Uchiha Itachi was about to be promoted.
Soon, he would become one of the four Anbu captains.
On its own, that was excellent news.
It became more complicated when paired with the other announcement: Hyuga Hiashi would assume the position of Deputy Captain of the Police Force.
This was the decisive step in the village's reform of the police force. The Uchiha would retain formal leadership, while the village gradually opened other departments, including Anbu, to Uchiha members.
Fugaku sat in seiza in a quiet Japanese-style room, eyes closed in thought.
He held no particular hostility toward the Hyuga. The Byakugan was undeniably practical, superb for reconnaissance, and supported by a complete and disciplined combat system. Their strength was respectable.
But that was all.
In Fugaku's mind, it could not compare to the Sharingan.
If he had truly viewed the Hyuga as equals, he would never have believed, as he once did, that seizing control of the village leadership could produce a bloodless revolution. That arrogance had always been rooted in the Uchiha's confidence in their own superiority.
So Hiashi's appointment did not trouble him because of Hyuga ambition.
It troubled him because of optics.
Would the Clan see this as excessive compromise?
Would they believe the Uchiha had surrendered too much pride?
"Father," Itachi said quietly.
He sat opposite Fugaku in perfect posture, head slightly lowered.
"Captain Roshi has returned from leave. He is currently handling affairs in the Hokage Office."
Fugaku's eyelids twitched.
Then he slowly opened his eyes.
"…I see," he murmured after a pause.
So he's back.
That single piece of information settled the wavering balance in Fugaku's mind.
The Deputy Captain of the Police Force sounded impressive, but in practice, Hiashi would still operate beneath him. Meanwhile, an Anbu Captain wielded real authority. One more step beyond that position led directly toward Anbu Commander, an influence that extended far beyond clan politics.
Measured against that future…
This concession was acceptable.
A little wounded pride meant nothing compared to the power Itachi was gaining or the expanded path opening before the Clan.
Just as Fugaku reached his conclusion, the sliding door burst open with a sharp whoosh, letting in a gust of air and a small whirlwind of energy.
A child rushed inside.
Uchiha Sasuke's face shone with unrestrained excitement as he skidded to a stop in front of Itachi.
"Nii-san, listen!" he exclaimed, grabbing Itachi's sleeve. "I can enter the Ninja Academy this year! I'm going to become a great ninja just like you!"
Itachi's expression softened instantly.
"In two months, right?" he asked gently.
"Yes!" Sasuke nodded hard enough to shake his hair loose. He looked eagerly toward Fugaku, then back at Itachi. "Father said he'll go with me. Nii-san, will you come too?"
Itachi hesitated, just for a breath.
Then he saw the hope in Sasuke's eyes and smiled.
"Of course," he said. "I'll request leave from Hokage-sama."
For a moment, politics, reform, and power all faded into the background.
The room held only a father, an elder brother, and a boy taking his first step toward the future.
—
Hokage Office
"So Naruto's enrolling, huh?"
"Yeah. The Old Man's been spending more time with him this year."
Preparing the nutrient solution hadn't taken Tsunade long.
She grumbled about how troublesome it was, but within a few days she'd already produced a preliminary result. The preserved branch now floated inside a pale green liquid within a constant-temperature chamber in the corner of the office, faint threads of vitality slowly returning to it.
What followed would be a long period of careful nurturing. Roshi wouldn't attempt replanting until the branch recovered enough life to survive on its own.
And when that time came, he would inevitably need Tsunade's help again.
So he simply decided to stay in the Hokage Office for the time being, paying for her "technical services" with honest administrative labor.
"For Naruto's teacher," Tsunade said, flipping through a file, "the old man favors Iruka Umino."
Roshi saw no issue with that. The original trajectory had already proven that path worked. There was no reason to change a system that produced results.
Iruka not yet passing the Academy's formal hiring process wasn't a serious problem. As a Chunin, his skill set was balanced. He wasn't exceptional, but he had no glaring weaknesses either.
His lack of real combat experience didn't matter much when the students were six-year-olds.
"Since you're planning to bury yourself in research again this year," Tsunade continued, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk, "and clearly have no interest in field missions… why don't you spend some time at the Academy?"
"The Ninja Academy?"
"You know Naruto's situation. Having someone keep an eye on him is insurance."
"…Alright." Watching the future savior cause chaos might actually be a refreshing break from endless experiments. "What role am I supposed to play?"
Academy teachers were notoriously overworked. Homeroom instructors handled nearly everything themselves. With Iruka already assigned to Naruto's class, Roshi obviously couldn't just step in as another teacher.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Didn't you say before that Ninja education should eventually emphasize teamwork and tactical thinking more?"
She tapped her chin, thinking.
"Fine. You'll go as a teaching reform researcher. No direct teaching. You observe. Evaluate the current system. Report the flaws."
She slapped the desk lightly.
"Decision made. And don't think this is ceremonial work. I want a full written analysis when you're done."
Roshi rubbed his temples.
More work.
Every pit he fell into now had been dug by his own mouth months ago.
Just a few more years, he told himself. Naruto had enrolled. That meant the timeline toward world-saving events was officially ticking forward.
If his research failed to produce breakthroughs and he ultimately had to rely on Ashura's reincarnation as a backup plan… then retirement might not actually be that far away.
While Roshi stared into the distant future, Tsunade mirrored the posture behind her desk, chin in hand, eyes carrying the same exhausted hope.
"The Uchiha issue is stabilizing," she muttered. "Give it another two years and I might finally retire."
"Kakashi hasn't accumulated enough political experience yet," Roshi reminded her calmly.
As things stood, there was no better successor candidate.
Which meant she wasn't going anywhere soon.
Tsunade waved dismissively.
"Then the Old Man can come back and babysit the transition. He should be grateful I cleaned up the Uchiha mess."
She leaned back in her chair.
"Honestly… I'm already retired in spirit."
Roshi didn't argue.
Some battles weren't worth fighting.
—
For Konoha, hosting the Four-Village Joint Chunin Exams brought more than just crushing security pressure. The medical burden alone was enough to strain the village to its limits.
During that period, Konoha Hospital ran at full capacity. It wasn't only their own injured ninja; foreign participants also required treatment, and the workload piled up endlessly.
Whenever Uzumaki Rina overheard news about the hospital being short-staffed while doing errands in the Hokage Building, her chest would tighten.
'They're going to use me again…'
The thought surfaced every time.
She carried that unease all the way until the exams ended. When no summons ever came, and Konoha seemed to have completely forgotten someone like her existed, Rina finally allowed herself to breathe.
But this year, the worry returned.
Not for herself, for Karin.
The child was about to start school.
Two years ago, Tsunade had given her textbooks so she could teach Karin basic knowledge at home. Since then, the Hokage occasionally checked in on their living situation.
Overall, their life in Konoha was stable. Sometimes ignorant children still mocked Karin's red hair, but compared to their days in Grass Village, it was peaceful.
'What should I prepare for school…'
"Rina-san."
"Yes," Rina answered instinctively, then blinked in surprise when she realized someone stood in front of her. "Y–You… Roshi-san."
"You look distracted. Something wrong?" Roshi asked casually.
"No! I'm sorry!" Rina bowed quickly, flustered. After hesitating, she forced herself to continue. "Um… Roshi-san…"
"Lady Tsunade said Karin can take the Ninja Academy entrance exam next month, but I don't know what it tests."
"The Ninja Academy… it's different from normal schools, right?"
"It is," Roshi replied calmly, "which is why you don't need to prepare anything special. They only test physical fitness and Chakra. Karin won't have any trouble."
Before Rina could respond, an Anbu operative in a hood stepped silently into the corridor.
"Jonin Roshi," the masked ninja said in a low voice, "Hokage-sama orders your immediate presence."
Roshi nodded once to Rina and turned to leave.
After walking a short distance, just far enough to exit her line of sight, his hand flashed upward. A clean, decisive chop struck the Anbu on the head.
The operative reacted fast, ducking instinctively, but still got clipped.
"Quit the theatrics," Roshi said flatly, lowering his hand.
"Hehe." The Anbu pulled off the mask, revealing Anko's wide grin. "You noticed?"
"What is it?"
"Sunagakure sent a message," she said. "They're asking about this year's arrangements."
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