As Inori slipped quietly out of my bedroom, closing the door softly behind her, I finally pushed the heavy morning quilt aside.
The cool air brushed against my skin as I stood up from the mattress, my mind already calculating the next steps of my plan. I walked over to the wooden closet, reached inside, and quickly dressed for the day.
I pulled on my standard shinobi gear before draping the pristine white Hokage cloak over my shoulders.
Just down the hallway, the scene I had orchestrated was playing out exactly as expected.
Inori opened the door to the guest room where she and Sarada had been staying.
She stepped inside quietly, but the soft click of the latch stirred her teammate. Sarada shifted under the blankets, rubbing the sleep from her dark eyes before sitting up.
She blinked, her glasses slightly askew, noticing her friend was already fully dressed and slightly flushed.
"Inori?" Sarada mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "Where were you all night? I woke up a few times and your bed was empty."
A small, serene smile formed on Inori's lips.
The layers of hypnosis that I had placed on her mind worked flawlessly, smoothing out any panic.
Her glazed teal eyes showed absolute conviction. "I was with the Hokage," Inori answered, her voice completely calm.
"He was kind enough to help me with some special training the whole night. I just finished."
Sarada sighed, shaking her head as she pushed the covers off.
"You always push yourself too hard. But learning directly from the Hokage is an opportunity you can not pass up. Just make sure you do not collapse from exhaustion today."
"I feel perfectly fine, Sarada," Inori replied with unquestioning loyalty echoing in her tone.
Back in the master bedroom, I adjusted the collar of my cloak with a satisfied smirk.
Closing my eyes for a fraction of a second, I drew in a tiny sliver of natural energy. The heightened awareness of Sage Mode instantly flooded my system, allowing my perception to expand outward and catch the exact murmurs of their conversation through the walls.
The Yamanaka heiress was playing her role seamlessly.
Releasing the natural energy, I stepped out of my bedroom just as the door to the guest room opened. Sarada and Inori stepped out into the corridor together.
Sarada paused, instantly straightening her posture. "Good morning, Lord Hokage," she greeted respectfully.
"Good morning, Sarada," I replied with a perfectly crafted authoritative smile, shifting my gaze to the blonde beside her.
"And good morning to you, Inori. I trust you are not too exhausted from our intense session last night?"
Inori met my eyes, a subtle flush of deep devotion coloring her cheeks.
"Not at all, Lord Hokage. I am ready for whatever comes next."
Sarada simply nodded, adjusting her red glasses. "We should probably head down. Kushina-san said breakfast would be ready soon."
As we reached the bottom of the wooden staircase, a sudden burst of energy interrupted the quiet tension. Himawari came rushing out from the adjacent hallway.
My daughter bounded forward with her usual cheerful momentum, completely oblivious to the dark web of control I was slowly weaving.
She stood before us as a striking blend of her parents' features.
Her dark blue hair was cut into a short bob with a playful cowlick, her bright blue eyes beaming with untainted innocence.
Two distinct whisker marks framed her fair cheeks. Wearing a bright yellow sweater over a blue shirt, paired with a layered pink skirt and long black stockings, her energetic frame was a stark contrast to my heavy, calculating atmosphere.
"Good morning, Dad!" she chimed happily, throwing her arms around my waist in a tight hug.
I immediately softened my expression, slipping easily into the role of the loving father.
"Good morning, Hima," I replied, ruffling her soft dark hair. "You are up early today.
Himawari smiled widely, turning to greet her teammates before enthusiastically grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the kitchen.
I let my daughter lead the way, my gaze narrowing slightly. The real test of the morning was about to begin.
I stepped through the archway into the warm kitchen, surrounded by the rich scent of miso soup and grilled fish.
Kushina stood by the stove. Her long scarlet hair was tied back loosely, but the moment she heard my footsteps, her posture went completely rigid.
She turned around slowly, holding a wooden ladle. Her deep violet eyes met mine, and a sudden, fierce blush exploded across her fair cheeks, traveling down her neck.
The memory of the towering, rigid beast she had uncovered in my bedroom clearly played on a loop in her mind.
Her gaze darted downward for a fraction of a second to check the front of my shinobi trousers before snapping back up to my face in sheer panic.
"Ah, Naruto," she stammered slightly. "Good morning. Sit down, the food is ready."
"Thank you, Mom," I replied smoothly, sitting at the head of the wooden table.
I kept my voice deep and composed, thoroughly enjoying the flustered energy radiating from her mature frame.
The girls took their seats around the table. Kushina brought the final plates over, her hands trembling slightly as she set a bowl of soup in front of me.
As she leaned in, bringing her shapely curves closer to my space, I subtly shifted my leg under the table, allowing my knee to lightly brush against her thigh.
Kushina gasped softly, nearly dropping the wooden tray. She quickly took a step back, her chest heaving as she avoided my eyes and hurried to her own seat at the opposite end.
"I am so excited for our dispatch," Himawari chirped, happily chewing on her food. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"But there is still one huge problem, Dad. Since you formed this new three-girl squad, you still haven't assigned us an official Jonin leader."
Grouping these three together had been a highly calculated move.
Ever since Himawari mysteriously arrived in this timeline through a time loop following the Fourth Shinobi War, the entire board had changed. There was no Boruto in this reality.
Using my absolute authority as Hokage, I had personally put a team of three of them into a single team.
Sarada nodded seriously. "She is right, Lord Seventh. Delivering a high-level diplomatic scroll to the Hidden Sand Village requires an experienced leader to guide us through the harsh desert terrain."
Himawari suddenly set her chopsticks down, leaning across the table with a pleading look.
"Dad, why don't you come with us as our sensei? Please? You know the Sand Village better than anyone, and you haven't been out on the field with me at all since I got pulled into this timeline!
"Himawari, he is the Hokage," Sarada interrupted, her jaw dropping slightly.
"He has an entire village to run. He can not just drop his duties for an escort mission."
"But it is an official diplomatic trip!" Himawari argued back, turning her earnest eyes toward me.
"The Sand Village would be incredibly honored to host the Hokage himself. Plus, it would give us a chance to train together. Come on, Dad, please say yes!"
Inori sat quietly beside them, her glazed teal eyes blinking in silent, hypnotic compliance as she waited for my verdict.
Across the table, Kushina stopped stirring her soup.
Her violet eyes were wide with a complex flash of emotion, visibly relieved by the idea of me leaving the house to give her desperate mind a chance to recover, yet her flustered gaze remained glued to my face.
I took a slow sip of my green tea, letting the silence stretch as a dark, calculating smirk formed in my mind.
'Actually, this works out perfectly,' I thought, my internal monologue running cold and precise.
'If I leave the village with them, I will have total, unrestricted access. On a long journey through the isolated desert roads, far away from the village walls, I can easily do whatever I want with Sarada and my daughter. There will be no interference from my mother at home, and absolutely no eyes from her father, Sasuke, out in the field. They will be completely mine.'
I set my teacup down with a soft, deliberate click, putting on a warm, indulgent smile for the girls.
"You make some very fair points, Himawari," I said, my voice rich with authoritative calm.
"A important mission like this does require maximum security.
I will leave a Shadow Clone to handle the paperwork here in the office, and the clone can also oversee some specific matters in the Yamanaka clan while I am away. For this mission, I will personally act as your team's sensei."
"Yes!" Himawari cheered, pumping her fist in the air.
Sarada looked completely stunned, a vibrant flush of awe crossing her face.
"Thank you, Lord Seventh. We will not let you down."
I glanced across the table one last time, locking eyes with Kushina.
My mother let out a shaky, trembling breath, her chest heaving slightly beneath her apron.
She realized she would be left alone with her racing thoughts, completely unaware that the trap was steadily closing around her and everyone she cared about.
Breakfast concluded quickly after my announcement.
The girls were buzzing with excitement, their minds entirely focused on the upcoming journey to the Sand Village.
I finished the last drop of my green tea and stood up from the wooden chair, instantly commanding the attention of the room.
"Alright, you three," I said, my voice slipping back into the formal, commanding tone of the Hokage.
"The journey through the desert will be grueling. Since the official departure is set for exactly seven days from now, you have a full week to gather your supplies, pack your gear, and physically prepare yourselves.
We will meet at the main village gates next Wednesday at dawn. Use this time wisely."
"Yes, Lord Seventh!" Sarada and Himawari chimed together in unison.
Inori simply bowed her head, her soft, compliant voice perfectly buried under the overlapping cheers of her teammates
I turned toward the sink where Kushina was aggressively scrubbing a plate that was already clean.
"Thank you for breakfast, Mom. I will be at the office preparing the diplomatic scrolls and finalizing the mission details. I might be home late tonight."
Kushina flinched slightly at the sound of my voice. She nodded stiffly without turning around, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the sponge. "Have a good day at work, Naruto."
Leaving the thick tension of the kitchen behind, I walked through the hallway, opened the front door, and stepped out into the bright morning sunlight of the Leaf Village.
The bustling sounds of civilians and merchants filled the air. They went about their daily lives completely oblivious to the dark web of control expanding right beneath their noses.
As I walked down the busy streets toward the Hokage monument, my mind began mapping out the schedule for the week.
Setting the mission departure seven days from now was a deliberate and calculated move. It gave me an entire week in the village to properly set the stage for Ino Yamanaka's downfall, push my mother's fragile psyche even closer to the breaking point, and prepare the Shadow Clone that would handle the village affairs while I took the girls into the desert.
But before I locked myself in the office to deal with the official paperwork, there was one specific detour I needed to make.
A dark, predatory smirk curled on my lips as I changed my trajectory, veering off the main road and heading toward the high-security underground detention facility located just behind the ANBU headquarters.
It had been a few days since I last visited the deepest, most isolated cell of that prison. Locked away in complete darkness, bound heavily by specialized chakra-suppressing seals, was the former angel of the Akatsuki.
Keeping her alive and hidden from the rest of the world was a heavily guarded secret, one that only the Hokage had access to.
She had been sitting alone in the cold silence, letting the isolation slowly chip away at her defenses.
'I should pay the beautiful prisoner Konan a visit before my schedule gets too crowded,' I thought, my boots echoing softly against the stone pavement as I descended into the cold, damp underground corridors of the prison.
'She has been left alone in the dark long enough to let her thoughts fester. It is definitely time we had a deep, intimate heart-to-heart... or maybe, a body-to-body talk.'
AN: .com/Ark_C69
The heavy iron doors of the high-security block loomed ahead in the dim torchlight. The ANBU guards immediately bowed respectfully and stepped aside as I approached.
As the heavy mechanical locks clicked open, I could already picture the look of desperate, crumbling defiance on her beautiful face.