The sunlight slowly shone into the room, and the ninjas of the Sealing Team gradually arrived for work.
When they entered the laboratory and saw Takuno, none of them were surprised. After greeting him, they started busy themselves with their own tasks.
However, what did surprise them was that Takuno had actually pulled himself away from his experimental state at that moment.
In the past, he would be experimenting before they arrived and continue experimenting long after they left work, so why was this time different?
"You all continue, I'm going to the Hokage Office," Takuno instructed before leaving. It was about time Minato started his workday.
"Yes!"
...In the Hokage Office, Minato looked at the huge pile of documents before him, a wry smile appearing on his face.
Before becoming Hokage, he hadn't thought much of it, but after taking the position, the endless stream of large and small matters truly left him feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
A knock sounded at that moment.
"Come in," Minato sighed, then sat up straight behind his desk.
When he saw it was Takuno, he relaxed slightly and joked with a smile, "So it's Takuno-senpai. What matter is so important that it pulled you away from the Sealing Team and your Sealing Jutsu research to come see me?"
"Hokage-sama, you are the Hokage now. Just call me Takuno," Takuno reminded him again upon hearing the form of address.
However, Minato only smiled and did not reply. Takuno had no choice but to give up. It wasn't the first time he had made this reminder, and he wasn't the only one Minato called this way; generally, everyone he respected was addressed similarly.
For instance, Shikaku-senpai for Nara Shikaku, Hiashi-senpai for Hyuga Hiashi, and so on... But they were, after all, heads of great clans, while he was just a Head of the Sealing Team, a position Minato had given him. What standing did he have?
Since Minato had no intention of changing, he decided not to waste any more time on the matter.
"I can't help it. Since you chose me to be the Head of the Sealing Team, don't I need to produce some results?"
"It's fine. Kushina and I both know the quality of your Sealing Jutsu; you are absolutely qualified to be the Head of the Sealing Team," Minato said, not overly concerned about the issue.
"But your belief doesn't mean others will believe it. I came here to present a modification plan for the barrier outside the village."
Saying this, Takuno handed a scroll to Minato. The modified Sealing Jutsu formula and several suggestions were written on it.
Minato took the scroll and began reading it, his expression quickly turning serious.
The modification formula was not overly complicated, and Minato quickly deduced that the modification to the Sealing Jutsu would be effective. The most crucial part, however, was the suggestions that followed.
The key required to enter and exit the barrier must be changed periodically.
This did not mean that one could not enter without the key, but rather that anyone entering without the key would be immediately flagged and recorded by the sealing orbs, allowing the Anbu to be dispatched to monitor them.
It was unrealistic for a barrier large enough to cover all of Konoha to possess overly powerful functions.
Takuno estimated that Minato had finished reading the contents and spoke.
"Currently, the key to enter and exit the barrier is never changed, and this obviously leads to a problem: Konoha's rogue ninjas also know this key. Therefore, if they guide others in, the barrier becomes useless and cannot serve its purpose of early surveillance."
As he spoke, he thought again of Itachi Uchiha being a rogue ninja for so many years, then openly leading that shark-headed man through the barrier and right up to the gates of Konoha.
"Indeed, I hadn't noticed that point before."
Minato stated that every ninja village had rogue ninjas, and Konoha was no exception.
So Takuno was right. Although using the key wouldn't allow for a large-scale entry into the barrier—that would be too conspicuous and would still draw the attention of the Sealing Team—what if the rogue ninja only brought a few people?
Wouldn't that be considered a normal situation? And what if those few people were all Jonin?
Every Jonin is an elite, and if they were hiding in the village causing trouble, the destructive power would be immense.
Even with his Flying Thunder God Technique being powerful, he couldn't instantly discern their identities and root them all out.
"Do you have any suggestions, Senpai, regarding the interval for changing the key?" Minato inquired. He already had some ideas, but he kept them to himself.
Takuno glanced at Minato. The other man was slowly growing accustomed to his high position; he clearly had an idea but was letting his subordinate speak his opinion first.
This was either to ensure his own proposal didn't have any flaws, or to prevent his idea from being completely inferior to his subordinate's suggestion.
He gathered his thoughts. Since he was the one who proposed it, he naturally couldn't say he had no suggestions. He began to speak.
"There are two scenarios: one, change it immediately if there is a surge in rogue ninjas; the other, it is best to change it during the New Year when most ninjas are within Konoha."
"Hmm, let's proceed with that. When we hold the meeting with the Advisor later, you should attend as well." Minato nodded. His thoughts were similar; changing it too frequently was also not good, so a compromise like this was quite suitable.
Takuno fell silent for a moment, then said, "Can I not attend?"
Minato looked at Takuno and, meeting his helpless gaze, said, "No. Since this was your suggestion, you must naturally be present."
"Fine then." Takuno sighed, displaying an expression of utter resignation.
"Stop complaining. I envy you, Senpai, being able to do the research you enjoy. Unlike me, I'm overwhelmed by these mountains of documents every single day," Minato said with a slight laugh, taking advantage of the early morning to chat for a bit.
Takuno looked at the stack of documents in front of Minato and said, "You could also find an assistant to help."
"That's true, but who should I look for?" Minato asked, sounding a little troubled.
"I wouldn't know about that." Takuno naturally knew that Nara Shikaku was absolutely capable of handling the job, but he did not want him to become Minato's assistant. Nara Shikaku was too smart; it would be bad if he discovered something.
Finally, Minato looked at Takuno and asked, "How about you try it, Senpai?"
"Hokage-sama, please don't joke. I am not suited for that position." Takuno flatly refused. Although the position held considerable power, since he was the one who brought it up, he needed to avoid suspicion.
Most importantly, as Minato's assistant, the daily exposure time would be too long, making it impossible for him to carry out many of his own plans.
Minato was not surprised by Takuno's refusal. He had only asked. The fact that Takuno was already the Head of the Sealing Team was pushing the limits, and if he rose any higher, the Advisor would start raising objections again.