Ritsuko was naturally aware of the highly confidential Wood Release research.

She nodded, carefully put the documents away, and then walked out in her high heels.

Afterwards, Nara Shikaku and Namikaze Minato, who were the Hokage's assistants, arrived at the office on time. As usual, they greeted each other and then took away most of their daily work documents.

Looking at the few remaining documents on the table, Yun Ting nodded in satisfaction.

Outside of work, there is still plenty of time to slack off.

This is what a leader should be like!

However, today is different from usual, as there are a few new things that Yun Ting needs to handle.

"Uchiha...Aya?"

Looking at the ninja information card in his hand, and then at the tall, slender female ninja standing in front of him with a cool and aloof demeanor, Yun Ting's face showed a hint of surprise.

Long before Fugaku Uchiha sided with him and carried out the security force reorganization as he requested without complaint, he specially offered a spot in the Shadow Guard to the Uchiha clan as a token of his appreciation.

He had heard that the various branches of the Uchiha clan were fiercely competing for this spot.

Even Fugaku Uchiha himself would likely face considerable difficulties in choosing the person he believed in.

Yun Ting originally thought this matter would drag on for a long time, but unexpectedly the candidate had already come to his door.

What surprised him even more was that the Uchiha who came was actually a young woman.

Is she trying to use her beauty to seduce me?

Yun Ting thought to himself.

After all, although the woman in front of her, named Aya Uchiha, was a bit flat-chested, she was still quite beautiful.

However, after seeing the detailed information about Aya Uchiha in his hand, his doubts subsided.

Chapter 51 Jiraiya's Path to Mastery

Aya Uchiha, a Jonin of the Uchiha clan, was formerly a squad leader in the Konoha Police Force. She has awakened her Sharingan to the three tomoe level and is skilled in swordsmanship, Fire Release, and Lightning Release.

Although the woman in front of me is beautiful, she is undoubtedly very powerful.

Judging from the information on paper alone, he could be considered one of the best among Jonin.

After all, the Uchiha with three tomoe perfectly exemplifies the long-standing principle in the ninja world that in a one-on-one situation, one must escape.

Clearly, the Uchiha clan's deliberate selection of such a young and capable woman was not merely for the sake of seduction, as he suspected, but also to showcase their own strength.

Yun Ting didn't care.

He is not the decrepit Hiruzen Sarutobi.

No matter how powerful the Uchiha clan was, and no matter whether the woman in front of him named Uchiha Aya had secretly received instructions from the Uchiha clan to report back the information she had seen in the Shadow Guard, he didn't care.

Because in the face of absolute power, all obstacles will be shattered.

Yun Ting has this confidence.

so......

"Ye Shan!" Yun Ting called out.

"Lord Hokage!" Shirakumo Hayama appeared quickly.

"Aya Uchiha will be a member of the Shadow Guard. As the captain, you can put aside your work for today and focus on teaching her what she needs to do," Yun Ting instructed. "Aya Uchiha, you have one day to familiarize yourself with the Shadow Guard's duties. Go!"

"Yes!" Baiyun Yeshan nodded.

“Yes.” Aya Uchiha, who had remained expressionless throughout, replied calmly.

The two then left.

Looking up at the back of the Uchiha woman who had just joined his close group, Yun Ting's eyes held a hint of amusement.

Whether Aya Uchiha would pass on intelligence to the Uchiha clan can be inferred from the fact that after Itachi joined the Anbu, the clan placed high hopes on her to send back intelligence to the Anbu.

If Yun Ting is worried, then there is nothing to worry about.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up a spot to the Uchiha.

Actually, it wasn't just the Uchiha clan.

Hyuga, Nara, Aburame, and so on—aren't they all infiltrating various departments in Konoha to relay intelligence?

Even more than the Uchiha, who were always marginalized, these ninja clans gathered more intelligence.

Take Nara Shikaku for example. As the head of the Nara clan, he is now helping Yun Ting handle various matters concerning Konoha. Do you think he wouldn't have a lot of information about Konoha?

But why have the Konoha leadership always been wary of the Uchiha clan?

Ultimately, they still didn't consider the other party as part of Konoha.

Even if they don't admit it, they always regard it as a potential enemy in their hearts.

Therefore, their policy is to keep the Uchiha clan firmly within the Konoha Police Force.

They were not allowed to join the Anbu, nor were they allowed to serve as instructors of Jonin for graduates of the Ninja Academy. Even in the wars against the Four Great Nations, only a small number of them were allowed to participate.

As a result, even those within the Uchiha clan willing to actively align themselves with Konoha were increasingly silenced by this cold violence and subtle hostility. This led to the growth of the militant faction within the clan, who, ultimately seeing no hope for the future, decided to launch a revolution against the Konoha leadership.

Unfortunately, he encountered Itachi Uchiha, who inherited the Will of Fire and possessed extraordinary strength.

It can be said that the Uchiha clan's path to self-destruction was largely due to the Third Hokage, Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, all disciples of the Second Hokage.

While the Third Hokage's attitude was not as resolute, as the leader of Konoha, his indecisiveness in dealing with the Uchiha clan led to many missed opportunities for a peaceful resolution, and in some ways, he bore greater responsibility.

The past is like smoke, and the Cloud Court, which is now in power, will no longer use the policies of those old guys who were so afraid of the Uchiha's power.

For him, opening up the Shadow Guard slots to the Uchiha was just the beginning.

If the latter continues to perform well, he wouldn't mind gradually removing the shackles that bind the Uchiha clan, ultimately achieving the goal of truly integrating them into Konoha and preventing the Uchiha massacre from happening again under his watch.

Of course, if the Uchiha don't appreciate his efforts, deviate from his plans, or even become greedy and push their luck, then he wouldn't mind setting things right.

Anyway, he has the ability and the time.

After all, he was only in his early twenties, not the third generation. Danzo and those old men still had decades to live.

That being said, it remains to be seen what choice Aya Uchiha will make.

Like Itachi, who outwardly appeases his clan while secretly having already defected to Konoha?

Or perhaps, like a normal Uchiha, one prioritizes the clan?

Yun Ting was very much looking forward to it; no matter what, he wouldn't lose out.

If the other party is the latter, even as a member of the Shadow Guard, she would not be able to obtain Konoha's very important information from Yun Ting.

On the contrary, she can become an important bridge between Yun Ting and the Uchiha clan. Through her actions and words, she can continuously convey to the Uchiha clan that Yun Ting treats everyone equally and without discrimination, which can put the Uchiha clan at ease.

Of course, if Aya Uchiha falls into the first category, that would be even better. Not only would Yun Ting gain a trusted confidant, but he could also plant a thorn in the side of the Uchiha clan before Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha had fully matured.

Hmm~ Although the probability of this is extremely small.

But life is unpredictable, and who can say for sure what the future holds?