Hokage Tower — Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, dressed in the red-and-white robes of the Hokage. His once jet-black hair was now threaded with a few strands of silver, yet he was very much in the prime of his life—the peak of a shinobi's career.
After listening to the ANBU's report, Hiruzen fixed a serious gaze on the ten-year-old boy standing before him.
"Care to explain," he said slowly, "where this came from?"
Truth be told, this little troublemaker gave him no end of headaches. On the very first day at the Ninja Academy, he'd beaten up every boy in the class—including Namikaze Kaoru, who had gone over to break up the fight.
She was just a little girl, and this brat hadn't shown the slightest bit of restraint. No questions asked—straight to the ground.
Who on earth had taught him that?
When Uzushiogakure had sent the boy over, they'd patted their chests and guaranteed he was an obedient child, perfectly suitable to serve as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Turns out, he only behaved for one day.
Now that Uzushiogakure had been destroyed four years ago, Hiruzen couldn't even return the "goods" if he wanted to. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it.
"Uh… hehe…"
Watching the kid try to laugh his way through it, Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly, his expression stern.
This matter could be big or small—it all depended on his decision.
"I… asked my underling to buy it for me…"
Kyūsei's eyes drifted to the side as he spoke guiltily.
Seeing the kid sell out his "underling" without hesitation only made Hiruzen's headache worsen.
He let out a deep sigh, utterly exhausted.
This boy understood exactly how important his identity was, which was why he acted with such abandon. Yet he always stopped short of crossing the real line—pushing boundaries, but never igniting the fuse.
That alone proved how sharp his mind was. He wasn't nearly as reckless as he pretended to be.
Youthful arrogance…
"Thank you, Grandpa Hokage!"
Kyūsei suddenly beamed, all smiles as he looked at Hiruzen.
"You're the best, Grandpa Hokage!"
After all, this was his sponsor—the one covering food, clothing, housing, and expenses. Of course his mouth had to be sweet.
Hiruzen looked at the boy calling him "Grandpa Hokage" and found himself speechless.
"Ahem… Kyūsei," he coughed, "I'm only forty-four. Why exactly are you calling me 'grandpa'?"
"Because it feels close and friendly," Kyūsei said innocently. "Don't you like it, Grandpa Hokage?"
Watching the kid put on that wide-eyed, clueless act, Hiruzen felt another wrinkle form at the corner of his eye.
He sighed softly and reached out to pat Kyūsei's head.
Troublemaker or not, this jinchūriki understood one thing very well—who mattered most to him, and who he needed to stay close to in order to stay safe.
That, at least, brought Hiruzen some comfort.
Kyūsei returned home feeling a little dejected—only to find a girl standing at his door.
She was about his height, with brilliant golden hair tied into a braid. Her eyes were a deep ocean blue, and her delicate features looked as though they'd been carefully sculpted by God Himself.
"You're here?" Kyūsei raised an eyebrow at Namikaze Kaoru.
She'd been his desk-mate for four years—and someone he'd been deliberately avoiding that entire time.
Ever since the first day, when he'd thrown her over his shoulder and only muttered a half-hearted apology afterward, he'd kept his distance. No matter how she tried to be friendly or approach him, he'd brushed her off every time.
Kaoru was beautiful—easily the prettiest girl in the academy.
But that only mattered if you lived long enough to enjoy it.
To eliminate any possible future dangers, Kyūsei had practically drawn a clear line between himself and this gender-swapped Minato.
Sorry.
From the day I arrived in this world—
The tomato-and-egg combo was officially disbanded.
"I—I saw you get carried away by ANBU earlier, so I came to check on you…"
Kaoru sneaked a glance at the two ANBU behind Kyūsei, standing there like a pair of door guardians.
"What's there to check?" Kyūsei said casually. "See? My two new underlings."
He pointed boldly at the ANBU behind him.
Nightingale's fist tightened.
"Anything else?" Kyūsei asked impatiently. "If not, you should head home."
"I'm about to take a nap."
"Oh… then I'll go…"
Kaoru's disappointment was painfully obvious. Even her radiant golden hair seemed to lose its shine.
Watching her disappear around the corner, Nightingale couldn't help but speak up.
"Hey, brat. That girl obviously likes you. You don't have to be that cruel."
Kyūsei stepped closer to her, his tone suddenly earnest.
"Chu Yuxun," he said gravely, "do you know what the scariest things in life are?"
"…What?" Nightingale blinked.
Kyūsei continued solemnly:
"The two most terrifying things are poverty and women. Women only slow down how fast I can draw my sword."
"…What are you even talking about?"
Even someone as straightforward as Nightingale could tell this jinchūriki was messing with her.
Damn it.
This little bastard!
Endure.
Endure.
Endure!
Sensing Nightingale's rapidly rising rage, Kyūsei wisely chose to retreat and dashed straight into the house.
What he didn't know was that everything that had just happened was being watched by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The old Hokage stroked his chin thoughtfully as the scene played out within the crystal ball.
Namikaze Kaoru, huh?
He remembered that his unreliable disciple had recently taken in a student—seemed like it was that girl.
Originally, Hiruzen had wanted to arrange for Jiraiya to take Uzumaki Kyūsei as an apprentice.
But Jiraiya had flatly refused. He insisted that his student was the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage, destined to bring peace to the shinobi world—and that this Uzumaki brat clearly wasn't that kind of person.
Still…
Hiruzen was starting to reconsider.
At present, Kyūsei had almost no close relationships in Konoha aside from himself.
If Kaoru could enter his life, that might not be a bad thing.
When Jiraiya accepted Kaoru as a disciple, Hiruzen had personally looked into her background. Just an ordinary orphan—parents were Konoha villagers, nothing suspicious.
A perfectly clean lineage. Now a student of Jiraiya, firmly aligned with the Hokage's faction.
Her identity was beyond reproach.
She was, in every sense, the perfect candidate.
As for Kyūsei's terrible attitude toward her?
Hiruzen completely ignored it.
They were just kids, after all.
Making friends was as easy as drinking water.