October.
The Hidden Cloud in the northeast seems to be stirring, wanting to reopen hostilities. Although there is not enough evidence, the northeast border of the Land of Fire has indeed been somewhat unsettled recently.
Regarding this, Minato just paid some attention and then set it aside for now; it's not the time to deal with the Hidden Cloud yet.
Back in May, the Hidden Cloud withdrew from the Land of Hot Water's battlefield without signing a ceasefire agreement, indicating there was more beneath the surface.
Now, even if the Hidden Cloud makes a comeback, Minato wouldn't be surprised.
However, the Hidden Cloud is clearly deterred by his power, only engaging in minor provocations to test Konoha's limits.
In a situation where the Hokage's authority is not yet stable, Minato had to turn a blind eye to the Hidden Cloud's actions.
He couldn't fathom the moves of the Third Hokage, either.
Having stepped down from the position of Hokage, he still holds the most crucial power in the hands of the Hokage—the Anbu.
This distressed Minato and left him quite helpless.
If it weren't for the Anbu being unable to form, he could respond more rigidly to the Hidden Cloud's actions.
Konoha can't be said to be facing internal and external crises right now, but internal issues are certain.
When he was still a Konoha Jonin, he looked at the village from a Jonin's perspective. At that time, due to limited perspective, he couldn't see the true situation of the entire Konoha.
After becoming Hokage, Minato realized that the internal concerns within Konoha were more troublesome than he had imagined.
The trust crisis with the Uchiha has always existed. The Hyuga Clan, because of a defection event a few years ago, appears to be amicable with the upper echelons, but in the shadows, there might be a slight fissure.
Especially now, with the Clan Leader Hyuga Hiashi's stable personality, Minato has tried probing several times but can't obtain any useful information from him, nor does he know the attitude of the Hyuga Clan's Clan Leader towards Konoha's current high-ranking members.
He doesn't know how to handle wooing them either.
Apart from this Hyuga Clan Leader, the other elders of the Hyuga Clan are very close to the retired Third Hokage and other high-ranking members.
This unbreakable stalemate has existed ever since he became Hokage.
Nara Shikaku, who has come over, only gave him one suggestion: first, minimize the post-war impact on Konoha and do well in post-war reconstruction and consolation work, then gradually consolidate Anbu's power to break through the web woven by the retired Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Because compared to the retired Third Hokage, Minato has the rightful moral high ground, and although it may seem weak initially, as long as this period of weakness is overcome, transformation can be achieved.
This is also why, after toppling Danzo, the restrictions from the Third Hokage's side became increasingly heavier, for the Third Hokage's side was also bearing significant pressure, unlike how effortlessly it appeared initially.
It remains to be seen which side will fail to withstand the pressure first.
Shikaku's suggestion had one aspect with which Minato agreed: consolidating Anbu's power is of utmost importance.
Only by consolidating Anbu can he, as Hokage, not become blind and can gradually seize significant power.
Knock, knock.
There was a knocking sound from outside the door.
"Come in."
Minato picked up a seal and stamped a document with a red seal, then lifted a teacup to drink, only to find that the tea had long since cooled.
Not only was the tea cold, but the bento set aside was cold too, uneaten.
If Kushina found out, she'd probably complain again.
It's an unavoidable situation, as he has no one to use under him, and he has to be busy for long periods every day, rarely having spare time.
Once the Anbu formation work shows signs of improvement, things should get much better. But Minato doesn't hold high hopes for this improvement.
Kakashi pushed the door open, closed it behind him, walked to Minato's desk, and placed a stack of mission reports on the desk.
"Lord Hokage, this is the mission report from the mission to the Land of Snow."
"Thank you for your hard work, Kakashi."
Minato nodded. Kakashi had been away from Konoha for some time, and calculating the time, if everything went smoothly, it would be about time for his return.
If it hadn't been for the generous reward offered for this mission, Minato wouldn't want to meddle in such missions involving meddling in another country's politics.
Firstly, because he has no one to use under him.
Secondly, intervening recklessly in other countries' politics can easily lead to international disputes.
Thirdly, the Land of Snow is too far from the Land of Fire, and if any issues arise, it would be impossible to address them.
"Was the mission relatively smooth?"
"Yes. Princess Kazahana Koyuki has been successfully rescued and placed in a secure location by me. Afterward, she will be taken in by Kazahana Sosetsu's confidant. I didn't inquire further about their next steps."
Kakashi responded plainly.
"As long as she was brought out, their subsequent whereabouts have nothing to do with us, Konoha."
Minato nodded in agreement.
"I also compiled some information about the Land of Demons during the mission. Please review it, Lord Hokage."
"I'll look over it later."
Minato set Kakashi's mission report aside; he's overwhelmed with matters, and since the Land of Demons is far from the Land of Fire, putting it aside temporarily isn't an issue.
"I'll give you a week's vacation; after the vacation, return to work in Anbu."
"Understood."
Because the previous vacation was canceled, this week was specially made up for Kakashi by Minato.
Kakashi left the Hokage Office with joy in his heart.