Amado should be there now. He wondered how Amado and Anka were getting along and if their relationship had improved.
When he reached the office door, he heard Amado and Anka talking cheerfully and laughing inside. Torifu listened closely for a while; it seemed they were discussing work-related matters.
He coughed twice, then pushed open the office door.
Upon entering, he saw the puppet diligently handling official duties, while Amado and Anka were sitting on opposite sides of the room, several meters apart. They were just staring at each other from a distance.
"What were you two chatting about? You sounded so cheerful."
Amado was caught off guard by Torifu's sudden entry, and the smile hadn't yet faded from his face, leaving him looking a little awkward.
"Big Brother, why did you come here? Is something the matter?" He was clearly trying to change the subject, but Torifu didn't follow his lead.
"No, I just came out for a look around. I heard you both laughing happily right outside the door. Is there good news? Share it with me."
Amado rubbed his forehead in frustration, but Anka stood up frankly and explained. "It's like this, Hokage-sama. We saw a rather interesting document while processing official business, and we started discussing it. We somehow strayed off-topic and couldn't help but laugh when we realized it. Then you suddenly walked in and caught us red-handed."
Well, Torifu hadn't expected that. Torifu wouldn't doubt Anka's words; she had never lied. No wonder Amado hadn't dared to speak up—if those words had come from his mouth, Torifu wouldn't have believed a single one.
"How's work today? It's much easier with Amado helping you, isn't it?"
Anka nodded vigorously upon hearing that. "Of course. Amado has helped me a lot, and we work together quite smoothly."
Torifu thought, That's a given. You two are interested in each other, and with this opportunity to work side-by-side, your feelings are bound to skyrocket. If anyone else had been there, Anka surely wouldn't have approached the work with this attitude.
"I see. That's good. You two will be colleagues soon anyway, so consider this an early integration. It will make things much easier when you two coordinate tasks later on."
Both Anka and Amado looked confused. "Huh? Big Brother/Hokage-sama, what do you mean?"
Torifu cleared his throat. "The establishment of the Research Department can now be put on the agenda. I had Orochimaru and Hiruko scouting the village for talented individuals some time ago, and yesterday, they told me the personnel were mostly in place. All that's missing is you as the head of the department."
Amado pointed at himself. "Me?"
Amado knew about the Research Department, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon! His relationship with Anka had only just begun to show potential. If he really became the head of the Research Department, the time he spent with Anka would certainly be drastically reduced. Hadn't Big Brother been supportive of him? Why was he suddenly establishing the Research Department now?
Seeing Amado's confused look, Torifu smiled. "That's right, you. But your tasks won't be overly complicated. You will mostly be managing the research personnel under your command."
Well, he's even coined a new term now, Amado thought. Research personnel sounded like a very respectable title. Since he couldn't escape it anyway, Amado could only accept the task, figuring Big Brother wouldn't set him up for failure.
"Hokage-sama, what will be the main work of the Research Department? How should I coordinate things?"
Torifu considered this for a moment and then said, "Well... the Research Department is where the village will develop advanced weaponry or research all sorts of strange things. You can think of it as a place to research new inventions. If it develops well, Konoha's technological level will forever lead the other nations in the future."
There were many terms Anka didn't fully understand, but she could roughly guess the meaning. Simply put, it was a group of people inventing things. With that, she understood.
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I will coordinate with the staff in the Tower to complete the registration of the Research Department as quickly as possible. I will also fully cooperate with Amado-sama's work later on."
Torifu nodded in satisfaction. "Good. All subsequent matters concerning the Research Department will be coordinated between you and Amado before being reported to me." Anka never slacked off when it came to work, diligently noting down every word Torifu spoke.
With the Research Department issue settled, Torifu then asked about the factory in the back mountains. Anka was also supervising this matter. The factory's progress was relatively fast; the main foundation had already been fully excavated, and the framework was halfway built. It was expected to be officially completed by the end of the month. News of the bicycles and range hoods had been announced early on, making the villagers quite eager. If progress continued at this rate, small quantities could be sold in two months. Once the bicycles and range hoods were released, they would definitely spark another worldwide wave of essential purchases. After all, one item was novel and the other was practical, and most regions in the Ninja World were currently wealthy enough to afford these two items.
"Alright, I don't have anything else. I originally planned to go for a walk, but I ended up assigning so many tasks by dropping into the office. I guess I shouldn't bother you anymore."
With that, he turned to leave, and Anka and Amado also stood up. "Big Brother/Hokage-sama, safe travels."
Torifu leisurely left the Hokage Tower. Watching the speed of those two, Torifu was still a little worried. Amado preferred to let their relationship grow slowly, continuously deepening their connection. This made Torifu impatient, and he occasionally cursed Amado for not being more proactive. However, every time he came back to his senses, he felt Amado was actually doing the right thing. He had only truly been interacting with Anka for less than a month, perhaps only about half a month. If they had confirmed their relationship this quickly, Torifu would have genuinely panicked. The way things were now proved that Anka was a decent and serious person with a similar personality to Amado's. Being so compatible, their relationship would likely only get better as they slowly progressed.
After leaving the Tower, Torifu didn't know what to do. Akihara wasn't home, and neither were Minato and the others. His wife had also gone on a distant mission. The vast Kumotsuru Clan's Hidden Land was left with only Torifu and a few birds. It was truly desolate. Torifu felt like he had returned to the period of his childhood when he lived alone. The sudden change was quite unsettling.