Chapter 809: The Two Who Refuse to Be Hokage

Hokage Office.

"You two are doing well."

Lian Ye lies on the balcony lounge chair, his lazy voice drifting in from the doorway.

He is very fond of these two free workhorses.

With them, he no longer has to bitterly handle paperwork himself.

If he slacks off another year or two, he'll be ready to retire and lie flat; then he'll let Tuan Cang or Ri Zhan take the top, while he peacefully suns himself at home.

Just thinking about the easy life makes him feel delighted.

In the office, Yuanfei Rizhan and Zhi Cun Tuan Zang sit at their respective desks, each with two towering piles of documents before them.

After taking office, Lian Ye reformed the Hokage's document review system, delegating most authority to the assistants, yet Konoha Village still has many daily affairs to handle.

Even after the reform, the two still spend several hours each day to clear that day's paperwork.

Yuanfei Rizhan finishes reviewing a supply request, rubs his sore eyes, and suddenly feels that being Hokage is no longer appealing at all.

Back when he was at the Ninja Academy, the teacher asked about his dream; he raised his hand and said he wanted to be Hokage, and the surrounding classmates even applauded.

Now he thinks, he was simply misled.

Every day it's paperwork or paperwork, with virtually no rest time.

Better to lie at home and bask in the sun.

He has already planned: work a while longer then run away, leaving Tuan Cang to handle the paperwork alone.

When the time comes, he won't vie with the other for the Hokage seat; in a day where the top is clearly in sight, whoever wants it can have it, but he simply won't take it.

Zhi Cun Tuan Zang finishes a mission report, looks up at the person sunbathing on the balcony, and sighs silently.

He used to think the Hokage was the pinnacle of power, the most prestigious position in the village.

Now he understands that the prestige is superficial, while the near‑death from exhaustion is real.

With this work intensity, how could an ordinary person endure it?

Know that after others become Hokage, they don't dare, like Lian Ye, to dump all state affairs onto assistants; they must handle everything personally.

Tuan Cang thinks of this and suddenly understands Lian Ye.

He's not lazy; he's truly clever!

"You two, don't slack off."

Lian Ye notices the two are stunned and immediately urges them.

The office lighting is poor; if they don't leave work quickly, they can't go home to bask in the sun.

Zhi Cun Tuan Zang and Yuanfei Rizhan lock eyes, each seeing the same thought in the other's gaze.

Case solved.

On the surface they are Hokage assistants, but in reality they are the Hokage's free labor.

Put bluntly, they're the ever‑toiling workhorses.

The documents Lian Ye has reviewed probably total fewer than ten; the rest are all done by the two of them.

If given another chance, they would absolutely refuse to serve as Hokage assistants.

Just pure self‑inflicted suffering.

Three years later.

"Who among you wants to be Hokage?"

Lian Ye, rarely, walks from the balcony into the office, sits in the main seat, his expression serious.

He has long harbored thoughts of retirement.

Being Hokage for three years is purely to save face for Qianshou Feijian; otherwise he would have fled long ago.

Now the timing is right; it's time to hand over the position and return home to enjoy his carefree days.

Zhi Cun Tuan Zang and Yuanfei Rizhan are stunned by his words.

The two stare at each other, each seeing strong resistance in the other's eyes.

Indeed, it's resistance.

For three years they've long been fed up with being workhorses, approving documents until their hands ache, attending meetings until their legs give out, with all village affairs pressing on them.

Lian Ye, on the other hand, is relaxed: he comes to the office on time, lies down for a while, leaves at the appointed time, and even enjoys a two‑day weekend.

How could he possibly agree at this moment?

"I don't want to!"

The two, in unison, speak without hesitation.

Now it's Lian Ye who is stunned.

What's going on?

Tuan Cang and Ri Zhan don't want to be Hokage?

Did he really not fall under Genjutsu?

Especially Zhi Cun Tuan Zang—didn't this guy used to dream of becoming Hokage?

Now the position is placed before him, and he says no?

If the original work's Pot Shadow learned of this, he'd die of anger.

Something's off, it's terribly off!

"Not willing?" Lian Ye shows confusion, "Is being Hokage not good?"

His refusal to become Hokage ultimately stems from laziness and disliking trouble.

But what's up with these two?

The Hokage is such a high‑rank, powerful post that many dream of sitting in it, yet they, when presented with it, refuse.

Not good.

The two looked at him with a stare that said he was a fool.

He toiled for three years as Hokage Assistant, busy from early morning to night, never even getting a sip of hot tea.

What about Lian Ye?

He spends the whole day sunbathing, neglecting his duties, not even glancing at any documents.

After these three years, they could say they were no different from the real Hokage; they had long been disenchanted with the position of Hokage.

All the power, all the status, are empty.

Only the endless pile of documents to approve each day is real.

Now how could they possibly leap foolishly into this fire pit?

Lian Ye was completely speechless.

He had never imagined that the two would actually refuse to serve as Hokage.

Earlier he had worried that the two would fight tooth and nail for the Hokage seat, not knowing whom to appoint, and had been plagued by headaches over it for a while.

But now, the two simply refuse to do it, and the situation has completely exceeded his expectations.

"Becoming Hokage wasn't your childhood dream?"

Lian Ye decided to change his approach and began to persuade them.

"I remember when you were at the Ninja Academy you said you wanted to become Hokage; Ri Zhan, you even wrote an essay titled 'My Future Path as Hokage',

Tuan Cang, although you didn't write an essay, you were always especially enthusiastic whenever the topic came up.

That was your childhood dream, and the opportunity is right before you now—how can you give it up?"

As everyone knows, graduates of the Ninja Academy have been brainwashed to some extent by the Will of Fire, and the overwhelming majority aim to become Hokage in the future.

Yuanfei Rizhan and Zhi Cun Tuan Zang are no exception.

Lian Ye felt that with his silver tongue he could make the two rediscover the importance of the Will of Fire.

By then they would scramble to take the Hokage role, and he could retire in order, enjoying his old age.

Fantasy and reality are always different.

No matter how flamboyantly Lian Ye spoke—from the Will of Fire to the Village's future, from personal responsibility to historic mission—the two remained unresponsive.

"Being Hokage is impossible; they cannot become Hokage in this lifetime."

Three years of suffering is already enough; they can't drag the second half of their lives into it as well.

"Think again, the Hokage position is so glorious—everyone in the Village respects the Hokage, and wherever you go people greet you..."

Lian Ye kept trying.

The two said nothing, their gazes contemptuous.

Do they look stupid?

Lian Ye: "…"

Seeing the two unmoved, he was truly at a loss.

He glanced at Tuan Cang, then at Ri Zhan; both wore resolute expressions, as if saying "I'd rather die than do it."

If you two refuse to be Hokage, how can I retire and go home to sunbathe!

Lian Ye leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

He shouldn't have become this Hokage in the first place.

If he hadn't become Hokage, he wouldn't have hired an assistant; without an assistant, the two wouldn't have been worn down into psychological shadows; without that, they wouldn't have given up on the Hokage position entirely.

He went round in circles, only to entangle himself in the end.

It's all Qianshou Feijian's fault, that old kid!

"How about," Lian Ye ventured, "you reconsider?"

"No reconsideration."

The two spoke in unison, then bowed their heads to continue approving documents, not even glancing at him.

Lian Ye sighed and reclined back onto the balcony chair.

Sunlight warmed his face, but his heart felt cold.

His early retirement plan seemed to have gone down the drain.

The End.