Konoha.
Kaito walked down the streets of Konoha, with Kurenai beside him, her head lowered.
After a while, Kaito suddenly spoke.
"Kurenai, why do you keep your head down? Weren't you really bold that day in the park?"
Kurenai's body trembled. She lifted her head, face flushed with embarrassment.
"Kaito-senpai, don't bring that up! I just got carried away in the moment!"
"Oh, really? Have you ever hugged anyone like that before?"
"Other than my father, only you, Kaito-senpai!"
Kurenai stomped her foot in frustration, feeling wronged.
Kaito realized his words had gone too far. He reached out and took her hand gently.
"Alright, that was my fault. Don't be mad."
"Mm…"
The gentle tone in Kaito's voice instantly softened her. She leaned a little closer to him and asked,
"Kaito-senpai, where are you taking me?"
"To my office."
"Office?"
"Mm. The Hokage's office."
Kurenai froze, only just remembering that Kaito was now the Sixth Hokage of Konoha.
It had all happened so suddenly that even now, many in Konoha hadn't fully processed the fact that the Hokage had changed.
When they arrived at the Hokage's office, the Konoha shinobi on guard there gave Kaito complicated looks. Finally, one ANBU with long purple hair stepped forward and called out,
"Hokage-sama!"
The others reacted differently—some confused, some angry, others echoing the call.
Kaito ignored the rest, letting his gaze linger on the ANBU's mask before speaking in a calm voice.
"Yugao, take it off."
The purple-haired ANBU trembled, then under Kaito's steady gaze, slowly removed her mask—revealing an extraordinarily beautiful face.
A faint smile appeared on Kaito's lips.
"Beautiful. From now on, don't wear that mask anymore."
"Eh? But Hokage-sama, the ANBU regulations require masks!"
"Then you're no longer ANBU. I'm appointing you as my personal bodyguard, like Shizune before."
"T-this… Hokage-sama…"
"Stop calling me Hokage-sama. I prefer when you call me Captain Kaito."
With that, Kaito led Kurenai into the office. Yugao stood frozen in place until someone tapped her shoulder.
"Yugao, do you… know Hokage-sama?"
Yugao nodded lightly. Like Kurenai, she had known Kaito since childhood. She had even served in his ANBU squad, where he had saved her life more than once.
When she learned of Kaito's return to Konoha, she had been overjoyed. Yet their reunion had been on opposite sides.
She had wanted to step forward to stop him then, but Kurenai had spoken up first, leaving her hidden in the crowd.
She had even thought of helping Kaito escape from the shadows, but his strength far exceeded her imagination. Not only did he kill Danzo, he forced Tsunade to step down—ending up as the Sixth Hokage almost by accident.
After the battle, she had wanted to find him immediately, but when she saw Kurenai in the park, she left again, helpless.
She thought that would be the end of her ties with Kaito. But now, he had appointed her as his personal guard…
With the power Kaito had displayed, did he really even need a bodyguard?
Silently, Yugao turned and headed for the door.
Another ANBU called out after her,
"Uzuki Yugao, where are you going?"
"I'm going to ask Shizune-senpai about her work experience."
...
Kaito entered the office and naturally sat in the Hokage's chair. Kurenai stood beside him, curiosity in her eyes.
"Kaito-senpai, why did you want to become Hokage?"
"What? Is it strange that I'd want to?"
"Mm… You've never mentioned it before."
"Heh, did you forget? Minato once wanted to make me ANBU Commander, but Danzo and the others vetoed it."
"Of course I remember!"
At that, Kurenai's face showed indignation. Kaito had told her about that incident:
"Because Kaito is of the Uchiha clan, the position of ANBU Commander must never go to him!"
That blatant discrimination was infuriating to hear, even more so for Kaito himself.
At the time, all he could do was swallow his anger, pretend to comply—while already killing Danzo a thousand times in his heart.
But that was in the past. Danzo was dead, nothing left but scraps. If he knew Kaito had become Hokage, he'd probably come back to life from sheer rage.
Kaito chuckled.
"Under those circumstances, if I'd openly voiced my ambition, Danzo would've had me executed in secret long ago."
"I see. So becoming Hokage was always your dream, Kaito-senpai. Now that it's come true, congratulations!"
But Kaito only shook his head. Rising from his chair, he turned to face the Hokage Monument and said lightly,
"Just a whim. Hokage is nothing more than the headman of a village."
A joke, really. He had already become a king in the One Piece world—why would he care about being Hokage?
Kurenai froze at his dismissive tone. She hadn't expected him to regard the Hokage position with such disdain. For so many in Konoha, it was an unattainable dream!
Kaito's eyes lingered on Minato's stone face carved into the monument. He whispered,
"Minato, when you return… will you still want to be Hokage?"
Then he patted the small white snake coiled at his waist and said coldly,
"Orochimaru, you should know how to break the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, shouldn't you?"
Kurenai's eyes widened in shock as the little white snake opened its mouth to speak.
"I do… but it requires the Shinigami Mask. And it's extremely dangerous…"
"You just need to summon that Shinigami. The rest isn't your concern."
"Very well. But I don't have the mask. It should still be in the Uzumaki clan's shrine."
"Then fetch it. Do this well, and I might consider giving you your freedom."
Orochimaru's snake-face lit up with delight—but before he could savor it, Kaito continued.
"If you try any tricks…"
A faint purple light flashed in Kaito's eyes. Orochimaru's spirit nearly leapt from his body in terror, and he hurriedly swore his loyalty.
Kurenai stared at the small snake for a long time, still unable to believe it.
She had thought it was just some kind of ornament—but it was Orochimaru himself!
Hesitantly, she asked,
"Kaito-senpai… that snake really is…?"
Kaito flicked Orochimaru's head and said casually,
"Just a shameless little snake."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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