Kizaru—the golden butterfly—had only lightly stirred his wings above the Land of Rain, yet the course of the Second Shinobi World War had already been completely altered.
A war that should have dragged on for years was brought to an end in less than a month.
In the original course of events, Amegakure had fought Konoha for over a year. Here, it was crushed in a single week. Sunagakure, which should have remained locked in war with Konoha for more than two years, was nearly broken in less than a day.
The Third Kazekage died in battle.
Elder Chiyo was gravely wounded, captured, and left unconscious.
Of the more than two thousand elite Sunagakure shinobi who had entered the battlefield, not even one in ten remained.
A blow on that scale was more than enough to cripple the Land of Wind's ability to continue the war.
If not for the fact that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the Fire Daimyō were unwilling to cross certain invisible lines and had chosen to halt the offensive for the time being, then whether the Land of Wind would even still exist as a nation would have become a real question.
"That fool Hiruzen is going to regret this someday."
Back in Amegakure, Danzō's face darkened the moment he received the Third Hokage's order: halt the advance, remain in the village, and focus on recovery.
In Danzō's view, this was the perfect chance.
The Kazekage was dead. Sunagakure's strength had been shattered. Their morale, military structure, and front-line power had all collapsed at once.
This was exactly when Konoha should have pushed forward, counterattacked the Land of Wind, and wiped Sunagakure off the map in one decisive blow.
If the plan succeeded, then the Land of Fire—and Konoha with it—might have had a chance to swallow both the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind in one stroke, becoming the true and absolute hegemon of the shinobi world.
Unfortunately, the proposal had been rejected by both Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Fire Daimyō.
This was the first time since Hiruzen had become Hokage—and since Danzō had become the Hokage's advisor—that such a deep divide had opened between them.
And because of that, an old doubt rose once more in Danzō's heart.
Can a man that soft, that hesitant, really be called a qualified Hokage?
If someone like that remained in the seat much longer, Konoha would only keep missing opportunities.
At that thought, Danzō slowly turned his head and looked to his left.
Kizaru was sprawled lazily across the sofa, one leg folded over the other, casually trimming his nails with a nail clipper as though none of this had anything to do with him.
Looking at him, Danzō suddenly found himself hesitating again.
If this nephew of mine became Hokage... would he really do better than Hiruzen?
But after only a moment, Danzō's expression settled once more.
At the very least, if Kizaru were the one in power, he would not interfere with him the way Hiruzen did. He would have far more room to move.
That alone was enough.
After this war ended, he would accelerate the plan to push Kizaru toward the position of Hokage.
"Uncle," Kizaru drawled without even looking up, "if you keep staring at me like that, it's a little embarrassing, y'know."
Danzō pulled back slightly, then quietly stretched out his senses.
After confirming there was no one outside the room, he decided to test the waters.
"Kizaru," he said, his voice lower now, "if you were to become Hokage one day... what would your ideal be?"
"Hokage? An ideal?" Kizaru let out a long, troubled sigh, still holding the clipper in one hand. "How scary... what a troublesome thing to think about."
He paused for a moment, as though genuinely considering it.
"Mm... if I had to say... my ideal would probably be not becoming Hokage in the first place."
Danzō's eye twitched.
For a man who had spent his entire life chasing that seat, Kizaru's answer struck like a slap.
The thing he himself had longed for, fought for, schemed for... this brat treated it like an inconvenience.
Still, Danzō did not let the conversation end there.
Suppressing the irritation in his chest, he changed the angle instead.
"Then let me ask you this. If you were Hokage right now, how would you view this war?"
Kizaru clicked the nail clipper shut.
"War, huh..." he muttered lazily. "That kind of thing is best solved all at once. Dragging it out is just exhausting."
Danzō's gaze sharpened.
"And how would you solve it?"
Kizaru answered without the slightest urgency.
"Leave it to the right person."
Danzō's lips slowly curled upward.
Good.
That was enough for him.
His nephew truly was the most suitable candidate for Hokage.
"You would become an excellent Hokage," Danzō said, unable to hide the satisfaction in his voice.
Kizaru gave a faint smile, then lowered his head again and went back to trimming his nails.
"What a terrifying evaluation..."
Danzō let out a rare, low laugh.
His mood had improved considerably.
"I'm going out to take a look around," he said as he rose to his feet. "You should rest properly while you can."
With that, he crossed the room, slid open the wooden door, and stepped outside.
Not long after, on the outskirts of Amegakure—
In front of a small standalone house, a handsome little boy with long red hair was squatting on the ground, carefully feeding a stray puppy biscuits from his hand.
The boy's name was Nagato.
His father, Ise, and his mother, Fūsō, were both doctors in Amegakure.
(That much matched the official databook setting.)
Nagato was so focused on feeding the puppy that he didn't notice someone approaching from the side at all.
"Ohh... how cute."
A dragged-out, strangely casual voice drifted over from the left.
Nagato jolted in surprise.
The biscuit slipped from his fingers and dropped to the ground.
The little puppy immediately darted in front of him. Whether it was trying to protect Nagato or simply angry that someone had interrupted its snack, it bared its tiny teeth and let out a low, warning growl at the newcomer.
"Ooh... scary."
Kizaru stood there with his usual careless expression, speaking in that unbothered, almost teasing tone of his.
Then he lowered his gaze and smiled at Nagato, who was staring back at him with obvious nervousness.
Kizaru had only come out for a walk after lunch.
He really hadn't expected to run into such an interesting little surprise.
"So, kid," he said, crouching down like some suspiciously friendly uncle, "what's your name?"
As he spoke, he lightly patted the puppy blocking the way, gently nudging it aside.
"N-Nagato..."
Being stared at by such a tall man with that unreadable smile made Nagato instinctively tense up. Even as he answered, he kept glancing worriedly at the puppy Kizaru had patted away.
So it really is Nagato... the future leader of Akatsuki.
The smile on Kizaru's face deepened slightly.
Without changing expression, he quietly spread out his Observation Haki, checking the area for any White Zetsu surveillance.
His progress had already reached seventy-two percent, and with his current mastery of Observation Haki, Kizaru quickly picked up several unfamiliar chakra signatures deep underground not far away.
White Zetsu, huh...
Interesting.
But outwardly, he only kept smiling in that same lazy, harmless-looking way.
"Nagato," he said, voice light, "that's a nice name."
Then he tapped his chest with one thumb.
"My name's Shimura Kizaru. I'm a shinobi from Konoha."
A shinobi from Konoha...
Nagato had heard that name more than once over the past few days while listening to his parents speak in hushed voices at home.
There had been fear in those conversations.
And awe.
So now, looking at the strange man in front of him, Nagato felt both nervous and curious.
Kizaru tilted his head slightly.
"Are you home alone, Nagato?"
Looking at this still-young Nagato—long before he would ever become an orphan—Kizaru quietly made a decision.
"I..."
Nagato had already started to nod before suddenly remembering what his parents had told him before.
He quickly corrected himself.
"No! My mom and dad are home."
Kizaru almost laughed.
That awkward little cover-up was so obvious it looped right back around to being cute.
"Ohh... is that so?"
Before he could continue—
"Nagato!"
A woman's voice rang out from the distance, filled with alarm.
It cut Kizaru off mid-sentence.
Fūsō had just finished assisting her husband with a medical task that morning and had been on her way home to prepare lunch for her family. But the moment she saw her son standing together with Konoha's golden flash, her face changed, and she ran over in panic.
"Mom!"
The moment he heard her voice, Nagato's whole expression brightened.
He immediately rushed past Kizaru and threw himself into her arms.
Fūsō pulled him close at once, shielding him behind her as she looked up at Kizaru with obvious caution in her eyes.
Kizaru rose to his feet as well and turned toward her.
Like Nagato, Fūsō also had long red hair.
As one of the scattered remnants of the Uzumaki clan, she could not help but feel tense the moment she faced him.
She was afraid Kizaru might see through her identity.
And if he did, then whether for herself or for her child... that would bring nothing but trouble.
"Now, now... there's no need to be so nervous, Nagato's mother. I was only out for a walk and happened to pass by."
Kizaru stayed where he was as he spoke, making no move to approach the mother and son any further. His tone remained light, his smile as relaxed as ever.
Hearing that, Fūsō calmed down a little, but the caution in her eyes did not disappear.
She lowered her head slightly and spoke with careful respect.
"Kizaru-sama... this child didn't do anything to offend you, did he?"
"Ooh... what a frightening question."
Kizaru let out a soft laugh, clearly trying to ease the tension, but Fūsō only seemed to grow more nervous at the sound of it.
Seeing that, he added with a smile, "Don't worry. This child is very well-behaved. I like him quite a bit."
Fūsō did not look reassured.
If anything, Kizaru's praise only made her even more guarded.
Her hands tightened protectively around Nagato as she forced out a polite smile.
"You're too kind. Nagato is just an ordinary child."
There was a clear note of distance in her voice, but Kizaru pretended not to notice.
Instead, he went straight to the point.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you, madam. Would it be convenient for us to speak alone?"
Fūsō's heart clenched.
A flicker of panic flashed through her eyes, but the warmth of the child in her arms steadied her. She quickly forced herself to calm down, and when she looked up again, her gaze had become firmer.
"...Please come inside, Kizaru-sama."
Protected behind his mother, Nagato had already realized that something was wrong.
He turned his head and stole a look at Kizaru, his eyes filled with unease and fear.
Fūsō took Nagato by the hand and led him inside, with Kizaru following behind her.
Once they entered the house, the gentle motherly softness she usually wore seemed to fade for a moment.
Even though Nagato clearly did not want to leave, she still firmly sent him back to his bedroom.
After closing the door behind him, she locked it, then returned with an apologetic expression and invited Kizaru to sit in the living room while she went to prepare tea.
A short while later, Fūsō came back carrying a tray.
She set down a cup of hot tea and a plate of pastries in front of Kizaru before sitting on the sofa to his left.
Even then, she still looked nervous.
"Golden—"
"Just call me Kizaru."
Kizaru cut her off with an easy smile.
Fūsō immediately corrected herself.
"Kizaru-sama... may I ask what it is you want from me?"
As she spoke, her hands resting between her knees quietly tightened together.
Kizaru looked at her for a moment, then decided not to waste time circling around it.
"Madam... if I'm not mistaken, you're a member of the Uzumaki clan from Uzushiogakure."
The moment those words left his mouth, Fūsō's breathing visibly changed.
Her body tensed, and the color in her face shifted slightly.
"Now, now... no need to be so nervous, madam. I don't mean you any harm."
Kizaru's voice remained as casual as before, but for Fūsō, there was no way to stay calm after being identified so directly.
In the end, she had no choice but to believe him for the time being.
She gave a small nod, then hurriedly said, "I'm only an ordinary civilian from the Land of Whirlpools. I've never learned any sealing techniques."
Kizaru shook his head lightly.
"You misunderstand me, madam."
He paused, then smiled again.
"I brought it up because of your safety."
"My... safety?"
Fūsō looked at him in confusion, clearly not understanding what he meant.
"As far as I know, Kumogakure has already begun searching across the shinobi world for rare bloodlines and secret jutsu. The Land of Rain may become one of their targets as well."
Kizaru could not reveal the real truth directly, so he casually shifted the explanation onto Kumogakure instead.
In any case, it was the sort of thing they would do sooner or later.
Hearing that, Fūsō's expression grew uneasy.
She lowered her head, gently biting her lip as worry crept into her eyes.
After a long moment of hesitation, she finally raised her head again.
"Kizaru-sama... what exactly are you saying?"
Kizaru met her gaze and answered with a calm smile.
"Surely you don't want either yourself or your child to be placed in danger one day."
Fūsō stared at him for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, her voice rising with helpless urgency.
"Kizaru-sama... are you saying you're willing to help us?"
Kizaru nodded.
"That's right."
Then, without dragging things out, he revealed his real purpose.
"There is currently a direct descendant of the Uzumaki clan living in Konoha. I believe she would be very willing to meet surviving members of her clan."
He deliberately revealed just enough to reassure her.
Fūsō's eyes shifted with surprise.
"And who might that be?"
She had left Uzushiogakure too early and had long since lost track of many things connected to her homeland.
Kizaru answered simply.
"Uzumaki Kushina."
The moment she heard that name, Fūsō's brows twitched slightly.
It was familiar.
After thinking for a few seconds, she finally remembered.
"Kushina-san... is in Konoha?"
"Yes."
Kizaru gave the answer with the same unhurried smile.
Now that she knew another Uzumaki lived in Konoha—and with the threat of Kumogakure hanging over the conversation—Fūsō was clearly moved.
Still, something this important was not a decision she could make on her own in a matter of moments.
After a brief silence, she lowered her head apologetically.
"I'm very sorry, Kizaru-sama... could you give me a little time to think about it? I would like to discuss it with my husband first."
"Of course."
Kizaru agreed so easily that Fūsō visibly relaxed.
The pressure in her shoulders lessened, and some of the tension in her face finally faded.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Kizaru-sama."
She rose to her feet and bowed sincerely.
Then, after a small pause, she added, "If you do not mind... I would like to invite you to stay for lunch."
Kizaru had technically already eaten.
But for a man like him, one more meal was hardly worth mentioning.
"Then I'll gladly accept."
Once the serious part of the conversation was over, he leaned back into the sofa again and answered with an easy smile.
"Please wait just a moment."
With that, Fūsō excused herself and left the living room.
After stepping out, the first place she went was Nagato's bedroom.
She opened the door, and almost immediately Nagato—who had clearly been pressing himself against it, trying to listen in—looked up at her with worry.
"Mom... are you okay?"
Fūsō smiled and gently shook her head.
"Kizaru-sama is a good person. You don't need to worry."
Hearing his mother say that, Nagato visibly relaxed.
At once, curiosity replaced part of the fear in his eyes, and he peeked past her toward the living room.
Fūsō looked at him softly.
"Go keep Kizaru-sama company for a while. And remember to be polite, Nagato."
She wanted Nagato to build at least some connection with Kizaru.
If nothing else, perhaps that would help her son in the future.
Nagato gave a timid nod.
"Yes."
"That's a good boy."
Fūsō gently patted his shoulder and led him toward the living room.
After leaving Nagato there with Kizaru, she headed to the kitchen to prepare a proper lunch—one generous enough to deepen the goodwill between both sides.
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