The remaining three were now in a surprisingly harmonious atmosphere.
Akimichi Chōza was being very considerate, dividing the grilled meat evenly between Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku. Compared to his earlier demeanor, he seemed like a completely different person.
"Chōza, well done—getting rid of those two eyesores!" Nara Shikaku praised with a smirk.
Most people only saw the Akimichi clan as good-natured big guys. But only those who frequently worked with them, like the Yamanaka and Nara clans, knew that while they were indeed big, they weren't slow-witted.
Beneath that broad and heavy frame was a heart larger than most.
And with a bigger heart came a broader perspective.
Their size? Just a clever disguise.
"Heh, those two ate way too much. If they'd stuck around, I'd have been heartbroken." Chōza joked while still busy stuffing himself with food and drink.
"Shikaku, what do you think we should do about Tsunade-sama moving forward?" Inoichi asked curiously.
With only the three of them here, and no outsiders present, discussing a few sensitive matters wasn't a problem.
Shikaku smiled. "Just keep doing what we're doing."
Inoichi looked confused. "But isn't Tsunade-sama planning to delegate some authority?"
"She will, yes. But who knows how she'll do it, or which departments she'll hand over?"
"Huh?" Inoichi was still lost.
Seeing this, Akimichi Chōza amiably slid a few pieces of grilled meat his way.
"Inoichi, eat up. No need to hold back."
Inoichi glanced at the meat, sighed, and began eating slowly.
"Inoichi, don't overthink it. Let me ask you—if Tsunade-sama does delegate power, would your current status and position improve significantly?"
Chewing thoughtfully, Inoichi fell silent.
The answer was... not really.
As the Hokage's trusted aide, the Yamanaka clan's role in the intelligence division was irreplaceable. Even if power were redistributed, what would change? It wasn't like he could become Hokage.
Or suddenly strike it rich.
Thinking it through, it seemed like nothing much would really change.
"So you're saying—" Inoichi started, but Shikaku cut him off.
"What I'm saying is: don't overthink it. Power might look like a sweet candy, but once you bite into it, you'll find it's laced with poison."
"Lesson learned!" Inoichi raised his cup to Shikaku in a toast.
After downing their drinks, the two exchanged a knowing smile.
This was the meaning of unity.
To spot mistakes and stop them in time.
Inoichi had momentarily been blinded by the temptation of power. But after one sentence from Shikaku, he saw clearly again.
In Konoha, at the end of the day, the Hokage holds the reins.
The ANBU are the Hokage's strongest asset. So long as the ANBU remained loyal and the Hokage's legitimacy unchallenged, the Hokage would always reign supreme.
Any other authority was trivial in comparison.
Gain and loss were two sides of the same coin.
To fight over a bit of power and end up offending the Hokage—now that would be foolish.
"Do you think the Hyūga and Inuzuka clans will realize this?" Inoichi asked, thinking of Hyūga Hiashi and Inuzuka Tsume, who had left earlier.
Shikaku raised his cup, drinking with satisfaction.
As someone constantly henpecked at home, he rarely got the chance to drink .
Now that he could drink openly, he figured he'd enjoy first and deal with the consequences later.
"Hiashi should get it. As for Tsume, I'm sure Hiashi will explain it to her."
"Even if they don't, that might actually be better for us."
If everyone understood the situation perfectly, that would be a problem.
Tsunade was indeed a respected Hokage—no doubt about it. But the moment she took up that role, she became a leader. And leaders always stand in natural opposition to those who do the groundwork.
Right now, Shikaku wanted someone to test Tsunade's attitude.
Murky waters made for easier fishing. Clear waters? Not so much for schemers like him.
While enjoying his food and drink, Inoichi couldn't help but marvel at Shikaku.
'Politicians all have dirty hearts.'
'Good thing I'm on Shikaku's side. Standing next to a genius feels pretty damn good!'
After eating his fill, Inoichi leaned back lazily. "There's one more thing—Asuma's been gone from the village for days with no word on when he'll return. Having Ino and the others just sitting around at home doesn't feel right."
"What, you want him to come back?" Chōza jumped in.
Inoichi shook his head.
Asuma was a good teacher—no doubt about that.
But once he became a threat to the new Hokage, he stopped being a "good" teacher for the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
Tsunade is the Hokage now, and they needed to align with her.
"Which is why, with Asuma still gone, it might be better to have Tsunade-sama appoint a new squad leader." Shikaku said mysteriously.
Inoichi hesitated. "Is that really okay?"
As a straightforward man, it felt a little... morally gray.
Even though morals didn't hold much weight in their world.
"I agree with that!" Chōza chimed in between mouthfuls.
Looking at the pile of empty plates beside him, he'd eaten at least twice as much as Shikaku and Inoichi combined.
"That lazy brat Chōji just sits at home eating all day instead of going on missions. It's driving me crazy!"
That excuse wasn't buying any points—even Inoichi didn't believe him.
"The problem is, most of the jōnin Tsunade-sama trusts already have duties or teams. The others might not measure up to Asuma. Unless... you're suggesting Shizune take over as their leader?"
"Inoichi, you need to broaden your perspective. The new generation of Ino-Shika-Chō doesn't necessarily need a jōnin. A special jōnin—or even a chūnin—could do the job."
'A chūnin? Shikaku, are you serious?!'
It wasn't that Inoichi looked down on chūnin, but the gap between them and jōnin was massive. Three elite chūnin might still lose to a single jōnin.
(Main characters with plot armor don't count.)
A proper jōnin was well-rounded—even their weak points surpassed an elite chūnin's strengths.
The idea of a chūnin leading the Ino-Shika-Chō team was hard for Inoichi to swallow.
"Shizune is Tsunade-sama's secretary, handling administrative tasks. She can't spare the time to lead a team. But coincidentally, there is someone under Tsunade-sama's wing who'd be perfect for the job."
Inoichi felt like he was losing his mind.
"Shikaku, are you drunk? Kamizuki Hikari is just a chūnin. Letting him lead a team—aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock? Besides, given his strength, how long could he even keep up? What about the kids safety? Chōza, say something!"
Chōza finished his mouthful, took another sip of sake, and finally said, "If it's Kamizuki Hikari, I agree."
"Why?! He's just a chūnin! Are you two only looking at his connection to Tsunade-sama? That kind of example will corrupt the kids!" Inoichi was convinced Shikaku was drunk and Chōza had eaten so much his brain stopped working.
"Relax. Would I ever steer those little rascals wrong?" Shikaku ignored Inoichi's grievances, opting to keep him in suspense.
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