"Alright, kitty. I'm leaving."
After watching for a bit, Kai turned and waved lazily.
"I should go pay a visit to our… greatest Hokage."
He stepped forward, ready to leave.
Then—
Behind him, a strangely out-of-place sound rang out by the waterfall.
"Meow~"
A syrupy, overly sweet catgirl voice.
Soft.
Sticky.
Completely mismatched with the ruined, battle-scarred Valley.
"…Hm?"
Kai glanced back.
On the gravel beside the pool sat Yugito Nii—
Or rather, Matatabi controlling her body.
She was perched on a rock in an extremely awkward pose.
Water spray from the waterfall dampened her wheat-colored hair, the wet strands clinging to her smooth neck and shoulders.
Her already shredded combat suit had been torn open further, exposing broad stretches of honey-toned skin and soft curves.
She sat with her legs tucked beneath her in a duck-sit, hands planted in front, chin tilted up shyly.
Her expression was filled with fake tenderness and bashful charm.
"Lord Kai~"
"After such a tiring battle… would you like… this humble one… to help you relax a little?"
She lowered her head shyly, voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness.
Then—
She even threw him a wink.
The wind through the valley seemed to pause.
Kurama: ???
Half-submerged in the lake, his huge head had just resurfaced.
His chakra lay flattened against his skin—
But his pupils shot wide open.
What the hell is that idiot cat doing?!
I do not know her!
I absolutely refuse to know someone that stupid!
At that moment, Kurama sincerely regretted not crushing her back in the Forest of Death.
As for Kai—
His gaze rested on "Yugito" for less than half a second.
Calm.
Detached.
Like a eunuch in a brothel.
Or an eighty-year-old man watching Jinlian flirt.
Maybe both.
Or maybe simply uninterested.
Two seconds later, he'd already moved on.
A faint curve tugged at his lips.
"You're trying to seduce someone… looking like that?"
"Save it."
"I wouldn't even trust you to fire bricks properly."
"Go back and make bricks. Otherwise I'll burn you instead."
He didn't spare her another glance.
His foot stepped lightly onto Kurama's head—
Ripple.
Space distorted.
Kai vanished instantly.
Leaving Matatabi frozen in place.
The forced flirtatious smile on her face stiffened—
Then collapsed into a mixture of shock and deep embarrassment.
She could practically feel the shame roaring inside her.
"Meow… meow…?"
She licked her paw reflexively, muttering,
"…Could it be… the kid's small… so he doesn't like big ones?"
Yugito: …
Kurama: …
In the cold lake, Kurama silently sank his massive head back under the water.
Too embarrassing.
Utterly humiliating.
This stupid cat had disgraced all Tailed Beasts.
Kurama inhaled deeply and muttered,
"Trying to seduce a ten-year-old boy with Yugito's body… unbelievably foolish."
"If you ask me, someone like Hinata would match him much better."
Kai: …
Truthfully, at his age, Kai really didn't care about that stuff.
Besides—
He was still worried about hardware compatibility.
…
Back in the center of Konoha, atop the Hokage Tower—
Inside the Hokage's office—
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window, Hokage hat on his head, quietly watching outside.
He could hear the distant thunder.
Feel the overwhelming aura.
Every time a flash of red light faded, he touched the Hokage hat on his head and exhaled slightly.
The hat was still there.
That alone felt like one of the few proofs he was still Hokage.
"The fully released Nine-Tails…"
"Even Minato had to rely on the Reaper Death Seal to stop it."
"Uchiha Kai… can you really handle it?"
His voice was barely audible.
Half self-talk.
Half self-comfort.
But the moment his words fell—
A calm voice answered from behind him.
Like a ghost.
"Thank you for your concern, Third-sama."
Hiruzen's heart skipped violently.
When did he arrive?
Did the Valley battle already end?!
Damn it—
Even the Nine-Tails couldn't seriously injure this boy?
The faint hope in his eyes dimmed instantly.
He didn't turn around.
Only said quietly,
"…You came."
"Oh? You expected me, Third-sama?"
"…Yes."
Hiruzen nodded softly, then turned.
On the sofa behind him—
A slender figure in a dark-blue Uchiha clan outfit reclined casually.
As if he'd been there for quite a while.
Uchiha Kai.
Spotless.
Not a speck of dust on him.
As if neither the Forest battle nor the Valley of the End had touched him at all.
Only those calm eyes remained—
Slowly sweeping the room.
Sweeping over—
The Hokage office personnel standing on full alert.
"Someone's here!"
"Protect the Hokage!"
"Formation!"
In an instant, eight elite ANBU hidden in the shadows burst out with sharp shouts.
Like a startled Matatabi—shrill and sudden.
The moment the words fell—
Four flashes of cold steel shot forward.
Shuriken.
Kunai.
Attacking from vicious, precise angles.
Each carried killing intent.
Each wielder an elite jōnin-level operative.
This—
Was Hiruzen's final hidden card.
A surprise strike.
But facing the sudden killing intent—
Kai didn't even blink.
He simply looked at Hiruzen calmly.
Then raised a single finger—
And tapped forward lightly.
HUM—
A faint glow appeared, surrounding him.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The weapons slammed into an invisible wall.
Stopped dead.
Not an inch further.
But that was only the beginning.
The next second—
Kai flicked that same finger outward.
Three feet before him — Repulsion.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The suspended weapons rebounded instantly—
Faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
THUD—THUD—THUD!
Eight figures didn't even have time to react.
Their own weapons pierced them cleanly.
No screams.
No dramatic shouts.
Only warm crimson blood quietly flowing down—
Dripping onto the Hokage Tower's floor.
The office fell into absolute silence.
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