The
Daimyō
wasn't an idiot.
...Even if
Nara Kazuki
still thought he was.
The two ideas weren't mutually exclusive.
Sure, maybe in some ways, the Daimyō was clever—after all, he not only identified the woman's true identity but even
used her
to deliver false intel to Konoha.
But he still hadn't given up on the fantasy of seizing total
military and political power
, and for that alone, Kazuki considered him a moron.
Maybe he'd never heard the saying
"political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
The Daimyōs of the past might've had sway in the chaotic Warring States era—hiring ninja for missions and throwing around money—but now?
Now even Genin bore the insignia of great
hidden villages
. The Daimyō's influence was steadily being sidelined. That desperation was showing.
But what did that have to do with
ANBU
?
Nothing.
At least,
not yet
.
Frankly, the more you knew, the more likely you were to get dragged into the
Root
division. And Kazuki had no intention of ending up in
Shimura Danzō's
sights any earlier than necessary.
That man was a walking shadow government. And cold-blooded to his core.
"Stack the sphere!"
Kazuki clenched his fists and threw out another
Shadow Clone
, who immediately began layering
Great Fireball Techniques
.
His current Great Fireball no longer burned the classic deep orange—it was
pure white
. And Kazuki was curious how much hotter it could go.
So far, recorded flame temperatures topped out around 5,000 degrees Celsius. But that didn't include explosive ordinance or chakra-enhanced jutsu.
Would his Great Fireball eventually hit
nuclear detonation
levels?
Now that would be fun.
Which meant...
more training.
Back in Konoha, Fox submitted the mission report and handed over the intel they'd retrieved from
Ozawa Sora
.
Kazuki was granted a single day off.
"Only a day? What is this, sweatshop labor?" he muttered, disappointed. He had planned to spend a good few days just stacking more chakra into his jutsu.
"During wartime, it was the same," Kakashi replied quietly, holding two bouquets.
Kazuki knew what that meant.
Obito
and
Rin
.
He didn't join Kakashi—because knowing Obito, that guy might be hiding in a bush nearby
spying
on Kakashi's mourning.
Obito, now masquerading as
Uchiha Madara
, had a habit of eavesdropping on emotional moments.
If the world of shinobi had stricter laws, Obito would've been arrested for
Peeping Tom offenses
a dozen times already.
...Speaking of which—
"Is that... Jiraiya-sama?"
Kazuki raised a brow at the infamous
Konoha hot spring
, where a certain
white-haired pervert
was crouched in the bushes.
Too bad it wasn't a white-haired beauty.
"Shh! Kazuki, my boy—get over here!"
Jiraiya waved him over with a gleam in his eye.
Kazuki sighed and hesitated... then walked over anyway.
He didn't know why
Jiraiya
was back in the village, but it was a
good sign
.
Once he saw
Minato
and
Kushina
, he'd learn about the pregnancy. Minato would ask for his help. And Jiraiya would likely stay.
"That one's got curves for days," Jiraiya whispered gleefully.
Kazuki exhaled sharply.
But if he wanted to maintain his "bond" with Jiraiya, he had to
play along
.
Yes, he was only doing it to build rapport.
Really.
"Ahhh! Perverts!"
Seconds later, they were spotted. Buckets and shampoo bottles flew at them.
Jiraiya grabbed Kazuki and bolted. Kazuki matched his speed easily—thank you,
Might Guy's training
regimen.
"Haha! Not bad, huh, Kazuki?"
Jiraiya threw an arm around his shoulders, grinning wide.
"Too exciting. Also... highly illegal," Kazuki replied, deadpan.
In truth, Jiraiya still had
some
sense of decency. Most of the time, they only glimpsed towel-clad silhouettes.
Nothing blush-worthy.
And even if they had? Kazuki wouldn't be impressed.
He'd seen far more
imaginative content
back in his previous life. The shinobi world didn't hold a candle to modern... visual media.
"Jiraiya-sama..." Kazuki tried to ask why he'd returned.
"Stop with the -sama! Call me
brother
!"
Jiraiya grinned again, slapping him on the back.
Kazuki twitched.
Was he... serious?
He'd assumed that was just drunken banter last time.
But Jiraiya was fully committed. So Kazuki inhaled deeply, then forced it out:
"Alright... Jiraiya...
brother
."
The words felt
wrong
.
This man could practically be his uncle.
But Jiraiya didn't notice. His tone turned serious.
"Kazuki, I'm here to talk...
plot
."
Apparently, he'd been developing a new book. He'd had a general idea for a while, but only recently hammered out a proper outline.
And after hearing Kazuki's earlier wild ideas—school gateboy romance, ninja widows, scandalous kunoichi teachers—he'd decided Kazuki had real talent.
He had to collaborate.
And so he'd come back to Konoha
in secret
, sneaking past the barrier team.
But don't worry—he left
notes
about the security flaws for Minato to read later.
"I think your idea about the widow character is solid," Jiraiya murmured conspiratorially, dragging Kazuki into a brainstorming session. "But her motivations need more depth—maybe—"
From a distance,
Minato Namikaze
approached with a basket of home-cooked food, intending to invite Kakashi and Kazuki over.
But then he overheard his teacher whispering about
sultry widows
and
steamy plot twists
...
His face turned beet red.
What the hell happened to my sensei?!