"Dad!"
Since Hiruzen rarely ate breakfast with his family, him suddenly showing up at the table this morning caught his youngest son, Asuma Sarutobi, completely off guard.
He actually has time to eat with Dad?!
Biwako Sarutobi smiled. After Asuma left, she finally asked, "Day off today?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Yeah. I'm giving myself three days."
"Can you really take a break?" Biwako asked. "Can that group of young people handle it?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "Why wouldn't they? When we came back from Kumogakure back then, wasn't it just as dangerous?"
"And honestly… we probably weren't as capable as the kids are now."
Biwako thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's true. If you think they've got it, then they've got it."
...
Danzo's sudden death—and the sudden collapse of the Shimura faction, the Koharu faction, and the Mito faction—sent shockwaves through the entire ninja world!
This was a full-blown upheaval in Konohagakure.
Kumogakure's delegation was already on its way, and both Sunagakure and Iwagakure were starting to stir.
...
The next day, Kazuki went to work as usual.
Of course…
It was his shadow clone that went.
And that Kazuki shadow clone took Mei Terumi, the two Kumogakure girls, and Yamato—the Root outcast—to train alongside Team 7.
Even though the two Kumogakure jinchūriki candidates had been extracted from the Two-Tails, they hadn't died under Tsunade's treatment.
But they were still extremely wary of Kazuki.
After all, they'd been kidnapped here from Kumogakure by Danzo.
Mei, on the other hand, was in a much better mood.
No more staring into Orochimaru's creepy eyes.
No more blood draws.
Just being able to come to the Ninja Academy was enough to make her satisfied.
Jiraiya saw Kazuki bring those three along and simply formed them into a new team—
Team 9.
There used to be a Team 9, taught by Mikoto Uchiha.
But after their last mission, Mikoto's three students ended up with severe psychological trauma—apparently getting scared half to death multiple times on the road back.
They were still in treatment, so Team 9 had been temporarily disbanded.
Now the new Team 9 was re-formed:
Mei, the two Kumogakure girls, and Yamato.
And since Mikoto had no students after that incident, she came along too.
She was basically Kazuki's assistant instructor now.
Mikoto watched Kazuki with curious, blinking eyes while the students trained, chatting with him casually.
"Kazuki… how did you get so strong?"
"It just happened," Kazuki said, waving it off.
Mikoto narrowed her eyes. "You're a shadow clone, aren't you?"
Kazuki's shadow clone frowned. "What's wrong with being a shadow clone?!"
The clone was offended—seriously offended.
It was a shadow clone with pride and dignity!
This black-haired woman was looking down on him?!
Mikoto froze for a second, then laughed. "Sorry, I'm just curious. Kazuki's shadow clones are too real—I genuinely can't tell."
"Because shadow clones are real," the clone said firmly.
...
At this point, Team 7 and Team 9 had split into winners and losers.
After the Land of Water incident, Team 7's teamwork had improved drastically.
And honestly, the biggest reason Team 7 won was that Obito now had the Sharingan.
Kazuki hadn't expected it, but he'd completely altered Obito's life trajectory.
With the Sharingan, Obito had basically become the "big brother" of Team 7.
As for Kakashi… well.
No matter how much of a genius you are, it's hard to compete with a bloodline limit. That was just the reality of the shinobi world.
Sure, Kakashi could invent Chidori.
But against Sharingan genjutsu?
If you're not built like Kazuki—immune to control—you still end up on your knees.
That was part of why Madara losing to Hashirama wasn't just about strength.
Madara was countered hard.
Hashirama's cells were completely unfair.
Wood Release, yes—and on top of that, resistance to genjutsu… even his flames could be shrugged off.
The Uchiha were famous for Fire Style.
Madara was the strongest Uchiha.
And still, Fire Style barely mattered against Hashirama.
...
After the spar ended, Kazuki's shadow clone started giving feedback.
As someone who had inherited Hashirama's full toolkit, he wasn't just qualified to critique these kids—
he could critique the Third Hokage and still have the authority to do it.
Mikoto watched even more closely, curious what Kazuki would point out.
In Mikoto's eyes, these students were already excellent—Obito, Kakashi, Mei, Yamato… none of them were worse than she was at that age.
Rin's value as a medic-nin was also huge.
As for the two Kumogakure girls, they were still too guarded, so they weren't performing at their best yet.
"Kakashi," Kazuki said, "your speed is good. The problem is you rush too much. If you finish your movements with proper control, you'll hit cleaner. Don't panic—your teammates can buy you the time you need."
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Obito," Kazuki continued, "there's nothing to say—using genjutsu in a spar like this is basically bullying. Go train Fire Style."
"If I'm guessing right… you haven't even learned Fire Style yet."
Obito's face instantly turned red. He'd been proud for five minutes and got exposed immediately.
"Sensei, stop making stuff up! I'm mad now!"
"Oh yeah?" Kazuki chuckled. "Then go practice."
Kazuki wasn't trying to embarrass him—just lighting a fire under him.
Mikoto stared, surprised. How did he know that?
How could he tell Obito hadn't learned Fire Style yet?
"Mei," Kazuki said, "you're a double bloodline user, right? Don't rely on just Boil Release."
Mei blinked, startled.
"And you two," Kazuki added, looking at the Kumogakure girls, "your right leg is injured, isn't it?"
The girl stared. "Sensei… how do you know?"
"Your kick just now didn't have the right power curve," Kazuki said calmly. "If your right leg was fine, you could've contested the win."
After a full round of feedback, everyone felt like they'd gained something.
Mikoto had basically turned into a fan—looking at Kazuki with open admiration.
...
The Shimura faction, the Mito faction, and the Koharu faction were released back into their territories.
Everything had been checked.
Anyone involved in wrongdoing was stripped of rank down to genin, all public posts were revoked, and each faction paid ten million ryō to Konoha.
That money would become a special fund for the Ninja Academy—specifically aimed at educating civilians and kids from ordinary families.
Kazuki's handling of it earned him massive favor among villagers and mid-to-low-level shinobi.
The Uchiha Police Force personally escorted the three factions back under guard.
The Uchiha were quietly thrilled.
For years, other groups "guarded" the Uchiha instead, and resentment had built up.
Now the Uchiha got to supervise those three factions in return.
The Uchiha's impression of Kazuki improved a lot.
Some of the higher-ups even thought: if Kazuki became Hokage, it could be a new beginning for the Uchiha's future.
Besides…
Kazuki wasn't married yet.
Sure, he already had his fiancée Kushina Uzumaki—
but the Uchiha still felt there might be a chance.
At the same time, the Hyūga clan—and even the Akimichi clan—started thinking about using the "beauty strategy" on Kazuki too.
Kazuki's shadow clone, working at the Administration Department, saw the Akimichi clan's "beauty" candidate and nearly spat out his water.
...
Meanwhile, Kazuki's real body was at home.
He lay with his head in Kushina's lap, breathing in the faint scent of her hair.
Kushina's small hand brushed through his hair, her cheeks warm and red.
Why was this guy so lazy, letting shadow clones do everything?
But… he could always stay with her like this.
Kushina felt ridiculously happy.
"You're leaving the day after tomorrow?" she asked softly.
Kazuki nodded. "Yeah. I honestly don't get why Kumogakure's so scared they won't come to Konoha, and they had to move the meeting point all the way to the Land of Hot Water."
Kushina snorted a laugh. "Of course they're scared. You killed the Third Mizukage, killed Danzo, and wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Those rumors are everywhere now. Even the Third Raikage—Mr. 'Invincible'—would have to be careful around you."
Originally the delegation was supposed to come to Konoha to negotiate.
Now the meeting location had been moved to the Land of Hot Water, between the two countries.
Small buffer nations like Yu no Kuni existed to keep the big powers from clashing directly.
Though sometimes those buffers didn't mean much.
Like when Kushina was kidnapped—Kumogakure had crossed right through the Land of Hot Water and into the Fire Country border.
And the second time, the Third Raikage chased in again and got driven back by the Third Hokage.
This time, the meeting location was Yu no Kuni.
And Konoha's delegation would naturally be led by Kazuki.
"Kazuki," Kushina asked, "have you chosen the mission team?"
Kazuki smiled, squeezed her soft hand, and said, "How about I take you to the Land of Hot Water and let you experience the local hot springs?"
Kushina's face turned bright red. She glared at him, embarrassed.
Time passed quickly.
Two days flew by.
...
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen listened to ANBU's report.
"Hokage-sama, Hatake Sakumo has sent a message. The changes in Sunagakure over the past two days may be connected to the Third Kazekage."
"Based on Sakumo-sama's probing, we've confirmed: the Third Kazekage has disappeared."
Hiruzen, smoking his pipe, paused mid-drag and stared. "The Third Kazekage… is missing?"
As Kazekage, he wouldn't be alone.
There would be guards—layers of them. Even Hiruzen had ANBU in the shadows at all times.
If something happened, information should've gone out immediately.
A village leader vanishing without a trace was unheard of.
Hiruzen's expression sank. "Any movement on the Wind Country border?"
"Report, Hokage-sama. Sunagakure's leadership has fallen into the hands of the Chiyo faction. On the border between Wind and Fire, the number of Sand shinobi is increasing."
"Our speculation is that Chiyo's faction has an old grudge with Konoha."
"They may suspect Konoha is behind the Kazekage's disappearance. To redirect internal pressure, they may launch a war."
Hiruzen shook his head helplessly.
Given what the world had just seen—Kazuki killing the Third Mizukage—Sunagakure suspecting Kazuki wasn't far-fetched.
Rumors were already spreading that Konoha specialized in training top-tier assassins.
Five years ago, "Konoha's White Fang," Hatake Sakumo, had assassinated Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law.
Now Kazuki was even more extreme—killing a Mizukage outright.
Hiruzen looked up. "So… Kazuki is leaving now?"
"Report, Hokage-sama. Kazuki-sama has already departed."
"Who's on the delegation?"
"In addition to Kazuki-sama: Kushina Uzumaki, Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Rin Nohara, and Minato Namikaze."
Hiruzen frowned. "I know Team 7 are geniuses—good for them to see the world. But Kushina? Why her?"
The ANBU hesitated. "Uh… Kazuki-sama said… it's also a chance to relax with Kushina… and soak in the hot springs…"
Hiruzen went silent.
"And Minato? Do we need that many?"
The ANBU hesitated again. "Kazuki-sama said… if a fight breaks out, Minato-kun can carry the bodies back faster…"
Hiruzen: "..."