Because he didn't want to eat an insect feast, after greeting the Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya left Mount Myoboku right away.
He appeared inside an inn in the Land of Hot Water.
"So the new prophecy is related to Aoba?"
Jiraiya stroked his chin and thought about it briefly.
Only after coming out did he realize he hadn't even had time to ask the Great Toad Sage about the specific contents of the new prophecy.
Even if the result of the prophecy wasn't too bad, it must still be extremely important.
After all, this time, when he went over, the other party didn't even ask about the Child of Prophecy.
But judging from how the Great Toad Sage looked at the time, even if he had asked, it probably wouldn't have said anything.
Jiraiya tidied up this base he used for gathering material in the Land of Hot Water, then hurried back toward Konoha.
———
Meanwhile, as the very person at the center of the earlier discussion between the Great Toad Sage and Jiraiya, Aoba himself was already sitting inside the Hokage building, starting another day of slacking off.
He casually looked over the documents that had gone through layers of processing and filtering before reaching him.
It wasn't just because of the expansion of the Hokage secretaries and the addition of Tenten, Ino, and the others. More importantly, there had been a large-scale staff examination some time ago, bringing a lot of fresh blood into the Hokage building. That was the real reason why Aoba, as Hokage, could now be so relaxed.
When there was work, he'd look at documents. When there wasn't, he'd look at the secretaries.
No other thoughts. It was purely to keep himself in a good mood.
Aoba set down the documents he had already read and stamped, then turned his head to look at the Hokage secretary in black stockings and a hip-hugging skirt.
Although it wasn't as… precarious as Samui or Konan, it was still very pleasing to the eye.
"You haven't even finished your work, and you're already thinking crooked thoughts again?"
Shizune, who was handling her work, noticed his gaze. Without even looking up, she complained irritably.
"No, I'm just tired from work, taking in the scenery," Aoba said with a smile.
"..."
Shizune rolled her eyes at him, then thought of something, "By the way, why did Karin still come to work today?"
"She insisted on coming. I told her not to force herself if she felt unwell, but she seems to have adapted pretty well physically," Aoba spread his hands and explained.
"She's not just pushing herself, is she? After all, she doesn't have the Yin Seal, and sometimes you get a bit… rough when you move," Shizune looked a little worried.
'Even I had to take a day off to lie down back then. Karin is just a young girl, can she really handle it?'
Hearing that, Aoba felt a bit speechless, 'Even if I am, sometimes, a bit rough, except for necessary times, isn't it basically always me who takes the initiative?'
"Karin may not have the Yin Seal, but she's from the Uzumaki clan. Do you really think her body would be weak?", Aoba couldn't help teasing.
"Re… really that amazing?", Shizune found it hard to believe and felt a strange sense of defeat.
Aoba noticed her wavering, got up, walked over to her, and patted her shoulder to comfort her, "It's okay, Shizune-nee, you're already very impressive."
"..."
Shizune felt like he wasn't comforting her at all and glared at him in embarrassment and annoyance.
Aoba couldn't help laughing. He was about to say something else, but at that moment, there was a knock on the door, so he could only suppress his smile for now and return to his seat.
"Come in."
"Aoba!"
The door opened, and Tenten walked in, full of youthful energy.
She was wearing a white cross-collar top, her chest looking full beneath it, her hair tied up in a bun, and on the lower half, a beige long skirt.
It was a relatively rare outfit for Tenten.
"Shizune-nee."
Compared to how openly she called Aoba's name, her tone became softer when she greeted Shizune.
"..."
Aoba didn't mind much. Instead, he curiously looked at her outfit today and asked, "Why aren't you wearing your work uniform today?"
The so-called work uniform was actually the secretary outfit Shizune and the others wore.
Although it didn't have the same mature charm as older women, when Tenten and the others wore it, it had its own kind of appeal.
"I asked Konan-nee for leave. I'm not working today."
Tenten pursed her lips and gave a simple explanation, not mentioning the reason for her leave. Then she asked a bit indirectly, "Do you have a lot of work today, Aoba?"
Hearing that, Aoba raised an eyebrow and teased,
"Heh! So you took leave today, came all the way to the Hokage building, and your purpose is just to ask me whether I have a lot of work?"
"..."
Tenten looked at him with some resentment, then as if getting embarrassed and annoyed, directly took out an explosive tag.
"?"
Aoba thought this girl was about to go down with him just because of a single teasing remark.
He was even hesitating whether to let her throw it or to stop her.
However, Tenten simply slapped the explosive tag onto the desk, puffing her cheeks as she said, "Aoba, one explosive tag can buy one day of your time. That's what you said when we were kids."
"?"
Shizune, who was watching the scene unfold from the side, blinked.
"..."
Aoba didn't know what to say.
The way she said it made it sound like he was some kind of escort. As long as there's money, he can be bought.
Back then, what he had clearly said was that one explosive tag could buy a day of teaching her shuriken.
'Wait!'
'After a few hundred years, will the ninja world start spreading some wild historical anecdotes about me?'
'Like, the future god of the ninja world, during his childhood, actually rose to prominence by selling…'
'And then one of Tenten's descendants would step out and say it was all true, claiming their ancestor had once paid for—'
'Looks like I really needed to live longer.' [T/N: Lmao!]
"Aoba?"
Seeing Aoba's expression like he had just swallowed something unpleasant, Tenten hesitated a little and, with a considerate tone, said, "If you're really busy, I can come find you after work."
"Ahem! Well, I'm not that busy."
Aoba didn't dare think further and quickly snapped back to reality.
He glanced at the remaining documents on his desk, then casually glanced at Shizune beside him.
Although he was slacking off a lot, at least he was still at his post.
If he left, the work would naturally fall onto her.
Originally, after hearing Karin talk about the girls' plans, he had intended to take the initiative to find Tenten after work in the afternoon, but he didn't expect her to come looking for him first.
Since the girl was being this proactive, he definitely couldn't let her down.
Aoba quietly put away the explosive tag.
"Shizune-nee, could I trouble you?"
Shizune: "..."
She naturally knew what Tenten's purpose was. It was something she had already been prepared for. In the end, she just let out a soft sigh and said helplessly,
"I'll take care of your work for the next few days."
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