Shinho extended his hand and placed it on Samui's thigh.
The smooth texture of her black stockings, combined with the soft fullness of her legs, felt warm and inviting.
Samui instinctively bit her rosy lips.
The unexpected touch made her tense her legs, and a faint blush crept onto her beautiful face.
"Samui."
Shinho thought for a moment before saying, "After the Konoha Summit, you and Mabui will have a week off. You're allowed to return to Kumogakure."
Samui froze.
The very reason she had been distracted earlier was because, after the summit, the Fourth Raikage and the others would return to Kumogakure, leaving only her and Mabui behind in Konoha.
"You don't want to?"
Shinho gave her thigh a light slap, causing the soft flesh to ripple slightly.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Samui snapped back to reality and said greatfully.
"It's nothing. Just remember to be honest with me in the future."
Shinho paused, then added with a smile, "Of course, I do enjoy giving out punishments like this."
Samui's blush deepened.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
Samui instinctively glanced at Shinho.
His hand was still on her thigh, and panic flickered in her eyes.
She didn't want Mabui to see this, somehow it felt like a betrayal.
Shinho chuckled softly and withdrew his hand.
Such small indulgences meant little to him.
What mattered was breaking down Samui's defenses, bit by bit.
"Hokage-sama."
Mabui entered the room. "All the delegates for the Konoha Summit have arrived."
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Samui and immediately felt something was off.
Samui, who usually carried a calm and distant demeanor, looked unusually flustered today.
Did something happen?
Did Shinho do something to her?
The thought made Mabui's heart tighten.
"Let's go."
Shinho rose to his feet and headed for the Summit room.
Mabui lingered behind for a moment, pulling Samui aside.
"What is it?"
Samui looked at her, puzzled.
"Did he do something to you?"
Mabui asked, her expression serious.
"N-no."
Samui quickly pulled her hand back and hurried after Shinho.
"…?"
Mabui blinked in confusion.
What's going on?
Something isn't right!
But this wasn't the time to dig deeper. As one of the Hokage's secretaries, she needed to be present at the summit.
…
Summit Room.
As Shinho entered, all discussions immediately ceased, and the room fell into silence.
"Hokage-sama!"
Shizune, seated in the front row, suddenly stood and led the greeting.
Everyone else snapped out of their daze and quickly bowed in respect.
Shinho scanned the room.
The Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki looked visibly unwilling, while Gaara and Mei Terumi seemed more resigned to the situation.
Shinho didn't pay them much mind, but Samui and Mabui tensed, worry flashing across their faces.
If the situation becomes dire, they were ready to step forward and plead on behalf of their village.
"Konan."
Shinho took his seat at the head of the room, his tone calm and steady.
Since it was a formal meeting, he addressed her directly by name.
"This summit will proceed in two parts," Konan began as she stepped forward. "First, the announcement of decisions. Second, open floor for feedback from the attendees."
The participants had already been briefed on the agenda, so there was no uproar.
"Now, I will announce Hokage-sama's decisions."
Konan's voice turned serious.
"The first matter: using the power of the nine Tailed Beasts, we will establish nine cities across the shinobi world."
"What?!"
Ōnoki shot to his feet. "What about the jinchūriki?"
"Extracting the Tailed Beasts doesn't necessarily mean the jinchūriki will die,"
Konan replied, shaking her head. "Konoha already has a method to ensure their survival."
"But there's no precedent for this! How can you guarantee their safety?"
Ōnoki's brows furrowed deeply.
"The second matter."
Konan ignored him and continued,
"Each of the nine cities will be guarded by a ninja army, each consisting of 5,000 shinobi."
Ōnoki was about to explode in anger when a sudden chill ran down his spine.
It was Shinho's presence, which was calm but suffocating.
Only then did Ōnoki realize just how reckless he was being.
Unlike Ōnoki, the Konoha shinobi in the room had a different reaction.
Upon hearing about the nine ninja armies, many couldn't help but start scheming.
It was obvious, whoever commanded these armies would hold immense power in the shinobi world.
"The first ninja army will be responsible for the Land of Fire and Konoha. Its commander will be Hinata Hyuga."
Konan's words fell, and the room plunged into stunned silence.
"Huh? Me?"
Hinata froze completely.
She suddenly recalled what Shinho had said about the Hokage Guard Unit.
Technically speaking, protecting the Land of Fire and Konoha could be considered a part of the Hokage Guard.
But this was 5,000 shinobi.
In an instant, she had become one of the most powerful figures in the shinobi world.
"Hinata?!"
Hiashi and the jōnin of the Hyuga Clan were overjoyed.
The implications were clear as day.
Mikoto Uchiha's eyes glinted with understanding.
She had a strong feeling that one of the armies would soon fall under Uchiha control.
Other shinobi wore mixed expressions, some confused, others envious.
But regardless, Shinho's decision was final.
There was no room for negotiation.
"The second ninja army will be led by Mikoto Uchiha."
Konan paused before continuing,
"Folloqwing this, Konoha's Police Force will no longer be managed by the Uchiha Clan."
Mikoto's heart skipped a beat.
She had guessed the first part correctly but hadn't anticipated the second.
But on second thought, it made sense.
Konoha had expanded its influence across the entire shinobi world.
The old Police Force couldn't keep up, it was time to scale things up.
Konan went on to announce the rest of the commanders:
Kakashi Hatake, Chōza Akimichi, Torune Aburame, Might Guy, Yamato, Neji Hyuga, and Nagato.
The room erupted into murmurs and whispers.
"Neji too?"
Hiashi's pupils contracted.
Two ninja armies. 10,000 shinobi were now under Hyuga leadership.
This was the pinnacle of power the Hyuga Clan had ever achieved.
It was almost too much to process, leaving Hiashi in a daze.
Neji remained silent.
He had known about this in advance, so it didn't surprise him.
The only unexpected part was that Hinata was also a commander.
From an outsider's perspective, the Hyuga Clan was the biggest winner in this summit.
"I have a question."
A middle-aged man suddenly stood up.
It was a jōnin from the Sarutobi Clan.
Seated beside him was Asuma Sarutobi.
"What is it?"
Konan asked calmly.
"Why aren't there any Sarutobi clan members among the commanders?"
The man asked directly.
The nine appointed commanders came from various major clans from Konoha, such as the Hyuga, Uchiha, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and the Aburame clan.
Among Konoha's noble clans, only the Sarutobi clan was left out.
"Hokage-sama has his reasons,"
Konan responded coldly. "This is not the time for you to question him."
"…"
The middle-aged man instinctively glanced at Asuma Sarutobi.
He had spoken up under Asuma's guidance.
"My apologies, Hokage-sama."
Asuma quickly bowed, his tone respectful.
"It's fine."
Shinho chuckled lightly. "Konan, continue."
He had indeed left the Sarutobi clan out on purpose.
But he was the Hokage.
No amount of complaints could change that.
And if anyone refused to obey, there were plenty of ways to deal with them.
Asuma sighed deeply.
Since the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had felt the increasingly awkward position of the Sarutobi clan.
But what could he do?
"The third matter, is infrastructure development,"
Konan continued.
"Using the nine new cities as hubs, we will establish a comprehensive transportation system covering land, sea, and air."
Time passed as more announcements followed.
One by one, Konan revealed nine new initiatives.
Among them, the first three were undoubtedly the most significant.
In Shinho's view, Konoha still operated like a makeshift organization, with many incomplete systems.
But there was plenty of time to fix that.
And most importantly, the key to maintaining stability was his own strength.
As long as he was around, the shinobi world wouldn't fall into chaos.
Even if mistakes were made, they could always be corrected with time.
"Now, we'll move on to the second part of the meeting,"
Konan announced, stepping back behind Shinho.
As the Hokage's secretary, it wasn't her role to handle this part.
"Hokage-sama,"
Shizune stood up and addressed the room.
"I have a proposal regarding the reparations."
It referred to reparations for ninjas who had fallen in battle.
Although Konoha had emerged victorious in the Fourth Shinobi World War, there were still casualties among their ranks.
Mabui stepped forward to retrieve the proposal and handed it to Shinho.
"Not bad."
Shinho nodded after reading through it.
"Let's proceed with this plan."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Shizune replied formally.
"But I'd like to add something."
Shinho smiled.
"I want you to include retirement benefits."
"Retirement benefits?"
Shizune looked puzzled.
She wasn't alone, many others in the room shared the same confusion.
After all, retirement wasn't a concept that existed for ninjas.
Most of them worked until they died.
"Simply put, it means ninjas will continue to receive a portion of their salary after retirement,"
Shinho explained.
The room fell silent for several seconds.
People exchanged glances, clearly surprised.
Konan instinctively looked at Shinho.
An unusual feeling stirred in her heart.
"You'll draft the details,"
Shinho waved his hand dismissively.
"Next."
With Shizune setting the example, the attendees finally understood the purpose of this segment.
"Hokage-sama,"
Mei Terumi rose to her feet.
"Can I ask something on behalf of Kirigakure?"
"Of course."
Shinho smiled faintly.
"Everyone present here has that right."
"Where will the remaining fifty Kirigakure ninjas live?"
Mei asked thoughtfully.
"In Kirigakure, of course."
Shinho responded.
"Your village still belongs to you."
Mei, the Fourth Raikage, and the others were visibly surprised.
They had expected to be relocated somewhere new under strict surveillance.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Receiving a satisfactory answer, Mei sat back down.
"Hokage-sama,"
C asked, glancing at the Fourth Raikage before speaking.
"Will Samui and Mabui be allowed to return to Kumogakure?"
"They can return when they have free time,"
Shinho replied nonchalantly.
"But they must fulfill their duties as Hokage secretaries."
Mabui's body trembled slightly, her face filled with disbelief.
We can actually go back?
Previously, she had believed they would be stuck in Konoha forever.
Samui, having already known about this, wasn't surprised.
But hearing Shinho publicly confirm it put her at ease, it meant he wouldn't go back on his word.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
C hesitated for a moment but ultimately refrained from pressing further, prompted by Mabui's subtle signal.
The meeting continued.
Questions and answers flowed back and forth for another two hours.
"The meeting is now adjourned."
Shinho, his throat dry from speaking, quickly announced as soon as no more questions were raised.
"Dismissed!"
"Yes!"
Everyone stood up, bowed, and left in an orderly fashion.
Excitement lingered on many of their faces.
With the unification of the shinobi world and the redistribution of power, they had all gained considerable benefits.
The only ones left out were the remaining fifty ninjas from the other villages.
They would return to their respective villages,
but all that awaited them were empty shells.
According to Shinho's plan, all ninjas and villagers would eventually relocate to the newly established nine cities.
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