Chapter 273: Eating and Talking About Important Matters

The Konohagakure was deserted at this time. After the noisy night two days ago, the village returned to its normal state.

Ye Shan was sitting in the office, reviewing official documents. During the day, he took some time to visit Kakashi. He had accumulated a lot of official business, so he had to sacrifice his rest time to work.

In fact, it is not too late to deal with these documents tomorrow, as they are just some matters that require money and people, but Ye Shan has very high self-requirements and dares not say that today's work will be completed today. Generally speaking, he requires that the documents will not be left overnight. It is precisely because of his professionalism that Konoha Village has been so vibrant in recent years.

As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. Yeshan's swift and decisive actions naturally led to many ninjas following suit. The Konoha carriage started running at high speed, producing a jaw-dropping effect.

However, as time went on, the problems within the village became more and more concentrated. For example, the official document that Ye Shan was reading now actually contained a request to cancel the garrison troops on the border. The reason was even more ridiculous, saying that it affected the friendship between countries.

Working late at night was already unpleasant, and Ye Shan patiently read to the end, and was shocked to find that the signature was that of a Chunin. After thinking again and again, he finally pressed the call bell.

Nara Shikaku walked into the office quickly. Before he could greet him, Ye Shan asked, "How do you screen official documents? How dare you show me such a heart-piercing document?"

His heart trembled, he picked up the documents scattered on the ground and glanced at them, and suddenly a cold sweat broke out.

"Hokage-sama, I didn't do my job well. I apologize to you!"

After being together for such a long time, Nara Shikaku also knew clearly the temper of the Hokage in front of him. Arguing and making excuses blindly would only have the opposite effect. It would be better to admit the mistake straight away. After all, it was not a big deal that involved issues of principle.

Sure enough, Ye Shan's expression eased a lot, and he said, "I have repeatedly emphasized the importance of the office's functions. It plays a role in connecting the upper and lower levels. Be careful next time and don't make such low-level mistakes again!"

"Send this ninja to the border troops and let him see the situation there with his own eyes, so that he won't have to talk nonsense!"

"Yes!"

To be honest, Ye Shan's punishment was nothing. Every Konoha ninja had the obligation to serve in the border garrison. He just moved up the time.

"It's getting late. Would you like to go and rest? There is an important meeting early tomorrow morning that requires you to attend and speak."

Ye Shan wiped his face tiredly and said, "Wait a little longer, go make a cup of tea, I just need to finish one more review."

Nara Shikaku was about to say something, but when he saw Ye Shan continuing to work, he finally said, "Go and have a rest. You haven't had a good night's sleep for nearly half a month. How can your body bear it in the long run?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it. As soon as he mentioned it, Ye Shan felt his eyelids fighting, and the black and white words became blurred: "Well, your health is your capital. You go and make the bed, and I'll stay in the office for one night."

"Yes!"

After a while, Ye Shan lay down with his clothes on, tilting his head to look at the street lights outside the window in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking. Recently, he hated the late night more and more, hated the loneliness, and lacked even someone to say kind words to.

Just at this moment, he felt hungry, so he simply got up and walked outside, thinking about getting something to eat to relieve his stomach. Seeing that Nara Shikaku had just climbed onto the bed, he said, "You continue to rest, I'll go out and eat something."

In the middle of the night, the Hokage was in the mood for a midnight snack. No matter how sleepy Nara Shikaku was, he had to accompany him. He smiled and said, "I'll go with you. There's a new barbecue restaurant on Konoha Avenue. It's the desert style of the Wind Country, and the taste is quite good."

Ye Shan did not stop them. The two of them walked slowly to the gate and were about to leave when the communications squad leader ran over breathlessly with an expedited document in his hand. It was obvious that he had something to report.

"Hokage-sama, urgent documents have arrived from the Land of Whirlpools!"

Well, forget about eating, or I might have to work all night.

Nara Shikaku did not dare to delay. He quickly stepped forward and took the document. He first checked whether the sealing technique was complete. After confirming that there was no problem, he handed it directly to Ye Shan, then cautiously stepped back a few steps.

As the office director, he has the right to view confidential documents, but the document in front of him is different. It is signed with Minato Namikaze's name and is official business between the Hokage, so he naturally dare not look at it.

Ye Shan frowned, walked back to the office with the letter in his hand, sat on the chair, opened it and took a look, then rang the call bell again.

"Go call Uchiha Keiji and Hyuga Hiashi to come over to discuss this matter!"

Not long after, the two arrived at the Hokage's office, but were surprised to find that the Hokage had fallen asleep on the table. They looked at each other in surprise.

Uchiha Keiji pulled Nara Shikaku out of the office and asked softly, "Hokage-sama, are you not sleeping tonight?"

Nara Shikaku shook his head and replied, "Not just tonight, the lord hasn't slept for more than five hours in a long time!"

Uchiha Keiji stamped his feet anxiously, and shouted as low as he could, "How could you, the butler, do that? The Hokage-sama is related to the future of the village and the development of the country. If you don't take a good rest, who will be responsible if something goes wrong? Are you responsible?"

"Please keep your voice down." Nara Shikaku looked at the office door and said softly, "You know the Hokage's temper. I advise him several times every night, but he just doesn't want to rest!"

"Next time, pick out the unimportant documents and don't put everything on your desk. Things should be prioritized. It doesn't matter if some trivial matters are delayed for a few days."

Before Uchiha Keiji could say more, he heard Hayama coughing in the office. He glared at the ignorant Nara Shikaku, quickly put on a smile and pushed the door open, "Why did Hokage call me here so late at night?"

Hinata Hiashi standing at the side was dumbfounded. The speed at which the Deputy Hokage changed his expression just now really opened his eyes. He moved his face and tried to force a smile, but the long period of solemnity made it impossible for him to smile for a while. He had no choice but to enter the office with a blank face.

Ye Shan took a big sip of the strong tea, but still felt dizzy, so he asked, "Do you have a cigarette?"

"Have!"

Uchiha Keiji took out a pack of cigarettes, lit it for Ye Shan, then put it in an inconspicuous corner of the office desk and sat back in his chair.

Ye Shan saw the other party's little action clearly and said with a smile: "I don't need a pack of cigarettes, what are you doing?"

Uchiha Keiji replied with a serious expression: "I understand that Hokage-sama has no shortage of cigarettes, but this pack of cigarettes is different."

"what is the difference?"

"I added some ginseng powder in it, it tastes great and is better for your health!"

Ye Shan laughed and scolded, "Nonsense! As the Vice Hokage of Konohagakure, it's ridiculous for you to spend the whole day trying to figure out some little things."

"Besides, the village is currently in financial difficulty, and as the Hokage, I must lead the way in frugality and put an end to extravagance. You should take this pack of cigarettes back and smoke them yourself."

Uchiha Keiji smiled and said, "Please rest assured, sir. I have always been honest. This pack of cigarettes was paid for by an individual, and not a single penny of public funds was used."

"As for the financial difficulties, as the deputy head of the Uchiha clan, I will donate 10 million ryo to the village as a token of my appreciation!"

Wow, you are really a rich man. You just throw out ten million taels of silver with just a word. Do you really think the money is printed by yourself?

Ye Shan waved his hand and said, "Let's put things in order. The money of the Uchiha clan is personal property and cannot be mixed up."

Uchiha Keiji wanted to say more, but Ye Shan interrupted him and said, "Stop talking nonsense. I called you here tonight because of urgent official business. Please take a look at this document first."

"Shikaku, go to the kitchen and ask them to cook a few bowls of noodles. We are hungry in the middle of the night."

Hinata Hiashi read the letter. He was familiar with his brother's handwriting. His heart tightened. He read it word by word. His expression turned into 0.0 as expected.

Ye Shan sucked the noodles. The noodles cooked with lard were very fragrant. He felt refreshed after eating them. "What do you think?"

Uchiha Keiji was also slurping noodles. He put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth after hearing this, saying, "The Mizunotsuki clan is a ninja clan with a thousand-year heritage. If they can really join the Konoha Ninja Village, it will naturally be a great thing. I support it unconditionally!"

When you drink water, you should remember the person who dug the well. Uchiha Keiji clearly understood how he had risen step by step, so he unconditionally supported everything that Ye Shan approved of, even if it was proven to be wrong.

Hinata Hiashi was a noble man with no intention of eating noodles. After thinking carefully for a moment, he said, "The one-country-one-village system has been in place for nearly fifty years, and there has never been a precedent of a ninja clan leaving a village as a whole. I am worried that doing so will cause extreme dissatisfaction in the Hidden Mist Village."

Ye Shan finished the last mouthful of soup, smiled and said, "Some time ago, Wave Country sent us a batch of osmanthus cakes, which were made with the purest local honey and tasted very good. Shikaku, go get a few and give them some to try."

Uchiha Keiji glanced at Hyuga Hiashi beside him and knew that the Hokage was dissatisfied with him.

Normally, after these people finish speaking, the Hokage will give his own comments, unless they said something wrong.

The office was silent until Nara Shikaku brought the osmanthus cake. Then Ye Shan said with a smile, "You're welcome. Let's try the osmanthus cake sent by Wave Country together."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth to chew. The strong fragrance of osmanthus immediately filled his mouth.

"People always say that the joy of life lies in eating delicious food and having a good sleep. Everyone is pretty much the same when it comes to sleeping, the difference lies in the quality of the food. Eating meat or vegetables is not as good as eating fresh food, any food will be good as long as it has the word fresh in it, what do you think?"

Hinata Hiashi had just picked up a piece of osmanthus cake when he heard the Hokage calling him to ask a question. His heart tightened and he stood up and said, "You are right."

Ye Shan calmed down and said, "Sit down and talk. There are no outsiders here. There is no need to be so polite."

Uchiha Keiji saw that Hinata Hiashi was at a loss, so he took over the topic and said with a smile: "What the Hokage said is of course a true insight!"

He originally didn't want to take care of Hyuga Hiashi, but now both families belong to the new party and established diplomatic relations not long ago, so he couldn't just stand by and watch.

"I know that the Hokage loves seafood and usually eats fish and crabs for every meal. But is the seafood delivered to Konoha Village really delicious?"

"We all know that Konohagakure is thousands of kilometers away from the coastline. Even if we rush to deliver it day and night, it will still take one or two days to get there. I'm afraid the seafood at this time has already lost its freshness, and the taste will be a little off."

Hinata Hiashi was completely confused and had no idea what they were talking about. Aren't we talking about the Mizunotsuki clan's surrender? How did it get to seafood?

Ye Shan swallowed the osmanthus cake in his mouth, wiped his hands and smiled: "My biggest wish in this life is to live by the sea, preferably on an isolated island, with mountains, water, sea and meat, how comfortable it is. Unfortunately, although the coastline of the Fire Kingdom is long, there is no place where seafood is abundant. Usually, it depends on imports from the Wave Kingdom and the Water Kingdom."

"The Daimyo of the Wave Country sent sweet-scented osmanthus cakes and a lot of seafood. Isn't it to ask me to let them have some slack so that their seafood can sell better?"

"Not only the Kingdom of Waves, but also the Kingdom of Earth, the Kingdom of Wind, the Kingdom of Rain, etc. Which one of them doesn't beg me? People always want more and are always greedy. Now I have become so spoiled that I can't eat ordinary food."

Uchiha Keiji said with a smile: "If you ask me, it still lacks the word fresh. The goods they send are all from several hands. How can it compare to picking them up yourself?"

"You still understand me best."

Hinata Hiashi: "..."

Uchiha Keiji suppressed his smile and said solemnly: "Now is a chance to eat fresh seafood! The Mizunotsuki clan and the Kaguya clan are the foundation of the Hidden Mist Village. If we can really win them over, we can have a few meals of seafood whenever we want!"

Hinata Hinashi: "!!!"

Good fellow, you two are waiting for me here with your long speech about sweet-scented osmanthus cake and seafood? Why not just point out that I said something wrong?

"Hokage, I definitely don't mean to let the Mizunotsuki clan go! It's just that this matter is too serious. If it is not handled properly, it will cause a new round of ninja war, so I'm being cautious."

Hinata Hiashi quickly expressed his opinion. There was no other way. If he didn't do it, Uchiha Keiji would pick up a bench and beat him. "In fact, I strongly agree with it!"

Ye Shan smiled and waved his hand, motioning the other party to sit down, and said: "You did the right thing, it is a true statement of statecraft."

"If we act rashly here, it may cause irreparable losses. We should proceed step by step. You don't need to worry about the Mizunotsuki clan. Let's try the osmanthus cake first."

Uchiha Keiji was speechless. He didn't know why the Hyuga clan chose such an unreasoning clan leader. He was simply a blockhead. Did the Hokage call you here to ask for your personal opinion? Who do you think you are? The clan standing behind you is what the Hokage wants to fight for!

He could no longer hold back his temper and stood up and said, "The Uchiha clan unconditionally supports the decision of the Hokage to absorb the Mizunotsuki clan!"

Asking for personal opinion first is like testing the waters; asking for the family’s opinion then is like making the final judgment.

It's a simple truth, what's so difficult about it?