Yes, the Hokage

“Okay, listen to the question.” Feng Lan snapped her fingers. “My advisor’s office used to be right next to the Hokage’s office, right? But now, because of Elder Mitokado Homura’s ‘Better Use of Space Adjustment Plan,’ my office has been converted into a reception room, and my current work place has been moved to the fourth room on the right at the corner of the third floor of the front building, after walking to the end of the corridor and then down two steps.”

Minato: "...Where is that?"

Feng Lan pointed out the window: "It's right next to the copy room in that building."

"Uh..." Minato was a little confused. "So what do I need to do?"

"First, I want to ask you what your opinion is on this matter?" Feng Lan began to guide her gently.

“Hmm…” Minato pondered for a few seconds, “This is clearly not a normal structural adjustment, right? They’re deliberately trying to kick you out and keep you away from me.”

"Thank goodness you realized that proves my teachings over the past two weeks haven't been in vain." Feng Lan shrugged. "And then?"

"Hmm... and I think it's alright, right?" Minato glanced out the window. "Anyway, you can use the Thunder God Technique, so if you need anything, just flash in."

"You're younger now, aren't you?" Feng Lan said with a smile, then suddenly pulled a brick-sized book from the bookshelf and slammed it in front of Minato. "This is the general chapter of Konoha's laws. Please take a look at page 173, Article 6, Section 2."

Minato searched for a while before finally finding: "Anyone outside of meeting hours must make an appointment and apply in advance to enter the Hokage Building with a warrant?"

“That’s right.” Feng Lan shrugged. “That means if I work in that building and then use Thunder God Technique to fly right up to you, it’s illegal… and the penalty is pretty severe, since it involves the security of the Hokage’s office.”

"Wow, it's that serious?!" Minato almost jumped up. "But usually they..."

"Normally no one takes this law seriously, but it is real. And if I accidentally trigger it... then someone will probably come to investigate."

Feng Lan smiled and waved her finger: "This is what I often tell you: some things are less than four ounces on the scale, but once they are on the scale, they weigh a ton."

Chapter 131 This Minato is lame!

"I can't believe such a thing exists."

Minato frowned: "Does that mean they haven't given up on controlling you?"

“I’ve never given up, and there’s a reason why they don’t want me to be in the Hokage Building.” Feng Lan yawned. Unlike Minato, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. “Because I’m a sensory ninja, and when I’m in the office, I habitually activate my sensory abilities. That means as long as I’m here, I can detect anyone trying to approach the Hokage’s office anytime, anywhere.”

"Everyone wants to be as close to the Hokage as possible, and... nobody wants to be discovered when they get close to the Hokage, understand?"

"Hmm..." Minato looked like he understood but not quite. "Then what should I do?"

"Hey, this is my test for you. What kind of examinee asks the proctor for the answers?" Feng Lan rolled her eyes. "Find your own way."

"Oh right." Minato scratched his face awkwardly, then called out to the captain of the guards outside the door, "Tetsu, please come in for a moment."

Inuzuka Tetsushin's heart skipped a beat, but he still had to bite the bullet and walk into the office: "What are your orders, Fourth Hokage?"

"Tetsu, immediately take Fenglan back to his original office." Shuimen snapped his fingers, mimicking Fenglan, attempting to resolve all the problems simply and stylishly.

Inuzuka Tetsuya certainly knew what Minato meant, but would he dare to comply? After he sent out his secret letter, one of those two old guys would probably come over soon and see him helping Fenglan move.

Oh my god, there's nothing more exciting in the world than this.

Therefore, he could only feign ignorance: "You mean... you want me to carry Lord Fenglan over?"

Knowing full well what this kid was up to, Feng Lan suppressed her laughter and prepared to see how Shui Men would handle the situation.

"What are you thinking, Tetsuya?" Minato gave him a look like an old man on the subway looking at his phone. "I mean, take Maple to the outside reception room."

"Let him be a guest there?" Inuzuka Tetsu continued to play dumb.

"What are you doing?! That used to be Feng Lan's office, and now it's back to being his office, understand?!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya couldn't keep up the act any longer: "But... what about the reception room?"

"The reception room should be restored to Feng Lan's office, didn't I just say that!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama, but where should we wait next?"

"We can't wait! Now, immediately, restore it to Feng Lan's office!"

Minato was clearly a bit confused, and Inuzuka Tetsu hurriedly explained, "Fourth Hokage, what I mean is... there's no reception room, so the guests have to wait there?"

"Any room can be used as a reception room, but Fenglan's office must be next to mine, understand?"

[It's alright, I guess. I was a little dizzy, but at least I wasn't completely led astray and forgot my original purpose.] Fenglan, who was watching the show from the sidelines, calmly gave a score. [However, considering that Inuzuka Tetsu wouldn't dare to really outmaneuver you, this score is probably only 59 at most, still a little short of passing.]

Inuzuka Tetsuya didn't dare to play too many tricks on Minato. Now that things had come to this point, he could only walk dejectedly to Fenglan and say, "My lord, please come with me."

He didn't dare to look up at Feng Lan, afraid that his sweaty face would draw her attention.

"Come on, come on, don't be so nervous." Feng Lan's tone was very relaxed, and she even seemed to want to laugh a little. "You'll have to help carry that huge pile of stuff later. You go out first, I need to talk to Shui Men for a bit."

"Yes……"

Inuzuka Tetsu walked out of the Hokage's office with his head down, feeling a little short of breath. Just as his brain was racing, trying to figure out how to shift the blame, his savior arrived.

Mitokado Yan strode up the stairs: "What happened?"

"My lord!" Inuzuka Tetsu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly lowered his voice, "The Fourth Hokage wants me to move Lord Furan's office back to the one next to his."

"What?!" Mitokado Homura's expression turned furious. "Take back this order immediately!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya shuddered in fear: "But, but sir, that was an order personally given by the Fourth Hokage, I can't..."

"We finally found this opportunity to get that troublesome guy out of the Hokage's office, and now you're helping him move back in?"

Mitokado Homura stepped forward, and Inuzuka Tetsu immediately took two or three steps back in fright, saying pitifully, "Sir, I don't have the power to change the Fourth Hokage's orders, he..."

"The purpose of the Elders' Council is to prevent the Hokage from being misled by inexplicable and suspicious individuals, especially the Fourth Hokage!" Mitokado Homura shouted. "The Fourth Hokage is used to following simple choices and obvious biases, but that damned Feng Lan has made him doubt everything!"

"Aren't you basically implying that the Fourth Hokage is simple-minded? Go say that to him if you dare!"

Inuzuka Tetsuka grumbled inwardly, but outwardly he had to feign timidity and obedience: "But sir, the Fourth Hokage believes in Lord Fuyuki."

"Even the First Hokage believed in Madara Uchiha," Mitokado Homura sneered. "Listen up, kid..."

Before he could finish his imploring words, Feng Lan walked out of the office at just the right moment. Mitomon Yan suddenly changed his expression, smiling at the "strange and suspicious guy": "Advisor Feng Lan, you're back."

【hypocritical.】

Inuzuka Tetsuya's lips twitched slightly.

"Hello, Lord Mitokado Homura." Feng Lan greeted him with a smile. "Excuse my bluntness, but why weren't you waiting in the reception room? Or did you come to the Hokage's office without an appointment?"

Mitokado Homura's expression froze instantly. It was clear that Kaede had seen through his and Utatane Koharu's thoughts and had used this to turn the tables on him.

Fortunately, he was prepared: "Hehe, Advisor Fenglan is overthinking it. I came here with the Hokage's warrant."

He took out his warrant and waved it: "The Fourth Hokage has been away from the village for some time now, so I need to report to him on the recent situation... May I go in?"

"Of course, of course." Feng Lan smiled and turned to the side, gesturing for them to proceed.

Mitokado Homura proudly raised his chin and strode into the Hokage's office.

Inuzuka Ironhead, standing to the side, wished he could bury his head in the ground. If Fenglan wanted to pursue the matter, now was the perfect opportunity.

However, Feng Lan completely ignored him, still wearing that smiling expression, and leaned against the wall to eavesdrop on the situation in the office. Minato was also a sensory ninja, so he knew that he was being listened to, and he also knew that this was another test question from Feng Lan - how to deal with Mitomon Yan.

"Yondaime-sama..."

Mitomon Homura entered the office with a smiling expression, and Mitomon immediately became alert. Usually, when Fuuran showed this expression, it meant that his opponent was about to be in big trouble.

"Lord Mitomon, it's been a long time. How are you doing?" Despite his wariness, he still held these seniors in high esteem, so he immediately stood up to greet them.

“Very good, very good.” Mitomon Homura replied with a smile, then got straight to the point, “I heard you have different ideas about the ‘Better Utilization of Space Adjustment Plan’?”

"Well, it's not that I have any objections to the overall plan, it's just that Fenglan needs to move back to the room next to mine." Minato smiled. "You know, I'll feel more at ease with him next door. As for the reception room, it can be placed anywhere. I don't need you to change the whole plan, just move Fenglan back."

That would make us even more uneasy.

Mitomon sneered inwardly, but put on an expression of an elder instructing a younger person: "No, no, no, you are still too young. You don't understand the whole process of how the organization operates. What you said about just moving it back will actually damage the hard work and planning of many people, causing their years of efforts to be in vain, and even causing them to lose their entire outlook on life and values, and to lose all hope."

"Is it really that serious?" Minato was dumbfounded.

“Of course, procedures are very important.” Mitokado Homura chuckled. “You want to make a minor change, but you’ve actually ruined the whole plan.”

"Besides, the place next door is not just a simple reception room, but a real strategic location."

"Strategic...location?" Minato frowned, unable to understand how such a thing could be related to the room.

“Look,” Mitokado Homura said, sitting down across the desk. “Some people can wait in any room you arrange, but some… distinguished guests, such as diplomatic envoys from major countries or daimyo from small countries, need to wait in a place where no one can see them. This is a symbol of status and authority, and it is not negotiable.”

While brainwashing Shuimen, he also threw out long and complicated sentences: "When people who arrive earlier than others are waiting, they cannot see that people who arrive later than them are received by you earlier. When outsiders are waiting, they cannot see insiders coming in to tell you what the outsiders want to say to you. When some people arrive, you are receiving people they should not know about. There must be a place for them to wait until you finish receiving the people they should not know about, otherwise the operation of the entire office will go off track."

Feng Lan, who was monitoring the office interior in real time, scoffed. Such complex sentences were child's play to her, and the content was classic nonsense. The theory was correct, but in reality, it had nothing to do with where the meeting room was.

But Minato was clearly confused: "It sounds like there's a group of people singing haiku outside the office?"

[Is that the point?! I'm even under the protection of the God of Haiku!] Feng Lan thought to herself, [The point you need to grasp is that these criticisms have absolutely nothing to do with the location of the office or the meeting room!]

Unfortunately, Minato failed to grasp this point. Although Fenglan had given him special training on long and difficult sentences many times on his way to and from the trip, this was still his biggest headache.

"Fourth Hokage," Mitokado Homura said smugly, "The Hokage's office is the most important core of Konoha Village, but even the core needs the concerted efforts of all administrative units to operate and support it. And the former office of Advisor Fenglan is the most crucial hub, so... it must be converted into a reception room."

“But…” Minato could only instinctively retort, “I can’t leave Fenglan; many of his suggestions are crucial!”

"Of course it's crucial, but written recommendations are even more important than verbal ones." Mitokado said, placing a thick report, heavier than a Xinhua Dictionary, on the table. Mitokado, who had been tormented by F3 with all sorts of documents, had his PTSD kick in as soon as he saw this report, and his head was buzzing.

"When you need the right advice, the entire Presbyterian Church is at your service."

“I…” Minato’s head was clearly not turning anymore, but he subconsciously said, “I need someone who can truly stand by my side and support me.”

“We support you, Fourth Hokage.” Mitokado Homura said with a sincere expression. “The entire council of elders is your strongest backer, not some Fenglan. Behind us, there is also the system of tens of thousands of people from Sarutobi, Mitokado, and the Utatane clan, which will definitely help you protect the entire village from all dangers.”

"But, but you've all given me the same advice before." Minato was now in a daze.

“That only proves the suggestion was correct,” Mitokado Homura said with a smile. “Now, can we proceed according to the original plan?”

"Um...this..."

Minato knew in his heart that it wouldn't work, but he couldn't find a suitable reason to object. The other person was an elder, so he couldn't throw a tantrum, and his personality didn't support doing so. So in the end, he could only nod like a puppet on strings and say, "I... understand..."

……

Mitokado Homura walked out of the office with a victorious expression and said to Inuzuka Tetsudo, "The office of Advisor Fenglan will not be moved."

He then arrogantly raised an eyebrow at Feng Lan and strode away.

Feng Lan chuckled and walked into the office, only to find that Shui Men was not there at first glance.

Upon approaching the desk, they discovered that Shuimen was already curled up under it, looking utterly aggrieved. Before Fenglan could even speak, he resignedly exclaimed, "I know, I'm just a loser!"

Chapter 132 Please, you're so weak!

Feng Lan hadn't intended to mock him, but seeing Shui Men's pathetic state, she couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach: "Weak, please, you're really weak! Do you still want to sit at the table now?"

"Damn it... Of course we have to go!"

Provoked by Feng Lan's words, Shui Men suddenly jumped out from under the table: "This is just the beginning, I will not give up!"

"Wow~ that's amazing." Feng Lan clapped his hands exaggeratedly. "I wonder if Lord Yellow Flash has any good strategies for dealing with this enemy? How about using Flying Thunder God Technique to send a Rasengan right over and slap the opponent in the face?"

So the water gate, which had just maintained its high-spirited mode for a few seconds, collapsed again, pitifully pleading, "Help me."

"Alright, alright, now it's Teacher Fenglan's turn to help you review and summarize." Fenglan shrugged and sat down in the spot where Mitokado Yan had just been sitting.

"Please, Fenglan-sensei!" Minato sat down as well. "Next time, I'll use long, complicated sentences that nobody can understand to refute them!"

“Look at you, so impatient again.” Feng Lan shrugged. “What determines the outcome is never long and complicated sentences, but rather one’s thinking. Shui Men, your thinking should be very sharp, but you’ve fallen into a lazy and sluggish state because of me here.”

Minato Namikaze was undoubtedly a genius. He could even improve upon the Flying Thunder God Technique, which I had struggled to master under the guidance of the Second Hokage. However, he didn't like to use his intelligence for good, especially after spending a long time by my side—a situation shared by everyone who was experiencing the Minato phase.

"Take the office thing for example. When you found out that my office was moved to the building next door, what was your first reaction? It was, 'Anyway, you can fly like Thor.'"

Feng Lan shrugged: "You're still using tactical thinking, which is how to solve problems on a physical level, instead of strategic thinking, how to dominate the situation on a rule level. If you're an ordinary Jonin, tactical thinking is enough, but you're the Hokage, you must master strategic thinking."

"I see." Minato nodded seriously, and like Itachi, he picked up a notebook and started scribbling away.

"Then, after you learned the significance of the office location, you were still trying to solve the office relocation problem in the most direct way, but you were faced with Inuzuka Tetsu's procrastination, Mitokado Homura's long and complicated sentences, and your own unfamiliarity with administrative procedures—these three obstacles appeared almost simultaneously, and you were obviously not prepared to deal with them."

Fenglan held up one finger: "First, let's analyze your confrontation with Inuzuka Tetsu. Because that guy never dared to really refute you, he could only use some ordinary words to delay. So you handled it fairly well. At least you remembered your goal in each round, which was to move the office back. But you never found a way to get past his delaying tactics. So... I can only give you 59 points."

"Oh~~" Minato's voice was drawn out.

"Then came Mitokado Homura, which was an even greater disaster. Perhaps it was because of your decent performance during the Five Kage Summit that you developed a strange confidence in yourself. But Minato, the Five Kage Summit was because I had specifically taught you the four-stage rhetoric beforehand. You just had to follow it. Moreover, the Raikage, who was dragging your feet, provided you with a clear focus of confrontation."

Feng Lan was not polite at all: "But the long and complicated sentences and bureaucratic logic used by Mitomon Homura are areas that you have not yet received systematic training in, which is why you were defeated so quickly. This is not really your failure, it's just that I haven't taught you to that level yet."

"Oh, I see." Minato immediately scratched his head and laughed. It can only be said that this golden retriever is too easy to coax in front of Feng Lan.

"No matter how the game changes, you must remember one key point: you are the Hokage." Feng Lan skipped over the subsequent scoring process without changing his expression. Minato had already been criticized enough, and now it was time to encourage him. "Whether it's Inuzuka Tetsuya, Mitokado Homura, or the others, they can never confront you head-on. It's just that Inuzuka Tetsuya's performance was more obvious, while the old guys were more cunning."

“Mitomon Homura is not, and cannot, truly refute your position; he is creating a dialogue environment that you cannot refuse. He uses long and complex sentences, documents and files, family numbers, and the gestures we have already prepared for you to create an atmosphere where refusing would mean being ungrateful.”

"Yes, yes, yes!" Minato hurriedly said, "I just inexplicably felt uncomfortable refusing, now I know why!"