Chapter 286 Routine Meeting and Hot Pot

In the Hokage's office, a routine meeting was in progress. All the participants were familiar faces, including Uchiha Keiji and Namikaze Minato. It is worth mentioning that Uchiha Fugaku was also present, which showed the unusual nature of the meeting.

Ye Shan sat in a comfortable chair, his face and eyes full of smiles, and said: "The New Year is coming soon. Time flies so fast. Before I knew it, another year has passed."

Since it was a routine meeting, there were no strict rules. Uchiha Fugaku was almost lying on the chair, holding a cigarette in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, looking very happy. He took a sip of tea and sighed comfortably, "The new tea from the Tea Country has a good taste and leaves a lingering fragrance. Tea from other places has a bitter taste after being stored for a long time, and the refreshing effect is not good."

Ye Shan stretched out his finger and pointed at him, smiling and said, "This is tea produced by the unique tea tree in the ninja world. This year is a bumper year, and the tea tree has produced dozens of kilograms of tea. How can it not taste good?"

Uchiha Fugaku smiled and said sternly: "Hokage, please don't be stingy. I am doing a hard job in the New Rain Country. You must give me half of this good tea!"

Nara Shikaku, who was sitting upright on the bench, smiled when he heard this: "Vice-Hokage, you opened your mouth too late. The tea leaves were distributed yesterday afternoon."

Ye Shan waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "Then give my share to Fugaku. It's just a little tea. Why should you be so petty as the Hokage's butler?"

Uchiha Fugaku chuckled and did not refuse. In recent years, he has been addicted to tea. If he does not drink a large pot of tea when staying up late, he will feel tired. "Thank you for the reward, Hokage~"

"Go to hell!" Ye Shan cursed with a smile, and said, "The work of New Rain Country has come to an end. You have worked hard for several years. It happens that the New Year is coming, so I will give you a holiday during this period so that you can go home and reunite with your family."

Talking about business, Uchiha Fugaku sat up straight and said, "The railway construction has been completed, and the first train from Konoha to New Rain Country has been opened to traffic. The trade system has been initially formed. New Rain Country is currently focusing on the export of grain and local specialties, and the effect is good. So far, we have completed the literacy work of two million people, built two universities, and hundreds of primary and secondary schools. Land reform has just begun, and the enthusiasm of the people is very high. There is no need for ninjas to lead them. Nobles of all sizes have fled. The above is the result of my work in New Rain Country in the past few years. As for the acceptance, please ask the Hokage to send someone to complete it. After all, there is no reason to check yourself."

Ye Shan nodded and said seriously: "The acceptance work is related to the formulation and implementation of the next strategic policy, which is very important. It's not that I don't trust you. The changes in the New Rain Country are obvious to all, but some work still needs to be done. This is a matter of procedure and principle."

Let's talk it out first to avoid unpleasant problems later. Even though they are old acquaintances, there is no distinction between insiders and outsiders when it comes to matters of principle. Ye Shan's style of doing things has always been like this. Friendship is friendship, and work is work, and they must be strictly separated.

"I have tentatively planned to assign the acceptance work to the Hyuga clan and the Mizunotsuki clan, and the audit work to the Kaguya clan. Of course, the Kaguya clan is a bunch of rough men, they are just figureheads, and the specific matters will be assigned to the Nara clan and the Yamanaka clan. What do you think?"

Uchiha Fugaku naturally had no objection to Ye Shan's arrangement. In fact, he was not afraid of anyone who came to investigate him. The results were there, so there was no possibility of fear. Besides, he came back to the village to ask for credit. The Hokage should reward him severely, and punishment was impossible.

Seeing that no one objected, Ye Shan nodded and said, "The government affairs of the New Rain Country have always been handled by several new envoys. Although no major problems have been exposed so far, according to the rule of relocation every three years, it is time for them to move. Let Uchiha Keiji do this, and he must do a good job of ideological work. It's not that the village doesn't trust them, and rotating their positions is also for their future development. Our ninjas cannot specialize in one field, but should become all-rounders. I mentioned this in the Journal of the Ninja Research Association a long time ago."

Uchiha Keiji is the deputy hokage in charge of personnel transfers. Any promotion or transfer of elite ninjas above the rank of Chunin in the village cannot be done without his signature. The inspection of the new policy envoy of the New Rain Country is his responsibility: "Don't worry, Hokage. After the New Year, I will personally go to the New Rain Country and complete the task!"

"The New Year is coming soon. We need data to show the village's achievements in the past year. Is this a deficit year or a year of abundance? You need to give us an explanation, Shuimen."

Namikaze Minato was in charge of the finances. He was in charge of all the village's expenditures and incomes involving 500,000 ryo. He nodded and said, "The ninjas below are working day and night. I believe there will be results in a few days."

Ye Shan was about to speak again when he heard cheers coming from outside the window. He turned around and looked outside, only to see a field of pure white snowflakes falling on the glass. He couldn't help but smile: "The snow that has been brewing for several days has finally fallen!"

I saw white mist lingering outside the window, and the village seemed to be shrouded in a fairy air. Snowflakes slowly fell from the sky with joy and jubilation, and soon covered the roof with a layer of silver-white coat.

Ye Shan stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back. For some reason, he suddenly remembered the past. The joy on his face suddenly disappeared and his mood became depressed.

Uchiha Keiji frowned, after spending years together day and night he was keenly aware of the Hokage's unhappiness, but he couldn't figure out the situation for the time being and it was not easy for him to ask directly.

"The New Year is here, and we need to arrange for staff to clean the Konoha Cemetery in time, and no sacrifices should be left out. The life we ​​have today is inseparable from the bloody battles and selfless dedication of our ancestors." Ye Shan said sadly.

Several people looked at each other and understood. Uchiha Keiji knew clearly that the Hokage missed his old friends like Hatake Sakumo and Yamashiro Tatsuya, so he said softly: "Hatake Kakashi has been upright and responsible in the past two years, just like his father, and is deeply loved by the people of the county. In the letter yesterday, I clearly asked him to return to the village to report before the end of the year. I think he will be back in the next few days."

The sadness on Ye Shan's face dissipated a lot, and he said with relief: "A Hatake Kakashi, an Uchiha Shisui, and an Uchiha Itachi, they are all the leading ninjas of the new generation of the village. Watching them mature day by day, I often feel a sense of pride. Do you know why?"

Without waiting for their answer, Ye Shan continued, "The three of them symbolize hope and represent the future of the village! We are shouldering the infamy and controversy to implement new policies, isn't it just so that the next generation can have a different way of life?"

"At the end of the 42nd year of Konoha, I was ordered to follow Lord Hatake Sakumo to participate in a battle for tens of thousands of people. The night before I left, it snowed heavily. Now, five years have passed, and those once vivid faces have become blurred without me noticing. It is really sad."

"It's been five years since Hatake Sakumo passed away, and four years since Yamashiro Tatsu. I thought I would remember their appearance until I die, but it's only been a few years and I can't remember their appearance in my mind at all. I often have to look at their photos in front of their graves to have a clear impression. Thinking about them makes my eyes wet."

When they looked over, they saw that the Hokage's eyes were indeed red. They were at a loss for a moment and didn't know how to comfort him.

Ye Shan wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said with a wry smile: "As the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, I should have a mind as strong as iron, but I was moved to tears by a winter snow. I am somewhat unqualified."

Uchiha Fugaku patted him on the shoulder and said slowly: "You are a man of temperament. What's wrong with the Hokage? The Hokage also has a heart and his own feelings. You don't have to suppress your emotions in front of us. Do whatever you want!"

Ye Shan nodded, completely shaking off the sadness in his heart, and said with a smile: "I remembered another anecdote, do you want to listen to it?"

"listen!"

"Someone once said, when it's snowing heavily outside, I set up a hot pot at home, invite a few friends, eat hot pot, drink wine and sing songs, how can it be described in one word!"

Uchiha Keiji's eyes turned and he said, "Yesterday I ordered a copper pot specifically for eating mutton hot pot. Today happens to be the right time, right place, and right people. Why don't we go home and have a hot pot together?"

Otherwise, the people in the village would call him a flattering deputy Hokage? In fact, Uchiha Keiji didn't order any copper pots at all, but that didn't stop him from lying with his eyes open. As long as the Hokage agreed, he could get a brand new copper pot within a quarter of an hour.

For Uchiha Keiji, there is nothing to worry about in the world. Life is short and tiring, and the most important thing is to enjoy life today. As long as the Hokage is happy, all government affairs will be solved naturally.

Ye Shan raised his eyebrows, quite moved, but his eyes turned to Nara Shikaku and asked, "What government affairs have you not dealt with today?"

At this point, how could Nara Shikaku not understand what the Hokage meant? He pretended to take out his schedule and looked at it, then said, "Nothing else, the remaining items are all within the responsibility of the Hokage's office, and can be handled according to the rules."

Ye Shan laughed, took off the Hokage's haori and hung it on the hanger by the window, then hugged Uchiha Fugaku and said, "It's been a long time since we two had a meal together. Today the weather is nice and a rich man is treating us, so I might as well come and have some fun together."

Uchiha Fugaku pretended to be displeased and said, "You are too stingy. You don't even want to pay for the meal yourself."

"Long live understanding, long live understanding." Ye Shan smiled and pulled him to the outside. "I'm poor, right? You also know that the Hokage's monthly salary is pitifully low, and I like to smoke good cigarettes on weekdays. As a result, I don't save any money at all. Besides, brother Keiji is not an outsider, we are all good brothers!"

Nara Shikaku watched the few people leave arm in arm, and was very self-aware and did not follow them to make things uncomfortable. Instead, he quickly ran to the office downstairs. The Hokage had skipped the meeting that was scheduled for an hour later, so he had to arrange the specific matters.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and soon the ground was covered with a layer of silver-white coat, which was very beautiful.