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Inside the Hokage Office, the atmosphere was unprecedentedly heavy.
Jiraiya sat in the main seat, his elbows on the desk, propping up his chin, looking at the two people in the office with a complex and suppressed gaze.
It wasn't just him; even Orochimaru uncharacteristically showed a spark of gossip, his golden snake-like eyes instinctively darting between their faces.
As companions who had grown up together, no one knew Tsunade's personality better than they did.
Calling her a 'female tyrannosaurus' was being polite; 'human-shaped self-propelled pulverizer' was a more accurate description.
Yet, such a Tsunade was actually interested in a little guy with such a significant age difference?
Jiraiya felt that after Kato Dan, he was probably going to suffer another defeat on the difficult path of love—what a pathetic premonition.
"Cough, cough."
Tsunade, her clothes disheveled, smoothed the front of her top and coughed twice for show, then swept an ill-tempered glance over, forcing back the scrutinizing gazes of Jiraiya and Orochimaru, making them lower their heads and pretend they hadn't noticed anything. Only then did she somewhat calm down.
However, the slight blush on her face, whether from embarrassment or shyness, wasn't so easy to fade.
On the contrary, Sawara Kiri sat formally on the guest sofa, as quiet as ever, as if he weren't even there.
Noticing this, Tsunade immediately glared at him fiercely, urging, "Don't you have something to explain? Speak up already."
"Hmm, indeed."
Sawara Kiri turned his head, looked at Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and adopted a serious demeanor, finally bringing the conversation to the main point: "Actually, Lady Tsunade and I are here to confess some of my actions involving Hidden Mist."
"Huh?!"
The two present were simultaneously stunned and immediately composed themselves—they had just thought these two were about to announce their romantic relationship.
Sawara Kiri was not surprised by their reaction. He organized his words and briefly recounted his identity as a Mist Ninja and some of the missions he had carried out since coming to Konoha.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru had already realized during the Roran mission that this kid definitely had some little secrets, but when they heard him actually start talking, they were immediately stunned.
Their previous emotions vanished, and even their expressions became incredibly serious. They sat rigidly in place, quietly listening to his confession.
It was nearly half an hour later before they finally managed to digest the massive amount of information.
Are you kidding me?!
Our Village's strongest trump card is actually an infiltrator from another Village?
And then, he defected...?
The expressions on their faces went from shock, then urgency, then bewilderment, and finally, only the wild joy of receiving a great gift from the heavens remained.
Orochimaru's usually placid eyes widened completely at this moment, staring intently at Sawara Kiri, as if he had seen some peerless delicacy.
After a while, he calmed his emotions, doing his best to suppress the corners of his mouth to avoid suddenly bursting into laughter, but a slight tremor could still be heard in his voice: "So, Kiri-kun, you decided to join Konoha the moment your identity was exposed?"
Orochimaru was also a witness to Sawara Kiri's first appearance. At that time, he was also sitting in the current position, except the person behind the desk was not Jiraiya, but his beloved Lord Third.
Just recalling the scene from back then, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a dizzying sense of relief and lingering fear.
If Shimura Danzo had had even a little more say then, and Lord Third had been even slightly weaker, that child might have ended up in Root.
If that path had been chosen, what kind of disaster would they have brought upon Konoha?!
Just thinking about this, Orochimaru suddenly felt a bit fortunate that Lord Third was now lying incapacitated.
"Yes."
Sawara Kiri also seemed to recall the situation from back then, sighing with a sense of relief: "At that time, my decision wasn't quite so firm, so after leaving the Hokage Office, I deliberately tested you a bit. I'm truly sorry."
Orochimaru naturally remembered that scene.
The young newcomer, who had suddenly risen to fame, abruptly pulled a drastic move on him in the hallway—that was also the moment he first became interested in the name Sawara Kiri.
However, at this moment, after truly witnessing Sawara Kiri's potential, he couldn't help but wish for more such drastic moves.
Different experiences shape different people.
Orochimaru, who had not yet experienced the Third Shinobi World War of the original timeline, had not yet seen Lord Third's later weakness and helplessness in foreign affairs, and naturally had not yet developed the desire to leave. In fact, even though it was unrealistic now, he had long been determined to secure the position of Fourth Hokage, wanting to build a better Village on the foundation laid by Lord Third.
Naturally, this wish had been inherited by him, now thirty years old.
At this moment, being able to see a young man like Sawara Kiri stay by his side, he was practically bubbling with joy, almost blowing snot bubbles.
"We, or rather, all of Konoha, should be the ones feeling fortunate."
"Exactly!"
Even Jiraiya, who had just felt a sense of being cuckolded in the void, couldn't help but slap the table, almost standing up from behind the desk, excitedly saying: "If a young man like Kiri appeared in Hidden Mist, wouldn't Konoha be finished!"
However, after his words fell, he realized that his previous remarks seemed a bit inappropriate. He sat back down in his original seat and chuckled awkwardly: "Uh, of course, I didn't mean to belittle Hidden Mist or Kaguya, it's just, it's just, hahaha!"
He seemed unsure how to describe his current feelings.
Who would have thought?
He had originally thought that Konoha's exceptional talent was why monsters of the caliber of Senju Hashirama and Sawara Kiri kept appearing, but who knew that someone else had actually delivered the gift themselves? He couldn't endure it as well as Orochimaru; he couldn't help but scratch his head apologetically while laughing uncontrollably, his mouth almost splitting to the back of his head.
"It's alright, after all, they did personally treat me as a discarded piece."
"Since that day, Hidden Mist has been my enemy."
Sawara Kiri also seemed to sigh with a hint of lament, his tone quite helpless—heaven knew what the Ninja World would have become if he had grown up smoothly in the brutal Hidden Mist Village until he reached the system's standard of 15+.
At the same time, this statement was also a clear declaration of his stance.
"Alright! Since this matter is settled, there's no need to say more."
Tsunade spoke, interrupting their emotions, her voice calm—compared to the two who had just suddenly learned this news, she naturally appeared much more composed.
At this moment, Tsunade had her arms crossed in front of her. Her already prominent top seemed even more proud during the movement. The taut fabric of her dark long pants clung to the graceful curves of her waist and hips. Her head rested comfortably on the sofa, and she casually propped one leg up, her unadorned, rounded toes hooking her sandal, swinging it gently in the air.
She looked completely devoid of her previous shyness and nervousness, adopting the demeanor of a calm, strong woman.
"So, Kiri, what do you plan to do next?"
Tsunade turned her head, looking in Sawara Kiri's direction: "The future strategy against Hidden Mist will depend on your attitude."
"Also, what's the deal with that channel you have with Hidden Mist?"
Because there were only four people present, Tsunade spoke much more directly, completely putting the choice into Sawara Kiri's hands.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru looked at him simultaneously upon hearing this.
Although this trump card was now theirs, they couldn't stand it if he kept colluding with others.
Sawara Kiri calmly said: "Currently, I have control of Yagura Karatachi as a pawn. If there are no surprises, he will become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki upon returning to Hidden Mist, and the Hidden Mist intelligence network distributed throughout Konoha is also entirely in my hands."
"A portion of Hidden Mist's actual power is no longer owned by Hidden Mist itself."
"My idea is to try to take Hidden Mist down through a relatively gentle approach of both pulling and striking, completing the 'Village merger' process between Hidden Mist and Konoha."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.
This was something they were all hearing for the first time, and could it really work?
Immediately after, Sawara Kiri dropped another bombshell on them.
"In addition, the three most outstanding young people of this generation in Hidden Mist have all been arranged by me within the Ninja Academy. I'm trying to use them as a starting point to begin the integration process."
"..."
"Hiss."
After a long silence, Jiraiya instinctively made a sound, staring blankly at the young man in front of him.
"An, another infiltrator?!"
Sawara Kiri smiled: "They are indeed infiltrators now, but whether they will be in the future depends on how well they integrate into Konoha—this should also be considered my small pilot project."
"Where's the list?"
Orochimaru immediately grasped the key point.
"It's on the table." Sawara Kiri pointed to the papers on the desk.
Only then did Jiraiya notice that several pages of documents had already been placed in front of him. He hadn't had time to pay attention to them since receiving the visual shock upon entering the room. As he lowered his head, several names immediately appeared in his eyes.
Zabuza, Hozuki Mangetsu, Mei Terumī.
Below them were the corresponding school rosters.
You're really too lazy to even change them, aren't you?!
However, when Jiraiya opened the files of these individuals, he discovered that while these children's Ninja Academy scores were mediocre, the encrypted strength evaluations in the appended reports had already reached the level of Genin or even Chunin.
Among them, the child named Mei Terumī possessed two Kekkei Genkais simultaneously.
Even Jiraiya's eyes widened the moment he saw that line of text.
What genius?
This was clearly dismantling the future pillars of the Hidden Mist and moving them into their own Village!
"What do you plan to do?"
The moment he saw this file, Jiraiya's expression immediately darkened, and he gazed at the young man before him.
"First, it should be to let them try to integrate into their Konoha identity, and then, in the subsequent process, continue to increase special enrollment slots, completing the transformation between enemy and ally identities—their age should ideally be between five and seven, with a clean background being paramount, preferably orphaned, with no lingering attachments in Hidden Mist Village, and strengthening their bonds, allowing them to undergo a complete identity transformation process in Konoha."
Sawara Kiri calmly stated, "This way, even if some of them return to the Hidden Mist in the future, they probably won't be able to adapt to their identity relationships anymore."
"What if someone defects midway?" Orochimaru always prepared for the worst.
"That's unavoidable," Sawara Kiri calmly replied, "The only question is whether their destination after defecting is the Hidden Mist or somewhere else. In this process, our guidance and bond cultivation are the most crucial links."
"As for the impact on the Hidden Mist, that will be handled by Yagura Karatachi and me."
"Soon, he should be promoted to the position of Fourth Mizukage."
...
Upon hearing this, everyone present fell into silence once again, looking at him with gazes as if he were a monster.
What kind of undercover agent and counter-undercover agent was this?
Not only was the person being turned a Jinchuriki, but now he was about to be promoted to Mizukage?
"What do you guarantee Yagura Karatachi's loyalty to you with?" Orochimaru was still uneasy; this plan was so bold that even he found it too radical.
However, Sawara Kiri's answer was quite simple and unadorned.
"Strength."
"I told him that the future of the Hidden Mist has only two possibilities: either be annihilated by me in war, or integrate into Konoha through peaceful means and become a part of it. There is no third option."
At this, everyone present had no objections.
Because Sawara Kiri could truly achieve the first point.
Not only could the Hidden Mist not stop him, but no Ninja Village in this world could either.
Violence is the sharp edge of power.
As Ninja, they understood this principle all too well.
Orochimaru smiled lightly after Sawara Kiri's decisive statement, and said calmly:
"I have no more questions."
Did he really have those previous doubts?
Not really.
He just needed Sawara Kiri's statement.
Sawara Kiri evidently understood this and nodded slightly towards him.
After this minor issue was resolved, the conversation naturally transitioned to the next topic.
"How far along is the construction of the Human Order Continuation Assurance Organization?"
Tsunade turned her head and looked in Orochimaru's direction.
Ever since they returned from Roran, this mission had become Konoha's top priority.
The reason was simple.
Sawara Kiri's safety was Konoha's first priority now; Konoha could lose countless Sannin, because countless successors would rise to fill their places, but it absolutely could not lose him, its pillar of stability.
Just as Senju Hashirama was to Konoha in the past.
They had all witnessed what happened in the Ninja World after the First Hokage's death.
Orochimaru picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "All channels have been opened, but because building 'Chaldea' on the border of the Land of Fire is too dangerous, I planned a completely new Chakra extraction channel, directly extracting Ryumakyu energy from Roran through the God Tree Seed to refine it into Chakra, and then transmitting it back to Konoha."
"The entire project is being carried out by Ninja, so construction is very fast, and the Chakra reception barrier in the Village has also been completed."
"The real difficulty now is how to open up observation routes from the present to the future through the God Tree Seed."
The subsequent topics were largely unrelated to Sawara Kiri, revolving entirely around the construction of 'Chaldea' and the 'Near-Future Lens,' with countless difficulties in between.
However, Sawara Kiri trusted Orochimaru.
He was the true BUG of this world.
By the time the small meeting concluded, it was already evening.
Tsunade and Sawara Kiri walked out of the Hokage Building side by side.
As soon as they exited the main gate, Tsunade let out a long, weary stretch, laboriously raising her hands as if to reach the sky.
From the side, her voluptuous and graceful curves became even more pronounced. In the slightly muggy summer evening, delicate sweat seemed to cling her rather loose haori to her body, outlining a trembling curve under the lingering sunset glow.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, Tsunade complained irritably:
"Honestly."
"It's all your fault, you damn brat. I was going to gamble a bit; I've had a 'definitely going to win money' feeling since this morning."
"Now look, it's all ruined."
"Yes, yes."
Sawara Kiri responded with a somewhat helpless tone, "As compensation, I'll treat Tsunade to drinks tonight."
"That's more like it! You're not so bad, kid!"
Tsunade casually hooked one arm over his shoulder, patting him on the back like a good buddy, as the two strolled along the evening street.
With the war over, various merchants had returned to Konoha Village, and the streets and alleys were filled with lively shouts and bustling pedestrians.
Ninja Academy students, just released from school, bounced and darted across streets and rooftops, accompanied by a string of playful noises.
Everything within sight was such an ordinary and mundane prosperity.
Tsunade turned her face to look at the young man beside her, who had already grown a head taller than her, and a sudden sense of emotion welled up in her heart.
If Kiri hadn't been here, what would Konoha be like now?
The Third Raikage, who became the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, the Third Kazekage, who fought to the death, and Ōnoki, lurking like a jackal, eyeing Konoha's back...
Could they truly have won the Second Shinobi World War?
Would the ordinary scenes they saw before them still remain in this Village left behind by her grandfather?
When people are idle, they tend to overthink. These thoughts are traceable yet fantastical, always appearing in their minds in an unexpected way.
Even Tsunade was no exception.
Almost instinctively, she recalled her pathetic, spineless appearance when she collapsed on the ground due to her hemophobia after the battle with the Third Raikage.
And the young man who appeared before her like a savior.
It was almost like a fairy tale, with a hint of unreality.
But he was right in front of her.
"Kiri?"
"I'm here."
Tsunade hooked his shoulder, somewhat lost in thought, "To you, what kind of place is Konoha?"
Sawara Kiri didn't resist her small gesture; after all, the soft, warm sensation of her body pressed against him was pleasant.
He thought for a moment and said, as if it were obvious, "It's the place that took me in when I had nowhere else to go."
"Yes."
Tsunade said softly, but then a new worry inexplicably arose.
"But you're different now, aren't you?"
"The new God of Shinobi, an unstoppable powerhouse, undeniably the strongest in the entire Ninja World, capable of going anywhere."
"Is there anything left in this Village that can tie you down?"
This worry was not unfounded.
Her invincible grandfather, his clansmen and family were all here; that was an unbreakable bond of blood and emotion.
But what did Sawara Kiri have?
He had only emerged two years ago, yet he had already defeated all opponents worldwide. She knew how long the future would be.
Her twenty-year-old self and her thirty-year-old self were two completely different people.
Even she, the Konoha Princess, at the moment she developed hemophobia, when she faced many knives from behind, couldn't help but feel the urge to leave.
What about Sawara Kiri?
Tsunade knew very well that now it wasn't Sawara Kiri who needed Konoha, but Konoha who needed Sawara Kiri.
However, upon hearing her slightly hesitant voice, Sawara Kiri suddenly stopped walking.
The sun was setting, and night gradually swallowed the sky, leaving only the streetlights and the clamor.
The residual light from the lanterns of the shops on the side illuminated their faces.
Tsunade also stopped, turning to look at him.
"Yes."
Tsunade looked at him, and deep within her heart, it was as if a delicate string, hidden in the deepest part, had been plucked.
Sawara Kiri met Tsunade's gaze, looking at her face, his voice still as calm and firm as it had been at the very beginning:
"Because in this Village, there's still Tsunade, and them."
"Whoosh—"
Sparkling fireworks rose into the night sky, illuminating a brilliant splash of color in the darkness.
Tsunade looked at him with a serene expression, utterly unlike her usual demeanor, and suddenly fell silent.
It wasn't until the fireworks at the top of the night sky fell, and the light and shadow outlined the last bright line behind them, that a subtle smile slowly appeared on her soft face, her voice almost inaudible:
"...You damn brat."
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