Several days passed. Because the recent events were of such great significance, the Hidden Leaf higher-ups recalled everyone involved.
Might Duy's strength finally received the recognition it deserved. Considering the wartime needs, the village adopted special policies and promoted him to Chunin. The reason he wasn't made a Jonin immediately was that the rank required a vast amount of theoretical knowledge.
Even though Kiyoshi and Kakashi were Jonin at a young age, their foundational knowledge was incredibly solid. Much like Naruto in the future, who had to cram a massive amount of study after the Fourth Great Ninja War—coupled with his status as the world's savior—before he could jump from Genin to Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, I shall take my leave now."
Kiyoshi gave a slight smile after finishing his report and walked out of the Hokage Building. He had gained quite a bit from this mission, including a portion of the Three-Tails' chakra. Now, he possessed chakra from both the Six-Tails and the Three-Tails. The path toward collecting the remaining Tailed Beasts looked bright.
"The Pakura incident should be happening soon. Perhaps I can use that to get close to the One-Tail."
Kiyoshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Shukaku, the One-Tail, literally had only one tail, which often gave people the impression that its chakra volume was inferior to the other Tailed Beasts.
While that was technically true, Shukaku possessed its own unique ninjutsu and, more importantly, sealing techniques. Tailed Beast sealing jutsu—those were definitely worth learning and integrating into his own sealing system.
As Kiyoshi walked home, the activity inside the Hokage Building did not cease.
"Resisting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alone and even capturing three of their blades."
Homura Mitokado furrowed his brows. "Isn't this achievement a bit too dazzling?"
The village needed the Uchiha, that was true. But if a clan like the Uchiha occupied too high a position, there was no telling what would happen given their arrogant nature.
"Hmph! That brat Kiyoshi Uchiha should be made to hand those swords over to the village immediately!"
Danzō was dressed in his shinobi gear rather than his usual robes. He had just returned to the village from the Land of Rain today, only to be met with news of the Hidden Mist's attempt to unleash a Tailed Beast on the Leaf—a crisis Kiyoshi had nipped in the bud.
"That is inappropriate."
Koharu Utatane's wrinkled face shook. The blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were indeed excellent, but a weapon is only as good as its wielder.
The Leaf lacked the specific training methods for those blades, and forcibly seizing a shinobi's spoils of war would only incite resentment within the Uchiha clan. It would also dampen the morale of other shinobi participating in the war.
"The Land of Water will certainly demand them back from the Leaf."
Danzō glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi. Here, Hiruzen held the ultimate authority; the other elder consultants could only act in unison to balance his power. No single individual held more power than the sitting Hokage.
"Koharu is right. We must be cautious. For now, let the swords stay with Kiyoshi. During future international negotiations, we can simply compensate him later."
Hiruzen made his decision quickly. The matter of the swords could be seen as large or small. Once the war ended, they might be able to use the blades as bargaining chips with the Mist to increase the Leaf's gains.
As for Kiyoshi, that would be the moment for him to sacrifice for the "Will of Fire." It couldn't be helped; personal interests cannot override the interests of the village. He only hoped that Kiyoshi's "Will of Fire" could withstand the test.
His own disappointing second son, Asuma Sarutobi, had even asked him when Kiyoshi would be back, proving the two had formed some sort of [Bond].
"If only Asuma had even half of Kiyoshi's talent," Hiruzen thought to himself, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Danzō listened to the conversation. Once the meeting ended, he returned to the Root base without a word.
"Hmph. They are all weak and incompetent."
Danzō touched the bandages on the right side of his face. Initially, when he learned Hiruzen wanted to bring Kiyoshi Uchiha into the Anbu, he was resistant.
Homura and Koharu felt the same; the Anbu was the Hokage's direct subordinate force, holding much higher authority than other departments. How could they allow a member of the Uchiha clan to infiltrate such a critical place?
In Danzō's eyes, the Leaf Police Force had been established by the Second Hokage specifically to push the Uchiha away from the village's core. However, the other two had eventually compromised with Hiruzen. Danzō's solitary persistence had become meaningless.
"Koharu and Homura, like Hiruzen, still lack vision," Danzō muttered to himself.
They were all shinobi of the same generation and had known each other since childhood. During the previous two brutal wars, many of their comrades had died; it was the harshest of times.
Some people survived not because of any special talent, but simply through luck. Homura and Koharu were like that—honorary positions like "Consultant" suited them perfectly. They should be grateful for such roles. Without leaning on a powerful faction or a spokesperson, they wouldn't even be able to stand by their own opinions.
Therefore, Danzō believed none of the Leaf's higher-ups compared to him. He was the one who should have been Hokage!
"Ryōma, go handle this."
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
Aburame Ryōma emerged from the Root base, bowed, and vanished. The so-called "handling" meant suppressing the news of the Uchiha's achievements. They had done this many times before. The Uchiha's reputation had been poor in the past; even if it had improved slightly recently, many still harbored prejudices.
Logically, an elite clan with many strong shinobi should easily rise to prominence and be celebrated during wartime. It was only because the higher-ups were constantly burying and suppressing their feats that the Uchiha's arrogance remained checked.
"I need a pretext."
Danzō looked into the dim space of the Root base, contemplating a good excuse to further suppress the Uchiha. It would be best to cause internal chaos so they would be too distracted to do anything against the village.
"Fugaku Uchiha..."
Danzō recalled Fugaku's secret hoarding of hidden techniques and his guarded behavior toward the village. Perhaps he could design a situation where Fugaku was forced to use that secret technique again.
That way, Root could gain intelligence, and the Uchiha patriarch would find himself at the center of public controversy once more, naturally causing internal strife.
***
A street in the Hidden Leaf.
"Asuma, what reason should I use to ask Kiyoshi out to have some fun?"
Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi were walking together. The midday sun was intense, and there were few shadows on the street.
"Ask Kiyoshi out?"
Asuma froze for a moment. How was he supposed to answer that? He turned his head to see Kurenai's slightly flushed face and her expectant expression.
His Adam's apple bobbed, but the words were stuck in his throat, unable to surface. Just like his feelings, everything was stuck.
"Maybe try... a movie? The film industry in the small countries around the Land of Snow is quite developed; they've released several movies lately," Asuma said, his voice tinged with bitterness.
When would Kurenai ever ask what reason she should use to ask Asuma out? Would that day ever come?
"That sounds great!"
Kurenai's eyes lit up. In the sunlight, her red irises sparkled like gemstones. Although her intentions toward Kiyoshi seemed a bit obvious, this was wartime.
Every day spent alive was precious. Kiyoshi's strength was undeniable, but she wasn't that strong—she was just a genjutsu specialist. Kurenai didn't want to die one day harboring regrets about Kiyoshi.
"Then I'll go find Kiyoshi now."
Kurenai walked toward the Uchiha compound with her long, shapely legs. Asuma scratched his head and, after a brief hesitation, decided to follow. Watching a movie—well, one more person wouldn't hurt.
"Ah, wait, Asuma." Kurenai suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Asuma felt a spark of hope, thinking she might have changed her mind.
"If I'm too embarrassed to say it later, remember to help me speak up, okay? We're comrades, after all."
"...Okay."
***
As Kiyoshi was about to reach his home, he noticed a beautiful figure waiting by his door.
"Kurenai."
Kiyoshi walked over.
"I heard from Asuma that you were returning today."
Seeing Kiyoshi, Kurenai jogged over, her wavy hair lightly brushing against her cheeks with the movement.
"Yeah... I asked the old man," Asuma added, a strained smile on his bearded face.
He didn't really want to smile. Two days ago, Kurenai had come to ask if he knew about the situation on the front lines, specifically regarding the southwest of the Land of Fire. As soon as Asuma heard this, he puffed out his chest and claimed he knew everything.
A man, after all, wants to look good in front of his goddess. He had assumed Kurenai was worried about her father, Shinku, who had gone to the front lines recently.
He never expected Kurenai's next question to shatter his heart: she wanted to know when Kiyoshi was coming back. Since he had already bragged, Asuma had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask his old man about Kiyoshi's return date.
"It was just a regular mission," Kiyoshi said with a slight smile.
The original mission had indeed been a standard support task; the incident with Rin was technically a side-track. It happened so suddenly that the Leaf only found out after their report. Otherwise, with the Three-Tails involved, why would only Kakashi have been present in the original timeline?
"Did you need something?"
Kiyoshi looked at Kurenai. The white snake inside his sleeve slithered up his arm, its small head peeking out from his high collar. It flicked its tongue, observing the outside world.
Kurenai's face was flushed. She had completely lost her baby fat, her features taking on the cool, sharp beauty of a young woman. Yet, under the weight of her bashfulness, that coolness only made her more heart-stirring.
"I... I want to... ask you..."
Kurenai clasped her hands in front of her, her fingers intertwining, revealing her unsettled state of mind. She stammered for a long while, unable to get the words out, before casting an pleading look toward Asuma.