💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Settling into the Leaf Village was one thing. But Tsukimi Heshu soon faced a new problem.
"Heshu," Takenouchi began, kneeling down to her level. "Do you… want to go to school?"
He was leaving the choice to her.
Over their days together, with Heshu's subtle hints and not-so-subtle slips, he'd discovered the truth: she had chakra. He really, really wished she didn't.
He was a ninja himself. He knew better than anyone how brutal the life was, how grim the times were. A selfish part of him wanted her to stay a civilian. They had the shop. She could grow up, become a little landlady, live a safe, quiet life.
Of course, Heshu wanted to go to the Ninja Academy. Not going would be a complete waste of the Strategy System's faith in her.
The Ninja Academy! What better place to rack up easy goodwill points from a bunch of kids?
Heshu glanced at Takenouchi, her expression timid, as if worried he'd be angry. She nodded slowly. "I… I want to be a ninja."
Takenouchi sighed. "Why, Heshu? Why do you want to be a ninja?"
Her small hands twisted in the fabric of her skirt. She looked down, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I… I want to protect you, Uncle."
Takenouchi froze.
Outside, perched on a tree branch, Kakashi froze too.
Protect.
It was such a simple, predictable answer. And yet…
[Ding! Target: Kakashi Hatake. Affection +20!]
Heshu's face stiffened internally. Seriously? This guy was even stingier than Black Zetsu! Did he pour all his affection points into his damn Icha Icha Paradise books?!
Silence settled in the room, but it was warm, thick with unspoken emotion.
"…Alright," Takenouchi finally said, his voice rough. His hand settled gently on her head. "Then… I'll protect you too, Heshu."
His eyes were impossibly soft. She was just a child. But it was precisely because she was a child that her simple, earnest words held such weight.
Heshu finally got her wish: a chance to attend the Ninja Academy.
It took Takenouchi a full day of running around, filling out forms, signing guarantees. But he got it done.
That night, little 'Xiao Qing' slithered under Heshu's blankets. After their initial standoff, they'd reached a sort of understanding.
Under the covers, Heshu focused. Cold gathered in her palm, then split—one, two, three, four, five streams.
Bzzt. Pop!
A faint crackle. Failure. The frozen time capsule remained locked.
She wasn't discouraged. She'd try again tomorrow.
Outside the window, Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. He watched the faint flicker of cold energy in her hand, his mind racing.
Under the moonlight, a shadow flickered. Gone.
Heshu sensed Kakashi's departure. She raised a brow. Not surprising.
The old saying was right: an undercover who doesn't want to be Hokage is a bad ninja.
It was time to step into the Leaf's higher-ups' line of sight. Time to cozy up to the Hokage's lineage.
If you looked at the Kage throughout history, a pattern emerged. A… convenient pattern.
The Second Hokage was the First's brother. The Third was the Second's student. The Fourth was the Third's student's student. The Fifth was the First's granddaughter. The Sixth was the Fourth's student. The Seventh was the Sixth's student… and the Fourth's son.
It was a monopoly. A family business wrapped in a village flag.
Fine. Heshu set herself a small goal.
She'd become Hokage. Just to try it out.
With the all-powerful, crowd-pleasing Strategy System on her side? Her odds were pretty good.
Buoyed by dreams of the Hokage's seat, she drifted to sleep. In her dreams, she stomped on Danzō, dangled the Sandaime by his collar, and claimed the hat for herself. She waved, and the Uchiha knelt. She waved again, and the Hyūga bowed.
The glory was infinite.
"Heh heh heh heh…"
Meanwhile. The Hokage Tower.
Kakashi knelt before the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"You have something to report?" Hiruzen asked, puffing on his pipe.
Kakashi thought of the scene he'd just witnessed. "The orphan Takenouchi adopted… Tsukimi Heshu. She shows some… unusual traits."
Hiruzen's eyes grew sharper behind the smoke. "Oh?"
"Her chakra reserves seem abnormally large for a child. And… she likely possesses a Kekkei Genkai."
Kakashi described the coalescing cold he'd seen in her palm.
"A Kekkei Genkai…" Hiruzen tapped his pipe thoughtfully. How did a child with a bloodline limit end up a war orphan on some random battlefield? If she was clean, the Leaf gained a potential genius. If not…
"Summon Ibiki and Inoichi," he commanded.
A faint ripple in the air. An Anbu was gone.
"From your days of observation," Hiruzen continued, watching Kakashi closely. "What is your impression of the child?"
He was worried about Kakashi. The deaths of Obito and Rin… they'd left deep scars. Hiruzen was curious what kind of judgment the jaded jonin would pass.
"Tsukimi Heshu possesses a maturity beyond her years," Kakashi said, head bowed. The image of the small girl vowing to protect her uncle flashed in his mind. "But she also holds a genuine resolve to protect others."
"Oh?" Hiruzen looked at him, surprised, then slowly smiled. "War orphans often mature too quickly. And a resolve to protect… that is a rare quality indeed."
His thoughts drifted to his own teacher, who had given his life protecting them, protecting the village.
"Hokage-sama."
Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi knelt before him.
Hiruzen snapped back to the present. "Tomorrow. Visit the home of Chunin Takenouchi. Examine the child's memories. Thoroughly."
He was the Hokage. He could not afford sentimentality. Even if he was starting to feel a fondness for the girl, his vigilance could not waver.
"Yes, sir." Ibiki and Inoichi exchanged a glance.
"Kakashi," Hiruzen said, noting the deep weariness in the younger man's single eye. "Once this month's assignment is over, take a few days. Rest."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kakashi's weariness was bone-deep, more spiritual than physical.
In her bed, deep in sleep, Heshu did not hear the system's chime.
[Ding! Target: Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. Affection +30!]
Morning.
Heshu expertly put on her purple qipao-style dress and black safety shorts, then headed to the living room.
Two unexpected guests were waiting.
She recognized them both. Morino Ibiki, for the second time. And a much younger Yamanaka Inoichi.
A flicker of wariness passed through her eyes. She scurried over to stand close to Takenouchi.
"Don't be scared. These uncles won't hurt you," Takenouchi reassured her, patting her head.
Heshu wasn't scared. With the System running interference, these two would find nothing. This was the final check, the last hurdle. Once they reported back, the Sandaime's suspicions would be laid to rest.
She clutched Takenouchi's sleeve, silent, perfectly playing the part of a traumatized, withdrawn war orphan.
Inoichi, far more approachable than Ibiki, took two steps forward and crouched down to her eye level.
"Little one, want to play a game?" he asked gently. He had no desire to use force on such a delicate-looking child. His clan's techniques were… invasive. One wrong move, and he could turn her into a vegetable. He'd never forgive himself.
Heshu looked at Takenouchi. He nodded. Only then did she slowly shuffle over to Inoichi.
The gesture made Inoichi's expression soften further.
Gently, his consciousness seeped into hers.
A world of crimson assaulted him.
Mountains of corpses. A sea of blood staining the earth. The sheer, visceral horror slammed into his psyche.
"Papa…"
"Mama…"
"Uwaaah…"
"Don't die…"
"Don't leave Heshu alone…"
Fragments of memory flowed past—moments of family warmth violently torn apart by the merciless grind of war.
Without realizing it, Inoichi's eyes grew wet. Tears threatened to spill.
Time lost meaning. Finally, his consciousness returned to his body.
"Well?" Ibiki asked, seeing his partner's shaken expression.
Inoichi's voice caught. "It's… it's nothing." He clapped Ibiki on the shoulder, his grip firm. "Just… be gentle."
Ibiki, guessing he'd seen something brutal, nodded. He focused, penetrating Heshu's mental landscape.
It was a void, dotted with memory shards. Idyllic family scenes juxtaposed with battlefield horrors. The stark contrast made Ibiki's hardened heart clench.
War. What the hell does it ever bring anyone?
Heshu, of course, had no idea the System had crafted an entire fake mental world for them. All she knew was that after they were done, both men looked at her with a new, unsettling mix of pity and tenderness.
"Uncle?" she asked, feigning confusion.
Inoichi reached out and ruffled her hair. "Good child."
"?"
Heshu blinked, bewildered.
Ibiki gave Takenouchi a curt nod. "We'll report back."
Heshu politely said goodbye, enduring another wave of their soul-piercing, sympathetic gazes.
Hokage Tower.
Listening to Inoichi and Ibiki's reports, Hiruzen let out a long, heavy sigh. "What a pitiful child."
"Takenouchi's companionship must mean the world to her now."
[Ding! Target: Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. Affection +40!]
Heshu, in the middle of breakfast with Takenouchi, paused. Huh? Oh. Right. Inoichi and Ibiki's handiwork. This was great—affection points without even lifting a finger!
"Heshu, eat more," Takenouchi urged, piling more food onto her plate. Her thin arms and legs stirred a protective ache in his chest. "We're going to the academy to enroll you later, okay~?"
Lately, talking to a child, Takenouchi had developed a habit of adding little suffixes and softened tones to his sentences.
God, watching this rugged man speak like that made Heshu's soul cringe.
"Mm!" Heshu nodded, her face a picture of eager anticipation.
She'd worn the safety shorts precisely because it was enrollment day. All the dresses Takenouchi bought her were short, the longest reaching her knees. This purple qipao-style one even had slits up the sides. It was mortifying.
If Kakashi hadn't been watching, she would've summoned Tobi and made him sew the damn slits shut.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!