Chapter 493: You Can Only Live a Good Life by Slacking Off

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. She longed to go home and sleep, but running Konoha left her perpetually swamped with work.

For her, going home to rest was a luxury she could seldom afford.

"It's from the Cloud Village. Take a look yourself," Tsunade muttered, yawning as she handed over the visiting card.

Her fatigue was evident. The Hokage had barely rested the previous night, staying late in the office to handle the mountain of paperwork. Just as she managed to get two hours of sleep, news arrived about the visiting card sent by the Cloud Village.

Grumbling under her breath, she had no choice but to get up and address the matter.

"The Third Raikage is coming to Konoha as a guest?" Shinki glanced at the card and tossed it onto the desk. "Why doesn't this old guy just show up directly? What's the point of sending this card?"

With the alliance between their villages, there was no need for such formalities. The Third Raikage could have simply announced his visit and walked in.

Sending a card felt excessive, like taking off your pants just to fart.

"Who knows what he's thinking?" Tsunade replied, yawning again. She reached under her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake. Just as she was about to take a sip, she noticed Shinki's disapproving stare.

She scowled. "What are you looking at? Can't I drink a little? If you're so capable, why don't you take over? Then I'll stop drinking."

Shinki raised an eyebrow. "Right. You want to turn me into an emotionless workhorse? Keep dreaming."

"Fine! Drink as much as you want," he added with a shrug.

Shinki knew the truth: being Hokage was a thankless job. The only way to survive was to slack off when you could.

Tsunade wasn't in a hurry to pick her successor, though the training of Minato Namikaze and Nawaki was already underway.

Both were eager to learn, but Nawaki was proving to be a bit of a problem.

Compared to Minato, Nawaki had clear shortcomings. His temper and attitude sometimes faltered under pressure, and his ability to learn and handle complex matters wasn't quite as sharp.

This left Tsunade torn. She wanted Nawaki to succeed her, but Minato's capabilities were hard to ignore.

Tsunade sighed and took a few sips of sake before setting the bottle aside. She muttered, "Nawaki hasn't changed at all. Still as stubborn as ever."

"Not stubborn—just... honest," Shinki suggested, trying to soften the criticism.

Tsunade shot him a glare. "What's the difference? 'Honest' isn't exactly a compliment in this context."

The problem wasn't that Nawaki was incompetent—it was that, compared to Minato, his flaws were magnified. Nawaki was capable, just not exceptional.

Despite special training from Tsunade, he still lagged behind.

"My foolish little brother," she muttered. "His dream of becoming Hokage is really starting to feel unrealistic."

"Let them keep training," Shinki said. "It's not like you're retiring anytime soon."

Tsunade nodded. Even if both candidates improved, she wasn't ready to step down.

She sighed again. "The Raikage's visit... You're handling it. I'm too busy."

"Fine."

Shinki knew Tsunade wasn't just making excuses. With the war coming to a close, Konoha's economy was in recovery, and the workload on the Hokage's desk had only grown heavier.

Handling the Raikage's visit was a small task in comparison.

Shinki suspected the Third Raikage's visit had something to do with the Four-Tails.

The Raikage undoubtedly wanted to keep the tailed beast, even if it meant facing resistance. Whatever his exact motives, Shinki wasn't going to waste time speculating.

But what Shinki didn't expect was how long the Raikage would take to arrive.

According to the visiting card, the journey should have taken no more than two days—three at most if delayed.

Yet five days passed before the Third Raikage strolled into Konoha.

Unbeknownst to Shinki, the Raikage had been in no hurry. After successfully aggravating Ōnoki, the Third Raikage had been in high spirits.

Deciding to take his time, he treated the journey to Konoha like a leisurely tour, taking detours and enjoying the sights along the way.

By the time he reached Konoha's gates, Shinki was already there to greet him.

"Took you long enough, senior," Shinki quipped as the Raikage approached. "Did you get lost on the way?"

The Raikage chuckled, unbothered by the jab. "I was in a good mood, so I took my time."

"A good mood?" Shinki was incredulous.

Given the tension between the Cloud Village and Iwagakure, Shinki expected the Raikage to be furious, not relaxed.

"What happened? Did something good happen along the way?"

The Raikage's grin widened. "I sent Ōnoki a generous gift. He seemed very satisfied with it, and that made me happy."

Shinki raised an eyebrow. "What kind of gift?"

"The Four-Tails Jinchūriki."

"..."

Shinki stared at him, dumbfounded. "You sent the Four-Tails Jinchūriki back to Iwagakure? Just like that?"

The Raikage's smirk grew mischievous. "Not quite. I sent Roshi's body back to Ōnoki. The Four-Tails stayed in the Cloud Village."